7 Best Places To Live On The Coast

Gasparilla Island, Florida — Photo: Paul Costello

Moving to the coast is living the dream. These remarkable towns, cities, islands, communities, and exotic destinations make it the dream of a lifetime.

To select our Best Places to Live, our editors assembled a panel of experts who could speak to the variety of elements that combine to define a great place to live on the coast: the quality of the destination; the coastal lifestyle; the urban and community design; and, for international locations, elements of expat life, including ease of transition and real estate ownership. The panel reviewed nominees in each category; travel and living experts at Travel + Leisure and MONEY magazines provided additional insights. The final list of places was named based on those expert assessments and on editorial input.

01 of 07

Alys Beach, Florida

Bone-white beaches and the turquoise Gulf of Mexico play off bright-white buildings with exotic lines in courtyard-based layouts, plus a gorgeous community swimming pool that feels like something out of Marrakesh. But there's more to this community. Alys Beach's explicitly green design features narrow streets of permeable pavers to reduce storm water runoff and invite cooling breezes inland, and is landscaped with largely drought-resistant plants to reduce water consumption. Alys is also the home of some amazing arts and food festivals, lending sophistication to its barefoot lifestyle. And with the more developed Seaside and Rosemary Beach within an easy bike ride, life here feels practically car-free.

02 of 07

Daniel Island, South Carolina

This community that lies within Charleston's borders on its own island offers a small-town setting that emphasizes open space, diverse architecture, and prime recreation facilities (including 25 miles of running and walking trails that meander among maritime forests and marshes, as well as along the water's edge; two private golf courses and the Family Circle Tennis Center). Bordered by the Cooper and Wando rivers, this is a place of neighborhood boat ramps, fishing and crabbing docks, and weekend kayak expeditions. And this Lowcountry island life is only 15 miles from downtown Charleston.

03 of 07

Fernandina Beach, Florida

It has a gorgeous 50-block historic downtown, a lively marina on the Amelia River, broad beaches on the Atlantic, surrounding nature preserves, and the bragging rights of being home to the oldest bar in Florida. Fernandina Beach really has all the boxes checked when it comes to life on the coast. Its location on Amelia Island— home to five golf courses and 13 miles of pristine sands—makes the days sweeter year-round.

04 of 07

Gasparilla Island, Florida

This little island is parked on the shimmering Gulf of Mexico between Fort Myers and Sarasota, with seven miles of sugar-sand beaches. The seasons bring in a diverse group of wealthy industrialists fleeing the frigid North, tarpon-obsessed fishermen, and maritime pleasure cruisers in boats of all styles and sizes. The village of Boca Grande is the epicenter of Gasparilla life, with pastel cottages and palm-lined streets, nary a stoplight, and low-key Preppy attitude.

05 of 07

Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina

The romance begins, in this Lowcountry community near the Georgia border, with those emblematic live oaks and Spanish moss. They grace the winding avenues here, where life combines a passion for nature with Southern civility, plus a sweet dose of sporting (golf, fishing, equestrian, and a brand-new shooting club), yachting on the May River and beyond, and culinary pleasures (including the annual Music to Your Mouth festival). Along with the charming commerce of food, drink, and shopping in Wilson Village, the Montage Palmetto Bluff (opened in 2016) has added a shimmering new center to this best-kept secret on the Southern coast.

06 of 07

Sarasota, Florida

This is a city of surprises. Harboring world-class beaches and a top-shelf arts and culture scene (resident opera and ballet companies, plus its own symphony orchestra), Sarasota has beauty and brains in equal measure. Further, a collection of old-school neighborhoods with small-scale homes (not to mention a heralded collection of midcentury modern architecture) makes day-to-day life sweet , easy, and an aesthetic joy. And then there's that Gulf—provider of breezes, local catch, and a laid-back cultural overlay that keeps life here in an ideal balance.

07 of 07

St. Petersburg, Florida

Nestled on the sharp blue waters of Tampa Bay, this cosmopolitan Gulf city just keeps getting better and better, with a downtown arts and culture scene that may best be exemplified by the recent (and spectacular) Dalí Museum anchoring the waterfront. Historic, small-scale neighborhoods balance the big-city pleasures. With mild winters, this is a year-round city of outdoor play, and the proximity of some the finest white-sand beaches in the state add a quality of life layer that few other sophisticated enclaves possess.

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