The Sarasota metropolitan area is a

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually ...

located in

Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is the region along the southwest Gulf coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is known for its beaches, subtropical landscape, and winter resort economy. Definitions of the region vary, though its boundaries are generally ...

. The metropolitan area is defined by the

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...

as the North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton metropolitan statistical area as a

metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

(MSA) consisting of

Manatee County Manatee County is a county in the Central Florida portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 US Census, the population was 399,710. Manatee County is part of the North Port-Sarasota- Bradenton Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county ...

and

Sarasota County Sarasota County is a county located in Southwest Florida. At the 2020 US census, the population was 434,006. Its county seat is Sarasota and its largest city is North Port. Sarasota County is part of the North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton, FL ...

. The largest cities in the MSA are North Port,

Sarasota Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

, and

Bradenton Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698. History Late 18th and early 19th centuries A settlement established by Maroons or escaped sl ...

. At the 2020 census, the MSA had a population of 833,716. The federal government defines the North Port–Sarasota combined statistical area as a

combined statistical area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and ...

(CSA) consisting of the combination of the North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton MSA, the Punta Gorda, Florida MSA ( Charlotte County), and the Arcadia, Florida, micropolitan statistical area ( DeSoto County). At the 2020 census, the CSA had a population of 1,054,539.

History of the metropolitan area designations

The Sarasota standard metropolitan statistical area (SMSA) was first defined in 1973, and included only Sarasota County. The Bradenton SMSA was defined after the

1980 United States census The United States census of 1980, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 226,545,805, an increase of 11.4 percent over the 203,184,772 persons enumerated during the 1970 census. It was t ...

, and included only Manatee County. The two MSAs were combined in 1993 as the Sarasota–Bradenton metropolitan statistical area. Venice was added as a principal city after the 2000 census. In 2007, the MSA was renamed the Bradenton–Sarasota–Venice MSA because Bradenton's population then exceeded that of Sarasota. In 2009, the area was designated the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota MSA after North Port qualified as a "principal city" under the

definition and was determined to be the largest of the area's three principal cities. As of 2013, the MSA was renamed to its current name: North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton metropolitan statistical area. The North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton MSA is a component of the larger North Port–Sarasota

(CSA), which also includes the

Punta Gorda, Florida , nickname = , settlement_type = List of municipalities in Florida, City , motto = , image_skyline = Punta Gorda City Hall.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption ...

MSA, and the

Arcadia, Florida Arcadia is a city and county seat of DeSoto County, Florida, United States. Its population was 7,637 as of the 2010 census, with an estimated population of 7,722 in 2014. Arcadia's Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic ...

, micropolitan statistical area (μSA).

Demographics

Counties

Cities

Largest cities

The following is a list of the five largest cities in the Sarasota metropolitan area as ranked by population.

Other cities and towns

Census designated places

The following is a list of

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

s (CDPs) ranked by population. CDPs in the combined statistical area are included.

Climate

The Sarasota metropolitan area, like most of Florida, is located in the humid

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

zone as it is in the southern part of Florida. There are hot, humid summers with frequent afternoon

thunderstorms A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are somet ...

and relatively drier and mild winters.

Transportation

Roads

Freeways

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...

Interstate 275 Bradenton FL US 41 Green Bridge02

U.S. highways

U.S. Route 19 * US 41

U.S. Route 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, ...

U.S. Route 301

State roads

State Road 37 * Florida 62

State Road 62 * Florida 64

State Road 64 * Florida 70

State Road 70 * Florida 72

State Road 72 * Florida 681

State Road 681 * Florida 684

State Road 684 * Florida 758

State Road 758 * Florida 776

State Road 776 * Florida 777

State Road 777 * Florida 780

State Road 780 * Florida 789

State Road 789

County roads

List of county roads in Charlotte County, Florida The following numbered county roads exist in Charlotte County, Florida Charlotte County is a U.S. county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 186,847. Its county seat is Punta Gorda. Charlotte Cou ...

* List of county roads in DeSoto County, Florida *

List of county roads in Manatee County, Florida The following is a list of county roads in Manatee County, Florida. All county roads are maintained by the county in which they reside. County roads in Manatee County Notes References FDOT GIS data
accessed January 2014 {{FLCR County ...

* List of county roads in Sarasota County, Florida

Ports

* SeaPort Manatee

Airports

* Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport

Public airports

* Buchan Airport *

Venice Municipal Airport Venice Municipal Airport is a city managed public-use airport located south of the central business district of Venice, a city in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. History The airport was built during the 1940s by the United States A ...

Public transportation

SCAT bus 1419 servicing route 23 near Venice Beach, front

Both Sarasota and Manatee counties have their own transit networks, SCAT and

MCAT The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT; ) is a computer-based standardized examination for prospective medical students (both Allopathic M.D. and Ostepathic D.O.) in the United States, Australia, Canada, and Caribbean Islands. It is designe ...

, which runs bus services in the area.

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...

does operate a Thruway Route going through the area starting in St. Petersburg- Clearwater and ending in

Fort Myers Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...

, with Sarasota and Ellenton operating as stops along the route.

Media

Newspapers

* '' Anna Maria Island Sun'' * '' Bradenton Herald'' * ''

Business Observer Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." Having a business name does not separat ...

'', a business newspaper that is published in Sarasota, but serves several other regions of Florida. * '' East County Observer'' * '' Longboat Observer'' * ''

The Bradenton Times ''The Bradenton Times'' is an online newspaper founded and continuously published on the Internet from Bradenton, Florida. It is a web news and community resource site for Bradenton and Manatee County designed to supply broad coverage of inform ...

