Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Gulf of Mexico |
Coordinates | 27°30′47″N82°43′08″W / 27.51306°N 82.71889°W |
Administration | |
United States | |
State | Florida |
County | Manatee |
Anna Maria Island is a barrier island on the coast of Manatee County, Florida, in the United States. 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 Anna Maria Sound, and on the north by Tampa Bay. Anna Maria Island is approximately 7 miles (11 km) long north to south.
Anna Maria Island was part of the Safety Harbor culture area for many centuries before the arrival of Europeans in Florida. Both the Narvaez expedition, in 1527, and the Hernando de Soto expedition, in 1539, entered the mouth of Tampa Bay, north of Anna Maria Island, passing the island by to make their landfall on the mainland.
Anna Maria Island was first settled in the mid-nineteenth century by Confederate Deputy Marshall and Tampa Mayor Madison Post who then named the island for his wife Maria and his sister-in-law Anna. As Cuban fishermen were the first visitors to the island at the southern mouth of Tampa Bay, the settlement was very soon dominated by nautical types. [1]
In 1892, George Emerson Bean became the first permanent resident on the Island, homesteading much of what is now the city of Anna Maria. After Bean's death in 1898, the land's ownership transferred to his son, George Wilhelm Bean, who partnered with Charles Roser, a wealthy real estate developer from St. Petersburg, to form the Anna Maria Beach Company in order to develop the area. The company laid out streets, built sidewalks and houses, and installed a water system. [2]
In 1921, actor Paul Gilmore purchased 40 acres (160,000 m2) of land where present day Coquina Beach is, with the intent to build a film colony, Paul Gilmore's Oriental Film City, later renamed Gil-Mor Isle. Only one movie, The Isle of Destiny , was filmed there, with Gilmore appearing in the movie which was by Character Picture Corporation. However, the movie was unsuccessful, never getting national distribution. Gilmore was unable to get other movies filmed there, and later the Florida land boom crashed. [3] [4]
The first bridge that was built to connect Anna Maria Island to mainland Florida began construction in the summer of 1921. A heavy storm wiped out half the bridge, but construction was able to continue. The bridge was finished as scheduled in 1922. It crossed the bay to what now is Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach to the fishing town of Cortez. More people then began to visit the island, which caught the interest of several businessmen. [5]
Holmes Beach is a planned community that was started by John E. Holmes Sr. after World War II and was named after him. [6] Holmes Beach was incorporated March 13, 1950. Other potential names that were proposed for Holmes Beach were: Palm City, Mid-Island Beach, Coquina Beach and Tarpon Beach. [7] Bradenton Beach was incorporated the following year on December 21, 1951. [8]
Legend states that "a Spanish explorer" named the place "Ana Maria Cay" in honor of the Virgin Mary and her mother, Ann. [9]
A common myth reported that Ponce de León (died 1521) named the island for Maria Anna von der Pfalz-Neuburg (born 1667), the queen of Charles II of Spain (born 1661), the sponsor of his expedition.
In the past, pronunciation of the name differed: old timers said "Anna Mar-EYE-a," but most people today say "Anna Mar-EE-a". [10]
From May through October in Florida, sea turtles come ashore to nest. [11]
The island is a bird sanctuary. There are pelicans, multiple types of cranes, herons, feral parrots, sandpipers, osprey, hawks, vultures, seagulls, crows, and a nesting pair of bald eagles. Bottlenose dolphins are in the Intracoastal Waterway, the Gulf, and Bimini Bay.
There are roseate spoonbills, snowy egrets, and wood storks. Marine animals include redfish, snapper, mackerel, black drum, snook, trout, and amberjack. [9]
Adjacent to Anna Maria Island's bayside is the island of Key Royale, formerly known as School Key. It was uninhabited until 1960, when a bridge was built joining it to the Holmes Beach section of Anna Maria Island and development began. It is included in the city limits of Holmes Beach. [12] Longboat Key lies at the very southern edge of the island, connected by the Gulf Drive drawbridge. Just to the east of the drawbridge lies Jewfish Key.
Anna Maria Island today is divided into the three cities of Anna Maria in the north, Holmes Beach in the middle, and Bradenton Beach in the south. In 2005 the United States Census Bureau estimated the combined population of the three cities at approximately 8,500.
