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Manatee County, home to Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key, Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch, is a mid-size Florida county with 150 miles of coastline, 741 square miles of land, and 311,000 residents. Our islands are home to 16,000 people. Florida’s Gulf Islands welcomes more than two million visitors to this community every year.
Our Islands
Seven-and-a-half-mile Anna Maria Island is a nostalgic look back to a time when people and things moved slower. As a matter of fact, the maximum speed limit is just 35 miles per hour. Cross the bridge onto Longboat Key and you’re transported into a secluded barrier island with an upscale shopping center anchoring its south end.
Bradenton
With its hip personality, downtown Bradenton combines antique shops, restaurants and a waterfront district, plus a unique collection of bungalows transformed into art galleries. Home to its own international airport, Bradenton combines culturally advanced attractions like the South Florida Museum with down-home friends, including Snooty™, the world’s oldest manatee and the area’s official mascot. Located to the west of I-75, exits 217 and 220.
Lakewood Ranch
To the southeast of Bradenton, this 7,000-acre master-planned community offers world-class recreational facilities, from the Sarasota Polo Club to the Sarasota International Cricket Club and its very own Main Street entertainment district. Anchored by University Parkway (I-75 exit 213 east), this cultural community winds north across the Braden River above SR 64 (I-75 exit 220 east).
Palmetto
Located on the north shore of the Manatee River, this quaint city is home to Palmetto Historical Park, the Manatee County Agricultural Museum and the Madira Bickel Mound State Archeological Site, an ancient Native American site.
Ellenton
Just a short drive east from Palmetto (I-75 exit 224), Ellenton is home to Prime Outlets, with more than 130 factory direct stores, and historic Gamble Plantation, the only antebellum plantation house surviving in peninsular Florida.
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