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Wallingford, Oxfordshire

Wallingford is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, 12 mi north of Reading, 13 mi south of Oxford and 11 mi north west of Henley-on-Thames. Although belonging to the historic county of Berkshire, it is within the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire for administrative purposes (since 1974) as a result of the 1972 Local Government Act. The population was 11,600 at the 2011 census.

The town has played an important role in English history starting with the surrender of Stigand to William the Conqueror in 1066, which led to his taking the throne and the creation of Wallingford Castle. The castle and the town enjoyed royal status and flourished for much of the Middle Ages. The Treaty of Wallingford, which ended a civil war known as The Anarchy between King Stephen and Empress Matilda, was signed there. The town then entered a period of decline after the arrival of the Black Death and falling out of favour with the Tudor monarchs before being called on once again during the English Civil War. Wallingford held out as the last remaining Royalist stronghold in Berkshire before surrendering after a 16-week siege. Fearing that Wallingford Castle could be used in a future uprising, Oliver Cromwell ordered its destruction.

Since then Wallingford has become a market town and centre of local commerce. At the centre of the town is a market square with the war memorial and Wallingford Town Hall to the south, the Corn Exchange theatre to the east and numerous shops around the edges. Off the square there are alleyways and streets with more shops and a number of historic inns. Although it was a small town, Wallingford once had 14 churches; now, there are three ancient churches within the Parish of St Mary-le-More and St Leonard, a modern Roman Catholic church, a Quaker Meeting House dating from 1724 and Baptist, Methodist and community churches.

Etymology
The place-name first appears as Wælingford in a Saxon charter of 821, as Welingaford around 891 and as Walingeford in the Domesday Book of 1086. A number of etymologies have been proposed and the name has been the subject of debate for centuries.

Both William Camden and Samuel Lewis state that the modern English name ultimately derives from a preexisting Brythonic name for the site. Camden gives this name as "Gual Hen", with Lewis giving "Guallen", with sound changes meaning the word became "Walling" in Old English with the element "ford" being suffixed at a later time. If either derivation is correct, the modern English name would mean "ford at the old fortification". Eilert Ekwall and John Richard Green derive Wallingford as the ford of "Wealh's or Walhaz people", meaning "Ford of the Welsh people" (British speaking Celts).

Early history
Wallingford developed around an important crossing point of the River Thames. There is evidence of Roman activity in the area who have left traces of occupation, burials, roads, coins and pottery. The Anglo-Saxons built the first settlement. Wallingford has been fortified since the Anglo-Saxon period when it was an important fortified borough of Wessex with the right to mint royal coinage. It was enclosed with substantial earthworks by King Alfred the Great in the ninth century as part of a network of fortified towns known as burhs, or burghs, to protect Wessex against the Vikings. These defences can still be clearly discerned as a group of four roughly square areas around the centre of the town and are well-preserved. Wallingford became the chief town of Berkshire and the seat of the county's Ealdorman.

Medieval period
During the Norman Conquest in 1066, the Anglo-Saxon lord Wigod allowed William the Conqueror's invading armies into Wallingford to rest and to cross the Thames unopposed. It was in Wallingford that Stigand the Archbishopric of Canterbury surrendered and submitted to William, thereby all but ending opposition to William's ascent to the throne. From Wallingford, William with Stigand and his armies rode east to Berkhamsted, where he received the final surrender from Edgar and the rest of the English leadership before marching on London for his coronation on Christmas Day. At that time, the river at Wallingford was the lowest point at which the river could be forded. The town subsequently stood in high favour with the Normans as Wallingford Castle was built soon afterward on the orders of William, and became a key strategic centre controlling the Thames crossing and surrounding area. The Domesday Book of 1086 lists Wallingford as one of only 18 towns in the kingdom with a population of over 2,000 people.

Establishment of Wallingford Priory (1097)
Wallingford Priory, also known as Holy Trinity Priory, is believed to have stood on the site of the Bull Croft recreation ground off the High Street. This Benedictine priory was established on land granted to St Albans Abbey in 1097 by Henry I, and Geoffrey the Chamberlain gave the priory to St Albans Paul, 14th Abbot of St Albans, who sent some of his monks to establish a cell there. Wallingford Priory produced the mathematician Richard of Wallingford and the chronicler John of Wallingford.

The Anarchy and King John (12th century)
Wallingford provided refuge for the Empress Matilda's party during the civil war that began after her father Henry I's death. After the fall of Oxford Castle to Stephen in 1141, Matilda fled to Wallingford, according to some historic accounts in the snow under a moonlit sky. Wallingford Castle was besieged unsuccessfully a number of times, with the Treaty of Wallingford ending the conflict there in November 1153.

The town was granted a Royal Charter in 1155 by the new king, Henry II, being the second town in England to receive one.

During Prince John's unsuccessful revolt against his brother King Richard I whilst Richard was involved with the Third Crusade, John seized Wallingford Castle in 1189. The rebellion failed, and John was forced to return the castle to the king's administrators. King John reclaimed the castle after his inheriting the crown in 1199. John modernised, fortified and greatly enlarged the Castle and used it extensively during the First Barons' War.

Decline (13th–15th century)
The town declined in importance from the mid-13th century, with a shrinking in its size and population. The town was hit a further blow when plague arrived in 1343, it severely damaged the town and its population, the number of churches declined from eleven (during the reign of King Henry II) to only four by the 15th century. The castle declined subsequently, much stone being removed to renovate Windsor Castle.

The road from London to Gloucestershire passed through Wallingford, and the town flourished as a trading centre throughout most of the Middle Ages. The road was diverted, and a bridge was constructed at Abingdon. The opening of Abingdon Bridge and loss of traffic that the road had brought caused the town to enter a steep economic decline.

Catherine of Valois and Owen Tudor (1422)
In 1422 Wallingford and its castle was granted to Catherine of Valois, widowed Queen of Henry V. Catherine lived at Wallingford with her son Henry VI, who was tutored there. While she lived at Wallingford, Catherine met Owen Tudor, whom she later married in secret. Catherine and Owen's eldest son Edmund Tudor fathered Henry VII who defeated Richard III at Bosworth Field and founded the Tudor Dynasty.

The Tudor dynasty (1485–1603)
One of the last documented uses of Wallingford as a royal residence was during 1518. Letters between Cardinal Wolsey and his secretary Richard Pace discuss King Henry VIII's dissatisfaction with Wallingford and his desire to move on. The priory was dissolved in 1525 by Cardinal Wolsey, partly in order to fund the building of the Cardinal College in Oxford. Henry VIII separated the Honour of Wallingford, which included rights of control over the town and its castle, from the Duchy of Cornwall in 1540.

He combined it with the Honour of Ewelme, which included the rights over his existing residence and lands at Ewelme. Ewelme is two miles from Wallingford, so this was done to consolidate control in the area. In return Henry transferred as compensation several areas of Cornish property into the Duchy of Cornwall for Prince Edward. After taking control of Wallingford in 1540, King Henry VIII did not favour choosing Wallingford Castle as an official residence. Instead, he opted to transfer materials from it to Windsor to enlarge & improve his own castle there. This practice of dismantling Wallingford Castle to improve Windsor Castle was continued in the reigns of Edward VI, Mary I & Elizabeth I.

English Civil War and aftermath
Maintenance and repair of Wallingford Castle during the English Civil War was vital to the success of the Royalists' plans. The royal headquarters were in Oxford, which made the defence of Wallingford, which controlled the area to the south, especially strategically important. In August 1643 Colonel Blagge was granted warrants from the King and Prince Rupert to collect taxes from Reading and other local towns in order to proceed with the repairs. In April 1643 the king marched south from Wallingford in order to relieve Reading, which was besieged by the Earl of Essex. The Parliamentary army was 16,000 strong and laid siege to Reading using cannons. Reading was unable to hold out long enough for the King and Prince Rupert to arrive and break the siege. The town surrendered on 27 April 1643, with "the garrison joining the royal army and together they retreated through Wallingford back to Oxford".

In 1643 a group of Parliamentary commissioners came to Wallingford in search of an audience with the King. Blagge received them, with the encounter being recorded as "worrying". "He received them, 'not rudely, but with haughtiness enough,' sending a troop of horse to escort them as if they had been prisoners. High words followed; the commissioners feared they might have had their throats cut by the garrison and gladly took their leave of the 'proud governour." 4 October 1643 was the last time the king and queen visited the town together, although they did visit Abingdon, staying at Barton Lodge on 17 April 1644. It was also the last time that any British king and queen stayed at the castle together, owing to its destruction at the end of the war. By May 1644 the war had turned decidedly against the Royalists in Berkshire, and a failure of communications among the commanders left Abingdon open to occupation by the Parliamentarians. General Waller took the town and the garrison retreated to Wallingford.

After the Second Battle of Newbury on 27 October 1644, where neither side had gained a true victory, King Charles I retreated through Wallingford on his way to Oxford. Although his retreat went initially unchallenged, the next day at a meeting of the War Council it was resolved that Cromwell, Balfour and Sir Arthur Hesilrige were to be allowed to take cavalry to pursue the King. They were too late, and by the time they reached Wallingford, they found the Royalists had already advanced to Oxford, with the castle blocking their path. It was annoyance at missing an opportunity to capture the king that led to Cromwell forming his New Model Army.

