Anna Maria Island

Anna Maria Island, sometimes called Anna Maria Key, is a barrier island on the coast of Manatee County, Florida in the United States. It is bounded on the west by the Gulf of Mexico, on the south by Longboat Pass (which separates it from Longboat Key), on the east by Sarasota Bay and Sarasota Pass, and on the north by Tampa Bay.

History

The Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and his crew entered the mouth of Tampa Bay north of Anna Maria in May, 1539, but passed it by to make their landfall on the mainland.

In 1892 George Emerson Bean homesteaded the northern 160 acres of the island and became its first permanent resident.

Municipalities

Anna Maria Island today is divided into the three cities of Anna Maria in the north, Holmes Beach in the middle, and Bradenton Beach in the south. In 2005 the United States Census Bureau estimated the combined population of the three cities at approximately 8,500.

Transportation

The main north-south road on the island is Gulf Drive, which begins on the south end of the island at the foot of the Longboat Pass Bridge from Longboat Key. Gulf Drive is the only road that runs the entire length of the island. It is State Road 789 south of Manatee Avenue in Holmes Beach and County Road 789 north of there.

There are two bridges across Sarasota Bay from the mainland: the Cortez Bridge which brings State Road 684 into Bradenton Beach from Cortez, and the Manatee Avenue Bridge which brings State Road 64 into Holmes Beach from the Palma Sola section of Bradenton. Each of these state roads terminates at its intersection with State Road 789.

Adjacent islands

Adjacent to Anna Maria Island's bayside is the island of Key Royale, formerly known as School Key. It was uninhabited until 1960 when a bridge was built joining it to the Holmes Beach section of Anna Maria Island and development then began. It is included in the city limits of Holmes Beach. [ [http://www.holmesbeachfl.org/Cities/COHB/default.asp?section=14 City of Holmes Beach, Florida ] ]

References