$901,793Average Value$763Average Price per Sq Ft29Homes For Sale
Big Pine Key is an essential habitat for the endangered Key deer
Big Pine Key residents coexist with the Key deer, one of the Florida Keys’ most protected species. The island may be the largest remaining habitat for these petite deer, whose numbers have recently dropped below 800. But on Big Pine Key, acres of protected land allow these animals the space they need while inviting nature-loving residents who crave the slower island lifestyle. “Nature owns most of the land out here, but certain people are attracted to that type of thing,” says lifetime Lower Keys resident Rose Dell, broker associate with Keller Williams Key West Compass Realty. “Whether it’s for the protection of the animals, the wildlife, the trees or plant life, these people want the quieter areas.” Big Pine is the uppermost island in the Lower Keys and one of the least developed. Its few resorts sit mainly on the island's outskirts and aren’t nearly as busy during peak tourist season as those on neighboring Keys. Waterfront developments often have private marinas, a convenient factor for the island’s many boat owners. As one of the only Lower Keys with a full-service grocery store, it’s also a destination for residents from surrounding areas.
Key Deer inhabit Big Pine Key and can be spotted roaming around the community.
The National Key Deer Nature center is found in Big Pine Key and open Wed-Sun.
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Island trails, boating and waterside parks
A significant portion of Big Pine is dedicated to the National Key Deer Refuge, leaving large swaths of wilderness for locals and visitors to explore. From the nature center off Overseas Highway, it’s a 3-mile trip to the Blue Hole, one of the Key’s only freshwater reservoirs, where Key deer, alligator and waterfowl are often spotted. Up the road, the Manillo and Watson trails snake through sandy brush and young palm trees. Similar trails are found at Bahia Honda State Park, a 500-acre expanse about 6 miles from Big Pine. Snorkelers, beachgoers and hikers will find plenty to do here. And as one of the darkest islands in the Keys, it’s a delight for stargazing campers. For sports, locals head to Big Pine Key Park, where basketball and tennis courts surround baseball and soccer fields. There’s also a shaded playground, more than a dozen picnic tables and an official bocce ball court. “The park is used constantly. If I go out there right now, there are probably a couple of families, maybe a bocce ball league practicing,” says Diane Corliss, Realtor with Coldwell Banker Schmitt Real Estate.
The Bahia Honda State park offers a beach as well as hiking trails for Big Pine Key residents.
Boating is a center point of the Big Pine Key way of life.
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Big Pine’s streets have a small-town feel
Big Pine’s seemingly unfinished and sand-covered streets are by design. As one of the least developed Keys, it has a wild feel that locals say lends it a casual charm. “It doesn’t feel like a fancy place at all. It feels like a small town,” Dell says. Coastal vegetation surrounds stilt homes, concrete bungalows, and canal-side Key West cottages, which are Bahamian style and often called conch homes. Developments such as Pine Channel Estates and Eden Pines Colony almost exclusively offer waterside properties with private docks, the most expensive of which have direct ocean access. Inland architecture is a bit more unpredictable, Dell says. “You can have a mobile home across the street from a million-dollar house.” While modest homes generally cost between $500,000 and $800,000, larger waterfront homes and tropical estates range from $900,000 to more than $2 million.
An array of architectural styles can be found in Big Pine Key.
Big Pine Key is a community of homes in the Florida Keys.
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Big Pine is big on events
The Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce, just off Overseas Highway, hosts community events throughout the year, including the Island Art Festival. This fall event also marks the beginning of Big Pine Key Flea Market season, which runs from November to April. In summer, a crowd forms at Big Pine Key Park for the annual Fourth of July celebration. “It’s right on the open water, so you can see the reflection of the fireworks,” Corliss says. July also brings the long-running Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival, which is exactly as cool as it sounds. Divers and music lovers come together at Looe Key Reef for a submerged radio concert promoting responsible diving and reef protection. Many divers descend with marine-themed faux instruments, bringing the term “air guitar” to a new, watery level. Literature lovers often visit Key West for the annual Hemingway Days, celebrating the famed writer.
