About the Fort Myers, Florida Area

Lee County is located on Florida's Southwest coast directly on the Gulf of Mexico.  It is situated approximately 2 hours south of Tampa, 2 hours west of Fort Lauderdale & Palm Beach, and 3 1/2 hours southwest of Orlando.  It encompasses 1,005 square miles including 220 square miles of water.

Nicknamed "The City of Palms" because of the 5000 Royal Palms along historic McGregor Boulevard, Fort Myers offers sunshine nearly 268 days a year with an average spring / summer temperature of 84 degrees and a fall / winter temperature of 71 degrees.

The primary economic base of the area is tourism.  Tourism alone is responsible for generating $878,000,000 per year, mostly in the winter months.   Over 1.5 million visitors come each year to soak up the sunshine, often planning their future here.

Another economic base of the area is the up and coming high tech industry.  Many large and small corporations have recently opened or transferred their headquarters or branches here, leading the way for a future business meca.   Such corporate giants as Sony and G.E. have already found there way here.

Fort Myers has over 400,000 full time residents.  The fastest growing segment of the population in the greater Fort Myers area is adults aged 25 - 44.

"Lee County ranks 37th in the top 100 metro areas for business start up rates." - (Inc. Magazine, 1998)

"Fort Myers is the 9th best city in the U.S. for entrepreneurs to start a business." - (P.O.V. Magazine, 1997)

In addition, more that 19,000 new jobs have been created in Lee County in the last 5 years.

Southwest Florida International airport services nearly 5 million passengers per year on 21 major carriers.  The FAA projects it to be the 5th fastest growing airport in the nation by the year 2010.

Boaters Paradise!  26% of the people in Lee County own boats.  The Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers is an Intracostal Waterway that links the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, via Lake Okechobee - one of the largest freshwater lakes in the country.

Fort Myers area is also known by another name - "The Golf Capitol of the World" - boasting more holes per capita than any other place in the U.S.  Lee County has over 50 golf courses!  Some designed by the top names in the game.

There is plenty of other action to be found in the Fort Myers area. Two major League baseball teams, the Minnesota Twins & the Boston Red Sox hold spring training here as well as the Fort Myers Miracle, a minor league team. Our latest sports addition is the Florida Everblades hockey team. We have many, many nature sites to visit including, the Caloosa Nature Center, J.N. "Ding" Darling Wildlife Sanctuary, Carl Johnson State Park and Lakes Park.

There are four major hospitals specializing in heart, diabetes & children hospital care.

Award winning education includes our primary & secondary magnet schools.

"Fort Myers High School is the 49th best public high school in the U.S." - (Newsweek Magazine, 1998)

Fort Myers is host to the State's 10th University, Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), as well as Edison Community College (ECC).

So whether you've heard that Fort Myers is one of the "13 best medium sized places to live in the south" (Money Magazine, 1998) or that it is rated "one of fifty fabulous places to raise your family" (Career Press 1997), or you're just searching for your own piece of paradise, let Rawlings Realty help you find your way home.

Fort Myers, Florida Area Map