The small fishing town of Everglades City
The tiny standalone town of Everglades City is coastal fishing community that offers its roughly 400 residents a simple lifestyle pulled from the water. “It’s old Florida,” says Realtor Kevin Bartlett with Knowledge Base Real Estate. “People move there for the peace and serenity and the fishing. It’s a simple life. It’s dark at night and quiet. It’s a lot of nature – alligators and stuff like that. If you like the city, it’s definitely not for you. You need to be an outdoorsman - it’s like having a cabin out there.”
Stilted houses and condos
Most of the town is a mix of condos and single-family homes, primarily bungalows with large porches. “It’s all stilted for the most part because the flooding’s really bad out there,” Bartlett says. Since the town is surrounded by water, flooding is always a risk. Recent Hurricanes Irma, Ian and Helene all impacted the city. Even heavy rain can cause severe flooding.
The city’s streets are lined with palm trees and typically lack sidewalks and curbs. Prices range from about $250,000 to $450,000 for condos and $390,000 to $1.8 million for single-family homes. Homes under $1 million are typically modest two- or three-bedroom houses under 2,000 square feet, while properties upwards of $1 million are often large waterfront custom builds, sometimes exceeding 3,000 square feet. “A lot of people live there full-time, but a lot of it is just seasonal,” Bartlett says. “People from Miami buy out there so they can get away and have a nice area where they don’t have to deal with anything.” On the city’s east end, Plantation Island is a standalone neighborhood where all homes back up to a canal that feeds into Chokoloskee Bay. This area has primarily manufactured homes, selling for $100,000 to $300,000.
Preschool through high school at Everglades City School
Collier County Public Schools serves the area. The district, which receives an A grade from Niche, ranks as Florida’s fifth-best school district. Preschool through high school students can attend B-plus rated Everglades City School. High school students there can receive industry certifications in aquaculture and culinary arts programs.
Exploring the Everglades
Residents can explore the Everglades with the help of several fishing charters and airboat tours located in town. Captain Ren Stanley leads Serenity Fly customers through year-round fishing adventures, and those booking with Everglades City Fishing Charters can sign up for half-day, six-hour or full-day charters. Captain Jack’s Airboat Tours takes its passengers on a water tour of the city with the opportunity to see wildlife up close and to hold a baby alligator. Outward Bound leads sea kayaking tours of the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge from its base camp in Everglades City. The land and water west, south and east of the community are part of Everglades National Park, which covers over 1.5 million acres and is the largest tropical wilderness in the United States. The land northeast of Everglades City is part of Big Cypress National Preserve, a 720,000-acre wetland with hiking and paddling trails and more than 100 endangered animals and plants.
Waterfront seafood restaurants and a bait shop
Camellia Street Grill serves stone crabs, plus other seafood and American fare on a waterfront patio. City Seafood’s another waterfront spot specializing in fried dishes like alligator, frog legs and crab. Residents can get groceries at Right Choice Supermarket and purchase bait and fishing gear at Everglades Fishing Co. Additional retail shopping is available at Marco Island, 30 miles away, or Naples, 50 miles away.
Everglades Seafood Festival
The Everglades Seafood Festival attracts over 40,000 visitors each February for three days of fresh food, carnival rides and live country music. The festival is hosted by the Florida Stone Crabbers Association, which supports local stone crab fishermen and the community. Previously, the Everglades City School, The Mobile Food Pantry and Hurricane Ian recovery efforts have received portions of the funds raised by the festival.
Getting to Marco Island, Naples and the airport
Everglades City is located on the southwest coast of Florida, 30 miles southeast of Marco Island and 50 miles southeast of Naples. Its closest medical center is Physicians Regional in Naples, 30 miles away. To travel out of town, residents can fly out of Southwest Florida International Airport, 65 miles away.
