The 11 Best Small Lighthouse Towns in Florida for Retirees, Ranked by the Data

Florida’s coastline is lined with historic lighthouses, and a surprising number of them stand in or beside small towns where retirees already make up a big share of the neighbors. That’s the appeal: a historic tower at the end of the street, a beach or a bay out front, and a community that runs at a gentler pace than Miami or Orlando.

But a postcard isn’t a plan. So we started with every standing Florida lighthouse mapped on Wayfarrow, matched each one to the small town it sits in or beside, and scored those towns with CoreLogic neighborhood data, cross-checked against U.S. Census figures for age, population and home values. Retirement-friendliness counts most, followed by walkability and vibrancy, with tranquility, sophistication, nautical character and ease of driving rounding things out.

Here’s how the numbers stack up before we count down to the single best small lighthouse town in Florida for retirees.

Overall data score for each town. Source: CoreLogic neighborhood characteristics, March 2025.

11. Carrabelle, Florida

Crooked River Light, Carrabelle, Florida. Photo: Ebyabe / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Crooked River Light rises from the pines just west of town, an 1895 iron skeleton tower with a red upper half that replaced the storm-wrecked lights on nearby Dog Island. It was restored in 2007, stands about 100 feet tall, and is now the centerpiece of a small lighthouse park and museum on the Forgotten Coast.

Carrabelle earns its spot on calm and price. Tranquility scores 83 and car-friendliness 84, and its median home value of $149,600 is less than half the Florida median of $325,000, by far the lowest on this list.

The trade-off is that this is not yet a retirement town in the data. Its retirement-friendly score is 52, the median age is 41.6, and just 18.0% of residents are 65 or older, below the state’s 21.1%. Walkability (17) and vibrancy (15) are low too, so expect a quiet fishing-town life with long drives for bigger errands.

• Overall data score: 46.4 (retirement-friendly 52, walkable 17, vibrant 15, tranquility 83)
• Population 3,145 · median age 41.6 · 18.0% aged 65+
• Median home value: $149,600
• Lighthouse: Crooked River Light (built 1895)

See Crooked River Light on Wayfarrow: history, map and nearby lights (Source)

10. Key Biscayne, Florida

Cape Florida Light, Key Biscayne, Florida. Photo: Dr Zak at English Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Cape Florida Light stands at the southern tip of Key Biscayne inside Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. The first tower was burned in an 1836 Seminole attack; the one you see today was finished in 1846 and raised to 95 feet in 1855. It’s open with park admission on scheduled tour days, and the climb is 109 spiral steps.

Key Biscayne is the most urban place on this list, and it shows. Walkability (48) and vibrancy (59) are among the highest here, and the island has the polish you’d expect next door to Miami.

For retirees, though, the data is lukewarm. The CoreLogic retirement-friendly score is just 47, the lowest on this list, tranquility is 40, and only 16.5% of residents are 65 or older. Then there’s the price: a median home value of $1,238,700, nearly four times the Florida median.

• Overall data score: 49.4 (retirement-friendly 47, walkable 48, vibrant 59, tranquility 40)
• Population 14,560 · median age 43.1 · 16.5% aged 65+
• Median home value: $1,238,700
• Lighthouse: Cape Florida Light (built 1846)

See Cape Florida Light on Wayfarrow: history, map and nearby lights (Source)

9. St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine Light, St. Augustine, Florida. Photo: Viktoriya Sorochuk / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

St. Augustine Light is the black-and-white spiral with the red lantern that greets you on Anastasia Island, just across the water from the old city. The brick tower was built from 1871 to 1874 to replace an earlier tower that later fell into the sea. It stands 165 feet tall, and climbers who take on its 219 steps get one of the best views on Florida’s Atlantic coast.

Across its 26 neighborhoods, St. Augustine scores 81 for retirement-friendliness and 71 for tranquility, and a median home value of $409,200 is above the state median but well below the island towns higher on this list.

Why isn’t America’s oldest city ranked higher? Averaged across the whole city, walkability is 28 and vibrancy 44, so the lively historic core is the exception rather than the rule. The median age is 46.9 with 25.8% of residents 65 or older, and with nearly 15,000 people it’s also the biggest town in this ranking.

• Overall data score: 62.5 (retirement-friendly 81, walkable 28, vibrant 44, tranquility 71)
• Population 14,979 · median age 46.9 · 25.8% aged 65+
• Median home value: $409,200
• Lighthouse: St. Augustine Light (built 1874)

See St. Augustine Light on Wayfarrow: history, map and nearby lights (Source)

8. Cape Canaveral, Florida

Cape Canaveral Light, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Derwin Oviedo / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Cape Canaveral Light was first lit in 1868 and moved farther inland in the 1890s as the shoreline eroded. Its black-and-white bands now stand on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, so you can only visit on an authorized tour, booked ahead and open to U.S. citizens and green card holders. Tours pick up at the Sands Space History Center in the city of Cape Canaveral, just south of the base.

