Communities

Lee - The communities that comprise Lee County

ALVA
Close-up: Alva was once a bustling spot—and might be again. The
Caloosahatchee River has been central to the northeast Lee County community from its beginning, when the river served as a primary transportation route. Today, the community is experiencing redevelopment as upscale homes replace Old Florida homesteads, farms and citrus groves, and new communities shoulder into the area. Although a small-town, country atmosphere still dominates, Alva and its neighbors, Buckingham and Olga, are expecting accelerated growth in the next few years, especially with the widening of S.R. 80.
UNINCORPORATED COMMUNITY
Lee County Administration Building
2115 Second St.
Fort Myers, FL 33901
(239) 332-2737
www.lee-county.com
Population (2006 estimate): 2,437
2011 population projection: 2,689
Median age (2006 estimate): 46
Per capita income (2006 estimate): $27,512
Median household income (2006 estimate): $46,778
Median household disposable income (2006 estimate): $39,846
Number of employees (2006 estimate, daytime workers): 324
Median home sale price (2006): $290,000
Ad valorem tax (per $100 valuation): $16.8278

BOCA GRANDE
Close-up: Separated from the rest of Lee County by Charlotte County is Boca Grande in the northwest corner. Situated on the south end of Gasparilla Island, Boca Grande is renowned for tarpon fishing. It is home to the historic Boca Grande Lighthouse—now a museum—and Gasparilla Inn and Cottages, where, for nearly 100 years, some of the world’s elite have found accommodations, including the Bush family. The island once was a world center for the phosphate industry. Now it thrives on tourism, fishing and high-priced real estate.
UNINCORPORATED COMMUNITY
Lee County Administration Building
2115 Second St.
Fort Myers, FL 33901
(239) 332-2737
www.lee-county.com
Population (2006 estimate): 1,426
2011 population projection: 1,726
Median age (2006 estimate): 58.5
Per capita income (2006 estimate): $100,743
Median household income (2006 estimate): $140,015
Median household disposable income (2006 estimate): $105,391
Number of employees (2006 estimate, daytime workers): 891
Average home sale price: $1.3 million*
Ad valorem tax (per $100 valuation): $14.8783

BONITA SPRINGS
Close-up: Lee County’s newest city, located midway between the Lee and Collier county seats, has blossomed into a thriving community. Once a small agricultural community of tomato fields, farm workers and fishermen, the city now is more often perceived as a northern extension of Naples, with a hefty population of well-heeled residents and snowbirds filling the gated golf-course communities in the area. The Bonita Bay Group and WCI Communities helped pave the way for today’s Bonita Springs, and class-A office space has attracted corporate headquarters of companies such as Source Interlink and Tigris Pharmaceuticals.
City Hall
9101 Bonita Beach Road
Bonita Springs, FL 34135
(239) 949-6262
www.cityofbonitasprings.org
Population (2006 estimate): 39,296
2011 population projection: 45,288
Median age (2006 estimate): 50.3
Per capita income (2006 estimate): $38,394
Median household income (2006 estimate): $52,852
Median household disposable income (2006 estimate): $44,586
Number of employees (2006 estimate, daytime workers): 17,390
Median home sale price (2006): $429,900
Ad valorem tax (per $100 valuation): $15.5964

CAPE CORAL
Close-up: A small community on "the other side" of the Caloosahatchee River has grown into the largest city between Tampa and Miami and the third-largest by land mass in the state. Lured by relatively affordable waterfront property along the river and the city’s more than 400 miles of canals, new residents made it one of the fastest-growing cities with populations exceeding 100,000 in the United States. The Pine Island Road corridor has attracted national retailers, including Kohl’s, Belk, BJ’s Wholesale Club and The Home Depot, and plans call for the downtown eventually to redevelop with condos, hotels, shops, restaurants and office space.
City Hall
1015 Cultural Park Blvd.
Cape Coral, FL 33990
(239) 574-0401
www.capecoral.net
Population (2006 estimate): 147,428
2011 population projection: 182,003
Median age (2006 estimate): 40.1
Per capita income (2006 estimate): $23,363
Median household income (2006 estimate): $50,235
Median household disposable income (2006 estimate): $42,555
Number of employees (2006 estimate, daytime workers): 36,111
Median home sale price (2006): $269,900
Ad valorem tax (per $100 valuation): $17.9503

