Bradenton City Map Poster

About Bradenton

It is the principal city of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The area is located at the southern end of Tampa Bay on the Gulf of Mexico and along a major transportation corridor between Tampa and Orlando. Bradenton's government structure was incorporated in 1903, and its modern downtown area still retains that early 20th century flavor with small shops, restaurants, offices as well as historic landmarks such as "The Grand", which opened in 1922 (it closed after Hurricane Charley struck in 2004). The name "Braden" comes from Thomas Bradley (1753–1809), who owned land near what is now Bradenton Municipal Airport; he named it after his son.[4] In 1842 Henry B. Plant built a wooden bridge across Manatee River for $75 to connect his plantation to others further north.[5][6] This bridge would be replaced by an iron one costing $1 million[7] when it was completed in 1889 by John T. Lesley & Co., Inc.