Fruitville, Florida, US
Fruitville is a census-designated place (CDP) situated in Sarasota County, in the American state of Florida. As per the 2020 census, 15,484 people were living there. The CDP is a component of the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton MSA.
Fruitville, Florida History
During the late 1870s, Florida's expanding orange business attracted a new wave of settlers. Among them was Charles Reaves, who settled in present-day Fruitville in 1876.
Some reports claim that he gave the neighborhood the name Fruitville in honor of the region's fruit profusion. Reaves would eventually take over as the 115 locals' postmaster.
The Friendship Baptist Church was the first church built in Sarasota County. After receiving its charter in 1875, the congregation met in a modest pine log building. A new church building came up in 1876 with some of the original wood from the first church.
The first cemetery in the neighborhood was built in 1887 after the Florida Mortgage and Investment Company of Scotland donated the land to the church.
Charles and Martha Tatum Reaves converted their corncrib into Fruitville's first school for their three children and seven neighbors in 1887. They hired Miss Josie Clower, the first teacher in the region.
The Works Progress Administration provided financing to construct Fruitville Elementary in 1941 in response to a citizen petition calling for a new school structure. Tatum Ridge and Old Myakka's rural schools were closed, and their pupils were bused to the new school in Fruitville.
Franklin Field, named after the mayor of the time, George Franklin, started serving as a military airfield in May 1918. The Franklin airstrip lies to the east of what is now Tuttle Road and north of Fruitville Road.
The airfield served as a backup landing area for the U.S. Army Air Service and was home to at least a few Curtiss JN "Jenny" aircraft. Once the war was over, the airfield lost its value and was abandoned by 1920. The property was prepared for a new subdivision in 1924.
Population and Housing
As of the 2020 United States Census, there was a population of 15,484 people and 6,043 households, and the typical household had an average of 2 people.
Age-wise, 4% of the population was under five years old, 15% were under 18, 45% were between 18 and 64, and 26% were age 65 or older.
There were 91% white people, 2.1% African Americans, 2.4% Asians, and 12.5% Hispanics or Latinos.
Veterans made up 7.6% of the Fruitville population, while 12.9% of the people were foreign-born.
The typical gross rent was $1,639, while owner-occupied housing units had an average value of $275,600. The average household income was $72,512, while 7.6% of the population lived below the poverty line.
Computers and broadband internet access were available in 92.6% of homes. 91.0% of people aged 25 and above have a high school diploma or higher, while 33.0% have a bachelor's degree or higher.
17.2% of those under the age of 65 lacked health insurance, and 6.8% of them had a handicap. According to the 2010 census, there were 1,946 people per square mile.