From ancient Indian tribes to Ponce de Leon to modern developers, the island of Anna Maria off the coast of Southwest Florida has a diverse, 12,000 year-old history. The Timucan and Caloosan American Indian tribes lived on the island and are the earliest known settlers. Then Spanish explorers including Ponce de Leon and Hernando de Soto discovered the island on their quests for the Fountain of Youth and El Dorado, the City of Gold.
In 1892, the island acquired its first non-Indian permanent settler, George Emerson Bean. Bean went on to develop much of the island with his son, Will Bean, and his business partner, Charles Roser. The street and water systems, along with housing and business development, are credited to these early developers.
There is much debate over how the island of Anna Maria got its name. Some say that Ponce de Leon named the island after the wife of Charles II, the sponsor of his missions across the pond. Others say it was named after the Virgin Mary and her mother Anne. Still others suggest that government surveyors named it in honor of the wife of the man in whose home they stayed during their visit. The wife, Maria, wanted to include her sister Anna in the name.
Today, Anna Maria Island’s 8000+ residents occupy three major cities: Anna Maria in the north, Bradenton Beach in the South, and Holmes Beach in between. Known as the wedding capital of Florida, Anna Maria Island’s picturesque beauty and luxury accommodations make it a famous tourist destination in Florida.