As of 2020 the United States Census Bureau reported the population at 1,092. The age range of majority of residents is 55–84 years old. [13]
Census year | Population |
---|---|
2010 | 1,475 |
2011 | 1,514 |
2012 | 1,389 |
2013 | 1,559 |
2014 | 1,223 |
2015 | 1,224 |
2016 | 1,133 |
2017 | 1,016 |
2018 | 874 |
2019 | 724 |
2020 | 1,092 |
Racial composition | Population |
---|---|
White (non-Hispanic) | 1,034 |
Black or African-American | 2 |
Hispanic or Latino | 12 |
Asian | 3 |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 41 |
According to the Köppen climate classification, Anna Maria Island is between a tropical climate with a dry winter and a mild temperate climate that's fully humid with a hot summer.
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Average High °F | 72° | 74° | 78° | 83° | 88° | 91° | 92° | 92° | 90° | 85° | 79° | 74° |
Average Low °F | 50° | 53° | 56° | 61° | 66° | 72° | 73° | 74° | 73° | 66° | 58° | 53° |
Average Precipitation Inches | 2.1 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 6.7 | 7.4 | 8.6 | 6.8 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 2.1 |
The only school located in Anna Maria Island is Anna Maria Elementary School and it is in the Manatee school district. This is a public school in Manatee County that offers kindergarten to fifth grade classes. There are 203 students attending as of 2021. [25]
There are no middle schools or high schools on the island, but there are a couple options still in Manatee County. There is Martha B. King Middle School in Bradenton, Florida. There is also Manatee High School in Bradenton, Florida. There are also a few private schools in the area, but again, not on the island.
There are also no higher education options available, but off the island there is State College of Florida - SCF Bradenton. This is also in Manatee County.
The main north–south road on the island is Gulf Drive, which begins on the south end of the island at the foot of the Longboat Pass Bridge from Longboat Key. Gulf Drive is the only road that runs the entire length of the island. It is State Road 789 south of Manatee Avenue (State Road 64) in Holmes Beach and Holmes Beach City 789 (a former portion of State Road 64) north of there.
There are two bridges across from the mainland: the Cortez Bridge, which brings State Road 684 into Bradenton Beach from Cortez, and the Anna Maria Island Bridge, which brings State Road 64 into Holmes Beach from the Palma Sola section of Bradenton.
Anna Maria Island is served by a free trolley-style bus that runs north and south on Gulf Drive. The trolley connects with both the MCAT (Manatee County Area Transit) system serving the greater Bradenton area, and the SCAT (Sarasota County Area Transit) system. The MCAT connects to the trolley at Manatee Public Beach, at the intersection of State Road 789 and State Road 64. [26] The SCAT connects to the trolley at Coquina Beach, at the south end of Anna Maria Island, just before the Longboat Key Bridge. [27] Several local taxi companies serve Anna Maria Island.
Anna Maria Island was only accessible by boat until 1921, when the wooden Cortez Bridge was constructed from the fishing village of Cortez to what is now Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach. The remaining parts of the Cortez Bridge are used as a fishing pier. [28]
Since 2002, tourism development has been targeted as a key economic goal by island, county and state officials [29] and millions of tax dollars have been invested to draw visitors to the island with national and international advertising and publicity efforts. [30] This success has not been without its downsides of congested traffic, noise, litter and parking complaints during peak tourist seasons. [31] This influx of visitors has prompted developers to convert many of the original 1950s and 1960s-era houses into short-term rental units, a subject of local controversy. [32]
In 1938 Siam Garden Resort began a fish camp and in 1948, MGM brought Esther Williams, Peter Lawford, Ricardo Montalbán, Jimmy Durante, Cyd Charisse, and Xavier Cugat to Anna Maria Island to film “On an Island with You." In the plot "a beautiful movie star travels to Hawaii and finds romance in this South Seas musical.” Anna Maria Island is featured in the Florida band Shinedown's video for "Second Chance".
Anna Maria Island is the setting for the 2016 comedy/drama, Monty Comes Back , written and directed by Bradenton native Thomas John Nudi.
Longtime resident Kathleen Flinn wrote about her family's abrupt move to the island in the 1970s after her dying father fell in love with the place in her book, Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good (Penguin Random House).
