Marco Island is the southernmost community on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The island is easily accessed via two bridges, one on Route 951 that connects Naples to Marco Island and the other on Route 92 to the south that links to U.S. 41, the route to Miami through “Alligator Alley.”

Students on Marco Island are served by Tommie Barfield Elementary School, a K-5 school, and continue on to the Marco Island Charter Middle School for 6th - 8th grade. Junior and senior high schools are located in nearby Naples. Many parochial and private schools are also close by. Florida Gulf Coast University is the closest 4-year college and is located in Fort Myers.

Marco Island has miles of powder white sand beaches. Tigertail Beach, located at the northern end of Marco Island, runs 4.5 miles. Hideaway Beach lies to the north of Tigertail and is close to shopping and churches. A leisurely stroll or a shelling adventure, sand castle building or viewing a vibrant sunset is just a few of the ways to enjoy Marco Island’s scenic strand.

Recreational opportunities abound. Boating, sailing, para-sailing, shelling and fishing are commonly enjoyed. Golf and tennis keep those on land active. The Island Country Club is just one of numerous courses in the area. Collier County features a number of well-maintained parks. Most of the parks are open year round and offer guided boat and canoe trips, walking and bike tours, and much more.

Marco Island’s river area is a scenic, mangrove fringed tidal channel separating Marco Island from the mainland. Churches, shopping and schools are located only a few minutes away from the quiet settings of the neatly landscaped homes. The community’s close proximity to the Florida Everglades provides a wealth of natural wonders to the area. A variety of wildlife can be seen nearby from alligator’s and manatees to more than 200 different kinds of birds.

Marco Island was first settled by the Calusa Indians from 500 to 900 A.D. Artifacts from the tribe have played a key role in unraveling much of the Gulf Coast’s early history. The arrival of homesteader Captain W.D. "Bill" Collier rang in the arrival of "civilized" life on Marco in 1870. Collier's Marco Island centered on the fishing and clamming industry. Three of the original buildings of Collier's sleepy village still remain in the Olde Marco area today. They now are all popular restaurants.

The villages of Marco and Caxambas were incorporated by the state legislature as Collier City in May 1927. Originally, Marco was called Collier City North and Caxambas was referred to as Collier City South. In 1957 Collier City was abolished and in the mid 1960s Modern-day Marco began to emerge. The Mackle family, and Deltona Corporation, envisioned a Marco offering a complete range of resort and leisure living-hotels as well as homes and commercial areas. They wished to attract businesses and families, although a large portion of the Island’s growth would be driven by tourism. In 1965, the first housing development on Marco Island officially opened.

The rich and famous as well as the blue collar were drawn to the "Hawaii of the East" by an incredibly successful marketing campaign. A beach-front hotel lured guests onto the sandy, clean and pristine beaches of Marco. Affordable subdivision-like housing was bought by those wishing to own a piece of paradise on the island's eastern shore, which was soon connected to land by a bridge. Many of these original homes are still occupied today by Islanders.