Bird Key Real Estate

An exclusive enclave in Sarasota County in the southwestern part of the state, Bird Key, Florida, is a small island lies in Sarasota Bay, south of the Ringling Causeway, between mainland Sarasota and St. Armands Key. The key is home to an area of 9.3 square miles, including water area, and is conveniently located just five minutes from downtown Sarasota. 

The key gets it name from the large amount of birds that flock to the island. It was originally a small island connected to Ringling Causeway by a tree lined causeway of its own, and it was home to John Ringling North, nephew of Circus Magnate, John Ringling. He created the island in the '50s by dredging and filling it in, and it was completed in 1960. Today its land makes up about 250 acres and it is one of the most exclusive areas on Florida's west coast. 

In 2000, the key was measured to be home to a population of just over 850. The key is connected to  downtown Sarasota's eastern side by a newly built  fixed-span bridge. To the west, Bird Key is connected by other bridges to St. Armands Key and Lido Key. Longboat Key can also be reached via St. Armands. Real estate in this exclusive community tends to be quite pricey, with the lowest homes available estimated at more than half a million dollars. 

Bird Key Yacht Club is the key's largest attraction for locals. Children who live here are served by schools in the  in the Sarasota County Public School system. For higher education nearby, there are the New College of Florida, a public liberal arts college; Ringling College of Art and Design, a private art school; and the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus.