Sarasota County
county in Florida, United States of America
Key facts
- Country
- United States
- State
- Florida
- Founded
- May 14, 1921
- Seat
- Sarasota
- Largest city
- North Port
- Total
- 725 sq mi (1,880 km )
- Land
- 556 sq mi (1,440 km )
- Water
- 169 sq mi (440 km ) 23.4%
- Estimate 2025
- 479,958
- Density
- 781/sq mi (301/km )
- Time zone
- UTC−5 ( Eastern )
- Summer dst
- UTC−4 ( EDT )
- Zip codes
- 34223, 34229–34278, 34284–34289, 34292-34293, 34295
Article
Sarasota County is located in Southwest Florida along the Gulf Coast. At the 2020 United States census, the population was 434,006. Its county seat is Sarasota, Florida and its largest city is North Port, Florida. Sarasota County is part of the Sarasota metropolitan area. The county includes barrier islands with beaches and beach communities. It is home to colleges, a network of libraries, and various parks and preserves.
The area was home to indigenous peoples. Wealthy socialites including Bertha Palmer, who owned substantial lands in the area including what is now Palmer Ranch, established residences in the area. Agriculture included citrus and celery. Several historically African American neighborhoods were established, including the Rosemary District and Newtown. More recently, the North Port area has been fast growing including with Eastern European immigrants.