The History of Longboat Key

Longboat Key is a town rich in history and located on the west coast of Florida, bordering on both Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Longboat Key’s history dates back to the 1500s, when historians say members of the Calusa and Timucan Indian tribes vacationed here. During this time, the Gulf of Mexico was six feet lower than it is today!

Over 300 years later, the area was settled by pioneers, who were given land grants under the Homestead Act of 1862.  This is a law that gave an applicant freehold title up to 160 acres of undeveloped land outside the original 13 colonies.

Longboat Key’s early economy was fueled by the farming of tomatoes, guavas, avocados and citrus crops such as oranges. A steamboat out of Tampa stopped on Longboat Key to load the crops and disembark passengers in the early 1900s. 

In 1921 a massive hurricane flooded the Key, ending truck farming on the Island. That same year, Sarasota County was created and Longboat Key was divided in half: Manatee County in the north and Sarasota County in the south.

Tourism took over in the 1950s, the town was incorporated in 1955, and condominium living began in the late 1970s.

Today, tourism is the Island’s main industry. Each year, thousands of “snowbirds” flock to the area to escape the cold weather during the winter months, staying in either their second homes or vacation rental properties. These visitors take advantage of the numerous restaurants on the Key, the world renowned shopping at St. Armands Circle, and the sugar white sand beaches Longboat Key is known for. These attractions, along with an exciting array of water sports and other activities such as golf, fishing and wildlife observation, make Longboat Key an ideal vacation destination.

The town of Longboat Key has a population of approximately 8,380 people. Each year, this number grows to nearly 20,000 during the winter months. Some notable residents of the Key include tennis superstar, Maria Sharapova, pro basketball player, Lou Bender, and Italian chef and author Marcella Hazan. This is a far cry from the 14 families that the Sarasota Times reported on the key in 1915!