Manatee County lies on Florida's Gulf Coast at the southern edge of Tampa Bay and was created in 1855, named for the West Indian manatee. Bradenton is the county seat and largest city, with Palmetto across the Manatee River and Holmes Beach and part of Longboat Key on the barrier islands. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge links the county to Pinellas. Housing includes beachfront condominiums, riverfront and canal homes, historic neighborhoods, master-planned communities and rural acreage.
Photo: “Emerson Point Preserve Palmetto Florida 2019-2542” by Paul R. Burley, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