Siege of Wallingford
The first assault on the town was led by Colonel Baxter, the governor of Reading in 1645. However, finding that the fortifications exceeded his expectations, he retreated quickly to Reading. By the end of 1645 the situation had worsened, with the king's defeat at the Battle of Naseby by General Fairfax. By this point Wallingford, Faringdon and Donnington were the only strongholds still loyal to the king in the county of Berkshire. The king held up at Oxford for the winter, with the intention of riding south to relieve and retake positions in Berkshire, but the failure of reinforcements to arrive from the west and the imminent threat of siege by General Fairfax forced him to flee north. The siege of Wallingford was begun on 4 May 1646 by General Fairfax; the Parliamentarians laid siege to Oxford on 11 May.

Oxford held out until 24 June, when the garrison of 3,000 men including the king's nephews, Prince Rupert and Prince Maurice, were marched out of the city with full honours. Now only Wallingford remained, its garrison faithfully holding the town and castle for the king under the leadership of Colonel Blagge. However, his position was now impossible to hold, with the town being blockaded on all sides. It was only a matter of time, but still Blagge held that he would not surrender without the king's order and even threatened to set fire to the town during a full assault.

A Parliamentary special council met and decided that the difficulty of any full assault would cause unacceptable losses. Waiting and trying to starve Blagge out would give the king time to build his forces. They were also very concerned that they were risking making a martyr of the town to the Royalist cause in Berkshire if the townspeople suffered too much, either in a prolonged siege or an assault. The council resolved to draw up preferential terms for Wallingford's surrender. Initially, Blagge refused even these with the same answer that he would need the king's consent to surrender the town. However, by July, with the king's surrender to the Scotch Army and Wallingford now being the only stronghold in Berkshire still loyal to the crown, he knew that there would be no relief or reinforcements.

The blockade had over time also been tightened, and with the prospect of desertion and mutiny from his starving soldiers, Blagge was forced to reopen negotiations. The terms of Blagge's surrender were drawn up on 22 July 1646. General Fairfax respected Blagge as a fellow soldier for his work in resurrecting the castle for the war, and for the manner in which he chose to hold for as long as possible instead of surrendering. Fairfax therefore still granted Blagge the original favourable terms of surrender he was offered, even though the situation had changed. The surrender stipulated that the town and its castle would be surrendered to General Fairfax on 29 July and that all of the town's arms, ordinance and provisions of war would be handed over to Fairfax.

Blagge and his garrison would then be allowed to march out of the town with full honours, and allowed to leave with their horses, arms and baggage. They would then be permitted to march ten miles out of the town before disbanding. Blagge was, however, forced in the end to surrender the castle to General Fairfax early on the 27th after a mutiny broke out within the garrison. Fairfax sent a regiment into the town to restore order, and the garrison's exit was made unimpeded. Only two castles now remained supporting the royalist cause, Raglan and Pendennis, and they both fell by August. A new governor, Evelyn, was installed, although he petitioned for the immediate destruction of the castle. Parliament instead decided to use it for the imprisonment of Presbyterian prisoners after the Prides Purge.

Slighting of the castle
Continued turmoil, unrest in the country and a fear that the residents of Wallingford were still loyal to the crown caused Oliver Cromwell to fear that Wallingford Castle could again be fortified against him in a future uprising. On 17 November 1652, the Council of State decided that Wallingford Castle should be "forthwith demolished and the workes thereto belonging effectually slighted." Materials from the castle were used again for improvement works at Windsor Castle and for the repair and improvement of the church of St Mary-le-More.

Georgian period
Sir William Blackstone, a famous English jurist, judge and Tory politician lived in Wallingford and held the office of Recorder of the town. The Blackstone family owned an estate in and around Wallingford, and William, upon inheriting it, built a house called Castle Priory to live in. William is most noted for writing the Commentaries on the Laws of England; these are noted for their influence on the American Constitution. Sir William died in Wallingford in 1780 and is buried in St Peter's Church.

By the end of the 18th century, the Parliamentary Borough of Wallingford was known as being one of the worst rotten boroughs. During the Reform Act of 1832, the constituency borders were increased geographically, and the number of MPs cut from two to one.

20th and 21st century
On 9 September 1944 a Halifax bomber of No. 426 Squadron RCAF, returning from an abandoned raid over the French port of Le Havre while still carrying a full bomb load, caught fire over Wallingford after its port outer engine exploded. Ordering most of his crew to bail out, the pilot, 23-year-old Flying Officer John Archibald Wilding, and his flight engineer, 22-year-old Sergeant John Francis Andrew, remained at the controls in order to steer the plane away from the town, crashing into the fields at Newnham Murren and thus preventing loss of many civilian lives. Both Wilding and Andrew were mentioned in dispatches for their bravery, with Wilding being posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. They are commemorated by a memorial at the junction of Wilding Road and Andrew Road in Wallingford and by the Canadian flag that is flown over Wallingford Town Hall every year on 9 September in their memory.

Paul's Malt on Hithercroft Road, built in 1958, was demolished in 2001; thus the malting industry ended, which had been key to Wallingford for hundreds of years. At one time there were at least 17 maltings in the town.

Wallingford Bridge
The Wallingford Bridge is a medieval road bridge over the River Thames connecting Wallingford to Crowmarsh Gifford. Wallingford has historically been an important crossing point of the Thames owing to the presence of a ford which was used before the construction of a bridge. This ford was used by William the Conqueror and his armies on his journey to London after his victory at Hastings in 1066. The first reference to a bridge is from 1141 when King Stephen besieged Wallingford Castle. The first stone bridge is credited to Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, and four remaining arches are believed to contain 13th-century elements.

Major repairs used stone from the dissolved Holy Trinity Priory in 1530. Four arches were removed so that a drawbridge could be inserted during the siege of the castle in the Civil War of 1646, and these were replaced with timber structures until repair in 1751. Following a flood, three arches were rebuilt by Richard Clarke from 1810–1812 to a design by John Treacher (1760–1836) developed in 1809, and a parapet and balustrade added. The street lights on the bridge were made in the town and feature the Wilder mark on the base.

Wallingford Castle
Wallingford Castle was a major medieval castle. Established in the 11th century as a motte-and-bailey design within an Anglo-Saxon burgh, it grew to become what historian Nicholas Brooks has described as "one of the most powerful royal castles of the 12th and 13th centuries". During The Anarchy the castle held the Empress Matilda and her son the future King Henry II. It was the site of the signing of the Treaty of Wallingford, which began the end of the conflict and set the path to a negotiated peace. Over the next two centuries Wallingford became a luxurious castle, used by royalty and their immediate family. After being abandoned as a royal residence by Henry VIII, the castle fell into decline.

Refortified during the English Civil War, Wallingford was held as a Royalist stronghold commanded by Colonel Thomas Blagge. In 1645 General Thomas Fairfax placed Wallingford Castle under siege; after 16 weeks, during which Oxford fell to Parliamentary forces, the castle finally surrendered in July 1646 under generous terms for the defenders. The risk of civil conflict continued, however, and Oliver Cromwell decided that it was necessary to slight the castle in 1652, as it remained a surprisingly powerful fortress and a continuing threat should any fresh uprising occur.

The castle was virtually razed to the ground in the operation, although a brick building continued to be used as a prison into the 18th century. A large house was built in the bailey in 1700, followed by a Gothic mansion house on the same site in 1837. The mansion, abandoned due to rising costs, was demolished in 1972, allowing Wallingford Castle to be declared a scheduled monument as well as a Grade I listed building. The castle grounds, including the remains of St Nicholas College, sections of the castle wall and the motte hill, are now open to the public.

St Peter's Church

An earlier church on the site of St Peter's Church was destroyed in 1646 during the siege of Wallingford in the Civil War. Building of the present church started in 1763, the contractors being William Toovey and Joseph Tuckwell. In 1767 the interior of the church was paved, pews were added and the exterior was stuccoed under the supervision of Sir Robert Taylor. A spire designed by Taylor was added in 1776–77. A local resident, Sir William Blackstone, a lawyer and author of the Commentaries on the Laws of England, took an interest in the building of the spire and paid for the clock face visible from his house. The chancel was built in 1904, designed by Sydney Stephenson. The church was declared redundant on 1 May 1971, and was vested in the Churches Conservation Trust on 26 July 1972. St Peter's is the final resting place of Sir William Blackstone, who is buried in his family vault under the church.

St Mary-le-More Church
The Church of St Mary-le-More is located in a prominent position in the town square behind Wallingford Town Hall. The church appears in records from 1077, when the advowson belonged to St Alban's Abbey. The west bell tower was originally 12th century, but its upper stages were rebuilt in a Perpendicular Gothic style out of the stone from Wallingford Castle when it was demolished by Oliver Cromwell after the Civil War. The nave and aisle were built in the 13th and 14th century, and the chancel was built later. However, all were rebuilt in 1854 to designs by the Gothic Revival architect David Brandon.

The west window of the north aisle has stained glass made in 1856 by Thomas Willement. The pulpit was made in 1888 by the sculptor Onslow Ford. The church tower features a ring of ten bells. A ring of eight including the tenor was cast in 1738 by Richard Phelps and Thomas Lester of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. Mears and Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry re-cast the second bell of that ring, now the fourth bell of the present ring, in 1887, the year of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. In 2003 the Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast a new treble and second bell, increasing the number of bells to ten.

St Leonard's Church
St Leonard’s is the oldest church and is regarded as the oldest surviving place of worship in Wallingford. There has been a church on the site since Saxon times, when it was known as the Church of the Holy Trinity the Lesser. The current building still features distinctive Saxon stone work in the herringbone style around the north wall. Estimates for the start of construction point as early as the 6th century. Parliamentary forces used the church as a barracks during the Siege of Wallingford in 1656. Their occupation caused substantial damage to the building. Repair works were only completed in 1700 when it reopened.

