Buyers there also appreciate the easy access — a half-hour drive — to part-rollicking, part-cosmopolitan Key West. Or to the commercial-oriented Marathon, the hub of the Middle Keys. But they want to keep their distance, too. “I love Key West,” Mr. Turkel said, “but I wouldn’t want to live there.”  Many Lower Keys homeowners take pride in the limits on development in their stretch of the 127-mile Keys. “They wouldn’t even allow a Walgreens here,” said Jim Peabody, a Lower Keys charter-boat captain.  Which is not to say there hasn’t been any development. Shark Key, an island turned into a gated community of fewer than 100 homes, remains a decidedly upscale option, with one newly built property priced at close to $2.6 million. There has also been a move to convert many run-down mobile-home parks into high-end residential developments. Then again, a mobile home in these parts can cost $500,000.  There’s no one vista or street scene that best tells the story of the Lower Keys. Rather, the region is an unfolding series of city islands, each with its own temper and tale.  Driving south from Marathon over Seven Mile Bridge — it’s 6.8 miles, but who’s counting? — you’ll soon come upon Bahia Honda Key and its well-maintained state park. Then it’s on to Big Pine Key, as close to a commercial center as you’ll find in the Lower Keys. Big Pine is also the home of the National Key Deer Refuge, where it’s not hard to chance upon the small deer.  Keep going south and sparsely populated keys are almost all that remain through to Key West. Several luxury homes notwithstanding, including those in Shark Key, the chain is at its most rustic here, with slender slices of land offering unparalleled views of the Atlantic on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other. Among the most noteworthy is Cudjoe Key, home to Venture Out — a hugely popular trailer park.  Trailer park? Though it may not sound upscale, the location — and the seductions of the Lower Keys — are the real draws. “You’re buying the dirt,” said Lisa Newsome, a Jacksonville real estate agent who bought a canal-front, two-bedroom manufactured home at Venture Out, just 90 feet from the Atlantic, earlier this year for $348,000.  The final link in the Lower Keys chain, Stock Island, is mainly a service island for Key West, with everything from tattoo parlors to a community college. But drive a little east of Stock and you’ll eventually find your way to Geiger Key — and, in particular, the Geiger Key Marina. Its open-air bar and restaurant serves zesty barbecue and icy bottles of beer to wash it all down. This is perhaps the scene that best evokes the laid-back spirit of the Lower Keys.  In addition to that lifestyle and the region’s beauty, the Lower Keys have abundant recreation opportunities: fishing, boating, wind surfing, kayaking, snorkeling and scuba diving. Mr. Peabody said there had been days when groups had easily caught more than 100 fish: “Sea trout, snapper, grouper, mackerel, it’s just unbelievable,” he said. And if you don’t want to cook your catch for dinner, you can bring it to area restaurants to handle the chore.  Of course, there’s a reason Lower Keys residents often head to Key West: there simply isn’t much to do nearby at night. There’s not a single movie theater and hardly any restaurants or clubs. And the biggest daytime nonsporting activity may be shopping at the local flea market. Then again, that seems to suit Lower Keys residents just fine. Many say they escape to the area to do, well, nothing. Speaking of escapes, keep in mind the real threat of hurricanes. When a storm threatens the Keys, a mandatory evacuation order is called, meaning the population must head north on Route 1 to the mainland.  Bob Allen, a local real estate broker, predicts that a recovery will occur faster in the Lower Keys than elsewhere in South Florida because there is real value in the land — that is, prices were never driven by speculators, even at the peak of the boom. “The Lower Keys weren’t fueled by flippers,” he said. “The people who bought down here wanted to use their homes.”  So, the recent dip in the housing market has given Lower Keys property seekers their best buying opportunity in years, with some prices dropping by as much as 20 percent. But even with price cutting, the Lower Keys remain expensive, particularly because restrictions on development mean there isn’t going to be room for much new housing. The most dilapidated mobile homes can still sell for $300,000. Traditional single-family houses aren’t likely to be found for much less than $500,000, and the prices can easily climb if they have waterfront access via a canal. True waterfront homes start at $1 million, topping out at well above $5 million.  POPULATION 16,416, according to the Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce.  WHO’S BUYING The greatest share of vacation-home buyers are from South Florida. But others come from throughout the United States, particularly the Northeast. A smaller number are from overseas.  GETTING THERE The Lower Keys are roughly a two-and-a-half-hour drive from downtown Miami via Route 1 (a k a Overseas Highway), the main roadway in the Keys. Visitors can also fly into small airports in Marathon and Key West; the Marathon airport currently does not offer commercial service, but Key West has both commercial and charter flights.  WHILE YOU’RE LOOKING Part of the charm of the Lower Keys is that the area is not as heavily trafficked as the rest of the Keys. But that also means there are far fewer hotels or even B & Bs. A couple of moderate-priced ones worth considering are the Big Pine Key Fishing Lodge (33000 Overseas Highway, Big Pine Key; 305-872-2351) and Parmer’s Resort (565 Barry Avenue, Little Torch Key; 305-872-2157; www.parmersresort.com). Rooms start at $109 a night at Big Pine and $134 from December through August at Parmer’s.  A version of this article appears in print on , on Page F3 of the New York edition with the headline: Just Possibly the Best Place for Doing Nothing. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
The Lower Keys, a roughly 36-mile stretch of Florida islands between Marathon and Key West, represent a way of life that defies easy categorization.