Sarasota dates to 1763, and 69 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 88% of U.S. towns · #9 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of Sarasota was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. 69 places in town are on the National Register, among them ten historic districts with 1,378 buildings between them. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1913 on, and the census since 1910.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1878.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Sarasota’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sarasota is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #9 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sarasota’s overall grade.
Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Sarasota’s 255 sits above most of its state (98% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 1,452 historic buildings outnumber those of 99% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1763.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Sarasota’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Around 1883 to 1885, The Florida Mortgage and Investment Company of Edinburgh bought 60,000 acres (240 km2) for development in what is now Sarasota. Many Scottish people began to arrive in Sarasota in December 1885. The municipal government of Sarasota was established when it was incorporated as a town on October 14, 1902. John Hamilton Gillespie was the first Mayor of the town government. When reincorporated with a city form of government on May 13, 1913, A. B. Edwards became the first mayor of the city government.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sarasota. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1944Sarasota sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Sarasota.
Every building
Sarasota, building by building, 1913–1929
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1763, according to Wikidata. Sarasota’s post office opened in 1878, and the census of 1910 counted 840 people here.
How does Sarasota rank for history?
Sarasota is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #9 of 638 in Florida. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Sarasota?
69 listings: 58 buildings, 10 historic districts with 1,378 contributing buildings, and 2 sites. 1,452 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Sarasota?
5% of Sarasota’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1976.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (8), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (70), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1850
1850
1902
1917
1918