John Henry Hakewill directed a reconstruction of the church in 1849, although the Church was rebuilt in the Gothic Revival style the restoration works preserved large sections of the original Saxon Building. The church interior is noted for a series of four angel murals painted in 1889 by acclaimed artist George Dunlop Leslie who at the time lived on Thames Street. The Church now forms part of the Parish of St Mary-le-More with services being held on Sundays.

Wallingford War Memorial
Wallingford war memorial was designed by Edward Guy Dawber and William Honeybone, and unveiled in 1921. First World War (1914–1918) – Total names on memorial: 81. After 1945 the memorial was updated with Second World War (1939–1945) dates and names added to the base of the memorial – Total names on memorial: 36. The inscription reads:

"TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN HONOURED AND GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THE MEN OF WALLINGFORD WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR 1914–1918. THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE" "PASS NOT THIS STONE IN SORROW NO SORROW BUT IN PRIDE AND STRIVE TO LIVE AS NOBLY AS THEY DIED"

The memorial is Grade II listed.

Kinecroft
The Kinecroft was known as the Canecroft in the 13th and 14th centuries, and in the 16th and 17th centuries as Kenny Croft. It comprises an open area of about seven acres surrounded on the south and western sides by ancient Saxon earthworks and formed part of the defensive fortifications of the town when it was an important Burh in the kingdom of Wessex. Events held in the Kinecroft include Bonfire Night, BunkFest, The Vintage Car Rally, The Wallingford Festival of Cycling and The Circus.

Bull Croft
The Bull Croft is an open area within the town's Saxon defences. During the Saxon period the Parish Church of the Holy Trinity stood in the southwestern part of the present Bull Croft and by 1085 it had been taken over by the great abbey of St Albans and became part of the new Wallingford Priory. When the Priory was torn down by Cardinal Wolsey in 1525, the area was used as farming. The Bull Croft was given to the town in trust by Mr Powyss Lybbe in 1912 and is now used as a public park. Facilities on the site include a children's play area, tennis courts and football pitches.

Town Hall
Wallingford Town Hall was constructed in 1670 and is located on the southern side of the market square with the War Memorial in front and the church of St Mary-le-More behind. The main hall and council chambers are on the first floor and feature a coved ceiling installed in 1887 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Jubilee. The building currently hosts the Town Council for meetings and civic events. The balcony is used by the towns Mayor at annual events. The ground floor has the town's Tourist Information Office, and, until the corn exchange was built in 1856, the open area under the hall was used for the town's corn market. The hall is open to all residents as a venue for private hire.

Corn Exchange
The Corn Exchange dates to 1856. The iron arches supporting the roof of the building were cast at the Wilders Foundry on Goldsmiths Lane. After the Second World War the Social Security Ministry used the Building as a food and unemployment office before it fell into disuse. It was purchased by the Sinodun players in 1975 for use as a theatre. They dedicated it to Agatha Christie, who was president of the society from 1951 to 1976. The Corn Exchange & Sinodun Players were awarded the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2020.

Winterbrook house
Winterbrook House was the home of author Agatha Christie and her husband Max Mallowan from 1934 until her death in 1976 and his in 1978. It is believed that she based the home of her character Miss Marple, Danemead in the village of St. Mary Mead, on Winterbrook House. The house is privately owned and is part of the Agatha Christie Trail. A permanent bronze memorial to Agatha Christie was placed in front of the Wallingford Museum during September- 2023, as sculpted by Ben Twiston-Davies. It depicts her in later life seated on a bench holding a book.

Flint House
Flint House is owned by Wallingford Town Council and is the current home of the Wallingford Museum. The frame may date back to the late 15th century and the flint exterior dates to the 17th century.

Wilders New Foundry, Goldsmiths Lane
Built in 1869 by Richard Wilder the new foundry was built to support the existing foundry on Fish Street. By this time there was rapidly increasing demand for the towns of cast iron working and equipment so more capacity was essential. The Building was decommissioned in 1983 and was converted into residential flats by 1984.

Wallingford Museum
Wallingford Museum has collections of local interest, housed in a Tudor house in the High Street. The museum has an extensive collection relating to the town's history. Displays include archaeology, Wallingford Castle, and the town in medieval and Victorian times. The museum is in a mid-16th-century timber-framed house with a 17th-century flint façade. It faces the Kinecroft, an open space in Wallingford which is bordered on two sides by Anglo-Saxon burh defences built in the 9th century.

UK Parliament
During the Third Reform Act 1884 the constituency of Wallingford was abolished. Wallingford became part of the Wantage constituency. The Wantage constituency was recreated in 1983. The Conservative Party's Ed Vaizey served as MP for Wantage from 2005 until the 2019 general election in which Vaizey announced that he would be standing down. Shortly prior to this, Vaizey had the Conservative whip removed after voting against Prime Minister Boris Johnson on 3 September 2019. Vaizey had the Conservative whip restored on 29 October 2019. David Johnston was selected as the Conservative candidate to represent Wantage and was duly elected as the new MP for Wantage at the 2019 general election.

Local government
In 1972 the Local Government Act set out in law that in 1974 the Borough of Wallingford would be dissolved and the town would be transferred into the new local government district of South Oxfordshire, thus moving from Berkshire to Oxfordshire. In 1973 the town elected three district councillors to the South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC). In 2003 two electoral wards were created, Wallingford North and Cholsey & Wallingford South, which each elected two district councillors. Since 1974 the Wallingford ward has elected a county councillor to Oxfordshire County Council. The county councillor is Pete Sudbury, a member of the Green Party. Wallingford is also run by a town council consisting of 16 members. The town council provides local services including maintenance of important buildings such as Wallingford Town Hall.

Climate
As with the rest of the British Isles and Oxfordshire, Wallingford experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. There has been a weather station at the nearby Centre for Ecology & Hydrology collecting data on the local climate since 1961. Temperature extremes at Wallingford vary from -21.0 C recorded in January 1982 to 35.2 C recorded in July 2006. Recent low temperatures include -17.6 C during January 2010 and -17.5 C during December 2010.

River
The River Thames has been a transport route for centuries, and Wallingford's growth as a town relied partly on it. Coal was supplied from North East England by coaster to London and then by barge upriver to Wallingford. This supply could be unreliable in seasons when river currents were too strong or water levels were too low. In 1789 the Oxford Canal reached Oxford from Warwickshire, and the Duke's Cut at Wolvercote gave it a connection to the Thames. This allowed coal from the Midlands to reach Wallingford by a shorter and more reliable route than by sea and river from the northeast. In 1799 the Oxford Canal consolidated its commercial position by buying an 80-year lease on a wharf on the Thames just above Wallingford Bridge.

Chalmore Lock, a summer or low-water lock and weir, was built at Chalmore Hole, Wallingford in 1838, However, much of the time the fall was only 18 inches, and the lock was open at both ends. It fell into disrepair, and the lock was removed in 1883. The missing lock is the subject of confusion in Jerome K. Jerome's "Three Men in a Boat". A ferry had operated at the site from 1787 to transport horses across the river where the towpath changed banks. As the removal of the lock and weir meant that this was the longest clear stretch of the upper river, it was an ideal site for rowing, so the Oxford University Boat Club which had long trained here built a boathouse at Chalmore in 2006. In addition to the old Wallingford Bridge, a new bridge was built at Winterbrook in 1993 to carry the A4130 bypass around Wallingford.

Rail
On 2 July 1866 the Wallingford and Watlington Railway was opened between Cholsey and Wallingford. Its relative speed and reliability enabled it to take a large share of goods previously carried on the Thames. Two months earlier, in May 1866, the Overend, Gurney & Co bank had crashed, causing one of the severest financial crises of the 19th century. The Bank Rate was raised to ten percent, which made it impossible for the W&WR to raise the capital for its planned continuation to Watlington. The company sold the line to the Great Western Railway in 1872, and it became known as the Wallingford Bunk. British Railways closed the line to passengers in 1959 and to goods traffic in 1965, but the track between Hithercroft Road and Cholsey continued in use to serve the now demolished maltings until 1981 when BR removed the junction at Cholsey. However, the line has been preserved as the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway. Presently, the closest regular railway station to Wallingford is in Cholsey, about three miles away.

Bus
Most bus services for the town are operated by Thames Travel. The X38 operates every hour from Wallingford to Henley-on-Thames via Nuffield and Nettlebed, River Rapids, which is operated by Oxford Bus Company, comprises two routes between Oxford and Reading, both running about once an hour. Both connect Oxford and Wallingford; the X39/X40 both continue from Wallingford to Reading, the X39 via Cane End and the X40 via Woodcote. Connector route 33 operates up to every 30 minutes between Wallingford and Didcot and continues every hour to Abingdon via Sutton Courtenay and Culham.

Economy
Historically, Wallingford was a centre for local trading in livestock and corn as well as the general trade of other goods. This decreased after the construction of the bridge at Abingdon. The town developed as a centre for the production of iron and machinery in the 18th century; this continued until the 1980s. The brewing industry was important with two breweries and 17 maltings in the town. This link was ended with the demolition of Paul's Malt in 2001. The Lamb arcade was originally known as the Lamb Coaching Inn and in 1980 after being derelict for some years was converted into an Antiques Arcade. Champions hardware store has been serving the residents of the town since 1869.

