Half of South Bradenton’s homes were built after 1975
More historic than 11% of U.S. towns · #331 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of South Bradenton was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Below: maps from 1947 on and the census since 1970.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, South Bradenton is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #331 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of South Bradenton’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 South Bradenton’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (33% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 South Bradenton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of South Bradenton yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
South Bradenton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The population was 26,858 at the 2020 census, up from 22,178 in 2010. It is part of the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 22,178 to 26,858 (+21%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of South Bradenton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1947Bradenton 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 South Bradenton.
People over time
South Bradenton, census by census
Grew from 10,820 people in 1970 to 26,858 in 2020.
6 censuses, 1970–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on South Bradenton’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to South Bradenton
Nobody well known was born in South Bradenton itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
South Bradenton is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #331 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.
How old are the homes in South Bradenton?
1% of South Bradenton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
