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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 2006 U.S. Census Bureau's Estimates, the city had a population of 60,531. 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, 2006, the population estimate for the metropolitan area was 571,344.
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. 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 (RSW) is located southeast of the city in South Fort Myers, near Gateway and Lehigh Acres.
History
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 and Minnesota Twins spring training camps.
Typical architecture in downtown Fort Myers
Fort Myers, built in 1850 as a military fort to fend off Seminole Indians that were massacring the area's few settlers, was named after Col. Abraham C. Myers, who was stationed in Florida for seven years and was the son-in-law of the fort's establisher and commander. In 1858, after years of elusive battle, Chief Billy Bowlegs and his warriors were persuaded to surrender and move west, and the fort was abandoned. Billy's Creek, which flows into the Caloosahatchee River and runs between The Beau Rivage Condominiums and Alta Mar, was named after a temporary camp where Billy Bowlegs and his men awaited ships to take them west.
The fort was abandoned until 1863 when a small number of Federal troops re-occupied the fort during the Civil War. In 1865 the fort was attacked unsuccessfully by a very small group of Confederates. After the war, the fort was again deserted.
The first settlers arrived in 1866, but it wasn't until 1882 when the city experienced a significant influx of settlers. By 1885, when Fort Myers was incorporated, it was the second largest city only to Tampa on Florida's west coast south of Cedar Key even larger than Clearwater and Sarasota, also growing cities at the time.
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.
Interesting facts
- The first known resident of Fort Myers was Manuel Gonzalez, a Spaniard from the province of Asturias, who had come by way of Cuba and settled there in the 19th century.
- The abandoned city scene from Day of the Dead was filmed in downtown Fort Myers.
- Local private school Canterbury was listed in Forbes's "Top 400 Schools to Get Your Kid into Harvard". Canterbury students have also won the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Grand Award five times in the past 20 years.
Higher learning
Geography and climate
Fort Myers and Cape Coral from space, July 1997.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 40.4 mi©÷ (104.7 km©÷). 31.8 mi©÷(82.4 km©÷) of it is land and 8.6 mi©÷ (22.2 km©÷) of it (21.25%) is water.
The climate of Fort Myers is tropical.
| Climate in Fort Myers |
| Monthly averages |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
| Norm high ¡ÆF (¡ÆC) |
75 (24) |
77 (25) |
80 (27) |
85 (29) |
89 (32) |
91 (33) |
92 (33) |
92 (33) |
90 (32) |
86 (30) |
81 (27) |
77 (25) |
85 (29) |
| Norm low ¡ÆF (¡ÆC) |
56 (13) |
58 (14) |
60 (15) |
63 (17) |
68 (20) |
73 (23) |
74 (23) |
74 (23) |
74 (23) |
69 (21) |
62 (17) |
56 (13) |
65 (18) |
| Precip. in. (cm) |
2.2 (5.7) |
2.1 (5.3) |
2.7 (7.0) |
1.7 (4.3) |
3.4 (8.7) |
9.8 (24.8) |
9.0 (22.8) |
9.5 (24.2) |
7.9 (20.0) |
2.6 (6.6) |
1.7 (4.3) |
1.6 (4.0) |
54.2 (137.6) |
| Avg. no. precip. days |
7 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
10 |
18 |
22 |
22 |
20 |
11 |
7 |
7 |
145 |
Demographics
Fort Myers has experienced steady growth.
As of the census of 2006, there were 65,729 people, 19,107 households, and 10,738 families residing in the city. The population density was 584.8/km©÷ (1,514.6/mi©÷). There were 21,836 housing units at an average density of 264.9/km©÷ (686.1/mi©÷). The racial makeup of the city was 56.35% White, 33.39% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.98% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 5.69% from other races, and 3.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.49% of the population.
There were 19,107 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.3% were married couples living together, 18.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.8% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.
Points of interest
Boston Red Sox train in the area. This facility is adorned with their logo.
- For the golfing enthusiast, the Fort Myers Area (Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Estero, Lehigh Acres and Sanibel Island) is home to over 50 of Southwest Florida's renowned 130 public and private golf courses. Florida's great weather combined with the scenic and challenging nature of these courses makes the area an excellent stop for the vacationing golfer.
- NUMBER1EXPERT™ 
