About the Fort Myers, Florida Area 

Fort Myers, with a population of approximately 52,901 is known as the "City of Palms". It is also known for its pristine beaches, charming neighborhoods, and championship golf courses. Fort Myers is a city with world-class performing arts centers, high quality restaurants and shops, lush parks and pristine preserves. It has a thriving economy, top-notch schools, excellent medical care, and of course…those towering royal palms. 

Location 

Fort Myers is located in Lee County, and is the county seat. Lee County is located on the southwest coast of Florida, and is bordered by Charlotte County to the north and Collier County to the south. 

Fort Myers is located 90 miles south of Tampa, 120 miles northwest of Miami, and 112 miles west of Fort Lauderdale.  

Geography 

Fort Myers covers an area of 40.4 square miles, of which 31.8 square miles is land and 8.6 square miles, or 21.25%, is water.

It is situated on the Caloosahatchee River and the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 20 miles inland from the coast. The city sits at an altitude of 10 feet above sea level. The area is known for its miles of scenic coastland, the beautiful waters of the Gulf and the network of waterways and canals. 

Jobs 

Fort Myers is the commercial center of Lee County, and was named (with Cape Coral) as the best performing city in the nation for job growth by the Milken Institute in 2004. The top employers in the area are: Lee County School District Public Schools; Lee Memorial Health System; Publix Super Markets Grocer; Lee County Administration; Wal-Mart Corporation; SWFL Regional Medical Center Hospital; City of Cape Coral; Bonita Bay Group; Lee County Sheriff's Office; and U.S. Postal Service. 

Educational, health and social services provide 18.9%of the employment in Fort Myers, retail trade provides15.6%, arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services provide13.0%, professional, scientific, management, administrative services provide12%, and construction provides 11.3%. 

Within the last year there has been 6.19% job growth in Fort Myers. The median household income in the area is $49,105 and the average per capita income is $32,137. The average time to travel to work is 23 minutes, and the unemployment rate is 3.20%. 

Housing  

The real estate market for Fort Myers has changed from a sellers market to a buyers market and there are many homes to choose from. Prices here tend to be more affordable than neighboring Naples, Bonita Springs and Sanibel. 

Fort Myers has a wide range of housing styles to choose from. It has everything from luxury high-rise riverfront condos and gated communities to single family homes and golf course developments. As Lee County’s oldest city, it offers old Florida architecture and historic Victorian villas, as well as deco, fifties and the latest in housing design. You can choose a home on a quiet lake or canal, on the golf course or overlooking the Gulf. 

Prices in the city range from the $100,000's to well over 10 million by the beach and river front. The median cost for a single-family home is $316,700.

Recreation 

Fort Myers offers miles of white sandy beaches, some of the best fishing in the world, acres of top-notch golf courses, and world-class boating. Many residents own their own watercraft, and fishing enthusiasts arrive from all over the country to fish here.  

The Caloosahatchee River waterfront provides fishing, waterskiing, sight seeing, and eco-tours. The River flows into the Gulf of Mexico and Pine Island Sound, where the beautiful barrier islands, Cayo Costa, and Gasparilla, are located. You will also find here Sanibel and Captiva Islands, world famous for shelling, fishing, and the J.N. "Ding" Darling Wildlife Preserve.  

Fort Myers Beach offers great family fun and lively nightlife. South of the Beach is a family recreational area called Lover's Key.  

Carl E. Johnson Park is known for its wide sandy beaches and clean clear water.  

Centennial Park on the Caloosahatchee River is the location for many cultural events and an excellent picnicking spot.  

Further south is Bonita Beach, lined with Australian pine trees.  

While the Gulf and river waters provide opportunities for sailing, kayaking, and scuba diving, the superb beaches offer swimming, sunbathing, shelling, beach volleyball and more.  

The Calusa Nature Center and planetarium is on a 105-acre site, with a museum, nature trails, planetarium, and an aviary.  

Southwest Florida is a golfer’s paradise, with more golf courses per capita than anywhere else in the country, and they can all be enjoyed 12 months of the year. There are more than 100 golf courses within a 1-hour drive of Fort Myers. There are numerous luxury golfing communities as well as the world-class private clubs and public courses. The Eastwood Golf Course has been rated as one of the top 50 municipal courses in the country by Golf Digest.  

There are also excellent tennis facilities in the area, such as the Dunes Golf and Tennis Club in Sanibel. 

Special Attractions/Events 

Fort Myers has a wealth of cultural amenities, from dinner theater and Broadway productions to concerts, galleries and art festivals. Some of the local venues where you can be well entertained include The Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, The Florida Repertory Theatre, Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Hall, and Seminole Gulf Railway’s Murder Mystery Dinner Train.  

The city’s Harborside Event Center provides a state-of-the-art location for conventions and concerts.  

Fort Myers is home to the renowned Southwest Florida Symphony. 

The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum in nearby Sanibel has the best collection of indigenous shells in all of Florida.  

The Imaginarium Hands On Museum offers exciting interactive exhibits for all ages, focusing on science and the natural world. 

Fort Myers is the home of the historic winter homes of Thomas Edison (Seminole Lodge) and Henry Ford (The Mangoes). These Estates are the nation's 9th most visited historic site, and include 20 acres of historic buildings and gardens. 

The Fort Myers Historical Museum is located in the old Atlantic Coastline Railroad depot and has exhibits covering the history of Southwest Florida. 

Downtown Fort Myers had declined in the 1970s, but has been beautifully restored. It is now a unique mix of historic architecture and modern redevelopment, a riverfront hub of fine cuisines, superb entertainment, art studios, museums and scenic city parks.  

Interesting Facts/Historic Buildings and Places 

The first known resident of Fort Myers was Manuel Gonzalez, a Cuban immigrant who settled there in the 19th century. The city was named after Col. Abraham C. Myers.  

Federal troops put up a fort here after an attack by the Seminole in 1839. The city was established in 1886, and is considered the gateway to the Southwest Florida region. 

Thomas Edison planted palm trees along McGregor Boulevard in the early 1900s.  

Fort Myers was ranked 5th on Healthy Cities list, by Organic Style magazine, in 2003. 

Fort Myers is the birthplace of: Anthony Henry, NFL player for the Dallas Cowboys; Deion Sanders, NFL player for the Baltimore Ravens; Jevon Kearse, NFL player for the Philadelphia Eagles; and Phillip Buchanon, NFL player for the Houston Texans. 

Other well-known residents have included: Thomas Edison, inventor; Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor; Elissa Steamer, pro skateboarder and American Idol runner-up Vonzell Solomon.  

Fort Myers Senior High and International Baccalaureate School was rated as one of the best schools in the country by Newsweek magazine.  

Fort Myers is the spring training locale for the Boston Red Sox, and the Minnesota Twins hold their spring training in suburban South Fort Myers. 

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