The city scores 75 for retirement-friendliness and 78 for car-friendliness, and 34.1% of residents are 65 or older, with a median age of 59.5. Its median home value of $323,900 is right at the Florida median, rare for a beach town.

The bonus here is unique in the country: rocket launches from your own beach. The trade-off is middling walkability (44) and vibrancy (51), and a lighthouse you’ll see far more often from a distance than up close.

• Overall data score: 64.9 (retirement-friendly 75, walkable 44, vibrant 51, tranquility 66)
• Population 9,976 · median age 59.5 · 34.1% aged 65+
• Median home value: $323,900
• Lighthouse: Cape Canaveral Light (built 1868)

See Cape Canaveral Light on Wayfarrow: history, map and nearby lights (Source)

7. Port St. Joe, Florida

Cape San Blas Light, Port St. Joe, Florida. Photo: Fl295 / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Cape San Blas Light spent more than a century on the cape before erosion forced a move. In 2014 the 1885 iron skeleton tower was relocated to George Core Park on Port St. Joe’s bayfront, putting a historic lighthouse within reach of downtown.

Port St. Joe is a quiet, unhurried Gulf town. It scores 92 for both retirement-friendliness and tranquility, and its median home value of $280,600 is below the Florida median, the second-most affordable on this list.

The catch is that you’ll drive everywhere. Walkability is 7 and vibrancy 21, among the lowest scores here, and only 26.6% of residents are 65 or older, so it’s less of a retiree enclave than the towns above it.

• Overall data score: 65.8 (retirement-friendly 92, walkable 7, vibrant 21, tranquility 92)
• Population 3,499 · median age 52.9 · 26.6% aged 65+
• Median home value: $280,600
• Lighthouse: Cape San Blas Light (built 1885)

See Cape San Blas Light on Wayfarrow: history, map and nearby lights (Source)

6. Fernandina Beach, Florida

Amelia Island Light, Fernandina Beach, Florida. Photo: bubba73 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Amelia Island Light is Florida’s oldest standing lighthouse, and it has an unusual past: the tower was first built on Cumberland Island, Georgia, in 1820, then taken apart and rebuilt on Amelia Island in 1838 and 1839. It’s a stout 64 feet tall and owned by the city, which runs limited guided tours of the grounds. Visitors generally can’t climb the tower itself.

Fernandina Beach blends a Victorian downtown with a real retiree community. CoreLogic gives it 92 for retirement-friendliness and 80 for tranquility, the median age is 58.3, and 37.7% of residents are 65 or older.

Averaged across all 10 of its neighborhoods, walkability is 28 and vibrancy 38, so the lively downtown isn’t the whole story. A median home value of $483,700 is above the state median, though it’s lower than every town ranked above it.

• Overall data score: 71.1 (retirement-friendly 92, walkable 28, vibrant 38, tranquility 80)
• Population 13,239 · median age 58.3 · 37.7% aged 65+
• Median home value: $483,700
• Lighthouse: Amelia Island Light (built 1838)

See Amelia Island Light on Wayfarrow: history, map and nearby lights (Source)

Share of residents aged 65 and older. Florida-wide: 21.1%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2019–2023.

5. Tequesta, Florida

Jupiter Inlet Light, Jupiter, beside Tequesta, Florida. Photo: Clinton & Charles Robertson from Del Rio, Texas & College Station, TX, USA / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Jupiter Inlet Light stands on a hill at the mouth of the Loxahatchee River, just south of the village of Tequesta. George Meade designed the red brick tower, and it was first lit on July 10, 1860. It’s 108 feet tall, still active with its original first-order Fresnel lens, and the lighthouse museum offers climbs.

Tequesta is a small, leafy village with strong numbers. It scores 93 for retirement-friendliness, 72 for tranquility, and a solid 49 for both walkability and vibrancy. Car-friendliness is 77, so getting around northern Palm Beach County is easy.

The median age is 51.0, and 31.1% of residents are 65 or older. A median home value of $570,400 isn’t cheap, but it’s below Hillsboro Beach and well below the Gulf islands ranked above it.

• Overall data score: 71.7 (retirement-friendly 93, walkable 49, vibrant 49, tranquility 72)
• Population 6,118 · median age 51.0 · 31.1% aged 65+
• Median home value: $570,400
• Lighthouse: Jupiter Inlet Light (built 1860)

See Jupiter Inlet Light on Wayfarrow: history, map and nearby lights (Source)

4. Sanibel, Florida

Sanibel Island Light, Sanibel, Florida. Photo: Lewis Brian Day / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sanibel Island Light has marked the island’s eastern tip since 1884. Hurricane Ian in 2022 knocked out one of the iron tower’s legs and destroyed the keepers’ houses, but the tower was repaired and relit on February 28, 2023. The grounds are open to visitors; the tower is not.

On paper, Sanibel is a retiree’s island. Its retirement-friendly score is 99 out of 100, tranquility is 93, and 59.0% of residents are 65 or older, the highest share of any town on this list. The median age is 68.2.

The trade-offs are clear. Walkability is 17 and vibrancy 41, so you’ll ride a bike or drive more than you walk, and a median home value of $912,200 is nearly triple the state median.