Manatee County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 399,710. Manatee County is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county seat and largest city is Bradenton. The county was created in 1855 and named for the Florida manatee, Florida's official marine mammal. Features of Manatee County include access to the southern part of the Tampa Bay estuary, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, and the Manatee River.
Anna Maria is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. Anna Maria is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 968 at the 2020 census, down from 1,503 in 2010.
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 North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Downtown Bradenton is along the Manatee River and includes the Bradenton Riverwalk. Downtown Bradenton is also home to the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature.
Bradenton Beach is a city on Anna Maria Island in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The population was 908 at the 2020 census, down from 1,171 in 2010. It is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Cortez, a census-designated place (CDP) in Manatee County, Florida, United States, is a small Gulf Coast commercial fishing village that was founded by settlers from North Carolina in the 1880s. The population was 4,121 at the 2020 census, down from 4,241 at the 2010 census. It is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Holmes Beach is a city on Anna Maria Island in Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 3,010, down from 3,836 at the 2010 census. It is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city occupies the central part of Anna Maria Island and is one of three municipalities on the island. The others are Bradenton Beach in the south and Anna Maria in the north.
Longboat Key is a town in Manatee and Sarasota counties along the central west coast of the U.S. state of Florida, located on and coterminous with the barrier island of the same name. Longboat Key is south of Anna Maria Island, between Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. It is almost equally divided between the Manatee and Sarasota counties. The town of Longboat Key was incorporated in 1955 and is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town's population was 7,505 at the 2020 census, up from 6,888 at the 2010 census.
Hurricane Gordon caused minor damage in the Eastern United States. The seventh named storm and fourth hurricane of the 2000 Atlantic hurricane season, Gordon developed in the extreme western Caribbean Sea from a tropical wave on September 14. Shortly thereafter, the depression moved inland over the Yucatán Peninsula and later emerged into the Gulf of Mexico on September 15. The depression began to quickly organize, and by early on September 16, it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Gordon. After becoming a tropical storm, Gordon continued to intensify and was reclassified as a hurricane about 24 hours later; eventually, the storm peaked as an 80 mph (130 km/h) Category 1 hurricane. However, southwesterly upper-level winds caused Gordon to weaken as it approached land, and it was downgraded to a tropical storm by late on September 17. At 0300 UTC on September 18, Gordon made landfall near Cedar Key, Florida as a strong tropical storm. After moving inland, Gordon rapidly weakened and had deteriorated to tropical depression status by nine hours later. Later that day, Gordon merged with a frontal boundary while centered over Georgia.
The Tampa Bay hurricane of 1921 was a destructive and deadly major hurricane which made landfall in the Tampa Bay area of Florida in late October 1921, becoming the first to do so there since the hurricane of 1848. The eleventh tropical cyclone, sixth tropical storm, and fifth hurricane of the season, the storm developed from a trough in the southwestern Caribbean Sea on October 20. Initially a tropical storm, the system moved northwestward and intensified into a hurricane on October 22 and a major hurricane by October 23. Later that day, the hurricane peaked as a Category 4 on the modern day Saffir–Simpson scale with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (230 km/h). After entering the Gulf of Mexico, the hurricane gradually curved northeastward and weakened to a Category 3 before making landfall near Tarpon Springs, Florida, late on October 25. The storm weakened to a Category 1 hurricane while crossing the Florida peninsula, and it reached the Atlantic Ocean early the following day. Thereafter, the system moved east-southeastward and remained fairly steady in intensity before weakening to a tropical storm late on October 29. The storm was then absorbed by a larger extratropical cyclone early the next day, with the remnants of the hurricane soon becoming indistinguishable.
State Road 789 is a 17.5-mile-long road along the Florida’s Gulf Coast that spans Bird Key, St. Armands Key, and Lido Key, in Sarasota; Longboat Key ; and Anna Maria Island. The southern terminus is the intersection of the John Ringling Causeway and Tamiami Trail in Sarasota; the northern terminus is the intersection of Gulf Drive, North and Manatee Avenue., West in Holmes Beach. Much of the northernmost five miles (8 km) has been designated Bradenton Beach Scenic Highway.
