St. George Island (Florida) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
St. George Island, Florida
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Map of St. George Island
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 St. George Island
Location in Florida
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| ZIP code |
32328
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| Area code(s) | 850 |
| FIPS code | 12-62650 |
St. George Island is a beautiful island located off the coast of Florida, in the northern part of the Gulf of Mexico. It's part of Franklin County, in the United States. This island is a special kind of place called a Census-designated place, which means it's an area identified by the government for gathering information, but it's not a city or town with its own local government.
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Discovering St. George Island's Features
St. George Island is a barrier island, which means it's a long, narrow island that protects the mainland from ocean storms. It stretches about 28 miles (45 km) long and is about 1 mile (1.6 km) wide at its widest spot. Right next to it is Cape St. George Island, also known as Little St. George Island.
You can reach St. George Island from the mainland town of Eastpoint, Florida by crossing the 4-mile (6.4 km) long St. George Island Bridge. This bridge goes over Apalachicola Bay. Other towns nearby include Carrabelle and Apalachicola.
The island is divided into three main areas. One part is the St. George Island State Park, which is a protected natural area. Another part is a public area with restaurants, shops, homes, and public beaches. The third part is a private, gated community with fancy beach homes and even its own small airport.
St. George Island is known for being a quiet and peaceful place. Many people who own homes there rent them out, especially during spring and summer. The island doesn't have a central sewer system, and it gets limited money for road repairs. Because of this, some people think the island should create its own special tax district to help fund improvements.
Exploring St. George Island State Park
The St. George Island State Park covers the eastern 9 miles (14 km) of the island. Here, you can go camping and swimming, but you might need to make reservations. It's also a great spot for fishing. The park has many hiking trails, boardwalks, and places to watch for birds.
The waters around the island are famous for their amazing variety of fish and seafood. You can find oysters, scallops, grouper, flounder, redfish, snapper, trout, and mullet.
St. George Island's Past
The first people to live on St. George Island were the Muscogee people, who were here between the 10th and 15th centuries. European settlers arrived in the late 1700s. In 1803, the Creek Indians gave a large area of land, including St. George Island, to a trading company called John Forbes and Company.
In 1823, a man named John Lee Williams found safety on the island. His crew survived by eating the island's many oysters and crabs. Soon after, trading grew quickly, especially along the Apalachicola River. This led to the building of the first Cape St. George Lighthouse on the island in 1833.
The lighthouse was rebuilt a few times after being damaged by storms. It was used to guide ships until 1994. Hurricanes in 1995 and 1998 damaged its base, and it collapsed in 2005. But don't worry, the lighthouse has since been rebuilt!
During the early to mid-1900s, the island's pine forests were used to make turpentine, which was important for ships.
In World War II, St. George Island was used as a practice area for B-24 bombers flying from nearby Apalachicola.
In 1954, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dug a ship channel called Bob Sikes Cut across St. George Island. This created "Little St. George Island" and made it even more remote. This cut helps fishing boats get from the bay to the Gulf of Mexico.
Before 1960, the only way to get to the island was by ferry or boat. But in the mid-1960s, a bridge was built connecting St. George Island to the mainland. This made it much easier for people to visit and helped tourism grow.
In 1971, a company bought a large part of St. George Island, including 17 miles of beachfront. In 1973, they sold 1,800 acres on the east end of the island to the State of Florida to become a state park. This area is now known as Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park. In 2013, Forbes magazine said the beach at St. George Island State Park was the third best in the United States!
The company that bought the land wanted to turn St. George Island into a fancy vacation spot. They used money from selling the state park land to build homes and businesses. They also designed a private, gated community called St. George's Plantation on the west end of the island. This community now has hundreds of very expensive luxury homes.
As part of the deal to sell the state park land, the company also agreed to build a water system to bring clean drinking water to the island. This private water company still provides water to over 2000 locations on the island today.
St. George Island has become one of Florida's most popular beach vacation spots. It's often called one of the top beaches in the United States. People love its wide, uncrowded beaches for sunbathing and finding shells, clear Gulf waters for swimming and fishing, and untouched marshes for watching wildlife. In 2023, a famous beach expert named Dr. Beach even ranked St. George Island as the number one beach in the United States!
Island Geography
The island is mostly made up of sand dunes covered with sea oats and pine trees. The western part of the island, known as the St. George Plantation, is much wider than the eastern part. It covers over 1200 acres (4.8 km²) and has 24/7 security, so only owners and their guests can enter.
Plant Life
You can find scrub plants and sea oats growing on the newer sand dunes. Older dunes have slash pine flatwoods. The western part of the island has more trees, while the eastern two-thirds has fewer.
Amazing Wildlife
St. George Island is a very important place for loggerhead sea turtles. These amazing turtles come to the beaches here to lay their eggs between May and October.
Images for kids
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Map of St. George Island
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St George Island museum
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Entrance to St. George Island State Park
