Get to know Longboat Key

Parties of peacocks are used to stopping traffic on beautiful Longboat Key, showing off their unfettered access on this barrier island. Local legend says that they’re descended from a peacock and peahen given to a local couple in the 1950s. The peacocks rule the roost in the north, home to the historic neighborhood of Longboat Village. There, older seaside cottages—many built in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s—remain, unchanged from when the island was only accessible by boat. Over at the south end of the island, there are gated communities and high-rise condominiums that were built in the 1980s, including the Longboat Key Club resort. You’ll also find newer single-family houses and developments at both ends of the island. Unlike Siesta Key with its busy beach, Longboat Key’s beach only has 12 public access points, so the sands are never crowded, and it feels like a private getaway.

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Living in the Tampa Bay area

Central West Florida encompasses the area surrounding Tampa Bay, including Tampa itself and stretching down to St. Petersburg, Bradenton, and Sarasota. This coastal region is what people imagine when dreaming about Florida, a place where year-round sunshine beckons and every day is a beach day. Many have been lured to Tampa Bay by its weather, including baseball’s annual migration to spring training and The Ringling Brothers Circus’s long-time winter home in Sarasota. There’s a wide range of places to live, whether it’s year-round or only for a snowbird’s sojourn. The area includes barrier islands with picturesque beaches, busy urban downtowns, artsy neighborhoods of cafes and bungalows, and inland master-planned gated communities that are among the fastest growing in the nation. There’s no shortage of fun in Tampa Bay, with pro sports teams in residence, well-regarded museums, delicious restaurants, and a ton of outdoor activities on land and sea.