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Florida Counties
There are sixty-seven counties in the state of Florida. In 1821, there were only two Counties in Florida: Escambia to the west and St. Johns to the east. From these two Counties were formed 67 today. Its last county was created in 1925 with the formation of Gilchrist County from a segment of Alachua County.Sarasota County, Florida
Sarasota County Education, Geography, and History
Sarasota County is a county located in the state of Florida. Based on the 2010 census, the
population was 379,448. Sarasota County was
created on May 14, 1921 from Manatee County. The county
seat is Sarasota. This county is named
for Native American word from Calusa Indian language, meaning not known, but perhaps
"Point of Rocks".
Sarasota County is included in the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Etymology - Origin of Sarasota County Name
This county is named for Native American word from Calusa Indian language, meaning not known, but perhaps "Point of Rocks".
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Sarasota County History
Sarasota County was created in 1921. The origin of the name is unknown. The county may be named for a word in the indigenous Calusa language, whose meaning may be "point of rocks" or "Place of the Dance." Some believe it was named after the daughter of famous explorer Hernando de Soto's daughter Sara. According the Florida League of Cities, the name first appeared in print as "Zarazote" on a 1763 land grant map.
The largest city is North Port. A majority (over 60%) of Sarasota County's residents live in unincorporated areas outside of its four municipalities.
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 725 square miles (1,878 km2), of which, 572 square miles (1,480 km2) of it is land and 154 square miles (398 km2) of it (21.19%) is water. Sarasota county is located close to the center of Florida.
The preserve areas in this county are, Bayonne Parcel, Circus
Hammock, Curry Creek Preserve, Deer Prairie Creek, Jelks Preserve, Lemon
Bay Preserve, Manasota Scrub Preserve, Myakka Islands Point, Old Miakka
Preserve, Pinelands Reserve, Pocono Trail Preserve, Red Bug Slough,
Sleeping Turtles South, Sleeping Turtles North, South Lemon Bay
Preserve, and T. Mabry Carlton Reserve.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- North: Manatee County
- East: DeSoto County
- Southeast: Charlotte County
- Southwest: Gulf of Mexico
Education
Primary and secondary education
Sarasota County Public Schools - Public K-12 School district serving all of Sarasota County
Higher education
- New College of Florida - Public liberal arts college. Honors college of the state of Florida.
- University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee - Branch campus of USF.
- Ringling College of Art and Design - A private, 4 year, not-for-profit, fully accredited college with concentrations in art and design.
- Keiser University Sarasota - Branch campus of Keiser University.
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