Memphis is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...

(CDP) in Manatee County,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, United States. The population was 9,024 as of the 2020 census, up from 7,848 in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

. It is part of the North Port–

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, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a principal city in the Sarasota metropolitan area. Dow ...

–

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers, Florida, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, Florida, Punta Gord ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The community can trace its roots back to the 1880s, when it was planned as an 80-acre subdivision, adjacent to the city of Palmetto. Tennessee-born Robert Willis (1855-1933) originally owned the land, but eventually it was sold to I.E. Barwick (1854-1924) who subdivided it. The community's traditional borders roughly lie on the west side of 16th Avenue East and just on the west side of U.S. 41, and between 17th and 25th Streets East."Keeping Memories Alive", by January Holmes. ''The Bradenton Herald'', August 19, 2007. Newspapers.com. An 1897 Manatee County directory mentions a handful of establishments, from a clothing store to a crate mill and a bakery then under construction. Over time, the area eventually became a predominantly

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

community in the

segregation Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of human ...

era. The Old Memphis cemetery is the resting place of over 600 individuals. Many of the graves are of these early African American settlers, some of whom were freed slaves. The cemetery lies north of the community and was closed by the 1970s. Early residents included the Reverend Daniel and Isabel Baity. Reverend Baity became the first minister of the first African American church in Sarasota. The identity of the close-knit community was interrupted with the construction of U.S. 41 in the 1960s. In more recent years, the old cemetery fell into disrepair and was cleaned up on several occasions. An historical marker was erected in 2013 at the entrance of the Old Memphis cemetery.Florida Department of State, "Florida Historical Markers Programs-Manatee County-Old Memphis Cemetery", Accessed January 31, 2022. http://apps.flheritage.com/markers/markers.cfm?county=manatee

Geography

Memphis is located in northern Manatee County at (27.539798, -82.562966). It is bordered to the south and west by the city of Palmetto and to the northwest by Terra Ceia Bay, an arm of

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater i ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 11.29%, are water. The main road through the community is US Route 41, also known as the

Tamiami Trail The Tamiami Trail () is the southernmost of U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) from State Road 60 (SR 60) in Tampa to US 1 in Miami. A portion of the road also has the hidden designation of State Road 90 (SR 90). The north� ...

, which leads south to

, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

, and north to

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

US Route 19 U.S. Route 19 or U.S. Highway 19 (US 19) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway in the Eastern United States. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul road, connecting the Gulf of Mex ...

has its southern terminus at US 41 in Memphis. US 19 leads northwest via the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay to St. Petersburg, away.

Demographics

At the 2010 census there were 7,848 people, 2,501 households, and 1,835 families in the CDP. The population density was . There were 3,204 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 44.74% White, 36.34% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 7.81% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28.5%. Of the 2,501 households 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 19.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 21.3% of households were one person and 9.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.26. The age distribution was 29.3% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males. The median household income was $32,576 and the median family income was $35,600. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $21,979 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $14,778. About 16.5% of families and 20.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 27.5% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Manatee County, Florida Sarasota metropolitan area Census-designated places in Florida