City of Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers, Florida Vital Links:
City of Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce
Lee County Florida Website
Leaving Florida - Florida Relocation Information
State of Florida Official Website
Fort Myers is the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida. The population was 48,208 at the 2000 census. According to the 2005 U.S. Census Bureau's Estimates, the city had a population of 58,428.
The city is one of two major cities that make up the Cape Coral-Fort Myers MSA, the other being Cape Coral. As of July 1, 2005, the population estimate for the metropolitan area was 544,758.
Established in 1886, Fort Myers is the historical and governmental hub of Lee County. It is the gateway to the Southwest Florida region, which is a major tourist destination in Florida, as well as being a popular place to live for retirees. The winter homes of Thomas Edison (Seminole Lodge) and Henry Ford (The Mangoes), which are both primary tourist attractions in the region, are located on McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers.
On August 13, 2004, Fort Myers was hit hard by Hurricane Charley, a Category 4 hurricane that made landfall north of the area. In 2005, Hurricane Wilma struck south of Naples, but caused extensive damage nonetheless in Fort Myers and its southern suburbs.
Southwest Florida International Airport is located southeast of the city in South Fort Myers, near Gateway and Lehigh Acres.
Incorporated in 1886, Fort Myers is the center of a popular tourist area in Southwest Florida and the seat of Lee County. It is located about 120 miles south of Tampa at the meeting point of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caloosahatchee River. Fort Myers was the frequent winter home of Thomas Edison and is the current home of the Boston Red Sox spring training camp.
Fort Myers first became a nationally known winter resort with the building of The Royal Palm Hotel in 1898. But what really sparked the city's growth was the construction of the Tamiami Trail Bridge built across the Caloosahatchee River in 1924. After the bridge's construction, the city experienced its first real estate boom and many subdivisions sprouted around the city.
Fort Myers is still considered by local residents to be the "main" city of South West Florida, even though Cape Coral now has more than twice as many people. Thus Cape Coral is thought of as a suburb of Fort Myers, much in the way the larger Virginia Beach is thought of as a suburb of Norfolk even though Norfolk is now smaller in population.
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