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, down from 4,275 at the 2010 census. 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. 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.
| align = right
| align-fn = center
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Ellenton had a population of 4,129. The median age was 45.4 years. 19.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 26.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.9 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,731 households in Ellenton, of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.6% were married-couple households, 17.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
According to the same estimates, 46.9% of the population 25 years or older had a high school diploma or equivalent, and 10.5% had a bachelor's degree or higher.
1900 - Fuller's Earth Plant mined clay to be used as bleaching agent and as an absorbent for oil and fat.
1850s to present - Agriculture was an important industry, starting with sugarcane from Gamble Plantation. This was harvested through slave labor up until the Civil War. Vegetable farms and citrus groves are also important industries in Ellenton.