| Manatee County was named for the mammal the manatee, or sea cow by the Braden brothers. It was established as a county in 1855 with Bradenton as its county seat. Manatee County's total area is 893 square miles with 152 square miles of it is water. Manatee County is part of the Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice Metropolitan Statistical Area. Incorporated cities are the City of Anna Maria, Bradenton, Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach, Palmetto, and the Town of Longboat Key. After 1842 when the Braden brothers who were the major landowners, named Manatee County and Bradenton, the Citrus Belt was created. Farmers, cattle ranchers and citrus growers settled in the area. Transportation began to open up roadways making it easier to supply markets in New Orleans and Key West with locally caught fish. Now, to connect Manatee to other places, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge connects it to St. Petersburg and I-75 connects to Tampa and the rest of Florida |