Bradenton–Sarasota–Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area
| Sarasota metropolitan area | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States of America |
| State | Florida |
| Principal cities of MSA |
North Port Sarasota Bradenton |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,295.8 sq mi (3,356 km2) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 702,281 |
| • Density | 542.0/sq mi (209.3/km2) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
The Sarasota metropolitan area is a metropolitan area on the western (Gulf) coast of the U.S. state of Florida.
The U.S. federal government has defined the North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton metropolitan statistical area as a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) consisting of Manatee County and Sarasota County. The largest cities in the MSA are North Port and Sarasota (both in Sarasota County) and Bradenton (in Manatee County). At the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 702,281. The Census Bureau estimates that its population was 720,042 in 2012.
Additionally, the federal government defines the North Port–Sarasota combined statistical area as a combined statistical area (CSA) consisting of the combination of the North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton MSA, the Punta Gorda, Florida MSA (Charlotte County), and the Arcadia, Florida, micropolitan statistical area (DeSoto County).
The Sarasota standard metropolitan statistical area (SMSA) was first defined in 1973, and included only Sarasota County. The Bradenton SMSA was defined after the 1980 United States Census, and included only Manatee County. The two MSAs were combined in 1993 as the Sarasota–Bradenton metropolitan statistical area. Venice was added as a principal city after the 2000 census. In 2007, the MSA was renamed the Bradenton–Sarasota–Venice MSA because Bradenton's population then exceeded that of Sarasota. In 2009, the area was designated the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota MSA after North Port qualified as a "principal city" under the metropolitan statistical area definition and was determined to be the largest of the area's three principal cities. As of 2013, the MSA is named the North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton metropolitan statistical area.
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