'', an online newspaper. * '' The Islander'' * ''

Sarasota Herald-Tribune The ''Sarasota Herald-Tribune'' is a daily newspaper, located in Sarasota, Florida, founded in 1925 as the ''Sarasota Herald''. History The newspaper was owned by The New York Times Company from 1982 to 2012. It was then owned by Halifax Media ...

'' * '' Siesta Key Observer'' * '' Sarasota Observer'' *'' Tempo News'' *'' Venice Gondolier Sun''

Magazines

* '' Sarasota Magazine'' * '' SRQ Magazine'' * Venice: Gulf Coast Living Magazine

Television

* ABC 7 * WSNN (SNN)

Radio

* WBRD *

WCTQ WCTQ (92.1 FM) is a radio station broadcasting with a classic country music format. Licensed to Venice, Florida, United States, the station serves the Sarasota area. It is currently owned by iHeartMedia. History Before the 2011 holiday season, ...

WDIZ (AM) WDIZ (1320 AM) is a commercial radio station broadcasting an oldies format. Licensed to Venice, Florida, United States, the station serves the Sarasota metropolitan area. WDIZ is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and calls itself "Oldies 1320", ''Venic ...

* WHPT *

WJIS WJIS 88.1 FM, known on air as The JOY FM, is a Christian adult contemporary station serving North, Central and Southwest Florida, including the Sarasota/Bradenton and Tampa Bay areas, and is owned by the Radio Training Network. Network On ...

* WKDW-LP * WKES * WLSS *

WRUB (FM) WRUB (106.5 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish hits format. Licensed to Sarasota, Florida, United States, it serves the Sarasota / Bradenton and Tampa Bay Areas. The station is currently owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The station rebroad ...

WSDV WSDV (1450 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Sarasota, Florida, and broadcasting to the Sarasota - Bradenton radio market. The station airs a hot adult contemporary format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. WSDV is powered at 1 ...

* WSLR-LP * WSMR (FM) * WSRQ (AM) * WTMY * WWPR (AM)

Education

Public education is provided by

Manatee County School District The School District of Manatee County, in Manatee County, Florida, provides education to over 50,000 students. It employs over 7,000 people. The School District is managed by the Manatee County School Board and the Superintendent. Cynthia Saunde ...

and

Sarasota County Public Schools The District School Board of Sarasota, commonly known as Sarasota County Schools, is a public school district serving all of Sarasota County, Florida. As of 2017, the total number of students is approximately 43,150. The school district's leader ...

Colleges and universities

The following college/university campuses exist in the metropolitan area. *

Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training The Florida State University/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training or FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training is a three-year graduate program culminating in a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting. The program is operated by Florida State Unive ...

* East West College of Natural Medicine * Everglades University *

Florida State University College of Medicine The Florida State University College of Medicine, located in Tallahassee, Florida, is one of sixteen colleges composing the Florida State University. The college, created in 2000, is an accredited medical school, offering the Doctor of Medicine ...

* Keiser University * LECOM *

Ringling College of Art and Design Ringling College of Art and Design (RCAD) is a private art and design school in Sarasota, Florida. It was founded by Ludd M. Spivey as an art school in 1931 as a remote branch of Southern College but separated by 1933. History The origins of ...

New College of Florida New College of Florida is a public liberal arts college in Sarasota, Florida. It was founded in 1960 as a private institution known simply as New College, spent several years merged into the University of South Florida, and in 2001 became an aut ...

* State College of Florida Sarasota-Manatee * USF Sarasota-Manatee

Economy

The Sarasota Metropolitan Area has a

gross metropolitan product Gross metropolitan product (GMP) is a monetary measure of the value of all final goods and services produced within a metropolitan statistical area during a specified period (''e.g.'', a quarter, a year). GMP estimates are commonly used to compar ...

of $34.3 billion as of 2018.

Recreation and culture

Parks/nature reserves

Federally owned

DeSoto National Memorial

State owned

* Lake Manatee State Park *

Myakka River State Park Myakka River State Park is a Florida State Park, that is located east of Interstate 75 in Sarasota County and a portion of southeastern Manatee County on the Atlantic coastal plain. This state park consists of , making it one of the state's l ...

* Oscar Scherer State Park * Terra Ceia Preserve Ringling Museum entrance main facade Sarasota Florida

Museums

Bishop Museum of Science and Nature __NOTOC__ The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature (formerly the South Florida Museum), located in Bradenton, Florida, is a natural history museum specializing in the history of Florida's gulf coast. It houses exhibits highlighting Florida histor ...

* Florida Maritime Museum *

Florida Railroad Museum The Florida Railroad Museum is a railroad museum located in Parrish, Florida. The museum operates a heritage railroad and offers round-trip tourist excursions along six miles of the former Seaboard Air Line Sarasota Subdivision in Manatee Count ...

* John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art * Palmetto Historical Park * Sarasota Classic Car Museum

Theatres

* Florida Studio Theatre *

Sarasota Opera House The Sarasota Opera House (originally the Edwards Theatre) is an historic theatre, now opera house, located at 61 North Pineapple Avenue in Sarasota, Florida. The building was the vision of A.B. Edwards, the first mayor of Sarasota. It opened on ...

* Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall

References

External links

Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area
definitions {{Florida Sarasota, Florida Bradenton, Florida Venice, Florida North Port, Florida Manatee County, Florida Sarasota County, Florida South Florida Central Florida 1973 establishments in Florida