About the Neighborhood: Sanibel Island is largely a nature preserve with only 5600 human residents. Visitors from all over the world are attracted to the long beaches, shell collecting, and wide array of bird life (pelicans, roseate spoonbills, ibis, egrets, great blue herons, etc.) that live on the island. Because it is also the home of nesting turtles, there are no street lights to distract, and everything is very low key. No structure is taller than a palm tree, with most almost hidden by tropical vegetation, and there are no traffic lights. There are 25 miles of walking and biking trails. There are also many boating adventures that one can take on the island. Besides the beauty of nature, there are excellent restaurants on Sanibel Island and neighboring Captiva Island. There are a couple of supermarkets right on the island: one particularly large one with outside gardens featuring beautiful tropical birds. There is also some good shopping for clothes, home items and gifts on the island, as well as one movie theatre and a video store. The causeway that connects the island to the main land brings you right in to Fort Meyers where there's an enormous variety of shops. Further south on Route 41 is the pretty old city of Naples, Florida with its towering Royal Palms, pastel colored old buildings and cultural offerings. Miami is about a 2 hour drive, and there is a boat that one can take to Key West which takes about 3 hours.