34205 Downtown Bradenton Real Estate

Bradenton Florida

Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States, located just south of Tampa Bay and just north of City of Sarasota. Bradenton is known as The Friendly City where you’ll find beautiful parks, its finest beaches, waterfront restaurants and its scenic downtown full of lively arts and music scene. The City of Bradenton (originally spelled Bradentown) was discovered in 1539 by Hernando DeSoto, a Spanish explorer. Bradentown was established in 1842. The original town of Bradentown was incorporated in 1903. The city name came from Dr. Joseph Braden, whose nearby fort-like house was a refuge for early settlers during Seminole Indian attacks. The current city of Bradenton was formed in 1943 when the Florida legislature merged the cities of Manatee and Bradentown. Bradenton is set on the Gulf of Mexico and positioned along the banks of the Manatee River so the area is surrounded by waterways, both fresh and saltwater.

Bradenton is newly renowned for its improving arts scene and bustling local businesses. Bradenton is home to the Village of the Arts, a renovated neighborhood where special zoning laws allow residents to live and work in their homes. Many of these houses are converted into small restaurants, galleries, studios, and other small businesses. The Village of the Arts remains the largest arts district on the Gulf Coast.

Downtown Bradenton crown jewel is the Riverwalk along the waterfront where locals enjoy fishing, open-air picnicking, exploring, exercising and boating. The Manatee Players, who reside at the Manatee Performing Arts Center, boasts a three-year record of first-place wins within the Florida Theater Conference and the Southeastern Theater Conference competitions. Plus, the theater holds the first-place title from the American Association of Community Theater competition.

Other noteworthy attractions include the DeSoto National Memorial Park, the Cortez Fishing Village, the Manatee Village Historical Park and the South Florida Museum.