Palmetto is a city in Manatee County, Florida, situated on the north bank of the Manatee River, directly across the water from Bradenton. The city dates its beginnings to the 1868 arrival of Samuel Sparks Lamb, known as the "Father of Palmetto," who helped establish a community on land that early settlers prized for its fertile soil and mild Gulf Coast climate. A 1914 Carnegie library, now part of Palmetto Historical Park, anchors the city's historic core and tells the story of the area's early residents. The Manatee River defines Palmetto's geography and character. A riverside downtown with local shops and restaurants faces the water, while boat ramps, parks, and the Palmetto Estuary Preserve line the waterfront. Across the river, Bradenton provides the larger commercial and cultural center of the two-city area, and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, I-75, and I-275 connect Palmetto to the wider Tampa Bay region. Roughly 13,000 residents live in the incorporated city, part of a larger Palmetto-area population spread across the unincorporated North Manatee landscape. The community blends longtime Florida families with newcomers drawn by the Gulf Coast lifestyle, the waterfront setting, and the city's position between Tampa, about 30 miles north, and Sarasota, about 13 miles south. Housing ranges from historic bungalows and mid-century homes near downtown to newer subdivisions and waterfront properties, giving buyers a variety of entry points into one of Manatee County's older cities. Palmetto's identity is that of a genuine, walkable river town — a contrast to the larger suburban and resort development elsewhere in the region — with its own marina district, historic park, and a downtown that retains a small-city scale. For homebuyers, Palmetto offers riverfront living and historic character at a human scale, while keeping the beaches, airports, and employment centers of the Tampa Bay and Sarasota metros within a short drive.