• Overall data score: 74.0 (retirement-friendly 99, walkable 17, vibrant 41, tranquility 93)
• Population 6,402 · median age 68.2 · 59.0% aged 65+
• Median home value: $912,200
• Lighthouse: Sanibel Island Light (built 1884)

See Sanibel Island Light on Wayfarrow: history, map and nearby lights (Source)

3. Ponce Inlet, Florida

Ponce de Leon Inlet Light, Ponce Inlet, Florida. Photo: ErgoSum88 / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Ponce de Leon Inlet Light is Florida’s tallest lighthouse at 175 feet, a red-brick tower first lit on November 1, 1887. An earlier tower collapsed in 1836 before it was ever lit. Today it’s a museum, and visitors can climb the 203 steps to the top.

Ponce Inlet is a small town with an exceptionally retiree-friendly profile. CoreLogic scores it 98 for retirement-friendliness and 90 for tranquility, the median age is 66.3, and 52.8% of residents are 65 or older.

It’s not a walking town (walkability 34), but vibrancy is a respectable 53 thanks to the restaurants and marinas near the inlet. A median home value of $502,100 puts it in the middle of this list on price.

• Overall data score: 78.2 (retirement-friendly 98, walkable 34, vibrant 53, tranquility 90)
• Population 3,392 · median age 66.3 · 52.8% aged 65+
• Median home value: $502,100
• Lighthouse: Ponce de Leon Inlet Light (built 1887)

See Ponce de Leon Inlet Light on Wayfarrow: history, map and nearby lights (Source)

2. Anna Maria, Florida

Egmont Key Light, Egmont Key, off Anna Maria, Florida. Photo: Mike Reichold / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5

Egmont Key Light stands on a car-free island at the mouth of Tampa Bay, a few miles from Anna Maria’s north end. Today’s tower dates from 1858, when it replaced a storm-damaged tower from 1848, and the island is now a state park and wildlife refuge with the ruins of Fort Dade. You get there by boat: a ferry runs from Fort De Soto Park, and private tours leave from Anna Maria Island.

The town of Anna Maria is tiny, with about 850 residents, and its data is outstanding. The retirement-friendly score is 99, tranquility is 93, sophistication is 88, and vibrancy is a lively 62 for such a small place. The median age is 63.9, and 45.2% of residents are 65 or older.

The obvious hurdle is cost. A median home value of $1,148,000 is the second-highest on this list, more than three times the Florida median. Walkability is a moderate 42.

• Overall data score: 81.7 (retirement-friendly 99, walkable 42, vibrant 62, tranquility 93)
• Population 850 · median age 63.9 · 45.2% aged 65+
• Median home value: $1,148,000
• Lighthouse: Egmont Key Light (built 1858)

See Egmont Key Light on Wayfarrow: history, map and nearby lights (Source)

1. Hillsboro Beach, Florida

Hillsboro Inlet Light, Hillsboro Beach, Florida. Photo: Jordon Kalilich / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Hillsboro Inlet Light is an iron skeleton tower first lit on March 8, 1907, with its light about 136 feet above the water. It stands on Coast Guard grounds beside the private Hillsboro Club, so you visit by boat. The Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society runs tours from Pompano Beach several times a year, and visitors can climb the tower’s 175 steps.

Hillsboro Beach is a narrow town of about 2,000 people stretched along the ocean on A1A, and it leads this ranking because it does almost everything well. Retirement-friendliness is 96, sophistication 85, and its walkability score of 70 is the highest on this list. Vibrancy is 65 and tranquility 63.

The town’s residents are firmly in the retirement chapter: the median age is 65.6, and 53.6% are 65 or older. A median home value of $677,500 is about twice the Florida median, but it’s well below Sanibel, Anna Maria and Key Biscayne. Next door, the city of Lighthouse Point is literally named for this beacon.

• Overall data score: 81.9 (retirement-friendly 96, walkable 70, vibrant 65, tranquility 63)
• Population 2,020 · median age 65.6 · 53.6% aged 65+
• Median home value: $677,500
• Lighthouse: Hillsboro Inlet Light (built 1907)

See Hillsboro Inlet Light on Wayfarrow: history, map and nearby lights (Source)

The Bottom Line

Median value of owner-occupied homes. Florida median: $325,000. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2019–2023.

The leaders share a profile: a small town where retirees are already the majority or close to it, a near-perfect CoreLogic retirement score, and just enough walkability and vibrancy to make an ordinary week pleasant. Hillsboro Beach, Anna Maria and Ponce Inlet all fit that mold. The towns lower on the list usually miss on one of those, whether it’s Key Biscayne’s price and pace or Carrabelle’s younger, drive-everywhere character.

Price is where the list splits. If your budget is closer to the Florida median, Port St. Joe, Cape Canaveral, St. Augustine and Fernandina Beach are the realistic places to start, and Carrabelle is the bargain of the bunch. Whichever town catches your eye, visit in late summer as well as in winter. Winter shows it at its best; August shows you the heat, the storm season and the off-season quiet you’d be living with.