For full-time and seasonal residents, Marco is a tightly knit community with a small-town feel and proud identity, says Maury Daily, a real estate agent active in local causes. "You almost know that when you run out for something, you'll run into someone you'll know. It's a warm kind of feeling," Daily says.

Like many other locales in Southwest Florida, Marco became home for many not long after a memorable vacation or trip, a dynamic that has played out on the island for decades. Marco is a vacationer's oasis and a resident's dream, and the two cultures are big business on the 24-acre island of approximately 15,000.

"More and more people are coming to the island. They come first as tourists, then make contact with a Realtor here and find themselves moving down permanently," says Bob Dictor, president of the Marco Island Area Chamber of Commerce.

However, not all residents welcome the continued development on the island and are vocal about keeping a lid on the growth, says Daily. They are people who moved down from up North and then decided then it was OK to "shut the door."

"There are still pockets of resistance," says Daily of the growth issue.

From the Sand Up

Serious development took root in 1949 when the Barron Collier family began putting up homes in the Goodland area of the island. Construction escalated in1964 when brothers Elliott, Robert and Frank Mackle partnered with the Collier family on various projects. Eventually, the Mackles bought out the Colliers and formed the Deltona Development Corp. In 1966, Deltona erected Marco's first condo building, The Emerald Beach Condominium, and in 1971 the company constructed the Marco Beach Hotel and Villas (now the Marriott Hotel). Deltona also built homes, and hundreds of them.

Former company vice president and architect Herb Savage said that in the mid-1960s, houses on Marco cost from $18,000 to $36,000 and lots averaged $5,000, even on Gulf-access canals. "One of the most expensive lots back then went for $18,000. Today it would run $1.5 million," says Savage, an architect who still maintains a one-man office on the island. Deltona eventually sold out to other developers.

Construction has continued at a brisk pace, providing a mix of retirement dwellings and year-round homes that sell for a pretty penny. And they go fast. For example, early last year WCI Communities of Bonita Springs sold all 123 units at a planned, beachfront high-rise in a week. The average price? Two million dollars.

"We continue to see strong sales at a continuous pace," Dictor says. The Marco chamber reports 200 to 300 new home starts each year-good news for the building industry, Dictor says. But island residents pride themselves on the way the area has engaged in a smart-growth pattern of development, never neglecting the natural beauty of the place, he says.

The process is far from fluid, though. Residents, developers and the local government don't always agree on issues when it comes to environmental impact. But, says Daily, the sides tend to arrive at a consensus. "There's a definite balancing act," he says.

Plenty to Do

Visitors and residents alike enjoy a variety of events and activities. For example, the annual Marco Island Film Festival, now planning its seventh event, has become an international attraction. The fall weekend fest features works of independent and student filmmakers and brings in some 15,000 fans and a few celebrities says Daily, a founding member of the festival. "We are drawing people from around the world," he says. The Marco Island Art League is another organization that provides a cultural outlet through classes, exhibits and lectures, he says.

People have more shopping choices nowadays on the island. One of Marco's notable new projects is the recently completed Esplanade shops, located in the center of the island on Collier Boulevard. This multi-use development features commercial and residential space and is home to restaurants, shops, a bank and a small marina, with more to come. Esplanade is the creation of Jack Antaramian, who is widely recognized for his work to revitalize Fifth Avenue South in Naples. Dictor says the Esplanade has generated a lot of excitement on the island, for locals as well as tourists. "It's a place where people can go at night and eat, shop and have a good time," he says.

Dictor, who is also the general manager of the Marriott Hotel on Marco, the island's largest hotel with 727 rooms, reports that it, too, is in the process of completing major renovations. "We're spending $60 million on adding a luxury spa, more meeting space and renovations to guest rooms and two restaurants." The lobby, parking lots and tennis courts are also receiving a makeover.

If people come for a corporate meeting and are introduced to Marco that way, Dictor says, they're likely to want to come back for personal vacations, too. That translates into more business for all hotels and the island. Dictor says he sees more consistent, year-round business, with less of a dramatic drop-off in the summer months.

Collier County's bottom line benefits from the Marriott and other Marco hotels, too. In fiscal year 2002, for example bed tax from the island generated nearly $2 million out of $8.4 million countywide.

Island of Commerce

But it's not just the hospitality industry and developers who are capitalizing on Marco's continued growth. With the influx of more year-round tourists and the increase of permanent residents, small businesses on the island prosper.

Rick Popoff, owner of Rick's Island Salon, has been in business for 12 years and says things have never been better. "Growth here is incredible, and it's continuous," he says. "Every summer we're seeing more people who decide to stay all year, or who come back more often."

In order to keep up, Popoff recently relocated in the new Esplanade shopping district because he had outgrown his former location. His new place is about 1,000 square feet larger than the old one. He's transformed his business from a full-service salon to a day spa and has enough work to keep 30 year-round employees busy. "We pride ourselves on being a community salon-we take care of the locals and keep up with the demand," Popoff says.

The same type of locals-serving-locals philosophy is evident at Arturo's Italian Restaurant. In business for eight years on the island, owners Arturo and Judy Perez have also expanded to keep up with continuous growth. "Our business has been very successful on Marco," Judy Perez says. "We started small and have expanded several times to keep up with demand. I'm seeing more annual people moving down here, more young people and even more business in the typically slower summer months." But, she says, she still thinks Marco Island is an untapped resource for many Northerners looking to escape to the south for the winter, or even, for good. "A lot of people still don't know about Marco. It's paradise here and slowly more people are discovering that. Once they come over that bridge, they're hooked," she says.

Dictor says the opportunities for business expansion on Marco Island look bright. "In the next five to 10 years, business is only going to continue to grow," he says. "As tourism goes, so goes real estate. The more tourists we see coming to the area, the more we're going to see making their homes here permanently. The future of the island looks wonderful."