The Nature Coast and Big Bend
Where the Panhandle bends into the peninsula, the coast turns to marsh and there is very little development. Life here is springs, rivers, scalloping and fishing, in towns like Cedar Key, Crystal River and Steinhatchee.
On average, strongest on peace and quiet, boating and the outdoors. Weakest on nightlife.
Average of the 14 town scorecards. How we score
Keaton Beach
A small canal and fishing community on the Taylor County coast, where the boat ramp and the flats matter more than anything on land.
Steinhatchee
A river fishing village on the Big Bend where summer means scallops and the nearest stoplight is a long way off.
CompareHorseshoe Beach
A tiny fishing town at the end of the road in Dixie County, built around canals, a little Main Street and open Gulf flats.
CompareSuwannee
A canal town at the mouth of the Suwannee River, wrapped in a national wildlife refuge, where nearly every street ends at a dock.
Cedar Key
A tiny island town of clam farms, kayaks and sunsets over the Gulf.
Yankeetown
An old river town on the Withlacoochee a few miles from the Gulf, with live oaks, fish camps and a big nature preserve at the end of the road.
CompareInglis
A small river town where the Withlacoochee, Lake Rousseau and the old barge canal meet, a few miles in from the Gulf.
Crystal River
A spring fed town on Kings Bay where hundreds of manatees spend the winter.
Ozello
A handful of homes on marsh islands at the end of a nine mile winding road. About as remote as the Gulf coast gets.
Homosassa
An Old Florida river town known for manatees, scalloping and waterfront spots you can pull up to by boat.
Weeki Wachee
A spring fed river corridor on the Nature Coast, best known for its mermaid shows and a clear blue river that runs a few miles to the Gulf.
Hernando Beach
A canal community on the Hernando County coast where most homes have a dock and a short run to the shallow Gulf flats.
CompareAripeka
A tiny old fishing village on Hammock Creek, straddling the Pasco and Hernando line, with stilt homes, marsh views and no stoplights.
Hudson
A laid back Pasco County coast town with canal homes, a small beach strip of bars and seafood spots, and Tampa within an hour.