Longboat Key is one of Florida's most prestigious barrier island communities — an 11-mile stretch of Gulf Coast barrier island between Sarasota and Bradenton offering white sand beaches, the Sarasota Bay waterfront, world-class golf, and one of Southwest Florida's most exclusive luxury real estate markets. The island is home to roughly 7,000 year-round residents, with that number swelling substantially each winter season as seasonal owners arrive from the Northeast, Midwest, and beyond.
The real estate market on Longboat Key is defined by waterfront access, privacy, and Gulf of Mexico proximity. Buyers will find Gulf-front condominium towers, bayfront estate homes with private dockage, golf course residences within gated communities, and mid-island properties that offer coastal living at more accessible price points. As of 2026, median home prices on Longboat Key range from approximately $1.3 million to $2 million, with luxury waterfront estates and premium Gulf-front condominiums trading well above that range — some reaching $10 million or more for the finest positions on the island.
Longboat Key delivers a refined, unhurried coastal lifestyle that distinguishes it from the more tourist-oriented Gulf Coast destinations to the north and south. The island's limited commercial development — concentrated primarily at the Shoppes of Bay Isles and Whitney Beach Plaza — preserves the quiet residential character that full-time residents and seasonal owners specifically seek. The Longboat Key Club's 45 holes of championship golf, its tennis and pickleball facilities, its spa, and its Gulf-front beach club provide resort-caliber amenities within the island itself for those who want them.
Proximity to Sarasota gives Longboat Key residents convenient access to one of Florida's most celebrated cultural cities — the Ringling Museum, the Sarasota Opera, the Sarasota Ballet, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, and a dining and arts scene that consistently outperforms cities many times its size. St. Armands Circle on Lido Key, just across the south bridge, functions as the island's primary shopping and dining destination with over 130 shops and restaurants. Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport is approximately 30 minutes away, keeping the island genuinely accessible for frequent travelers.
Longboat Key has 4,172 households, with an average household size of 1.8. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Here’s what the people living in Longboat Key do for work — and how long it takes them to get there. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. 7,512 people call Longboat Key home. The population density is 1,842 and the largest age group is Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
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