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Directions
and Where We Are
4408 West of Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach
Anna Maria Island, Florida
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Where We Are
The Church of the Annunciation is a 50 year-old approximately 150 communicant member parish of the Diocese of Southwest Florida located on Anna Maria Island, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico along the west coast of Florida near the southernmost entrance to Tampa Bay. To its north across the Bay lie the cities of St. Petersburg and Tampa, to its east the city of Bradenton and to the south the communities of Longboat Key and Sarasota.
Anna Maria Island is one of the most beautiful and unspoiled barrier islands in Florida, comprising three municipalities, all within Manatee County. From north to south the cities are Anna Maria (pop. 1814), Holmes Beach (pop. 4966) and Bradenton Beach (pop. 1482). All three are residential communities with both year-round and seasonal residents. The Parish Church and Rectory are centrally located in Holmes Beach and serve the entire island as well as surrounding mainland areas.
Anna Maria Island has been thoughtfully and slowly developed since the mid-1950's. The three island communities are proud of their restricted growth, and residential building is limited to single family homes and “low-rise” multiple unit structures. Care has been taken to preserve natural and environmentally sensitive areas and to provide excellent public recreational facilities. For a more detailed description of the area, you may click on www.amisland.co.
Our Parish Church and Rectory are located conveniently to cultural, educational, entertainment, recreational, professional and shopping opportunities on the island and in the surrounding metropolitan area. The Island is ten minutes across a scenic causeway overlooking Anna Maria Sound and Perico Bay from Bradenton (pop. ca. 50,000) and greater Manatee County (pop. ca. 265,400). See http://www.flagulfislands.com/info.cfm. Anna Maria elementary school is part of the Manatee School District system. Its graduates go on to middle and high schools on the mainland.
St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Bradenton provides a traditional co-educational college preparatory program from pre-school through grade 12. Excellent medical services are available on the island, and there are two full-service hospitals within a few minutes drive on the mainland.
Approximately 30 minutes to the south is the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) and the City and County of Sarasota (total pop. ca. 750,000), placing our parish in the midst of an aggregate population of over a million people. Sarasota’s noteworthy educational, cultural and recreational attractions are within easy distance. You can access much additional information through this website: http://www.simplysarasota.com/index.htm.
We are also about 60 minutes from St. Petersburg via the famous and scenic Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which spans the entrance to Tampa Bay and is a striking feature of the “waterscape” views from the north end of Anna Maria Island and northwest Bradenton. “St. Pete” offers many shopping, cultural and entertainment opportunities and is home to a number of excellent medical facilities. See: http://www.stpete.org/about.htm. Finally, Tampa - 30 minutes further away - with its world-class Airport (TIA), the University of South Florida, and its many medical, cultural and national sports teams pairs with St. Petersburg to offer all of the features of a major urban complex.
See: http://www.tampaguide.com/default.asp
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Church of the Annunciation