Real estate blog says Bradenton is sexy and knows it

The Peek-A-Boo Lounge on 14th Street West helped
give Bradenton a No. 5 ranking for adult entertainment
per capita in a Movoto ranking for sexiest city.
File Photo by Paul Videla

Bradenton and Sarasota are two of the sexiest cities in the country, according to real estate blog Movoto.

Sarasota took top spot, Bradenton is third while Pensacola was No. 2 because it has the most lingerie stores per capita in the nation, according to the blog. Movoto is known for creating quirky real estate trend stories and rankings.

Looking at the qualifications for the ranking, kinky would be a more appropriate descriptor.

Here is what gets Bradenton and Sarasota their dirty distinctions, Movoto says:

First, we made a list of small cities with populations between 50,000 and 60,000, which gave us 140 places. Then, we collected data from the U.S. Census (2010) and business listings in seven sexy criteria:
Nightlife per capita (bars, clubs, comedy, etc.)
Lingerie stores per capita
Adult stores per capita (novelties, videos, etc.)
Adult entertainment per capita (strip clubs, burlesque, use your imagination…)
Massage parlors per capita (hey, it can be a sensual experience)
Hotels per capita
Average summer temperature (hotter means fewer clothes *wink*)After that, we ranked each place in each category from one to 140, with numbers closer to one being sexier. Then, we averaged each places’ rankings into one Big Deal Score, with lower scores being better.

Incidents like having sex in public parking lots in Lakewood Ranch were not included either.

Considering those qualifiers, the ranking might not be a surprise given the number of questionable spas and massage parlors that line Tamiami Trail from the airport into the city and the cluster of adult novelty stores around the DeSoto Square Mall. Yet, surprisingly, Bradenton ranked lower for massage parlors compared to other cities, the blog said.

Bradenton's store was helped by being ranked No. 5 for nightlife options, bolstered by a sudden boom in craft breweries.  Bradenton also earned No. 5 for hotels per capita, which is a needed  and given the romantic views along the Riverwalk and so many hotels to serve Anna Maria Island.

Check out the difference between Bradenton and its southern neighbor from Movoto:

I'm actually surprised how low the massage rank is for Bradenton compared to Sarasota and wonder if Tamiami Trail's parlors might have influenced the rankings. Depending who you ask, some folks consider the 34243 ZIP code Sarasota. That area runs from the county line north to just past the Bearded Clam Tiki Bar where spas and parlors proliferate.

Sarasota also ranked higher for adult stores and lingerie stores per capita, too. Would anyone agree? Some folks in Bradenton would joke that Sarasota considers some of these businesses as "culture."

In either case, congratulations Bradenton and Sarasota. Shake what your momma gave you.