Big Pine Key
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Big Pine Key is one of the largest and most interesting islands in the Keys. It is home to the Key Deer population. Precautions are taken to preserve as much Key Deer habitat as possible. Big Pine has a population just over 5000 and as April 2008, there were homes starting at about $250,000. (Mobile homes may be less) As you get closer to the water or buy a home on a canal, the prices rise accordingly. But there are quite a few different developments, mostly of single family houses, and some are pricier than others.
Water depth affects prices, and some areas have about 15 inches and some have 3-4 feet. Obviously this means you can have a certain kind of boat in some areas that won’t work in other areas. It depends what you’re looking for. There are even a few plugged canals, which means that there is no boating at all. Many of the shallower areas have more direct and private access to a lot of the wilder and more pristine parts of the island and adjacent backcountry. They may also (but not reliably) be less expensive.
Unlike the other more narrow keys between Miami and Big Pine, where the housing areas were arrayed on either side of the road, gulf/bayside or oceanside. Here it’s different. The 2-lane, 45 mph “Overseas Highway” (what a misnomer!) runs across the southern edge of Big Pine, through the restaurant and business area; most of the residential areas are situated several minutes drive to the north. To some buyers that slow drive (25-30 mph speed limits, for the deer) is a deterrent the farther north you go on the island; to others the isolation means extra value.
Connecting by bridge off of Big Pine’s eastern side is No Name Key, a small community of homes. There are no public utilities on No Name. Power comes from solar and generators. Water is collected in private cisterns.
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