The Sarasota metropolitan area is a metropolitan area located in Southwest Florida. The metropolitan area is defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) consisting of Manatee County and Sarasota County. The principal cities listed by the OMB for the MSA are North Port, Bradenton, Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, and Venice. At the 2020 census, the MSA had a population of 833,716. The Census Bureau estimates that its population was 891,411 in 2022.
Tropical Storm Marco was the only tropical cyclone to make landfall on the United States during the 1990 Atlantic hurricane season. The 13th named storm of the season, Marco formed from a cold-core low pressure area along the northern coast of Cuba on October 9, and tracked northwestward through the eastern Gulf of Mexico. With most of its circulation over the western portion of Florida, Tropical Storm Marco produced 65 mph (105 km/h) winds over land. However, it weakened to a tropical depression before moving ashore near Cedar Key. The cyclone combined with a cold front and the remnants of Hurricane Klaus to produce heavy rainfall in Georgia and the Carolinas. After interacting with the nearby Hurricane Lili, Marco continued northward until being absorbed by a cold front on October 13.
State Road 64 extends from City Road 789 near the Gulf of Mexico in Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island in Manatee County to US 27/US 98 in Avon Park in Highlands County. State Road 64 travels from west to east through the counties of Manatee, Hardee and Highlands.
Tropical Storm Debby was a tropical cyclone that caused extensive flooding in North Florida and Central Florida during late June 2012. The fourth tropical cyclone and named storm of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Debby developed from a trough of low pressure in the central Gulf of Mexico on June 23. At the time, Debby was the earliest fourth named storm to form within the Atlantic basin on record. Despite a projected track toward landfall in Louisiana or Texas, the storm headed the opposite direction, moving slowly north-northeast and northeastward. The storm slowly strengthened, and at 1800 UTC on June 25, attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 km/h). Dry air, westerly wind shear, and upwelling of cold waters prevented further intensification over the next 24 hours. Instead, Debby weakened, and by late on June 26, it was a minimal tropical storm. At 2100 UTC, the storm made landfall near Steinhatchee, Florida with winds of 40 mph (65 km/h). Once inland, the system continued to weaken while crossing Florida, and dissipated shortly after emerging into the Atlantic on June 27.
State Road 684 is a state road located in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The road runs from an intersection with SR 789 in Bradenton Beach east to U.S. Route 41 and unsigned SR 55 in South Bradenton. SR 684 is known as Cortez Road its entire length and varies from a two-lane road between Bradenton Beach and Cortez to a four- to six-lane road east of Cortez. The easternmost portion of SR 684 is concurrent with US 41 and is unsigned.
Tropical Storm Colin was the earliest third named storm in the Atlantic basin on record for four years, until it was surpassed by Tropical Storm Cristobal in 2020. An atypical, poorly organized tropical cyclone, Colin developed from a low pressure area over the Gulf of Mexico near the northern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula late on June 5, 2016. Moving northward, the depression strengthened into a tropical storm about eight hours after its formation. On June 6, Colin curved to the north-northeast and intensified slightly to winds of 50 mph (80 km/h). Strong wind shear prevented further strengthening and resulted in the system maintaining a disheveled appearance on satellite imagery. Later, the storm began accelerating to the northeast. Early on June 7, Colin made landfall in rural Taylor County, Florida, still at peak intensity. The system rapidly crossed northern Florida and emerged into the Atlantic Ocean several hours later. By late on June 7, Colin transitioned into an extratropical cyclone offshore North Carolina before being absorbed by a frontal boundary the following day.
The Cortez Bridge is a double-leaf bascule bridge that connects the barrier islands of Bradenton Beach, and the mainland of Cortez, Florida. It crosses the Sarasota Bay, carries Cortez Road, part of SR 684, and was built in 1956, replacing a swing bridge built in 1921.
The Longboat Pass Bridge is a single-leaf bascule bridge that crosses the Longboat Pass, connecting Longboat Key and Bradenton Beach, Florida. The bridge carries State Road 789, which is known as Gulf Drive on Anna Maria Island, and Gulf of Mexico Drive on Longboat Key.
Ilexhurst is a subdivision and former resort community on Anna Maria Island in Manatee County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Bradenton–Sarasota–Venice Metropolitan Statistical Area. The subdivision occupies the central part of Anna Maria Island. From 1953 to 1954, the community was split and annexed into the adjacent cities of Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach.
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