Sarasota County Florida   Located in West Florida

Sarasota County Cities

Land area (rank): 573 square miles (50)
Population 1993 (rank): 290,612 (14)
Population density 1993 (rank): 507 persons per square mile (8)
Growth 1980-1990 (rank): 37.3% (28)

Physical Characteristics

Sarasota County is on the Gulf coast, south of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Bradenton area and is bordered by Charlotte, De Soto, and Manatee counties. The county has 32 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 61.5 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 80.1 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 57.11 inches.

History

Sarasota County was established in 1921 from a portion of Manatee County. The exact meaning of the name is unknown and may be of Indian origin. The name was first applied to a prominent part of the county's shoreline known as Point O' Rocks. Early versions of the name include "Sarasote," "Sarazota," and "Sara Zota."

Population

Most of Sarasota County's population is along the coast. The incorporated place with the greatest population is the city of Sarasota, which in 1993 had a population of 50,820, followed by Venice, with a 1993 population of 17,768, and North Port, with a 1993 population of 13,591. Nearly 70% of Sarasota County's population was in unincorporated areas in 1993. In 1990 the largest unincorporated place in Sarasota County was Sarasota Springs with a population of 16,088, followed by South Venice with a population of 11,840. The U.S. Bureau of the Census has designated Sarasota County as the Sarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1993, 95% of Sarasota County's population was white and 5% was nonwhite. In 1990, 2.1% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 100.0% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate was 9.2 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 14.3 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 8.2 per 1,000. The leading causes of death in 1993 were heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

Education

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 64.5% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate was 2.1%. In 1990, 81.3% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 21.9% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Served by Manatee Community College (Manatee County); University of South Florida, Sarasota and New College campuses; Ringling School of Art and Design, University of Sarasota, Sarasota.

Economy

The per capita income in Sarasota County for 1993 was $27,492 (3rd highest in the state). The median household income was $29,919 in 1989. In 1989, 4.6% of families had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 17.6% of personal income in Sarasota County was derived from transfer payments. In 1992 there were 328 farms in Sarasota County, totalling 151,242 acres (41% of land in the county). In 1991, 130,027 pounds of fish and 31,302 pounds of shellfish were landed.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $87,200
Median monthly rent 1990: $458
Mobile homes as a % of total housing: 13.3
Housing starts 1992: 2,420
Housing starts 1993: 2,591

In 1992 the price level index for Sarasota County was 101.90 (7th highest in the state).

Local Government

Sarasota is a charter county. In 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 3.7989, and the total taxable value of property was $15,489,379,289. Taxable sales totalled $2955.70 million in 1992 and $3108.40 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $36,533 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Sarasota County's revenues totalled $235,841 thousand ($832.9 per capita) and its expenditures $236,291 thousand ($834.5 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 76.5% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these, 32.7% were registered Democrat and 59.3% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election, 42.8% of the votes were cast for Bush, 34.9% for Clinton, and 21.9% for Perot.

Events and Places of Interest

Medieval Fair, March, Children's Art Festival, April, Sarasota Jazz Festival, April, Summer Music Festival, June, Sailing Squadron Labor Day Regatta, French Film Festival, November, Sarasota; Sand Sculpture Contest, Siesta Key Beach; Bellm's Cars and Music of Yesterday, John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Lionel Train and Seashell Museum, Sarasota Jungle Gardens, Sarasota.