Sarasota Photos

Sarasota, Florida lies on the shores of western Florida along the Gulf of Mexico. The spectacular shoreline of Sarasota can be seen in many Sarasota photos.

Sarasota Bay is home to several small keys or islands including Siesta Key, Coon Key, Lido Key and the largest Longboat Key. The keys in Sarasota Bay are famous for white sand beaches and separate the city's shoreline from the Gulf of Mexico.

Over the years, the natural beauty of the Sarasota area has attracted visitors from all over the world. Like other areas of Florida, Sarasota sees its share of snow birds, winter refugees from colder areas of the United States.

The area was originally home to indigenous peoples including the Seminole. As with many native tribes, the Seminole were driven from the area ahead of the expansion of European settlements.

In spite of centuries of European migration to the east coast of North America, the area around present-day Sarasota was not widely settled until the mid 1840s. It would take another 60 years for Sarasota to be officially incorporated.