Nokomis, Florida facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nokomis, Florida
Census-designated place
Location in Sarasota County and the state of Florida
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Sarasota
Area
• Total	2.29 sq mi (5.94 km2)
• Land	1.95 sq mi (5.05 km2)
• Water	0.34 sq mi (0.89 km2)
Elevation	10 ft (3 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,217
• Density	1,650.59/sq mi (637.42/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	34274–34275
Area code(s)	941
FIPS code	12-48875
GNIS feature ID	0287754

View from Nokomis Beach, outside the Nokomis CDP, early on a summer morning

Nokomis is a small community in Sarasota County, Florida. It's known as an unincorporated town, which means it doesn't have its own local government like a city. It's also a census-designated place (CDP), which is a special area the government uses for counting people. Nokomis is located on the Gulf Coast of Florida, just south of Osprey and north of Venice.

You can reach the coast from Nokomis through Nokomis Public Beach and Casey Key. In 2020, about 3,217 people lived in Nokomis. It's part of a larger group of cities called the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Interior of the Knight Chapel, which was destroyed by the 1926 Hurricane.

The first European settlers arrived in the Nokomis area in 1868. Among them were the Knight family and at least three other families. The Knight family had previously raised cattle further inland during the American Civil War. After the war ended, they moved closer to the coast. They hoped the coastal climate would be better for their health.

The area was first called Horse and Chaise. This name included what is now Venice. The Knight family was very involved in the community. They gave land for the first school and helped build the first chapel.

In 1917, Alfred F. Wrede opened the first post office in Nokomis. It was located southwest of the original Venice post office. In the same year, a doctor named Fred Albee bought a large piece of land. He worked with Ellis W. Nash to create the Nokomis neighborhood. They divided the land into 130 lots. The streets were designed to spread out from two inner circles and a new asphalt highway, which is now U.S. 41. On U.S. 41, Dr. Albee and other investors built a 35-room hotel called the Pollyanna Inn.

In the late 1930s, a travel guide called the Florida guide described Nokomis. It said Nokomis had a population of 79 people. It was called a "suburb of Venice" and was separated from Venice by Shackett Creek.

Geography

Nokomis is located on the beautiful Gulf Coast of Florida. The area known as the Nokomis Census Designated Place (CDP) covers about 5.0 square kilometers (about 1.9 square miles). Most of this area, about 4.2 square kilometers (1.6 square miles), is land. The rest, about 0.8 square kilometers (0.3 square miles), is water.

The Legacy Trail runs through Nokomis for about 2.5 miles. This trail is a great place for walking and biking. It even crosses the Shakett Creek (Dona Bay) bridge over the water.

Casey Key is a long, narrow island located near Nokomis. It's a barrier island, which means it helps protect the mainland from ocean waves. Many luxurious houses are built along the beachfront on Casey Key. Casey Key is not part of the Nokomis CDP.

Population Information

Nokomis has seen its population grow over the years. Here's how the number of people living in Nokomis has changed:

In 2000, there were 3,334 people living in Nokomis. The population density was about 1,998.5 people per square mile. There were 1,544 households, which are groups of people living together in one home.

The people living in Nokomis are of different ages. In 2000:

• About 17.1% of the population was under 18 years old.
• About 23.8% of the population was 65 years old or older.

The average age of people in Nokomis was 46 years.

See also

In Spanish: Nokomis para niños