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Community Portrait
Sarasota County - City of North Port
» North Port is Sarasota County’s largest city, with more than 56,000 residents but is still largely undeveloped. Only 20% of the city’s land area is built out.
» With a median age of under 40 and median income of around $51,000, the city is younger and less affluent than the county’s northern tier, including Sarasota.
» Population is nearly 90% white, non-Hispanic, 5.6% African-American and 5.2% Hispanic.
Once a retiree haven, North Port now attracts a younger population, with a median age of around 38. |
The population has grown younger and more diverse, both ethnically and economically. Once dominated by retirees, the community now has a median age of around 38 and is home to many young families, including a small but growing cadre of professionals. Under Economic Development Director Allan Lane, the city has worked to keep existing businesses while marketing itself heavily in order to diversify its business base, which currently is 90% small retail and service firms.
The city is attempting to purchase Warm Mineral Springs, a big draw for European tourists.? [Photo: Scott Keeler, St. Petersburg Times] |
Other challenges include the effects of the real estate bust: Only 20% built out, North Port still has plenty of empty platted lots. Another is whether the city can successfully leverage a unique amenity, Warm Mineral Springs, that it and Sarasota County are attempting to purchase from a private owner. The springs, whose waters have the highest mineral content of any in the U.S., draw large numbers of international tourists but remain relatively unknown in Florida and domestically.
North Port has invested in quality-of-life projects like the North Port Youth Community Center. |
A Community Portrait of Sarasota County |