Ono Island, Alabama: Exclusive and Secluded

Tourists often pass by the Ono Island Bridge just off Perdido Beach Boulevard and wonder what is on the other side. That bridge is the only way a vehicle can get on the island, and it has a guard on duty 24 hours a day. Unless you buy a home or you are a guest of an owner, you are not likely to find out first-hand without an escort. If you are thinking about buying property on the island, a real estate salesperson can get you on the island in a hurry. Bring money. The median price of a home on the island has been estimated at more than one million.

So what is on Ono Island?

There are no shops, restaurants or other commercial establishments except for the office of Ono Realty. There is a fire station, water tower, two recreation centers and, an administrative center.

Ono Island is about 5.5 miles in length. Presently, there are about 900 homes on the island. About half of them have been built since the 1970s, with 300 of those built in the last twenty years. About half of the homes are occupied by full-time residents.

To say that Ono Island is exclusive would be an understatement. The island's roads never have traffic jams. Well maintained sidewalks border the streets. Canals have been dug throughout the island and many residents have boats. Some of the island's home have lush landscaping, while others have a natural Alabama coastal look-- all of it is attractive it its own way.

Ono Island Alabama has always been the subject of much speculation regarding celebrity residents.

I have heard the names Tom Selleck, Jimmy Buffett, Reba McIntyre, Britney Spears, Woody Harrelson, and Dolly Parton mentioned. I doubt if any of them have ever lived there, even part of the time. I have not seen Dolly in Walmart or Brittney at McDonald's. Jimmy Buffet's sister owns a restaurant in Gulf Shores, but he rarely visits. Celebrities fly in and perform at the Wharf in Orange Beach, at the Hangout Festival in Gulf Shores, and the FloraBama in Perdido Key, FL., but they almost always fly out as soon as they can after their performance.

Celebrity sighting are rare in this part of the country, so when one is in the area, they get swarmed for autographs and photo-ops. I don't think the A-list would go for that.

Former celebrity residents who HAVE lived on Ono Island are disgraced former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy and NFL quarterback Kenny Stabler. Comedian and inspirational speaker Andy Andrews currently lives on the island. All three of them have deep connections with Alabama.

Ono Island was not always an island.

Until a hurricane cut it off from the mainland in 1906 it was a peninsula called Point Ornocor. That peninsula extended from present-day Alabama Point. In the 1920s, wild goats roamed the island. Nearby residents eventually brought their own goats to graze there.

George Ray Kee built the first house (really just a shack) on the island. George and his brother Harville brought more goats to the island; estimates vary between 2,000 and 5,000. They did not get rich in the goat business-- they sold them for $1 each; if the buyer caught his own goat, the price was only 50 cents.

Along the way, the island picked up a new name-- George Kee's Island (not to be confused with nearby Robinson Island, which was once known as Goat Island). As time progressed and the value of coastal property began to grow a little, Kee was asked to vacate the island. Apparently, he never legally owned any of it.

During World War II, Old River, the water between Ono Island and Perdido Key, FL, and Orange Beach Al, was used by the Navy for target practice.

Another resident did not move onto the island until 1963.

His name was John Calhoun Golightly, who had been part owner (with two friends) of the eastern third of the island since 1945. They paid $3000 for their one-third of the island at an estate sale. Around this time the island had picked up the name Puma Island because several locals had reported seeing a pair of pumas (cougars) there.

The name "Ono Island" is said to have originated when the State of Florida and the State of Alabama were negotiating ownership: "Oh no! This is ours!"

A good way to see much of the island is either by private or tour boat.