Myakka City, Florida facts for kids
Myakka City is a small community in southeastern Manatee County, Florida, USA. It is located near the city of Bradenton. Myakka City is about 43 feet (13 meters) above sea level. You can find it at 27°20′59″N 82°9′41″W / 27.34972°N 82.16139°W.
Even though it's not an official city, Myakka City has its own post office. Its ZIP code is 34251. In 2010, about 6,351 people lived in the area covered by this ZIP code. This was an increase from 4,239 people in 2000.
History of Myakka City
The name Myakka comes from an old Native American word. It is the same word that gave the city of Miami its name. Myakka City was started in 1915 by a man named Frank Earl Knox. He bought land from an early settler named William Durrance.
Knox had a big plan for the new town. He wanted 91 blocks, each with 10 places for homes. In 1915, a post office and a new school opened in Myakka City. The school welcomed 35 students on November 2, 1915. Mr. and Mrs. Carl Park were the first teachers.
Knox named the town Myakka City to make it different from Old Miakka. Old Miakka was an older settlement located to the west. Knox, a retired judge, was interested in the area because he heard a railroad might be built there. He hoped the train tracks would go through his new town.
The East and West Coast Railway was built around the same time the post office opened. Floods delayed the train's opening for a few days. A bridge over Horse Creek was destroyed, affecting areas between Arcadia and Myakka. However, the route from Bradenton to Myakka was fine. The train station was built using local materials from Myakka City's own sawmills.
Growth and Industries
Myakka City had a hotel run by James Q. Baker. Many locals and visitors stayed there. The town was doing so well that people even talked about building a junior high school. The main industries were lumber sawmills, turpentine production, and farming.
James Q. Baker also ran a sawmill. By 1916, he sold the hotel and moved to East Myakka, where his mill was located. In the late 1910s, the E.E. Edge Turpentine Company operated in Myakka City. They had moved there from Groveland, a town in Lake County.
In the 1920s, Florida had a big land boom. Knox responded by making a second plan for the town. He changed his company's name to Bradenton Suburban Company. He also renamed the town's streets to make them sound more modern.
A 1926 advertisement said the new town had 300,000 acres and 250 people. Besides the railroad station, Myakka City also had a four-room school with three teachers. It also had two churches, three stores, a warehouse, a hotel, and a large garage. Knox and other county officials wanted a paved highway to connect the town with Bradenton. They hoped to extend the highway further east to the border with Desoto County.
Before the paved roads, travelers used sandy, bumpy, and often flooded roads. This was especially true during the rainy seasons.
Decline and Modern Day
The land boom did not last long. When the Great Depression began, the town started to decline. The area had been deforested, meaning many trees were cut down. Even though a railroad official once said there were enough trees for sawmills to operate for fifty years, the timber ran out. The railroad tracks were removed by the mid-1930s. They were reportedly sent to South America.
In 1939, a guide described Myakka City as a small settlement. It was a trading center for local farmers who grew vegetables and citrus fruits. Many old-time Floridians lived in this area. They had settled there after the American Civil War. Most of them owned land. Their homes were often one-story frame houses with a "breezeway" in the middle. These houses were built high off the ground to protect them from rot and termites. They usually had porches with vines and well-kept gardens. Many also had a few citrus trees. These people often grew their own food and raised their own meat.
In 1953, Myakka City had about 100 people and 36 homes. Today, the area is still mostly farmland and has few people. The post office is still open as of 2021. The original schoolhouse has been saved. It is being fixed up to become a community and history center.
Images for kids
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A 1940 US Census map showing Myakka City within Manatee County.
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