Get in
Get around
See
Do
Eat
Drink
Get out
Bradenton is a city of around 55,000 people in Manatee County, Florida, United States. Originally discovered by Hernando De Soto at Shaw's Point in 1539. The city took the name of Dr. Joseph Braden, whose nearby fortlike house was a refuge for early settlers during Native American attacks. It is the county seat of Manatee County.
Description
Bradenton is located on US 41 between Tampa and Sarasota. The area is surrounded by waterways, both fresh and saltwater. Along the Gulf of Mexico and into Tampa Bay are over 20 miles of Florida beaches - many which are shaded by tall Australian pines. Bordered on the north by the Manatee River, Bradenton is located on the mainland and is separated from the outer barrier islands of Anna Maria and Longboat Key by the Intracoastal Waterway. Anna Maria Bayfront Park located on the north end of Anna Maria island is a quiet beach park overlooking Tampa Bay. The business district and community of Bradenton Beach on the southern end of Anna Maria island is oriented toward vacationers who come to enjoy the surrounding beaches. Longboat Key, the next barrier island south, is popular with shell hunters along its beaches.
Culture
Bradenton's Riverfront Theatre has a three-year record of first-place wins within the Florida Theatre Conference and the Southeastern Theatre Conference competitions. In addition, the theatre currently holds the first place title from the American Association of Community Theatre competition.
Located on the Manatee River in downtown Bradenton is the South Florida Museum, Bishop Planetarium and Parker Manatee Aquarium. This one-stop museum-planetarium-aquarium offers a glimpse of Florida history, a star and laser show, and viewing of Snooty and other live manatees.
Nearby Sarasota continues the beach theme with its own beautiful white beaches. Sarasota offers the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, an upscale shopping complex at St. Armands Key, Sarasota Jungle Gardens, and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.
Industrial Commerce
Tropicana Products is a company which is one of the world's largest producers and marketers of orange juice. Founded in 1947 by Anthony T. Rossi, an Italian immigrant, it has grown to over 8,000 employees in 2004, and has brought their products to market throughout the United States. It has been owned by PepsiCo, Inc. since 1998. Tropicana has trusted CSX with the duty of hauling their famous juice trains since 1971. In 2003 Tropicana's corporate headquarters were relocated to Chicago when PepsiCo consolidated their beverage business after the acquisition of Gatorade, but their juice production still remains in Bradenton.
Education
Colleges near Bradenton include Manatee Community College, New College of Florida, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) and Manatee Technical Institute. Some Of The Middle Schools are Martha B. King Middle School and W. D. Sugg Middle School and Johnson and Lee. The University of South Florida also maintains a Sarasota-Manatee branch which serves college students in the area. The world-renowned tennis academy run by Nick Bollettieri bears a Bradenton address.
Transportation
Bradenton is served by the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport in nearby Sarasota, Florida and is connected to St. Petersburg, Florida by the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
The Sunshine Skyway is an impressive 5.5 mile, cross-bay bridge that soars 250 feet above the bay at its highest point. Remnants of the old Skyway bridge have been converted into a first rate fishing pier extending into Tampa Bay from both sides of the bay.
Geography
Bradenton is located at (27.488217, -82.577743).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 37.4 km² (14.4 mi²). 31.4 km² (12.1 mi²) of it is land and 6.0 km² (2.3 mi²) of it (16.14%) is water.
Demographics
The population was 49,504 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 53,917. .
As of the census of 2000, there were 49,504 people, 21,379 households, and 12,720 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,578.3/km² (4,088.5/mi²). There were 24,887 housing units at an average density of 793.5/km² (2,055.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.14% White, 15.11% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.91% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.26% of the population.
There were 21,379 households out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 25.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,902, and the median income for a family was $42,366. Males had a median income of $28,262 versus $23,292 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,133. About 9.7% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.3% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.
Famous Residents
There are many celebrities living in Bradenton. Among them are the tennis players Max Mirnyi, Tommy Haas, Jelena Janković, Mary Pierce, Taylor Dent, and Maria Sharapova. New York Mets baseball player Lastings Milledge was born in Bradenton. Dick Vitale, golfer Paul Azinger, and American Reporter founder and editor Joe Shea also calls Bradenton home. Christian metal band At the Wake is also from Bradenton, Danielle White, the winner of American Juniors and features former Underoath guitarist Octavio Fernandez. Also, world famous butterfly collector Scott McMahon is a son of Bradenton.
Media
Radio Stations
Points of interest
External links
