The 5 best islands to live on

EXUMA
One of the less visited Bahamas, Exuma retains its slow pace, even though it’s only 250 miles from Miami. Drop anchor, cast a line, or dance away the days.

Why move here?
“Old-school Bahamas” is a tag for this collection of 365 cays stretching 120 miles and anchored by two main islands, Great Exuma and Little Exuma. There are no high-rises to obstruct ocean views (nothing is higher than two stories), just clapboard cottages painted pink, yellow or blue. Pass a day with a Kalik beer and a plate of cracked conch, deciphering the local patois; or seek out bartender and resident sage Lerman “Doc” Rolle, who dispenses rum (and advice) at Club Peace & Plenty in George Town.

Exuma is a waterman’s paradise, with secluded coves for picnicking or fishing; and George Town’s Family Island Regatta, where local fishing boats vie for bragging rights, is a big party every April. Waste away days bonefishing at the world-renowned Exuma flats. Or plunge into what Mark O’Brien calls the “most beautiful, impossible-to-describe water in the world.” Four years ago, O’Brien and his wife moved to Great Exuma from Kentucky, spending $450,000 on a 25-year-old beachside bungalow at Tar Bay, six miles from George Town.

Exuma is the place to go if you want to remain relatively close to the U.S. mainland yet like the idea of splashing in a turquoise-water paradise and immersing yourself in a different culture.

Meet the neighbors
Several islanders have the last name Rolle. Many locals can trace their roots back to 1783 when colonists loyal to the British crown were given land grants here after America’s independence. Exuma’s largest landowner and slave owner was Lord Rolle; when he freed his slaves, he gave them land, and many took his name. West African traditions prosper in the form of goombay music, Jump-In-Dance, and Junkanoo, where revelers parade in colorful costumes and make music with goat-skin drums, cowbells, horns and whistles.

You know it’s an island when ...
You look forward to Mondays, when rake ’n’ scrape music plays at Eddie’s Edgewater.

Escape clause
Other Out Islands are easily accessible and Nassau is 25 minutes by air. It’s a 90-minute flight to Miami or Fort Lauderdale.

Size: 61 square miles
Population: 3,570; 5,000 (winter)
Median Home Price: $575,000

There are still deals, but buy now as property is appreciating quickly. If you buy a house that is more than $500,000, you can apply for Bahamian residency, which allows you and your immediate family to live here the rest of your natural born days and take advantage of the country’s liberal tax laws. For listings, see www.hgchristie.com.

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