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Sarasota,through time.

7 eras · 1840–2026 · every fact sourced · compiled from the sources shown, not yet reviewed by a historian

Start in 1840
Populationfrom 1940

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Frontier on Sarasota Bay

1840–1885: Frontier on Sarasota Bay

Era 1 · 1840–1885

Frontier on Sarasota Bay

In 1840 the Army of Florida set up a headquarters, Fort Armistead, in Sarasota during the Seminole wars, and pioneer William Whitaker settled at "Yellow Bluffs, Sarasota Bay" in the 1840s. Sarasota got its first post office in 1878, and the frontier community was shaken when vigilantes murdered its first postmaster, Charles Abbe, in 1884.

Key moments

  1. Army sets up Fort Armistead headquarters in Sarasota

    During the Seminole wars, General Armistead, commander of the Army of Florida, established a new headquarters in Sarasota. Illness weakened the troops and the fort was abandoned after seven months.

    Source

    1. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)

  2. Sarasota gets its first post office

    Sarasota's first post office opened in the store of Charles Abbe, in the area now known as Harbor Acres.

    Source

    1. The first post office opens today, Historical Society of Sarasota County (accessed 2026-09-29)

  3. Vigilantes murder postmaster Charles Abbe

    Believing Sarasota's first postmaster, Charles Abbe, was plotting to cheat settlers out of homestead claims, a vigilante group murdered him. The New York Times carried the story on its front page.

    Source

    1. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)
1 more from this era

  1. Scottish colonists arrive in a newly platted Sarasota

    The Edinburgh-based Florida Mortgage and Investment Co. sold Scottish settlers land in Sarasota, advertised as a tropical paradise. The settlers found no streets, roads or stores; most left, but some stayed.

    Source

    1. Preserve America Community: Sarasota, Florida, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-09-29)

Sources

  1. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)
  2. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)
  3. The first post office opens today, Historical Society of Sarasota County (accessed 2026-09-29)
Correct this era: Frontier on Sarasota Bay

Era 2 · 1885–1920

Scottish colony to incorporated town and city

In 1885 an Edinburgh company sold Scottish colonists land in a newly platted Sarasota; most left within months, but some stayed and development began. John Hamilton Gillespie became the first mayor when the town incorporated in 1902, and Sarasota was incorporated as a city in 1913.

Image shown for this era: Black-and-white photo of a sandy railroad grade cut through scrub and pine woods, with wooden crossties laid in a row and a crew of workers gathered farther down the line.. 1902 · State Library and Archives of Florida, Florida Memory (item 25713), via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Source

Key moments

  1. The Sarasota Times becomes the area's first newspaper

    The Sarasota Times began publishing in 1899, the area's first newspaper.

    Source

    1. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)

  2. Town of Sarasota incorporated

    The Historical Society of Sarasota County dates the town's incorporation to October 14, 1902, though it did not take effect until January 1, 1903.

    Source

    1. This Day in History: October 14, Historical Society of Sarasota County (accessed 2026-09-29)

  3. Sarasota incorporated as a city

    Sarasota, a town since 1902, was incorporated as a city in 1913.

    Source

    1. Preserve America Community: Sarasota, Florida, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-09-29)
1 more from this era

  1. Newtown plat filed

    The original Newtown plat, 96 building lots, was filed with Manatee County, creating the neighborhood that became the heart of Sarasota's African American community.

    Source

    1. Newtown History, City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)

Sources

  1. Preserve America Community: Sarasota, Florida, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-09-29)
  2. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)
  3. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)
  4. Preserve America Community: Sarasota, Florida, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-09-29)
Correct this era: Scottish colony to incorporated town and city

Era 3 · 1920–1927

County seat, land boom and the circus

After World War I, Sarasota County was formed in 1921 and voters approved bonds for roads, bridges, schools and a courthouse. During the 1920s land boom, families moved south and developers platted subdivisions on former pinewoods and farms, and in 1927 John Ringling made Sarasota his circus's winter headquarters.

Image shown for this era: Stereograph card with two side-by-side views looking down a busy downtown Sarasota street lined with low commercial buildings, cars parked along both curbs and houses and trees in the distance.. 1926 · Keystone View Company / Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division · Public domain · Source

Key moments

  1. First meeting of the new Sarasota County Commission

    Having separated from Manatee County, the new Sarasota County held its first commission meeting, renting space from the city in the Hover Arcade.

    Source

    1. And so Sarasota County begins…., Historical Society of Sarasota County (accessed 2026-09-29)

  2. Ringling circus picks Sarasota for its winter quarters

    John Ringling announced that Sarasota would become the winter quarters of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The quarters moved to Venice in 1960.

    Source

    1. Life is a Circus, at least in Sarasota, Historical Society of Sarasota County (accessed 2026-09-29)

Sources

  1. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)
  2. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)
  3. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)
  4. Preserve America Community: Sarasota, Florida, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-09-29)
Correct this era: County seat, land boom and the circus

Era 4 · 1927–1941

Bust, Depression and New Deal

The boom had collapsed by 1927, and banks closed and tax revenue fell. Federal assistance programs paid laborers to build bridges, drainage, public buildings and parks, while winter visitors kept coming; the Tin Can Tourists moved their annual convention to Sarasota in 1932.

Key moments

  1. Army Air Base opens as the U.S. enters World War II

    After the U.S. entered World War II, Sarasota hosted an Army Air Base where thousands of troops trained, on the site planned for a new Sarasota-Bradenton airport.