In 2005, Waitrose moved into a new store in the town centre after occupying an old site in the south of the town for decades. The new store has 22,000 sq ft of retail space. A Lidl supermarket opened in January 2019 on the Hithercroft Road. The only banking facility left in the town is the Nationwide Building Society, There are 3 cashpoints available in the town. The main employers are primarily on the Hithercroft Trading Estate, established in the 1970s. There are some located at Howbury Park the other side of the river and also at Winterbrook Bridge. Rowse Honey is the UK's largest manufacturer of honey and has been located in the town since 1987 after being founded in the nearby village of Ewelme in 1954. Other businesses are the Royal Mail, HR Wallingford, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and Fugro. To the south east of the town is the headquarters for the non-profit agricultural organisation CABI.

Sport and leisure
A number of sports societies, clubs and associations are co-located at the Wallingford Sports Park. Wallingford Hockey Club traces its beginnings to 1894 and now comprises nine senior teams as well as the Wallingford Wildcats youth setup. Since 1995 the club has been based in the Wallingford Sports Centre. Wallingford Town F.C. was founded in 1922 is the local football club. They currently play in the Hellenic Football League, and their home games are played at the Wallingford Sports Centre.

Originally founded in 1967 as Cholsey RFC, the club changed its name to Wallingford Rugby Club when it moved to the Hithercroft sports ground in 1997. The club has a senior set up which includes fielding three competitive men's senior teams as a development squad and three women's teams known as the Maidens. The club is still headquartered on the Hithercroft which is now known as the Wallingford Sports Park. There are two Squash clubs in Wallingford. Wallingford Squash Club is in the town centre and the second is located at the Wallingford Sports Park. Pétanque Wallingford is based at the Park.

Rowing
Wallingford Regatta, formerly the Wallingford Skiff Regatta, was the only organised boating competition in 1949 on the longest stretch of the Thames between locks (Benson to Cleeve Locks). It had taken place every year in peacetime since the late 1890s, and there is evidence that it existed as early as 1861. In 1949 the regatta committee founded the Wallingford Rowing Club, which started competing in other regattas. The regatta was developed as a conventional regatta although it still awards the Wallingford Skiff Regatta Cup. The town hosts the Wallingford Rowing Club, the Oxford Brookes University Boat Club. and the Oxford University Boat Club.

The regatta was held on the same reach at Wallingford for most of its existence, but river conditions caused problems, and there was a growing need for larger facilities. In 2001 the Regatta moved to a new home at Dorney Lake in Windsor where it is still held. The event is the largest single day rowing regatta in the UK. In 2008 the new Oxford University Boat Club opened in Wallingford. Located on the site of the disused Wallingford marina on the Thames Path, the building designed by Tuke Manton Architects LLP replaced the club's historic home on the Isis, which was destroyed by fire in 1999.

Wallingford festival of cycling
The Wallingford Festival of Cycling started in 2015 with an attendance of 3000. In 2018 British cycling billed the event one of the largest cycling events of the year with events including both the 50 km and 110 km road sportives. In excess of 7500 were expected to attend. The event in 2015 was used as the backdrop for the filming of the Midsomer Murders episode called breaking the Chain. Breaking the Chain was the third episode of the 18th series.

Music festivals
Starting in 2002 in the Cross Keys pub, BunkFest, usually being held in the first week of September, has become the largest free multi-day festival in the UK with an attendance of over 25,000 in 2017. The BunkFest folk music festival combines a broad range of folk music, dance displays, a beer festival and the local Bunk steam railway. It is a not-for-profit festival. The festival is intended to appeal to a wide audience. The main stage features light music and dancing during the day and lively folk-rock and world music acts in the evening.

Other venues around the town feature a wide variety of acts, ranging from quiet, contemplative folk artists and singer-songwriters to raucous rock bands. It attracts between thirty and fifty dance sides. The dance programme has included Cotswold and Border Morris, Appalachian and Eastern European forms, as well as traditional Irish, Scottish and Welsh forms. Rug Fest is Wallingford's summer music festival located at the Wallingford Sport Park on the Hithercroft. Founded in 2008, RugFest took two years off due to site refurbishments, returning in 2018. The 2018 festival was headlined by Scouting for Girls.

Vintage Car Rally
Founded in 2002 the Wallingford vintage car rally takes place on the Kinecroft in mid May with a parade that includes the whole town. In 2018 the number of cars in the parade increased to over 350 with the total number of vehicles on show being just over 400. The event is run for local charitable causes and raised £14,000 in 2018, which brought the cumulative total to over £100,000.

Local media
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC South and ITV Meridian. Television signals are received from the Oxford TV transmitter.

Wallingford local radio stations are BBC Radio Oxford on 95.2 FM, Heart South on 102.6 FM, Jack FM on 106.4 FM and Wallingford Radio, a community based radio station that broadcasts on 107.3 FM.

Local newspapers are the Herald Series and Oxfordshire Guardian.

Education
St John's (a primary school), Fir Tree, (a junior school), and St Nicholas (an infants' school) are all located within the town itself, with additional primary schools at Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, Cholsey and Crowmarsh Gifford serving the surrounding areas.

Wallingford School
Wallingford School is the successor to Wallingford Grammar School founded in 1659 when Walter Bigg left money for a school in his will. Located to the north of the town, it is an academy school and part of the Merchant Taylors’ Oxfordshire Academy Trust. The school provides the education provision for the Wallingford area for boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 18. The majority of pupils from both Fir Tree and St John's continue on to Wallingford School. Wallingford School also draws pupils from Crowmarsh, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, Cholsey and Warborough primary schools and occasionally Didcot primary schools.

Town twinning
Wallingford is twinned with: Wallingford has an informal link to:
 * 🇩🇪 Bad Wurzach, Germany
 * 🇫🇷 Luxeuil-les-Bains, France
 * 🇺🇸 Wallingford, Connecticut, United States

Notable people
In the town:

 * John Dreyer, football player
 * Jonathan Bailey, actor
 * Kevin Bailey, poet
 * Evelyn Barbirolli, oboist
 * William Blackstone, legal writer
 * Charlie Brooker, comedy writer and presenter
 * John Buckley, sculptor
 * Agatha Christie mystery writer and playwright lived in Winterbrook House with her second husband Sir Max Mallowan.
 * Paul Conroy, music executive
 * William Henry Davies (entrepreneur), Toronto meatpacker (peameal bacon)
 * Gary Elkins, football player
 * Edgar Field, England footballer and winner of the FA Cup in 1880
 * Peter Flannery, playwright and screenwriter
 * Dulcie Gray, actress
 * James Hayllar, Mary Hayllar et al family of artists
 * Geoffrey Keen, actor
 * Peter R. Kiff, sedimentologist and chemist
 * George Dunlop Leslie, artist
 * Max Mallowan, archaeologist, at Winterbrook House with Agatha Christie
 * James H. McClure, mystery writer
 * Ann Packer, Olympic athlete
 * Zac Purchase, Olympic athlete
 * Edmund Charles Rawlings, politician
 * Moses Roper, former slave
 * Paul Rotha, documentary filmmaker
 * Gladys Bronwyn Stern, novelist
 * Simon Watson Taylor, actor, translator and surrealist
 * Thomas Tusser, poet
 * John of Wallingford (died 1214), monk and abbot of St. Albans Abbey
 * John of Wallingford (died 1258), monk and chronicler
 * Richard of Wallingford, mathematician and clockmaker
 * Richard of Wallingford, organiser in the Peasants' Revolt
 * William of Wallingford, builder of Wallingford Screen at St Albans Cathedral
 * Rex Warner, writer
 * Peter Cathcart Wason, psychologist
 * Charles West, mystery writer

Members of Parliament
Wallingford used to return two Members of Parliament (MPs), cut to one in 1832 and none in 1885. Its prominent MPs, often not resident, included:

 * William Seymour Blackstone, builder of Howbery Park, Crowmarsh Gifford
 * Thomas Browne (High Sheriff of Kent), Chancellor of the Exchequer
 * John Cator, timber merchant
 * Thomas Digges, astronomer
 * Sir Charles Dilke, 1st Baronet, promoter of the Great Exhibition
 * Edmund Dunch, member of the Kit-Kat Club
 * Sir John Fortescue, Chancellor of the Exchequer
 * George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield, astronomer
 * Sir Thomas Parry, Comptroller of the Household to Elizabeth I
 * George Pigot, Baron Pigot, British governor of Madras
 * Robert Pigot, Lieutenant General in the American Revolutionary War
 * Edmund Plowden, lawyer who defended religious freedom
 * Francis Sykes, builder of Basildon Park
 * Nathaniel William Wraxall, writer

title: Wallingford, Oxfordshire


text:
Lee, Florida

Lee is a town in Madison County, Florida, United States. The Town of Lee is part of the Florida Panhandle in North Florida. The population was 375 at the 2020 census.

Geography
The approximate coordinates for the Town of Lee is located in eastern Madison County at 30.41936°N, -83.29963°W.

U.S. Route 90 passes through the north side of the town, leading northwest 8 mi to Madison, the county seat, and southeast 21 mi to Live Oak. Interstate 10 passes 3 mi south of the town center, with access from Exit 262 (County Road 255).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.4 sqmi, all land.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the Town of Lee has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 375 people, 212 households, and 122 families residing in the town.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 352 people, 176 households, and 156 families residing in the town.

2000 census
At the 2000 census there were 352 people, 130 households, and 92 families in the town. The population density was 287.8 PD/sqmi. There were 154 housing units at an average density of 125.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 95.45% White, 2.84% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.28% Asian, and 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.56%.

Of the 130 households in 2000, 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 26.2% of households were one person and 12.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.13.

The age distribution in 2000 was 30.7% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.7 males.

