Cortez

History

Present-day Cortez was a part of the Safety Harbor culture region from about 900 CE until the 1700s. The Safety Harbor culture people formed chiefdoms and villages along the shoreline of Tampa Bay and the adjacent Gulf of Mexico coast. Safety Harbor culture is defined by the presence of Safety Harbor ceramics in burial mounds, which have been excavated from nearby archaeological sites in present-day Manatee County. The Safety Harbor culture virtually disappeared due to disease and incursions by other Native Americans. The Calusa people, often referred to as the "Shell Indians", also inhabited the southwest coast of Florida. The Calusa were first recorded by Spanish explorers in 1513, but were likely living on the coast long before they were recorded doing so. The Calusa became the dominant power in the Tampa Bay area with the waning of the Safety Harbor Culture in the 1600s. The Calusa are believed to have stayed in the area until 1763 when the remaining Calusa, their numbers having already dwindled due to disease and warfare, left Florida to settle in Cuba. The Calusa are believed to have lived along inner waterways in homes built on stilts. Unlike many other tribes, the Calusa did not hunt but rather fished for subsistence. The Calusa people were prolific fishermen. The Calusa people made nets from palm tree webbing in order to catch mullet, pin-fish, pig-fish, and catfish. They used spears topped with arrowheads crafted from fish teeth and spines in order to hunt eels and turtles. Women and children of the tribe caught shellfish, including crabs, lobsters, oysters, clams, and conch. They used the shells they collected to make a variety of things such as tools, utensils, ornaments, weapons, and jewelry. The eventual demise of the Calusa people is attributed to…

Geography

Cortez is located in western Manatee County. The village of Cortez stands at the west end of a peninsula bordered by Anna Maria Sound to the west, Palma Sola Bay to the north, and Sarasota Bay to the south. The Cortez census-designated place includes the village, plus the remainder of the peninsula to the east, as far as 86th Street. Florida State Road 684 is the main road through the community, leading east to South Bradenton and west across Anna Maria Sound to Bradenton Beach. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Cortez CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 56.37%, are water. Cortez is located in a safe harbor, sheltered from harsh winds by Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key (two of Florida's barrier islands).

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• PALMETTO HIGH SCHOOL
  High · PALMETTO · 2,100 students · 22.8:1 ratio
• MANATEE HIGH SCHOOL
  High · BRADENTON · 1,983 students · 21.8:1 ratio
• MANATEE SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS
  High · PALMETTO · 1,968 students · 18.9:1 ratio
• SOUTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL
  High · BRADENTON · 1,716 students · 20.9:1 ratio
• BAYSHORE HIGH SCHOOL
  High · BRADENTON · 1,435 students · 20.5:1 ratio
• TEAM SUCCESS A SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE
  Other · BRADENTON · 1,222 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• W. D. SUGG MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · BRADENTON · 1,010 students · 19.1:1 ratio
• LOUISE R JOHNSON K-8 SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
  Elementary · BRADENTON · 936 students · 14.9:1 ratio