2 of South Sarasota’s places are on the National Register
More historic than 37% of U.S. towns · #133 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of South Sarasota was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: maps from 1944 on and the census since 1970.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, South Sarasota is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns, #133 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of South 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 South Sarasota’s 14.5 sits above most of its state (86% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% 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 (±0.6 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 Sarasota’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 Sarasota yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
South Sarasota is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,133 at the 2020 census, up from 4,950 at the 2010 census. It is part of the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 4,950 to 5,133 (+4%).
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 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 South Sarasota.
On the National Register
2 listings protect 7 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
South Sarasota is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns, #133 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 South Sarasota?
Two places: the Field Estate (listed 1986) and the Bispham-Wilson Historic District (2002).
How old are the homes in South Sarasota?
0.0% of South Sarasota’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
