Manasota Key is a census-designated place (CDP) consisting mainly of the community of Englewood Beach in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. The population of the CDP was 1,326 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Sarasota-Bradenton-Punta Gorda Combined Statistical Area. History The name "Manasota Key" refers to an peninsula (transformed into a barrier island by the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway) that continues north into Sarasota County. The community of Englewood Beach occupies the Charlotte County portion of the key, while the Sarasota County part of the peninsula contains the community of Manasota Beach. The key continues north as Caspersen Beach, extending as far as the Venice city limits. Manasota is a portmanteau of "Sarasota" and "Manatee". Geography The Manasota Key CDP is located in the northwestern corner of Charlotte County at . As noted above, the barrier island of the same name extends north well into Sarasota County. Its western edge is the Gulf of Mexico, and to the east is Lemon Bay, an estuary. The community of Englewood Beach occupies most of the CDP, and it is connected to the mainland by Beach Road, which crosses Lemon Bay to Englewood. The southern end of the CDP, which includes Manasota Key, Peterson Island, and Whidden Key, is covered by Stump Pass Beach State Park. Stump Pass is a channel that connects Lemon Bay to the Gulf of Mexico and separates Manasota Key from Don Pedro Island to the south. Grove City is located directly to the east across Lemon Bay from the south end of Manasota Key. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 65.97%, is water. The extinct Chadwick Beach cotton mouse was endemic to the Englewood Beach area. Demographics As of the 2000 U.S. Census, there were 1,345 people, 769 households, and 459 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 1,867 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 99.26% White, 0.15% African American, 0.30% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 0.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.97% of the population. There were 769 households, out of which 3.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples living together, 2.2% had a female householder with no husband