Whitfield, Manatee County, Florida

Whitfield Estates was formerly a 682 acre wooded area that had been homesteaded by General John Riggin, aide-de-camp to Ulysses S Grant. The property included 218 acre bayfront estate of Alfred Ringling. In 1924, the property was purchased from Richard T. Ringling, son of Alfred, by a corporation called Whitfield Estates, Inc., held by Louis Broughton Whitfield, D. G. Haley, E. H. Price, and E. S. Delaplane, Jr., all residents of Alabama.[4]

President and primary investor of the development, Louis Whitfield, a native of Montgomery, Alabama, was founder and president of the Alaga Syrup Company and the W. W. Pickle Company. Many streets in the subdivision were named for the Whitfield family, including Broughton and Pearl. The original plan for Whitfield Estates called for a housing development, an 18 hole golf course, hotel, yacht basin and man-made islands in the bay. Donald Ross was retained as the golf course architect.[5] In April of 1925, Whitfield sold the development Frank and Forrest Adair of Adair Realty and Trust Co., the country's earliest real estate firm.

In 1926, the developing neighborhood was incorporated as a city with E.S. Bond acting as mayor. However, the neighborhood's development was significantly damaged by the Florida real estate bust. Whitfield Estates, Inc. filed for bankruptcy in 1927 and for many years development ceased in the neighborhood.

Whitfield Estates experienced a resurgence after World War II. Located near the Sarasota Army Airfield, the area became a popular location for families to settle during the post-war housing boom. This played a major role in the recovery of the community with the Whitfield Community Improvement Association being established in the mid-1940s.[6]

The following districts and properties in the subdivision are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

Resource Name	Image	Address	Added
Whitfield Estates–Broughton Street Historic District		7207, 7211, 7215, 7219 and 7316 Broughton Street	October 29, 1993
John M. Beasley House		7706 Westmoreland Drive	March 5, 1996
Whitfield Estates–Lantana Avenue Historic District		332-336 Lantana Avenue	March 8, 1997
Austin House		227 Delmar Avenue	February 5, 1998
Reid-Woods House		373 Whitfield Avenue	August 31, 2000
Villa Serena Apartments		7014 Willow Street	September 29, 2000
Paul M. Souder House		242 Greenwood Avenue	November 2, 2000
Stevens–Gilchrist House		235 Delmar Avenue	August 17, 2001

Most of the above were listed in conjunction with the 1996 Whitfield Estates Subdivision Multiple Property Submission (MPS).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), of which 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) (1.41%) is water.

As of the 2000 U.S. Census, there were 2,984 people, 1,244 households, and 878 families residing in the CDP.[2] The population density was 2,125.0 people per square mile (822.9/km²). There were 1,364 housing units at an average density of 971.3/sq mi (376.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.27% White, 2.98% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.80% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.73% of the population.

There were 1,244 households, out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.75.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 17.9% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $51,536, and the median income for a family was $54,009. Males had a median income of $35,444 versus $24,375 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $25,408. About 3.3% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.