In 2000, the median household income was $26,250 and the median family income was $26,875. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $21,875 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,242. About 19.8% of families and 26.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.2% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education
All public schools are served by the District School Board of Madison County.
 * Lee Elementary School (K-5)
 * Madison County Central School (PreK-8), which serves prekindergarten and elementary school students to middle school (6-8) students
 * Madison County High School

Library
The Suwanee River Regional Library System operates the Lee Library.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Lee, Florida


text:
Madison, Florida

Madison is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, on the central northern border of Florida, United States. The population was 2,912 at the 2020 census.

History
The territory now known as Madison County was ruled at various times by Spain and The United States of America. This area was developed for cotton plantations dependent on the labor of enslaved African Americans. After the Civil War and emancipation, many freedmen and their descendants stayed in the region, working as sharecroppers or tenant farmers.

Racial violence of whites against blacks increased after the Reconstruction era, reaching a peak near the turn of the 20th century. The following African Americans were lynched in Madison: Savage and James in 1882, Charles Martin, 1 February 1899; both James Denson and his stepson, 7 January 1901; and an unidentified man, 9 February 1906.

Geography
Madison is located slightly east of the center of Madison County at 30.46667°N, -83.41667°W (30.466, –83.415). U.S. Route 90 passes through the center of town, leading west 56 mi to Tallahassee, the state capital, and southeast 52 mi to Lake City. Interstate 10 passes 4 mi to the south of Madison with access from exits 251 and 258.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.7 sqmi, of which 0.05 sqmi, or 1.93%, are water.

Climate
The climate for the City of Madison is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Madison has a humid subtropical climate zone, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,912 people, 1,101 households, and 556 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 2,843 people, 1,237 households, and 696 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,061 people, 1,227 households, and 764 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,209.7 PD/sqmi. There were 1,395 housing units at an average density of 551.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 35.74% White, 62.43% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.16% of the population.

In 2000, there were 1,227 households, out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.6% were married couples living together, 27.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.13.

In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 29.1% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.6 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $17,656, and the median income for a family was $22,988. Males had a median income of $24,101 versus $23,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,041. About 37.0% of families and 39.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 49.2% of those under age 18 and 28.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Madison has the city manager-council form of government. City commissioners are elected from districts and serve for four years. The commission appoints the city manager and city clerk; a mayor-commissioner serves a one-year term. The City of Madison has a 14 officer police department, and a 9 firefighter fire department.

The 2008–2009 millage rate is 6.0484. The General Fund Budget is $7,344,592. Emphasis is placed on public safety, primarily expanding the Fire Department full-time personnel to implement a 24/48 hour, 3 shift coverage. In addition, the city plans to address abandoned and rundown property issues.

Education
Madison is served by two campuses of the District School Board of Madison County, Madison County Central School (PK–8) and Madison County High School.

North Florida College provides post-secondary instruction for six counties (Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, and Taylor). In addition, St. Leo University provides university instruction at the junior-senior level.

Media
Area newspapers published by Greene Publishing are Madison County Carrier and The Madison Enterprise Recorder.

Transportation
Madison is served by Madison Shuttle, a bus route operated by Big Bend Transit.

Freight service is provided by the Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad, which acquired most of the former CSX main line from Pensacola to Jacksonville on June 1, 2019.

Notable people

 * LeGarrette Blount, NFL running back
 * Lorenzo Cain, MLB player
 * Geno Hayes, NFL linebacker
 * Colin Kelly, World War II hero
 * Scott Kelly, politician
 * Jacobbi McDaniel, NFL defensive tackle
 * Scott Phillips, drummer for the band Creed
 * Jesse Solomon, NFL linebacker
 * Chris Thompson, NFL running back
 * Ernest Thomas, one of the Groveland Four, killed by a sheriff's posse in Madison in July 1949, exonerated in 2021
 * Don Williams, NASCAR stock car driver

title: Madison, Florida


text:
Anna Maria, Florida

Anna Maria is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. Anna Maria is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 968 at the 2020 census, down from 1,503 in 2010.

The city occupies the northern part of Anna Maria Island and is one of three municipalities on the island. The others are Holmes Beach in the center and Bradenton Beach in the south.

Etymology
Former Tampa Mayor Madison Post (1818-1867) named the island for his wife Maria and his sister-in-law Anna. A popular legend, however, states that Ponce de Leon named the island for Maria Anna von der Pfalz-Neuburg, the queen of Charles II of Spain, the sponsor of his expedition.

In the past, pronunciation of the name differed: old timers said "Anna Mar-EYE-a," but most people today say "Anna Mar-EE-a."

History

In 1893, George Emerson Bean built a home near the present day Rod & Real Pier. Two years later in 1895 he filed a homesteaded claim of 160 acre on the north part of Anna Maria Island. Prior to Bean's homestead claim, Andrew Gowanlack would reside in the area where Bean would file his homestead at. However, Andrew never filed for a homestead claim but did receive three acres of land after Bean filed his homestead claim out of squatting rights. After George Bean's death in 1898, the land went to his son, George Wilhelm Bean, who partnered with Charles Roser, a wealthy real estate developer from St. Petersburg, to form the Anna Maria Beach Company to develop the area.

In 1911, the Anna Maria City Pier would be built by the Anna Maria Beach Company to accommodate steamships carrying residents and visitors to the island. The pier would have several buildings attached to it. An extension of the pier containing a home would be built in 1913 before the area the house was on in the pier was destroyed in September 1927.

The City of Anna Maria was officially incorporated as a municipality in 1923.

Sometime during 1927, a jail would be built as a form of containment for bar patrons who were rowdy and was used until 1940 when a fire would burn down its roof and cells. Compiled in the late 1930s and first published in 1939, the Florida Guide listed Anna Maria's population as 77 describing it as:"a resort at the northern extremity of Anna Maria Key, consists of many cottages in a jungle setting."

Bradenton would attempt to annex the City of Anna Maria in 1963. Anna Maria would hold a special election that was described as being "non-official" on April 2, 1963, to confirm Bradenton's decision. However, it would not be approved as 297 voted against it while 9 voted in favor of it.

During Hurricane Irma in 2017, the city pier was damaged significantly. It was demolished the following year with plans to rebuild it. The historic city pier was rebuilt and opened in April 2020.

Geography
The westernmost community in Manatee County, the exact coordinates for the City of Anna Maria is located on Anna Maria Island at 27.53021°N, -82.73437°W.

It is bordered to the southwest by the Gulf of Mexico and to the northeast by Tampa Bay, connected to the Gulf by Passage Key Inlet at the northwest end of the island. The city is bordered to the southeast by Holmes Beach. Bradenton is 11 mi to the east via Florida State Road 64 from Holmes Beach.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Anna Maria has a total area of 0.86 sqmi, of which 0.74 sqmi are land and 0.12 sqmi, or 14.53%, are water.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the City of Anna Maria has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 968 people, 607 households, and 350 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 1,503 people, 688 households, and 412 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,814 people, 897 households, and 572 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,338.3 PD/sqmi. There were 1,538 housing units at an average density of 1,982.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 98.18% White, 0.33% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.44% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.48% of the population.

In 2000, there were 897 households, out of which 14.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.46.

In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out, with 12.5% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 14.9% from 25 to 44, 36.2% from 45 to 64, and 33.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $40,341, and the median income for a family was $51,628. Males had a median income of $40,125 versus $24,934 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,767. About 10.8% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.1% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over. The average value of a single-family residential home in the city is over $1.8 Million Dollars.

title: Anna Maria, Florida


text:
Bayshore Gardens, Florida

Bayshore Gardens is a census-designated place (CDP) and planned community in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The population was 19,904 at the 2020 census, up from 16,323 in 2010. It is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
In 1955, a New York syndicate led by developer Sydney R. Newman purchased the area now known as Bayshore Gardens on the west side of U.S. 41 along the eastern shore of Sarasota Bay, just north of the Sarasota/Manatee county line, and platted an area between what was dubbed Bayshore Gardens Parkway running from U.S. 41 to 26th Street West and Sarasota Bay that would become Bayshore Gardens. The property was purchased for about 2 million dollars, making it the most expensive land purchase in the area since the 1920s. The 3200 acre area, once fields for growing tomatoes, would include recreation areas and a marina, schools, churches, shopping centers and medical facilities as well as homes in the popular style of that time, now called mid-century modern.

By its grand opening in 1956, four model homes were built and seven available designs had been created for future residents to pick from, including the Seagrape, the Gladiola, and the most popular, the Bird of Paradise. Prices ranged from $8,000 to $15,000 for a home with a lot, and lower rates for veterans were advertised. The first home in Bayshore Gardens was sold in July 1956 to Jennie and Samuel Gibson in the Hibiscus style.

By April 1958, the neighborhood had 400 homes, all of which were designed by Bradenton architect Sidney Wilkinson and built by Richard Morton's Bayshore Gardens Inc. The neighborhood was opened up that year to other developers and home builders, including Richmond Homes and Arrow Home Builders. Designs added by Richmond Homes included the Cayman, Expo, Lenfield, Something Special, Tarlton, and Windward. Arrow Home Builders were known for adding larger custom homes on the Bayshore Gardens waterfront

In November 1959, Bayshore Gardens Shopping Center held a grand opening with stores that included Publix, a beauty shop, barbershop, hardware store, shoe repair, and clothing stores. The neighborhood grew rapidly, and by 1960 it was the largest voting precinct in the county. That year, the shopping center was expanded to add more stores and a movie theater.

