• Manatee County separated from Hillsborough County on January 9, 1855 and became Florida's 31st county. At its creation, Manatee County consisted of 5,000 square miles and extended from the Gulf of Mexico to Lake Okeechobee.

  • The U.S. Census in 1860 recorded a population of 854 people. By the next census in 1870, the population had more than doubled to 1,931 people and our population has continued to grow since then. Each dot on the graph represents the population of the decade based off the US Census.

  • This is a photo of the first Manatee County Fair, held in February 28, 1916. Shortly after the first Fair, planning for the 1917 Manatee County Fair had started. More activities were added to the Fair's festivities, and the annual Manatee County Fair was born.

  • Pictured in this image is Bayshore Gardens entrance, circa 1956. This is one of Manatee County's first established neighborhoods. The land was bought by developer Sydney R. Newman in 1955. The neighborhood developed and grew, and by April 1958, it had 400 homes.

  • In the 1970s, when "busing" within schools became mandatory, a certain governor named Claude Kirk attempted and failed to outsmart this law within Manatee County schools. He suspending the local school board in Manatee County and appointed himself school superintendent to try and find a way around this court order.

  • The Manatee Village Historical Park had its grand opening July 6th 1976. Since then it has preserved Manatee County's heritage in a beautiful way.The site features 14 historical and replica buildings, including a general store, schoolhouse, and church. It showcases the beauty and history of this amazing place to live.

  • Photographed is one of the first schoolhouses in Manatee County. These buildings were called "Strawberry Schools" because they followed the crop season in Florida. Walter Carlton, who is part of the Myakka City Historical Society, says in the Observer, "You shut down school when the crops came in during the springtime because they needed the kids to help work the farm and harvest the crops." This pattern set helped set up the schedule for schools during when children worked in farms and other agricultural sites.

  • Pictured in this image are the men who attended the 1861 Secession Convention, and some of these men represented Manatee County. This event took place during the Civil War, which Manatee County was involved in. Our county helped supply cattle to the Confederate Army. The involvement in the Civil War contributed to Manatee County's rich and interesting history.

  • In 2018, a 7,000-year-old human jawbone was discovered off Manasota Beach in Manatee County. This finding, along with other coastal discoveries, proves that humans inhabited Florida’s inundated coastal plains during the last ice age, offering critical insights into early Florida history.

Got some news to share? Any updates?

Is there news that has happened recently in Manatee County? We would love if you would share it with us to help our team work on an updated and factual timeline of Manatee County!