    Source

    1. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)

Sources

  1. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)
  2. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)
  3. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)
Correct this era: Bust, Depression and New Deal

Era 5 · 1941–1966

War, postwar growth and the Sarasota School

After the U.S. entered World War II in 1941, Sarasota hosted an Army Air Base, and the city's population grew from 11,141 in 1940 to 18,896 in 1950. The Ringling Museum of Art opened to the public in 1946, artists and architects arrived, and in 1952 a critic called Sarasota's new architecture the most exciting in the world.

Image shown for this era: Two uniformed soldiers standing on either side of a large wooden sign reading "Sarasota Army Air Field" with an Army Air Forces emblem.. 1944 · State Library and Archives of Florida, Florida Memory (item 298728), via Wikimedia Commons · CC0 · Source

Key moments

  1. Ringling Museum of Art opens to the public

    The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, bequeathed to the State of Florida by John Ringling, opened to the public.

    Source

    1. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)

  2. Critic hails the Sarasota School of Architecture

    Architectural historian Henry Russell Hitchcock, writing in London's Architectural Review, said the most exciting new architecture in the world was being done in Sarasota by a group of young architects.

    Source

    1. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)

  3. New College founded

    New College was founded as a private college; its campus was dedicated in 1962 and its charter class enrolled in 1964.

    Source

    1. History, New College of Florida (accessed 2026-09-29)

Sources

  1. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)
  2. The Day of Infamy. And its consequences., Historical Society of Sarasota County (accessed 2026-09-29)
  3. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)
  4. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)
Correct this era: War, postwar growth and the Sarasota School

Era 6 · 1966–2000

Arts city and historic preservation

The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright's firm, opened in 1970. A 1977 survey began documenting the city's historic sites, and Sarasota became a Certified Local Government in 1986, with a Historic Preservation Board working to protect more than 3,500 historic structures.

Image shown for this era: Color aerial view from a downtown hotel over rooftops and trees toward Bayfront Park, a curving bayfront road, high-rise buildings and Sarasota Bay under a clear sky.. 1978 · Joseph Janney Steinmetz / State Library and Archives of Florida, Florida Memory (item 245538), via Wikimedia Commons · CC0 · Source

Key moments

  1. Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall opens

    The purple Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, designed by the late Frank Lloyd Wright's firm, Taliesin Associates Architects, opened; critics nicknamed it the "purple cow."

    Source

    1. This Day in History: Happy 45th, Van Wezel!, Historical Society of Sarasota County (accessed 2026-09-29)

Sources

  1. This Day in History: Happy 45th, Van Wezel!, Historical Society of Sarasota County (accessed 2026-09-29)
  2. The Historic Preservation Chapter, Sarasota City Plan and Support Document (adopted December 1, 2008), City of Sarasota (accessed 2026-09-29)
  3. Preserve America Community: Sarasota, Florida, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-09-29)
Correct this era: Arts city and historic preservation

Era 7 · 2000–2026

Bayfront renewal and new storms

Sarasota was designated a Preserve America Community in 2008. The first 10-acre phase of The Bay, a 53-acre bayfront park on city-owned land, opened in 2022, with a second phase expected in 2027. In October 2024 Hurricane Milton made landfall on nearby Siesta Key, causing major damage in the Sarasota area.

Image shown for this era: Evening panorama of the downtown Sarasota skyline seen across the water from Bayfront Park, with lit high-rise towers and yachts in the marina reflected in the bay.. 2016 · Gregory Urbano (photano_), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY · Source

Key moments

  1. The Bay park opens its first phase

    The first 10-acre phase of The Bay, a 53-acre park on city-owned bayfront land that was mostly parking lot, opened to the public.

    Source

    1. About The Bay, The Bay Park Conservancy (accessed 2026-09-29)

  2. Hurricane Milton makes landfall on Siesta Key

    Hurricane Milton came ashore on Siesta Key as a category 3 hurricane, bringing hurricane conditions across Sarasota and causing major damage in the Sarasota and Tampa Bay areas.

    Source

    1. Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Milton (AL142024), 5–10 October 2024, NOAA National Hurricane Center (accessed 2026-09-29)

Sources

  1. Preserve America Community: Sarasota, Florida, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-09-29)
  2. About The Bay, The Bay Park Conservancy (accessed 2026-09-29)
  3. About The Bay, The Bay Park Conservancy (accessed 2026-09-29)
  4. Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Milton (AL142024), 5–10 October 2024, NOAA National Hurricane Center (accessed 2026-09-29)
Correct this era: Bayfront renewal and new storms

Then & Now

Sarasota, 1902 to 2026

Town of Sarasota incorporated · drag to compare

Black-and-white photo of a sandy railroad grade cut through scrub and pine woods, with wooden crossties laid in a row and a crew of workers gathered farther down the line.
Evening panorama of the downtown Sarasota skyline seen across the water from Bayfront Park, with lit high-rise towers and yachts in the marina reflected in the bay.
19022026

Then image1902 · State Library and Archives of Florida, Florida Memory (item 25713), via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Source

Now image2016 · Gregory Urbano (photano_), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY · Source

Help us get it right

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This timeline is compiled from the public records cited on each era and event. Every quote is checked against its source automatically, and items marked Reviewed have also been checked by a person. Images are public domain or openly licensed, each with its credit. If you know something we’ve missed or got wrong, or you hold records of your own, we’d like to hear from you.

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