Manatee County Florida map | Bradenton, Palmetto, and Lakewood Ranch

Manatee County Florida map connects three landscapes that are often viewed separately: the Gulf barrier islands, the Bradenton-Palmetto corridor along the Manatee River, and the inland communities east of Interstate 75. Bradenton, the county seat, occupies the river’s south bank, while Palmetto and Ellenton sit to the north. Their placement explains why river crossings are central to local travel.

The county extends much farther east than its best-known beaches. Anna Maria Island and the northern part of Longboat Key form the narrow coastal edge, but Lake Manatee, Myakka City, and Duette lie well inland. Reading the full county boundary therefore reveals the distance between the coast and eastern rural areas, the routes that link them, and the transition from tidal bays to reservoirs and headwater streams.

Manatee County Florida map showing Bradenton, Palmetto, Longboat Key — Manatee County map centered on Bradenton and Palmetto

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Map file: County reference map
File format: ZIP

Download the Manatee County map

Table of Contents

Quick Facts

State: Florida
County: Manatee County (FIPS 12081)
County seat: Bradenton
Incorporated places: Bradenton, Palmetto, Anna Maria, Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach, and the Manatee County portion of Longboat Key
Other prominent communities: Ellenton, Parrish, Lakewood Ranch, West Bradenton, Myakka City, and Duette
2020 land area: 742.76 square miles
Water features: Manatee River, Braden River, Lake Manatee, Bill Evers Reservoir, and Lower Tampa Bay
Primary routes: I-75, I-275, U.S. 41, U.S. 301, SR 64, SR 70, and SR 62

What the Map Shows

The narrow island chain on the western edge contains several distinct municipalities. From north to south, Anna Maria, Holmes Beach, and Bradenton Beach divide Anna Maria Island. Cortez Bridge connects the island to the mainland. Longboat Key continues south, but the town is divided between Manatee and Sarasota counties, so the county line crosses the island rather than following its entire shoreline.

On the mainland, Bradenton and Palmetto face one another across the Manatee River and are joined by the U.S. 41 and U.S. 301 bridge corridors. Ellenton lies farther east on the north side of the river near the U.S. 301-I-75 interchange, with Parrish to the northeast. Lakewood Ranch is not simply another coastal neighborhood; it is a large planned community concentrated east of I-75 around the SR 70 corridor.

County Layout and Location

Manatee County occupies Florida’s west-central Gulf Coast at the southern entrance to Tampa Bay. Hillsborough County is to the north, Polk to the northeast, Hardee to the east, DeSoto to the southeast, and Sarasota to the south. Bays, passes, and islands produce an intricate western edge, while straighter boundaries cross the agricultural and conservation lands of the east.

The Manatee River begins in the northeastern part of the county, passes through Lake Manatee, and flows west to Lower Tampa Bay. Florida’s 2025 basin plan identifies Gilly Creek, Gamble Creek, and the Braden River as major tributaries. Below Lake Manatee Dam, the Manatee River becomes tidal and estuarine; the Braden River does the same below Bill Evers Reservoir. These details make the central river system more than a visual landmark: it links drinking-water reservoirs and rural headwaters to the urban estuary.

Local Context

The road network becomes easier to interpret when east-west and north-south routes are separated. SR 64 begins at the coast, crosses Bradenton as Manatee Avenue, meets I-75, and continues toward Lake Manatee and the eastern county line. SR 70 runs across the southern half of the county through the Bradenton area, Lakewood Ranch, and Myakka City. SR 62 branches through the northeastern rural corridor toward Duette. Each road serves a different inland band rather than duplicating the same route.

I-75 passes east of the older coastal cities and intersects SR 70, SR 64, and U.S. 301. U.S. 41 and U.S. 301 connect Bradenton, Palmetto, Ellenton, and the river bridges, while I-275 branches away in northwestern Manatee County and crosses Tampa Bay on the Sunshine Skyway. A trip into downtown Bradenton, a through trip toward Tampa, and a trip to Lakewood Ranch therefore use different parts of the network.

SeaPort Manatee occupies the Piney Point shoreline near the entrance to Tampa Bay, northwest of central Palmetto. It should not be confused with the downtown riverfront or the beach communities. This geographic separation summarizes the county’s internal contrasts: Bradenton is the governmental center, Palmetto and Ellenton anchor the north-bank urban corridor, the islands form a coastal municipal chain, and the eastern communities surround reservoirs, farms, preserves, and planned development.

Ways to Use This Map

Distinguish the three municipalities on Anna Maria Island from Longboat Key
Compare Bradenton, Palmetto, and Ellenton by riverbank and bridge access
Trace SR 64, SR 70, and SR 62 into separate parts of eastern Manatee County
Contrast I-75 through travel with U.S. 41 and U.S. 301 access to the older urban core
Follow the Manatee River from Lake Manatee to its tidal reach at Lower Tampa Bay
Identify the directions of Hillsborough, Polk, Hardee, DeSoto, and Sarasota counties

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I distinguish Bradenton from Palmetto on the map?

Use the Manatee River as the dividing feature. Bradenton, the county seat, is on the south bank, while Palmetto is on the north bank. The U.S. 41 and U.S. 301 bridge corridors connect them. Following U.S. 301 eastward on the north side leads toward Ellenton and I-75.

Are Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key entirely within Manatee County?

Anna Maria, Holmes Beach, and Bradenton Beach on Anna Maria Island are in Manatee County. Longboat Key is split: its northern section is in Manatee County and its southern section is in Sarasota County. The southern county boundary must therefore be checked on both the mainland and the island.

Is Lake Manatee a separate natural lake?

Lake Manatee is a water-supply reservoir created by damming the Manatee River in 1966. The river enters from the east and resumes below the dam to the west, so the lake is best read as an enlarged section of the same river system rather than an isolated lake south of SR 64.

Sources

Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data.

These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.