was said to have named the island for Maria Anna von der Pfalz-Neuburg, the queen of Charles II of Spain, the sponsor of his expedition. In the past, pronunciation of the name differed: old timers said "Anna Mar-EYE-a," but most people today say "Anna Mar-EE-a." According to a regional historian of note, Lillian Burns, the daughter of the early land developer, Owen Burns, the correct pronunciation of the name of the island by its early settlers was, an-na ma-rye-a, since it was named for the strong winds occurring in the area, using the German term for the wind, Maria. This pronunciation may be heard in the song, "They Call the Wind Maria", from the musical, Paint Your Wagon. Despite the common legends of the name origins for the city and island, former Tampa Mayor Madison Post named the island for his wife Maria and his sister-in-law Anna.
History
In 1892, George Emerson Bean homesteaded the north of Anna Maria Island. After his death in 1898, the land went to his son, George Wilhelm Bean, who partnered with Charles Roser, a wealthy real estate developer from St. Petersburg, to form the Anna Maria Beach Company to develop the area. Compiled in the late 1930s and first published in 1939, the Florida guide listed Anna Maria's population as 77 describing it as:
Geography
Anna Maria is located at. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,814 people, 897 households, and 572 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,338.3 inhabitants per square mile. There were 1,538 housing units at an average density of 1,982.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 98.18% White, 0.33% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.44% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.48% of the population. There were 897 households, out of which 14.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couplesliving together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.46. In the city, the population was spread out, with 12.5% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 14.9% from 25 to 44, 36.2% from 45 to 64, and 33.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $40,341, and the median income for a family was $51,628. Males had a median income of $40,125 versus $24,934 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,767. About 10.8% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.1% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
