Newcomers to Sarasota notice right off the bat that we tend to use the name “Ringling” a lot around here. After founding the world-renowned circus with his four brothers in the late 19th century, John Ringling established Sarasota as his winter headquarters and did much to carve out the area's unique culture. Although we didn't name any of our cities after him (as in Montana and Oklahoma, where his railroads helped build towns), Ringling's influence on Sarasota can be marked in a number of important ways.
For starters, just north of the gorgeous Indian Beach and Sapphire Shores neighborhoods, there's the John and Mable
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