Historical preservation
In 2014, students from the University of Florida and community members began inventorying the mid-century homes in the neighborhood as part of a project to have Bayshore Gardens designated as the state's largest and most historically significant collection of mid-century residential architecture. Bayshore Gardens is still in the process of gaining a historical designation from the State of Florida.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 3.6 sqmi, of which 0.06 sqmi, or 1.65%, are water. The community is bordered to the southwest by Sarasota Bay, to the southeast by Bowlees Creek and the community of Whitfield, and to the north by South Bradenton.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,350 people, 8,342 households, and 4,588 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,874.7 PD/sqmi. There were 10,121 housing units at an average density of 2,843.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 89.87% White, 3.98% African American, 0.38% Native American, 1.25% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 2.34% from other races, and 2.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.22% of the population.

There were 8,342 households, out of which 19.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.0% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.69.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 17.9% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 29.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $30,159, and the median income for a family was $37,294. Males had a median income of $28,614 versus $22,656 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,150. About 7.5% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education
The School District of Manatee County provides K-12 public education in Manatee County.

The State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota's (SCF) main campus is located in Bayshore Gardens. The 100 acre campus includes The Family Heritage House Museum, Neel Performing Arts Center, and The Howard Studio Theatre. The college's athletic facilities as well as the administrative offices are also located on the Bradenton campus.

State College of Florida Collegiate School has a campus on the SCF Bradenton campus.

title: Bayshore Gardens, Florida


text:
Bradenton, Florida

Bradenton is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a principal city in the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Downtown Bradenton is along the Manatee River and includes the Bradenton Riverwalk. Downtown Bradenton is also home to the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature.

To the south of Bradenton is Sarasota, beach communities on Anna Maria Island are to its west, the Manatee River and Palmetto on the other side of it are to its north.

Late 18th and early 19th centuries
A settlement established by Maroons or escaped slaves named Angola existed in Bradenton's present area starting in the late 1700s and ending in 1821. It is believed to been spread out between the Manatee River (then known as Oyster River) all the way to Sarasota Bay. The community is estimated to have had 600–750 residents in it. Angola was a rather large maroon settlement as the Manatee River at that time was too shallow for US Navy vessels to navigate. The settlement was abandoned after the Creeks who were aligned with Andrew Jackson attacked Angola.

When the United States annexed Florida in 1821, there were two known claimants of land in the vicinity of Bradenton but neither of them was confirmed by the US federal government.

Mid and late 19th century
Josiah Gates along with his family and eight slaves moved to the area where present-day Bradenton exists in January 1842 after being attracted to the area for its natural beauty. Gates thought the area would be a popular place for new settlers to arrive at because it was near Fort Brooke, and he also figured that while they were building their homes they would need a place to stay at temporarily. He built his home near present-day 15th Street East and his inn at another location naming it Gates House. Gates is also credited as being the first known American settler in present-day Manatee County.

Bradenton is named after Dr. Joseph Braden, whose nearby fort-like house was a refuge for early settlers during the Seminole Wars. Braden owned a sugar plantation in the area, covering 1100 acres and being worked by slave labor. Dr. Joseph Braden was originally from Virginia and relocated to Leon County in Florida shortly after its annexation by the United States in 1821 where he established a cotton plantation bringing his preexisting Virginia slaves along with him. After having financial difficulties from the Panic of 1837, he tried to reestablish himself financially in Manatee County in 1843 moving to the area along with his slaves. To help with the shipment of sugar grown at the plantation, he constructed a pier in present-day Downtown Bradenton where ships could dock at and pick up sugar. Where the pier met the land he constructed a stockade getting the name of Fort Braden. During the Third Seminole War, on April 6, 1856, Braden's fortified home was attacked by several Seminole Indians, one of the few, albeit small, direct engagements of the war. Braden was financially successful with his plantation but ended up moving back to Leon County in 1857 because of a financial panic that occurred that year.

Major Alden Joseph Adams purchased 400 acres of land in 1876 between present-day Manatee Memorial Hospital and 9th Street East and build his home there in 1882. He named his three-story concrete home Villa Zanza. Alden was known for having many animals and a large amount of foliage at his home. At one point he owned over 300,000 acres of land in Manatee County. Major Alden Joseph Adams served in the Union Army during the American Civil War and eventually reached the rank of major. After the war he served in the US Secret Service and later as a newspaper correspondent for the New York Herald. He reported from Paris during the time when the Paris Commune existed. At one point he was asked to look for Dr. David Livingstone but declined and suggested that Henry Morton Stanley should look for him instead. Adams died in 1915, and his home was bought in 1924 with the intent of remodeling it. However it was not completed, and his home was demolished at some point in the late 1920s.

William I. Turner bought 7 acres from John Crews Pelot in 1877 and create a subdivision from that land creating what is now Bradenton. The land itself was plotted by Axel Emil Broberg and it contained 19 plots on both sides of what is 12th Street West along with a cross street that is currently 3rd Avenue. Turner sold the lots building a store and a warehouse along with his own home where he lived at.

The town was originally spelled "Braidentown," as a spelling error was made when it applied for a post office on May 9, 1878. The first bridge across Wares Creek was built in 1886. The following year, Bradenton was designated the county seat after DeSoto County was formed from eastern Manatee County, as the then county seat, Pine Level, was in the new county. A county courthouse was built in 1890 at Courthouse Square.

First half of the 20th century
Railroad service was extended from Palmetto across the Manatee River to Bradenton in 1902. Bradenton was incorporated on May 19, 1903, with 59 voting in favor of incorporating and 34 voting against it. Shortly after incorporation, a local election was held to choose the city's first elected municipal officials. A.T Cornwell was elected as mayor, Robert H. Roesch as clerk and tax assessor, A.B. Murphy as treasurer and F. Dryman as tax collector along with seven city council members. One of the earliest moves made by the municipal government was amending the name to "Bradentown". However the name change would not be reflected with the US Postal Service until 1905. On December 29, a streetcar line began operation going from Bradenton to the neighboring city of Manatee and went west crossing Wares Creek to the nearby community of Fogartyville. The company operating the line had financial difficulties, likely due to a lack of ridership, and cancelled the line in 1906. The Manavista Hotel was opened in January 1907 bordering the Manatee River on Main Street.

The Davis Bridge, the first general traffic bridge across the Manatee River was opened in June 1910. It was a wooden toll bridge built by C.H. Davis that had one lane and passing spots. The bridge went from present-day 9th Street East (located within then nearby Manatee) to near where the Atwood Grapefruit Groves were located at west of Ellenton. In 1912, the first road, Range Road leading from present-day Bradenton (then, Manatee) to Sarasota was built. Also during that year, the original county courthouse was bought and moved to a new location becoming a grade school for black students in the area, Lincoln Academy Grammar School. A new courthouse was built on the site of the old one which still stands today in the following year, 1913. The Victory Bridge was opened in August 1919 running from current 10th Street West in Bradenton to 8th Avenue in Palmetto. Funding for the bridge came from bond issues by both Bradenton and Palmetto. The bridge itself had two lanes and was made of wood. Its name came from the United States' recent victory in World War I against the Central Powers. With the Victory Bridge's construction, the municipal government of Manatee attempted to buy Davis Bridge and make it public as a way to compete with Bradenton's Victory Bridge but the deal however never went through. The rest of the bridge ended up being dismantled with the exception of its draw section which was sold to county government and put into use for the Snead Island's Cut off bridge in 1920.

1920s and 1930s
Baseball spring training began in Bradenton with the construction of Ninth Street Park in 1923. The first team to train in the city was the St. Louis Cardinals, doing so for 1923 and 1924. The city council began the process of removing the "w" letter from its then name "Bradentown" in January 1925 and be completed on May 2, 1925, when the state Governor signed a bill relating to it making it official. All streets in the city were renamed in 1926 with a numbering system.

After the collapse of the Florida land boom and the Great Depression starting, the city faced an economic downturn. Along with an economic downturn, the city had financial issues as well with the city going into debt. During the Florida land boom, Bradenton borrowed money as a way to pay for infrastructure to areas that were considered outlying. As a result, the city retracted its municipal boundaries so it could not provide services to those areas and defaulted their municipal bonds as a result. After the municipal boundaries were retracted, the bonds were refunded, and residents who lived in the new boundaries would be responsible for paying it. Bradenton ended up eventually getting its bonds paid off. Despite the economic downtown, several new projects were done in the city. A municipal pier (interchangeably referred to as Memorial pier) was built in 1927 with a building at its end. The pier itself still stands and the building at its end has served a variety of functions ever since. As the Victory Bridge was deemed too unsafe to use after a hurricane hit it in 1926, the Green Bridge was built the following year in 1927 as a replacement to it. In the meantime, a ferry operated until the Green Bridge was built. On July 22, 1931, a joint committee was appointed by the municipal city councils of Bradenton, Manatee, and Palmetto to consider and possibly even merge the three cities but nothing would come out of the committee in the end. A new post office building in 1937 was built on Manatee Avenue and 9th Street West as a Works Progress Administration project. The post office is still in operation.

Compiled in the late 1930s and first published in 1939, the Florida guide listed Bradenton's population as being 5,986 and described it as:"lies opposite Palmetto on the south bank of the Manatee River. The two towns are connected by a mile-long bridge. Boom-time hotels dominate the skyline and do a thriving business in winter, when the population almost doubles. In the residential sections comfortable houses are surrounded with aged trees. The neighboring area of rich muck land normally produces two or three crops each season, making Bradenton the principal shipping center for winter vegetables on the west coast. Celery, citrus fruits, tomatoes, cabbages, eggplants, green peppers and square are the main products."