Shops and restaurants on Overseas Highway
The Overseas Highway is home to quaint shops like the Seven Mile Café and the Boardwalk Bar & Grill, which hosts live music. Kitschy beach signs and baubles cover the walls at Generations Seafood and Produce, a roadside shop that offers a mix of souvenirs and fresh seafood. Big Pine Rooster serves homestyle fare in a woodsy diner, and although the restaurant has changed owners and names a few times over its 20-year tenure, it’s still a local favorite. The longest-running establishment, however, is No Name Pub, which sits at the mouth of the bridge to its namesake Key. The pub opened as a bait and tackle shop in the 1930s but quickly grew to include a full-service dining area. Now, it’s one of the most uniquely decorated businesses in Big Pine, boasting a ceiling covered with dollar bills illuminated by ever-present Christmas lights. Throughout the decades, diners have added their dollars to the bunch, scribbling doodles or leaving their initials. Some estimate the total to be around $90,000, but that number constantly grows. Big Pine also stands out as one of the few lower Keys to have a Winn-Dixie grocery store.
Generations seafood and market offers freshly caught fish and crustaceans for sale.
The Big Rooster can be found off US1 in Big Pine Key.
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Monroe County’s school choice program keeps options open
Big Pine Academy, a prekindergarten through fifth grade institution that scores an A-minus on Niche, offers the closest early education option. Although this tuition-free school is part of Monroe County School District, its charter designation means it lacks the bus transportation afforded to other district locations. B-minus-rated Sugarloaf School, located in neighboring Cudjoe Key, provides transportation for kindergarten through eighth grade students. The same goes for sixth through 12th graders enrolled in B-rated Marathon Middle High School, which offers a Dual Enrollment Collegiate Academy program for juniors and seniors. The district operates under a school choice model, meaning that although students are zoned to attend Sugarloaf School through eighth grade, some may instead enroll at Big Pine Academy and transfer to Marathon Middle High in sixth grade.
Big Pine Key Academy
Marathon Middle High School is Home to the Dolphins.
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Cruise Highway 1 via car or the Lower Keys Shuttle
The Keys are linked by a series of bridges spanning U.S. Highway 1, known locally as Overseas Highway. This roadway leads drivers south to Key West in 30 miles and north to Marathon in 20. The Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail, a 90-mile linear path, extends beside the highway, offering a route for bikers. The Lower Keys Shuttle, operated by Key West Transit, is the only public transportation option in the area and makes multiple stops in Big Pine Key. Shuttlers can expect the trip to Key West to take about an hour and a half. The closest airport is Florida Keys-Marathon International, about 40 minutes away by shuttle.
The Lower Keys Shuttle offers bus stops with covered seating and runs along US1.
Biking is popular around Big Pine Key and a main source of transportation.
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Preparing for hurricanes and rising insurance rates
As with most of the Keys, damage from hurricanes, king tides and tropical storms is always possible, and the island has seen its fair share of devastation. So far, Big Pine has been able to rebound from each storm, but the most extensive damage is often behind the scenes. Residents in the Lower Keys pay some of the highest home insurance premiums in all of Florida, with rapidly rising flood insurance rates affecting many homeowners.
Elevated homes are a popular site around Big Pine Key.
A community of elevated homes in the inland areas of Big Pine Key have begun to sprung up.
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Written By
Hannah Rainey
Photography Contributed By
Daniele Giuseppe Del Gaudio
Video By
Drew Webster
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
Reach out to
Michelle Howerton,
an experienced agent in this area.
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On average, homes in Big Pine Key, FL sell after 138 days on the market compared to the national average of 49 days. The median sale price for homes in Big Pine Key, FL over the last 12 months is $775,000, up 3% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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