Sanibel Island Facts
Length of Sanibel Island – 11 miles
Width of Sanibel Island – 2 miles
Average Elevation – 4 feet above sea level
Maximum Elevation – 13 feet above sea level
Average Temperature – 74 degrees
Resident Population – 5,800+
Seasonal Population – 20,000+
Year Sanibel Moorings Built – 1974
City of Sanibel Founded – November 5, 1974
Width of Sanibel Island – 2 miles
Average Elevation – 4 feet above sea level
Maximum Elevation – 13 feet above sea level
Average Temperature – 74 degrees
Resident Population – 5,800+
Seasonal Population – 20,000+
Year Sanibel Moorings Built – 1974
City of Sanibel Founded – November 5, 1974
History of the island
- Historians believe that Sanibel was formed about six thousand years ago, as sediment that rose from the sea after being shaped by centuries of storm activity.
- In 1513, the island became a haven for infamous pirates
- Although Florida was admitted into the Union in 1845 as the 27th state, it was only after the country's Civil War that increased military activity was able to secure the area and deem the island safe for settlers.
- In 1870, the U.S. Government ruled that Sanibel Island would become a lighthouse reservation and, on August 20th, 1884 the Sanibel Lighthouse was first lit.
- By 1889, there were 21 houses and 40 families living on Sanibel.
- In 1892, with a population nearing 100, Sanibel built its first schoolhouse, which visitors can now see on display at the Sanibel Historical Village.
- In 1928 ferry service initiated transport to the island for the next 35 years.
- Famous Americans sought a tranquil retreat on the island. President Teddy Roosevelt and poet Edna St. Vincent Millay came to visit Sanibel Island.
- Regarded as one of the islands' most influential visitors, Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling first discovered Sanibel Island on a trip in 1935. 10 years later, a wildlife refuge would open on the island in his honor.