1940s
Bradenton was affected by World War II like many other cities in Florida and the United States. During the war, Manatee County had its own Civil Defense battalion in it with two subunits existing in Bradenton and another for nearby Manatee. A recreational center was opened in March 1942 at a building on the intersection of 6th Avenue and 12th Street West in the downtown area to be used by soldiers. The recreation center closed in November 1945 and was popular with local soldiers and visited even by those who were stationed outside of Bradenton. Police Chief Clyde Benton expanded the police force by naming 45 officers to serve without pay during the war. Camp Weatherford located at LECOM Field existed for eight months at some point during the war as a training center for the US Army Signal Corps. About 350 soldiers were trained there during its existence. The camp itself often had an issue with being flooded because of the rainy climate, showers at the camp occurring often, clothes being washed, its low elevation and is located nearby to Wares Creek. A soldier named Joe Grossman at the camp ran a radio show broadcasting on WSPB called Weatherford Shinings. Local residents accommodated the troops stationed at the base in a variety of ways. Bradenton merged with nearby Manatee (incorporated in 1888) in 1943. Manatee faced similar financial problems as Bradenton did in regards to their bonds and faced high debt levels as a result but Manatee could not pay off the bonds.

Second half of the 20th century
Mayor A. Sterling Hall took office in January 1948. During his tenure lasting the next 20 years before retiring, the city was radically transformed. While serving as mayor he was considered progressive in his time period when it came to racial issues. As mayor, he created a municipal housing authority and also do slum clearance. He created quality housing for black residents along with paving streets, bringing sewage service, water, and expanded garbage collection services to black neighborhoods. Despite Mayor Hall's racial progressiveness, a Ku Klux Klan march occurred during his tenure in 1958 between Palmetto and Bradenton. The reason for the march was in response to a black group asking the county school board to either give them a new school building in Bradenton or integrate junior and senior high schools in the county. The Manavista Hotel was demolished in 1959 and replaced with a motel and later a retirement community. During the 1960s the Manatee River was dredged, and an area nicknamed "the Sandpile" was formed getting developed over the course of the rest of the 20th century and the 21st century. During the Civil Rights Movement, Mayor Hall tried to make desegregation come about in his city in a nonviolent manner. Lunch counters were desegregated sometime during 1960 and a biracial commission was created during the summer of 1963.

Bradenton built a new city hall located on 15th Street West bordering Wares Creek in January 1970 as a replacement to their location on 13th Street West, which the city had used since 1913. Governor Claude R. Kirk Jr. arrived in Bradenton on April 6, 1970, in an attempt to stop Manatee County School District's desegregation busing. When he arrived he suspended the district superintendent along with the school district, leading to the district stopping the busing of 2,500 students and 107 teachers. During February he threatened to impeach a federal judge and said he would not sign checks that would pay for busing students. He stayed in the Manatee County School District's Administration building then located at the corner of 9th Avenue and 14th Street for a week before being threatened with a $10,000 fine per day if he continued to stay in the building and was unsuccessful with preventing bussing. The 8-floor Hotel Dixie Grande, which opened in April 1926, was demolished in August 1974.

The Green Bridge was replaced in 1986. The city hall moved to a new location on 12th Street West in November 1998 after the property was sold to a local resident with the intention of redeveloping it but plans never materialized.

21st century
The local resident who had owned the former city hall property along Wares Creek sold it to a development group sometime in 2004, and it was demolished in December 2004. The Bradenton Riverwalk, a 1.5-mile long park along the Manatee River opened in October 2012. McKechnie Field, the spring training stadium for the Pittsburgh Pirates, was renamed LECOM Park in February 2017.

Historic properties
Historic properties in Bradenton include:

 * Bradenton Bank and Trust Company Building, 1925, now the Professional Building, 1023 Manatee Avenue, West
 * Bradenton Carnegie Library, 1405 Fourth Avenue West
 * Braden Castle Park Historic District, off Manatee Avenue and 27th St East
 * Iron Block Building, 1896, 530 12th Street West (Old Main Street)
 * Manatee County Courthouse, 1913, 1115 Manatee Avenue, West
 * Old Manatee County Courthouse, 1860, 1404 Manatee Avenue, East
 * Peninsular Telephone Company Building, 1925, 1009 4th Avenue, West

Geography
The approximate coordinates for the City of Bradenton is located at 27.48333°N, -82.58333°W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Bradenton has a total area of 14.44 sqmi, of which 12.11 sqmi is land and 2.33 sqmi (16.14%) is water.

Bradenton is located on US 41 between Tampa and Sarasota. The area is surrounded by waterways, both fresh and saltwater. Along the Gulf of Mexico and into Tampa Bay are over 20 mi of Florida beaches, many of which are shaded by Australian pines. Bordered on the north by the Manatee River, Bradenton is located on the mainland and is separated from the outer barrier islands of Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key by the Intracoastal Waterway.

Downtown Bradenton is located in the northwest area of the city. Home to many of Bradenton's offices and government buildings, the tallest is the Bradenton Financial Center, 12 stories high, with its blue-green windows. The next tallest is the brand new Manatee County Judicial Center with nine floors, located next to the historic courthouse. Other major downtown buildings include the Manatee County Government building and the headquarters of the School Board of Manatee County.

Climate
Bradenton has a typical Central Florida humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by hot, humid summers and warm winters. Bradenton borders a tropical climate, with only one month (January) having a mean temperature below 64 F, which is the threshold for a tropical climate.

Demographics
Bradenton is a principal city of the North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton metropolitan statistical area, which had a population of 833,716 as of 2020.

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 55,698 people, 22,350 households, and 13,033 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 49,546 people, 21,120 households, and 12,341 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 49,504 people, 21,379 households, and 12,720 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,088.5 PD/sqmi. There were 24,887 housing units at an average density of 2,055.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 78.14% White, 15.11% African American, 0.79% Asian, 0.29% Native American, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.91% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.26% of the population.

In 2000, there were 21,379 households, out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.85.

In 2000, in the city 21.6% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 25.4% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $34,902, and the median income for a family was $42,366. Males had a median income of $28,262 versus $23,292 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,133. About 9.7% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.3% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Tropicana Products was founded in Bradenton in 1947 by Anthony T. Rossi, an Italian immigrant. By 2004 it had over 8,000 employees and marketed its products throughout the United States. PepsiCo, Inc., acquired it in 1998. Tropicana's Juice Trains have been running to northern markets via CSX and predecessor railroads since 1971. In 2003, Pepsi relocated Tropicana's corporate headquarters to Chicago after it acquired Gatorade and consolidated its non-carbonated beverage businesses. However, their juice production facilities remain in Bradenton.

Champs Sports, a nationwide sports apparel chain, is headquartered in Bradenton. The department store chain Bealls is also headquartered in Bradenton.

Bradenton was significantly affected by the United States housing market correction, as reported by CNN, projecting a 24.8% loss in median home values by the third quarter of 2008. Real estate has shown a recovery since 2012, as home prices stabilize and inventory subsides.

Transportation
Bradenton is served by Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport and is connected to St. Petersburg by the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The Sunshine Skyway is a 5.5 mi cross-bay bridge that rises 250 ft above the bay at its highest point. Remnants of the old Skyway bridge have been converted into a fishing pier extending into Tampa Bay from both sides of the bay.

Manatee County Area Transit (MCAT) buses serve Bradenton along with the cities/communities of Palmetto, Ellenton, Anna Maria, Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach, Longboat Key, Tallevast and Samoset, with transfers to Sarasota and St. Petersburg. Free trolleys run north–south on Anna Maria Island, as well as to/from various points on the mainland. Amtrak charter buses run through downtown Bradenton outside the courthouse to Tampa Union Station and Venice.

Government
The city is governed by a city council with five members. Each of the members are residents of one of the five wards. The city council selects the city's vice mayor. The mayor is elected at-large for a four-year term, as are the five council members.

Newspapers

 * The Bradenton Herald is Manatee County's local newspaper, published daily.
 * The Bradenton Times is Manatee County's local online-only newspaper.
 * Bradenton Patch is Bradenton's local online-only paper.
 * Daily editions of the Sarasota Herald Tribune and the Tampa Bay Times are also available throughout the area.

Radio stations
Bradenton is located in the Sarasota-Bradenton radio market. It also receives many stations from the nearby Tampa-St. Petersburg market.

The stations listed below are located and/or licensed in Bradenton or Manatee County:

 * WWPR – 1490 AM – studio and transmitter in Bradenton
 * WBRD – 1420 AM – licensed to Palmetto
 * WJIS – 88.1 FM
 * WPBB – 98.7 FM (studios and transmitter in Pinellas County)
 * WHPT – 102.5 FM (Sarasota; transmitter in northeastern corner of Sarasota County; studios in St. Petersburg)
 * WRUB – 106.5 FM

Television stations
WSNN-LD is based in Sarasota but transmits from Manatee County. WWSB channel 40, the local ABC affiliate, is based in Sarasota, but has a transmitter in Parrish, northeast of Bradenton; it is seen on cable channel 7 on most cable systems in the area. WXPX-TV channel 66, the local Ion Television affiliate, is licensed in Bradenton, with its transmitter in Riverview in Hillsborough County.

Education
Manatee County Public Schools operates area public schools. Schools in the city limits include:
 * Manatee High School

The State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota's (SCF) main campus is located in Bayshore Gardens, and State College of Florida Collegiate School has a campus on the SCF Bradenton campus.

Culture
Bradenton is home to the Washington Park neighborhood, a historically African American Community where Lincoln Academy was located.

Bradenton is home to the Village of the Arts, a renovated neighborhood immediately south of downtown where special zoning laws allow residents to live and work in their homes. Many of these once dilapidated houses have been converted into studios, galleries, small restaurants and other small businesses. The Village of the Arts promotes its 'First Fridays' activities celebrating the seasons and different holidays. The Village of the Arts remains the largest arts district on the Gulf Coast.

