Ellenton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The population was 4,129 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The oldest structure in Ellenton is the Gamble Plantation, which was built between 1845 and 1850 by Major Robert Gamble. Originally a sugar plantation worked by slaves, the antebellum mansion fell into disrepair after the Civil War. Major George Patten and his wife, Mary, purchased the property in 1870 and named the area "Ellenton" after his daughter Ellen. In 1881, the United States government designated Ellenton as an official post office site. A refining plant for fuller's earth located in Ellenton along the Manatee River opened in 1903. It was owned by the Atlantic Refining Company and had 150+ employees being the biggest refinery the company owned. It burned down once in 1908 and again in 1912. In 1922, it burned down for the final time after which it was permanently closed. Geography Ellenton is located in central Manatee County at (27.522666, -82.525867). It is on the north side of the tidal Manatee River and is bordered to the west by the city of Palmetto. Unincorporated Memphis is to the northwest. U.S. Route 301 passes through the center of the community, and Interstate 75 forms the eastern border, with the highways intersecting at Exit 224 on I-75. US 301 leads west into Palmetto and then south across the Manatee River into Bradenton, the county seat, while to the northeast it leads to Parrish. I-75 leads north to the east side of Tampa and south to Fort Myers. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Ellenton CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 25.95%, are water. Demographics As of the 2020 census, Ellenton had a population of 4,129 people with 1,847 households. There were 2,055 housing units. There was an employment rate of 46.1%. The median household income was $59,723. 11.2% of the population lived below the poverty threshold. 46.9% of the population 25 years or older had a High School or equivalent degree. 10.5% of the population 25 years and older had a bachelor’s degree or higher. 20.7% of the population spoke Spanish at home, 0.4% spoke other Indo-European languages, and 0.3% spoke Asian and Pacific Islander languages at home. 9.0% of the population were foreign born persons.