Browse The Sarasota Business Directory

Sarasota, Florida is a beautiful city situated on the West Coast of the state, on the Gulf of Mexico. It has a population of 52,715 residents. Actually situated on Sarasota Bay, off the Gulf, the city plays host to Longboat Key and Siesta Key, with their incredible beaches, residential neighborhoods and wonderful shopping. Warm Mineral Springs provided the camp sites for ancient man. Now, Sarasota enjoys the benefits. The climate is almost ideal. Temperate winters and warm to hot summers. The breezes from the Gulf keep everyone happily comfortable in summer time.

The city is uniquely Florida and so is its architecture. It is a combination of Spanish, Mediterranean and Floridian. A visitor will see homes that date back to the 19th century. Many neighborhoods contain homes listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Among early developers was John Ringling of circus fame. Today, the Sarasota School of Architecture brings to the area a contemporary blending of all styles and it seems to be working. Look up the school’s number in the business directory and ask for a tour.

Sarasota is home to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall with its varying shades of purple, the Florida West Coast Symphony, the Sarasota Ballet, the Sarasota Opera Company, the Banyan Theatre Company and other theatrical and musical venues. For nature lovers, there is also the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, the Mote Marine Laboratory for rescue and research and the G-Wiz Science Museum.

It is mainly the glorious beaches that bring people to Sarasota for water sports of every description, sailing, fishing and snorkeling among them. The lovely hotels also offer golf, tennis, riding and just lazing around on the beach or by the pool. Listings for many of the hotels are found in the Florida yellow pages.