Pine Island, Florida's Creative Coast, is just 30 minutes from Ft. Myers, but our secluded, small town atmosphere is a world apart! One of the largest islands off Florida’s coast, Pine Island is rural, sparsely populated and a true anomaly, allowing it to occupy a rare and special place in 21st Century America.
| Pine Island, Florida's Creative Coast, is just 30 minutes from Ft. Myers, but our secluded, small town atmosphere is a world apart! One of the largest islands off Florida’s coast, Pine Island is rural, sparsely populated and a true anomaly, allowing it to occupy a rare and special place in 21st Century America. 
Why Creative Coast? Pine Island is the home of a vast array of artists and musicians. From native art to local folk art to fine art, you'll find it here on Pine Island. The musical talent abounds here. Easy island music to blues to funky fun in the sun music. There is a place and a band that will satisfy almost everyone. The venues are wide ranging from local restaurants on the water to the many fun, laid back festivals here on the island. There is also plenty of culture locally in Ft. Myers - all within a short drive. | Heavy development that has cluttered so many other spots in Florida has been restricted here on Pine Island. You can be sure your quiet home won't be surrounded by huge towering condos or loud developments. "I come from Puerto Rico and the beaches I saw growing up (Virgin Islands and the Caribbean) were nothing but spectacular, I never thought I was going to be as impressed as I was with a beach in Florida but I can tell you that this place (Cayo Costa) is absolutely gorgeous." - Trip Advisor | 
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| Beaches? A short boat trip will bring you out to Cayo Coast State Park where you'll have 9 miles of uncrowded beaches for you to enjoy as well as camp sites, bike trails and more. This is such a short trip, it's great for an afternoon if you want to hit the beach and just get away without dozens of people swarming around you. This brief video gives you a flavor you'll see and feel here on the island: ...See Video. | MORE ABOUT PINE ISLAND...
Pine Island is a very desirable place for those looking for a quieter life style. The fishing is the BEST! There are currently 101 Gulf Access, Waterfront Properties for sale on the Island. The average Listing is priced at $655,000. The least expensive home is priced at $235,000. The very best waterfront property is prices over $1,000,000 to $3,000,000. 13 Homes Sold this spring on Pine Island with an average selling price of $313,000. You can also find some beautiful off-water property, if that is what you are looking for. Palm tree farms, Horse Acreage, and Pine Grove Settings are available. The average asking price for a home situated on a one acre parcel is $225,000. Pine Island is one of the largest islands off the west coast of Florida and consists of Matlacha ( Mat-la-shay), Pine Island Center, Bokeelia (Bo-keel-ya), Pineland and St. James City. Each community treasures its own distinctive ambiance with authors, artists and musicians calling it home. Pine Island's remote and natural environment is home to many varieties of exotic and tropical wildlife, with more than 18 active American bald eagle nesting sites. Pine Island also has fantastic fishing and boating, with the sport of Tarpon Fishing originating in Pine Island Sound in the late 1880's. Matlacha looks like an "old Florida" fishing village. Unique and funky art galleries, gift and island wear shops, boutiques and restaurants abound. The drawbridge over Matlacha Pass is known as the "Fishingest Bridge in the World" with anglers fishing the bridge night and day.
 Pineland is home to the Randell Research Center - one of the main historical sites of Calusa Indian mounds. It also boasts one of the country's smallest Post Office buildings and provides the island with the only golf course at Alden Pines Country Club. You will also find boat rentals, water taxis and fishing charter services at the full-service Pineland Marina. St. James City is Pine Island's most developed area with about two thirds of the island's population and several marinas. Most homes are located on canals with direct access to Pine Island Sound, San Carlos Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Bokeelia is homeport for many of the island's commercial fishermen and the site of several historic buildings. It is the primary location of many of Pine Island's agricultural businesses featuring mangoes, pineapples, citrus, row crops and a wide variety of exotic tropical fruits including the carambola, longan, papaya, lychee and loquat. There are many tree farms as well. Pine Island Center is the only completely off-water community and the hub of the islands commercial activity. It "harbors" the main shopping center, a community park with pool, lighted tennis courts and ball fields, school, main fire station and museum. Uninhabited Little Pine Island consists of 4,700 acres and is now involved in a process called the Wetland Restoration & Mitigation Bank. Nature and wildlife, as well as the environment are protected on Pine Island by the island's largest organization, the Calusa Land Trust and Nature Preserve of Pine Island, Inc.
A bit more info... Pine Island is one of the only tropical islands in the continental United States. Early settlers planted mangos, oranges, bananas which thrived. Today people still come to buy a plot of land to grow rare and exotic fruits that only grow in the tropics.
- Fishing was the first economy on Pine Island. The rare, pristine estuary system of mangroves and moving water is ideal for fish nurseries. Sports fishermen flock to the island waters for snook, red fish, grouper and tarpon. Boca Grand Pass is known as the tarpon capital of the world. Back water fishing, tournament fishing, commercial fishing, support bait and tackle shops through out the island. Guides on tower boats, mullet fishermen in their colorful wooden boats, and crabbers with their traps stacked high on deck, work the waters side by side.
- Large expanses of mangroves provide shelter for fish, but also exotic birds. Bright pink rosette spoon bills, enormous great blue heron, and white ibis with long beaks work the shorelines in hidden mangrove waterways. The protected waters also draw kayakers to explore the Pine Island Sound water. The Calusa Blue Waterway runs into the waters of Pine Island drawing kayakers from all over the world .
- Pine Island is made up of several communities spread across the main island and the spit of land that connects it to Cape Coral, to its east. Height restrictions and density laws keep the landscape looking similar today to days gone by. The island is primarily residential single family homes with a handful of condominium complexes, many mom and pop businesses, and a few lodging places. Real estate prices will vary depending upon the gulf access water front, the acreage, and the qualities of the home. Pine Island is easily some of the most affordable waterfront real estate in southwest Florida.
Pine Island Schools Bokeelia's Pine Island Elementary School serves grades PK-5 in the Lee County Public Schools district. It is among the few public schools in Florida to receive a distinguished GreatSchools Rating of 9 out of 10. Parents have reviewed this school and given it an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Parent Reviews
Posted July 8, 2008 This is the best school in all of Lee County. The teacher and staff treat every kids like they are part of one big family!!
Submitted by a parent
Posted August 2, 2007 Those that attend this school know that without it as the base of their education, they would not be able to succeed as high when moving on later in life. The teachers there are above outstanding. Each and everyone cares about each individual pupil at the school. The Principal for the last couple of years has been outstanding. All in all, this school can provide so much for your child, I believe its the best there is.
(Source: www.greatschools.net)
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| What about the Cultural Scene in the Pine Island Area?
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