ANNA MARIA ISLAND, FLORIDA

'Anna Maria Island, Florida' is a barrier island on the coast of Manatee County, Florida. It is bounded on the west by the Gulf of Mexico, on the south by Longboat Pass (which separates it from Longboat Key), on the east by Sarasota Bay and Sarasota Pass, and on the north by Tampa Bay.

Contents

History

Municipalities

References

History

The Spanish explorer, Hernando de Soto and his crew entered the mouth of Tampa Bay north of Anna Maria in May, 1539 but passed it by to make their landfall on the mainland nearby.
In 1892 George Emerson Bean homesteaded the north 160 acres of the island and became its' first permanent resident.

Municipalities

Anna Maria Island today is divided into the three incorporated municipalities of Anna Maria on the north, Holmes Beach in the middle and Bradenton Beach on the south. In 2004-2005 the United States Census Bureau estimated the combined population of the three at approximately 8,500.

References