The Manatee Players, who reside at the Manatee Performing Arts Center, have a three-year record of first-place wins within the Florida Theatre Conference and the Southeastern Theatre Conference competitions. In addition, the theatre currently holds the first place title from the American Association of Community Theatre competition.

Located on the Manatee River in downtown Bradenton is the South Florida Museum, Bishop Planetarium and Parker Manatee Aquarium. This one-stop museum-planetarium-aquarium offers a glimpse of Florida history, a star and multimedia show, and ongoing lecture and film series. The Parker Manatee Aquarium was the permanent home to Manatee County's most famous resident and official mascot, Snooty, the manatee. Born at the Miami Aquarium and Tackle Company on July 21, 1948, Snooty was one of the first recorded captive manatee births. He was the oldest manatee in captivity, and likely the oldest manatee in the world. On July 23, 2017, two days after his 69th birthday, Snooty died as the result of drowning.

ArtCenter Manatee is the center for art and art education in Manatee County. The nearly 10000 sqft building in downtown Bradenton features three galleries, five classrooms, an Artists' Market gift shop and an art library featuring over 3,000 art volumes.

The nonprofit organization Realize Bradenton works with the above-listed cultural partners to promote Downtown Bradenton as a destination for the arts. It also produces events in the downtown area with a focus on arts and culture.

Additionally, the town is the subject of the We the Kings song "This Is Our Town"; they, as well as the band Have Gun, Will Travel originate from Bradenton.

Sports
Bradenton is the spring training home of Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates who play their home games at downtown's LECOM Park. During the regular baseball season, the stadium is home to the minor league Bradenton Marauders who play in the Florida State League in Class A-Advanced.

The city is home to the State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota Manatees sports teams.

Manatee County high schools produce several teams including Manatee High School whose football team was nationally ranked in the 1950s, 1980s, and 1990s and regained their national status in 2009. Manatee High School has won five football state championships. Bradenton is also home to the IMG Academy, the home of the U.S U-17 residential soccer program.

The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton was home of the 2015 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship.

Bradenton and Sarasota together held the 2021 U-18 Baseball World Cup.

Points of interest

 * Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, home of the late manatee Snooty
 * Bradenton Riverwalk
 * De Soto National Memorial
 * DeSoto Square
 * Manatee Village Historical Park
 * Neal Preserve
 * Pittsburgh Pirates spring training at LECOM Park
 * Robinson Preserve
 * Village of the Arts

Notable people

 * Hank Aaron, baseball player
 * Freddy Adu, soccer player
 * Hugo Armando, tennis player
 * Sekou Bangoura, tennis player
 * Bob Barron, racecar driver
 * Waite Bellamy, basketball player
 * Chase Brown, football player
 * Sydney Brown, football player
 * Jim Boyd, politician
 * An Byeong-hun, golfer
 * Sandra Cacic, tennis player
 * Gene Clines, baseball player
 * Kimberly Couts, tennis player
 * Jordan Cox, tennis player
 * Ed Culpepper, football player
 * Tiffany Dabek, tennis player and coach
 * Taylor Dent, tennis player
 * Bill Doak, baseball player
 * Eric DuBose, baseball player
 * Brian Dunn, tennis player
 * Victoria Duval, tennis player
 * Tyler Dyson, baseball player
 * Zach Edey, basketball player
 * Graeme Edge, musician and poet
 * Alfred Ellis, saxophonist, composer, and arranger
 * Deshaun Fenwick, football player
 * Tommie Frazier, football player
 * Colton Gordon, baseball player
 * Sammy Green, football player
 * Rod Harper, football player
 * Christian Harrison, tennis player
 * Teri Harrison, model and actress
 * Jamea Jackson, tennis player
 * Helen Jepson, singer
 * Hank Johnson, baseball player
 * Shang Juncheng, tennis player
 * Al Klink, saxophonist
 * Jessica Korda, golfer
 * Nelly Korda, golfer
 * Sebastian Korda, tennis player
 * Michaëlla Krajicek, tennis player
 * Rick Lamb, golfer
 * JC Latham, football player
 * Kelvin McKnight, football player
 * Adrian McPherson, football player
 * Ahmad Miller, football player
 * Shintaro Mochizuki, tennis player
 * Johnny Moore, baseball player
 * Jamie Moyer, baseball player
 * Naoki Nakagawa, tennis player
 * Sharrod Neasman, football player
 * Ingrid Neel, tennis player
 * Ryan Neuzil, football player
 * Whitney Osuigwe, tennis player
 * Brian Poole, football player
 * Maria Sharapova, tennis player
 * Satnam Singh, basketball player
 * Myles Straw, baseball player
 * Sunitha Rao, tennis player
 * John Reeves, football player
 * Austin Reiter, football player
 * Patrik Rikl, tennis player
 * Anthony Rossi, businessman and founder of Tropicana
 * Clifford Rozier, basketball player
 * Ace Sanders, football player
 * Robby Stevenson, football player
 * Willie Taggart, football player and coach
 * Sarah Taylor, tennis player
 * Charles Trippy, bassist for We the Kings and YouTuber
 * Peter Warrick, football player
 * Fabian Washington, football player
 * Benny Williams, basketball player
 * Todd Williams, football player
 * Tyrone Williams, football player
 * Sam Woolf, singer-songwriter

title: Bradenton, Florida


text:
Bradenton Beach, Florida

Bradenton Beach is a city on Anna Maria Island in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The population was 908 at the 2020 census, down from 1,171 in 2010. It is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The city occupies the southern part of Anna Maria Island and is one of three municipalities on the island. The others are Holmes Beach in the center and Anna Maria in the north.

1920s & 1930s
The City of Bradenton Beach was settled in 1893, and referred to as "Cortez Beach" since it was close to the community of Cortez. Construction on a wooden bridge to the mainland began in the summer of 1921. The 1921 Tampa Bay hurricane that October destroyed 80% of the bridge that was built up to that point. Despite a majority of the bridge being destroyed, it was completed sometime in June 1922, eight months later.

A two-story pavilion at the end of Bridge Street was built that same year. It had 100 lockers along with a dance hall and dining room located in the center of the building. On the second floor, the owners of the pavilion had their apartments. It would burn down after a fire and was later rebuilt. The pavilion was destroyed by fire for a second time in 1929 and was never rebuilt. The name "Bradenton Beach" began being used during the mid 1920s as the Florida land boom was occurring. Real estate developers saw this as a way to convince possible buyers that it was closer to Bradenton. Sometime in early 1926, a county bond was approved to build a wooden bridge linking Bradenton Beach to Longboat Key; the bridge was finished in August. However, the bridge was only open until October, when a hurricane damaged it. On March 6, 1932, the bridge was swept away during a high tide. It would not be replaced until 1957.

1940s
The Regina, a tanker barge with over 350,000 gallons of molasses onboard and eight crew, sank 200 yards offshore on a sandbar on March 8, 1940. Regina was under tow by a tugboat, Minima and the line that was towing it had broken near Egmont Key. Both vessels had decided to try and go into Tampa Bay seeking shelter because of the weather conditions. One of the crew members, its cook and a German Shepherd onboard the ship would die during an attempt to leave the ship. All seven other crew members were rescued.

A post office called Bradenton Beach has been in operation since 1941.

Post-1950
Bradenton Beach was incorporated on December 21, 1952, after an 84–56 vote to become a city. Bernard Wagaman served as Bradenton Beach's first mayor; he owned a cottage rental apartment complex there named Wagaman's Modern Apartments.

The main wooden bridge to the island from Cortez was replaced by a concrete one in 1957 as local residents wanted a stronger bridge. A parade led by an elephant was hosted by the city to display its strength and to convince the local residents as well. To offset the cost of the bridge, the local government made it a toll bridge until 1964 when it was reimbursed. Cars were charged 30¢ entering the island, and no toll was charged on those leaving the island.

Geography
The approximate coordinates for the City of Bradenton Beach is located at 27.47111°N, -82.69972°W.

Bradenton Beach occupies the southern part of Anna Maria Island, between the Gulf of Mexico to the west and Anna Maria Sound to the east. The city is bordered to the north by Holmes Beach and to the south, across Longboat Pass, by Longboat Key. To the east, across Anna Maria Sound, is the unincorporated community of Cortez, connected to Bradenton Beach by the Cortez Bridge. The city of Bradenton is 10 mi to the east.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Bradenton Beach has a total area of 1.19 sqmi, of which 0.52 sqmi are land and 0.67 sqmi, or 56.55%, are water.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the City of Bradenton Beach has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 908 people, 495 households, and 255 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 1,171 people, 697 households, and 296 families residing in the city.

2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 1,482 people, 803 households and 391 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,704.9 PD/sqmi. There were 1,762 housing units at an average density of 3,215.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 98.52% White, 0.27% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.69% of the population.

In 2000, there were 803 households, of which 11.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.2% were non-families. 40.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.85 and the average family size was 2.40.

In 2000, 10.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 35.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.0 males.

In 2000, the median household income was $32,318 and the median family income was $46,583. Males had a median income of $26,146 compared with $20,772 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,850. About 3.9% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Library
The Tingley Memorial Library is located at 111 2nd Street, North, behind City Hall. It was built with a $600,000 bequest from the estate of Beulah Rebecca Hooks Hannah Tingley (1893–1986) and is maintained without the use of public funding. In 2000, Beulah Tingley was declared a "Great Floridian" by the state and a plaque attesting to that honor was placed above the front door of the library.

title: Bradenton Beach, Florida