Ellenton, Florida

Ellenton, Florida
Census-designated place
Gamble Plantation Mansion
Location in Manatee County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 27°31′22″N82°31′33″W / 27.52278°N 82.52583°W / 27.52278; -82.52583
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Manatee
Government
• Type	None
Area [1]
• Total	4.47 sq mi (11.57 km2)
• Land	3.31 sq mi (8.56 km2)
• Water	1.16 sq mi (3.00 km2)
Elevation	10 ft (3 m)
Population  (2020) [2]
• Total	4,129
• Density	1,248.56/sq mi (482.09/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	34222 (Ellenton) 34221 (Palmetto)
Area code	941
FIPS code	12-20375 [3]
GNIS feature ID	0282171 [4]

Ellenton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The population was 4,129 at the 2020 census, down from 4,275 at the 2010 census. ^[2] It is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The oldest structure in Ellenton is the Gamble Plantation, which was built between 1845 and 1850 by Major Robert Gamble. Originally a sugar plantation worked by slaves, the antebellum mansion fell into disrepair after the Civil War. Major George Patten and his wife, Mary, purchased the property in 1870 and named the area "Ellenton" after his daughter Ellen. ^[5] In 1881, the United States government designated Ellenton as an official post office site. ^[6]

A refining plant for fuller's earth located in Ellenton along the Manatee River opened in 1903. It was owned by the Atlantic Refining Company and had 150+ employees being the biggest refinery the company owned. It burned down once in 1908 and again in 1912. In 1922, it burned down for the final time after which it was permanently closed. ^[7]

Geography

Ellenton is located in central Manatee County at 27°31′22″N82°31′33″W / 27.52278°N 82.52583°W / 27.52278; -82.52583 (27.522666, -82.525867). ^[8] It is on the north side of the tidal Manatee River and is bordered to the west by the city of Palmetto. Unincorporated Memphis is to the northwest.

U.S. Route 301 passes through the center of the community, and Interstate 75 forms the eastern border, with the highways intersecting at Exit 224 on I-75. US 301 leads west into Palmetto and then south across the Manatee River into Bradenton, the county seat, while to the northeast it leads 8 miles (13 km) to Parrish. I-75 leads north 32 miles (51 km) to the east side of Tampa and south 85 miles (137 km) to Fort Myers.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Ellenton CDP has a total area of 4.5 square miles (12 km²), of which 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²) are land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), or 25.95%, are water. ^[1]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1970	1,421		—
1980	1,561		9.9%
1990	2,573		64.8%
2000	3,142		22.1%
2010	4,275		36.1%
2020	4,129		−3.4%
source: [9]

As of the 2020 census, ^[10] Ellenton had a population of 4,129 people with 1,847 households. There were 2,055 housing units. There was an employment rate of 46.1%. The median household income was $59,723. 11.2% of the population lived below the poverty threshold.

46.9% of the population 25 years or older had a High School or equivalent degree. 10.5% of the population 25 years and older had a bachelor's degree or higher.

20.7% of the population spoke Spanish at home, 0.4% spoke other Indo-European languages, and 0.3% spoke Asian and Pacific Islander languages at home. 9.0% of the population were foreign born persons. 28.2% were 65 years or older.

Industry

January 2012 - Feld Entertainment purchased the Palmetto Corporate Center, a former Siemens Corp. complex here and plans to move most of its various operations and its world headquarters there over a five-year period starting with its worldwide production center. ^[11]

1900 - Fuller's Earth Plant mined clay to be used as bleaching agent and as an absorbent for oil and fat. ^[12]

1850s to present - Agriculture was an important industry, starting with sugarcane from Gamble Plantation. This was harvested through slave labor up until the Civil War. Vegetable farms and citrus groves are also important industries in Ellenton. ^[13]

References

1. "2022 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Florida". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
2. "P1. Race – Ellenton CDP, Florida: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
5. Reed, S. (January 2004). Ellenton evolves: once the home of agriculture and southern history, this Manatee community is becoming much, much more. Sarasota Magazine, 26(4), M12+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA112907042&v=2.1&u=23950_mtcpls&it=r&p=ITOF&asid=b6e270f80b9abf60428e98235431e458
6. Wiggins, J. (2003). Ellenton: its early years. Kearney, NE: Morris.
7. Publishing Co., Valentine & Sons' (1909). "Fuller's Earth Works, Ellenton" (TIFF). Manatee County Public Library System: Digital Collection (Postcard). Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
8. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
9. "Characteristics of the Population" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved July 19, 2020.
10. "Ellenton CDP, Florida". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
11. Sword, Doug; Michael Pollick (January 31, 2012). "Feld Entertainment moving headquarters to Ellenton". Herald-Tribune. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
12. Wiggins, J. (2003). Ellenton: its early years. Kearney, NE: Morris.
13. Wiggins, J.(2003). Ellenton: its early years. Kearney, NE: Morris.