Collier County, Florida
Everglades City
A county seat that lost its county, down to three hundred and fifty-two people.
It was a county seat that lost its county. Everglades City was Collier County's seat from the county's creation in 1923 until two years after Hurricane Donna struck in 1960, when the legislature moved it to East Naples. The 2020 population was 352.
What this place is
Why Everglades City is here
Barron Collier began buying land here in 1922; the community incorporated as the Town of Everglades in 1923, became the City of Everglades in 1953 and the City of Everglades City in 1965.
Collier built the place to build a road. He funded State Road 29 from Everglades City to Immokalee, finished in 1929 ahead of the Tamiami Trail itself, and in 1928 the Atlantic Coast Line reached town - the southernmost point that railroad ever got.
Worth the trip
What to look for
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The Marjory Stoneman Douglas Visitor Center for Everglades National Park.
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State Road 29, Collier's road to Immokalee, completed in 1929.
Time your visit
The weekend that matters
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February
Everglades Seafood Festival
Running since 1971
Three days in February that bring 40,000 to 50,000 people to a town of 352. Live country music, carnival rides, arts and crafts, and the stone crab this coast is named for. Proceeds go to schools, local charities, hurricane relief and the commercial fishing fleet.
Hotels, inns, rentals and campgrounds
Where to Stay
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Hotels
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Hotels
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Campgrounds
Restaurants, seafood, cafes and bars
Where to Eat
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Seafood
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Restaurants
Parks, beaches, museums, tours and charters
Things to Do
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Tours Charters
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Attractions
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Tours Charters
Everglades City on the record
Pictures of the place
Archive and Creative Commons photographs of Everglades City. Nothing here is generated; every image is credited to the person who took it.
60 guides, written from this town’s own record
Guides
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The Best Things to Do in Everglades City, Florida
The town is small, the water is flat, and the point is to get on it.
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The Best Restaurants in Everglades City, Florida
The town’s restaurants are not here for the postcard. They are here for the people who work the water, and for the visitors who come to eat what the water gives.
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Where to Stay in Everglades City: Hotels, Inns and Rentals
The roof over your head in Everglades City is rarely the point. The point is the boats, the birds, the stone-crab fleet, and the swamp that starts at the end of the street. But you still need a bed, a shower, and a place to leave your keys. Here is where to lay up, from a town of 352 people and 343 housing units, more than two hundred of them empty most of the year.
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Everglades City Weekend Guide: What to See, Eat & Do
A weekend in Everglades City moves to the tide, not the clock. Boats out before dawn, stone crab in season, and a February festival that briefly makes this town of 352 the biggest little port on the Gulf.
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Everglades City, FL: 14 Things to Know Before Visiting
Everglades City is a working stone-crab town of 352 that swells to 50,000 during its seafood festival. Come for the water, the crabs, and the quiet. Not for a theme-park version of the Everglades.
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The Best Time of Year to Visit Everglades City
The town is a working stone-crab port, and the calendar here answers to the crabs, the heat, and the crowds that arrive with them.
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Everglades City vs Marco Island: Which Florida Town to Visit
Two Florida towns, one coast, two completely different ideas of what a waterfront should be. Everglades City is a working town of 352 people where the road ends and the swamp begins. Marco Island is a planned resort grid of canals, condos, and Gulf-view beaches.
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The History of Everglades City in 6 Landmarks
The town’s history is not in its archives so much as in its pavement, its park service signs, and the road that almost made it a city.
Public record
Everglades City by the numbers
- 208Residents (2023)
- 59.2% Homes held for seasonal use
- 65 Places in this guide