Map of Sarasota County, Florida

Sarasota County is a county located in southwestern Florida. At the 2020 US census, the population was 434,006. Its county seat is Sarasota and its largest city is North Port. Sarasota County is part of the North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton, FL metropolitan statistical area.

Sarasota County overview:
Name:	Sarasota County
FIPS code:	12-115
State:	Florida
Founded:	May 14, 1921
Seat:	Sarasota
Largest city:	North Port
Total Area:	725 sq mi (1,880 km²)
Land Area:	556 sq mi (1,440 km²)
Total Population:	434,006
Population Density:	781/sq mi (302/km²)
Time zone:	UTC−5 (Eastern)
Summer Time Zone (DST):	UTC−4 (EDT)
Website:	www.scgov.net

Sarasota County location map. Where is Sarasota County?

Sarasota County location on the U.S. Map. Where is Sarasota County. — Location of Sarasota County in the the United States.

Sarasota County location on the Florida map. Where is Sarasota County. — Location of Sarasota County in Florida.

History

The area that is now known as Sarasota County has been inhabited by humans for some 10,000 years. Evidence of human remains as well as a burned out log at the Warm Mineral Springs, in North Port, were discovered that date to the early Archaic period.

Although the name was associated with the area from the beginning of European contacts, the origin of the name “Sarasota” is unknown. In the early twentieth-century, a fanciful story was created to go hand-in-hand with a pageant held in Sarasota. The story held that the town was named after the daughter of famous explorer Hernando de Soto’s daughter Sara.

An early map of the area from 1763 shows the word “Zarazote” across present day Sarasota.

Following exploration, the area was occupied by fishing camps, called ranchos. In 1842, the Armed Occupation Act was passed, which deeded land to settlers who were willing to cultivate land in Florida. The act brought settlers to Sarasota but also led to the Second Seminole War. During the war, the area was occupied by the U.S. army and Fort Armistead was built.

Sarasota County was created in 1921 from the southern part of Manatee County. After acquisition by the United States as a territory, the area now included in Sarasota county had been part of St. Johns County (1821), Alachua County (1824), Hillsborough County (1834), and Manatee County (1855) as new counties were created from older counties to accommodate population growth and settlement in new areas.

Sarasota County Road Map

Sarasota CountyStreet Map. — Street map of Sarasota County, Florida. Source: OpenStreetMap (OSM)

Sarasota CountyMap — Sarasota Countypolitical map.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 725 square miles (1,880 km), of which 556 square miles (1,440 km) is land and 169 square miles (440 km) (23.4%) is water.