Tybee Island

With its wide white-sand beaches, buzzy restaurants and laidback vibe, Tybee Island has long been a popular destination island. “People come to enjoy the beach, kick back and have some good food and relax,” says Keith Gay, an associate broker with Century 21 Solomon Properties. And everything that makes Tybee Island an appealing place for vacationers also makes it an ideal year-round community.

About 4,000 people call this barrier island less than 20 miles from historic Savannah home. Tybee Island attracts homebuyers for many reasons: retirement, as a second vacation home and those who enjoy boating, fishing and pristine beaches. Residents who work off the island will feel at ease as they cross the bridge over Lazaretto Creek and know they’re home when they see the island’s snaking marshes and swaying reeds.

Tybee Island offers a variety of housing stock, from modest pastel-colored 1890s cottages to modern ranch-style homes and new contemporary beach houses. Those closer to the water typically sit on small lots overflowing with lush tropical foliage. You’ll also find charming 1930s bungalows with front porches, as well as large midcentury homes with sweeping verandas. “The island’s very eclectic,” Gay says. “You’ll see a $700,000 cottage right next to a $1.5 million multistory home.”

Sale prices for most single-family homes range from $400,000 to $1 million, while the median home price on Tybee Island is $685,000. Town houses and condos are also available and can go for around $400,000. Waterfront properties start around $1.5 million and can go for up to $2.8 million. These homes are typically grander in design and feature gorgeous beach views. Some even offer a view of the Tybee Island Lighthouse right in your backyard. With a 35-foot height limit for construction, there are no high-rises and residents enjoy unobstructed ocean views.

Elementary school students can attend Tybee Island Maritime Academy, a charter school founded in 2013. As the first and only school in Georgia dedicated to maritime instruction, Tybee Island Maritime Academy features a project-based curriculum focused on hands-on problem solving. Education covers maritime history and law, ship building, cartography and, more broadly, human relationships to the ocean and sea.

Dating back to 1736, the Tybee Island Light Station is the oldest lighthouse in Georgia and one of only seven surviving Colonial-era lighthouses in the United States. Although rebuilt and restored several times throughout the years, the light station includes three light keeper’s cottages and the Tybee Island Museum, dedicated to preserving the history of the island and Fort Screven. Climb to the top of the lighthouse for an illuminating experience and breathtaking panoramic views.

Grocery shopping on Tybee Island is limited to a few convenience stores and the locally owned Tybee Market. For larger grocery stores and big-box retailers, residents will need to drive to Wilmington Island, which is about 10 miles away.

With plenty of good restaurants on the island, though, you won’t have to navigate far for fresh local seafood. Offering the only oceanfront dining experience on the island, The Deck Beach Bar and Kitchen serves seafood favorites such as fried shrimp and oysters alongside beach views. Try the locally famous fish tacos or the fried cobia burger.

At Fannie’s on the Beach, enjoy a more laidback environment and gorge on an oyster bucket while sipping a frozen piña colada. Soak in the pirate décor, but don’t be frightened by the shark head hanging on the wall. On the weekends come for live music on the outdoor deck. And for a different flavor, swing by Huc-A-Poo’s Bites & Booze, serving beer and pizza.

Hit the courts at Tybee Island Memorial Park, get sandy during a pick-up game of volleyball or simply soak up the sun at the beach. Nearby Jaycee Park offers shuffleboard and a 9-hole disc golf course. And with the YMCA and Tybee Island Branch Library right around the corner, Tybee Island offers plenty of indoor recreation as well.

“A quiet little island with great beaches and good people,” Gay says — when it comes to living on Tybee Island, you might never want to leave port.