Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota (/ˌsærəˈsoʊtə/) is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Greater Tampa Bay Area, and north of Fort Myers and Punta Gorda. Its official limits include Sarasota Bay and several barrier islands between the bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Sarasota is a principal city of the Sarasota metropolitan area. According to the 2020 U.S. census, Sarasota had a population of 54,842.
Sarasota, Florida | |
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Skyline of Sarasota from Bird Key in 2018 | |
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Flag Seal | |
| Nickname(s): Paradise, SRQ, Circus City | |
| Motto: "Where Urban Amenities Meet Small-Town Living" | |
Location in Sarasota County and the U.S. state of Florida | |
Sarasota, Florida Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 27°20′14″N 82°32′7″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| County | Sarasota |
| Zarazote | 1539 |
| Fort Armistead | 1840 |
| Sara Sota | 1842 |
| Sarasota | 1902 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Commission–manager government |
| • City Mayor (ceremonial, rotating yearly) | Kyle S. Battie |
| • City Manager | Marlon Brown |
| Area | |
| • City | 24.08 sq mi (62.38 km2) |
| • Land | 14.70 sq mi (38.07 km2) |
| • Water | 9.39 sq mi (24.31 km2) 42.58% |
| Elevation | 16 ft (7 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • City | 54,842 |
| • Density | 3,731.51/sq mi (1,440.74/km2) |
| • Urban | 779,075 (US: 57th) |
| • Urban density | 1,927.1/sq mi (744.0/km2) |
| • Metro | 833,716 (US: 71st) |
| • Metro density | 542.0/sq mi (209.3/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 34230–34243, 34249, 34260, 34276-34277 |
| Area code | 941 |
| FIPS code | 12-64175 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0290675 |
| Website | www |
The Sarasota city limits contain several keys, including Lido Key, St. Armands Key, Otter Key, Casey Key, Coon Key, Bird Key, and portions of Siesta Key. Longboat Key is the largest key separating the bay from the gulf.
The city limits expanded significantly with the real estate rush of the early twentieth century, reaching almost 70 square miles (180 km2). The speculation boom began to crash in 1926 and the city limits began to contract, shrinking to less than a quarter of that area.