ESTERO
Close-up: The emergence of Florida Gulf Coast University and Southwest Florida International Airport has hastened the growth of this stop along U.S. 41, just north of Bonita Springs. Historically, a "New Jerusalem" was settled on the banks of the Estero River around the turn of the 20th century by the communal Koreshan Unity, a culturally progressive religious sect whose settlement has been preserved at the Koreshan State Historic Site. Under the Koreshans, the town was temporarily incorporated, and initiatives in recent years have been taken up to reinstate that status, but it remains unincorporated. A community-planning panel guides development, which is taking place with gusto. Estero is also home to Germain Arena, Miromar Outlets and Coconut Point shopping centers and the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa.
UNINCORPORATED COMMUNITY
Lee County Administration Building
2115 Second St.
Fort Myers, FL 33901
(239) 332-2737
www.lee-county.com
Population (2006 estimate): 14,906
2011 population projection: 18,340
Median age (2006 estimate): 59.4
Per capital income (2006 estimate): $46,126
Median household income (2006 estimate): $58,449
Median household disposable income (2006 estimate): $48,630
Number of employees (2006 estimate,
daytime workers): 5,087
Median home sale price (2006): $429,900
Ad valorem tax: $15.7203

FORT MYERS
Close-up: As the county seat, Fort Myers is considered the center of Lee County and the next city of any size north of Naples. However, several other Southwest Florida cities have incorporated in recent years, and Cape Coral has been growing at a much faster rate than Fort Myers. Such luminaries as Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone and others have made their winter homes in the City of Palms, so named for its neat lines of royal palms donated by Edison. The city idled in recent decades until various annexations helped boost its tax base and stretch the opportunities for additional growth. In recent years, Fort Myers has created a redevelopment plan for the downtown area—now called the River District—in the hope of bringing more residents, businesses and visitors to the core.
City Hall
2200 Second St.
Fort Myers, FL 33902
(239) 332-6700
www.cityftmyers.com
Population (2006 estimate): 52,229
2011 population projection: 56,312
Median age (2006 estimate): 31.7
Per capital income (2006 estimate): $19,364
Median household income (2006 estimate): $31,793
Median household disposable income (2006 estimate): $28,287
Number of employees (2006 estimate,
daytime workers): 54,054
Median home sale price: $299,500
Ad valorem tax: $19.6245

FORT MYERS BEACH
Close-up: Fort Myers Beach’s seven miles of shoreline along the Gulf of Mexico attract tens of thousands of tourists and winter residents every year. With an abundance of restaurants, bars, shops, hotels, condos and annual festivals and events, it caters to the families and young visitors who flock there. Fort Myers Beach, situated on the narrow Estero Island and incorporated in 1995, stands in contrast to neighboring San Carlos Island, which still has a prominent commercial fishing industry, along with new homes and condos. With the Gulf on one side and Estero Bay on the other, Fort Myers Beach is a favorite weekend destination for local beach-goers and boaters as well as out-of-towners.
Town of Fort Myers Beach
2523 Estero Blvd.
Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931
(239) 765-0202
Population (2006 estimate): 7,502
2011 population projection: 8,420
Median age (2006 estimate): 56.2
Per capital income (2006 estimate): $39,225
Median household income (2006 estimate): $54,619
Median household disposable income (2006 estimate): $45,872
Number of employees (2006 estimate, daytime workers): 3,204
Median home sale price: $499,900
Ad valorem tax: $17.1783

LEHIGH ACRES
Close-up: In recent years, land values in Lehigh Acres—one of the region’s last affordable areas—shot up exponentially. Newcomers, including many from east coast cities, have discovered it, and Lehigh Acres is home to members of the workforce who commute to other parts of Lee and into Collier counties. As in Cape Coral and other preplatted areas, Lehigh Acres faces serious growth-management challenges as the residential lots fill in. Though the community still lacks much commercial development, projects such as the widening of Gunnery Road in western Lehigh Acres help bring more businesses to the area.
UNINCORPORATED COMMUNITY
Lee County Administration Building
2115 Second St.
Fort Myers, FL 33901
(239) 332-2737
www.lee-county.com
Population (2006 estimate): 49,381
2011 population projection: 60,301
Median age (2006 estimate): 35.9
Per capital income (2006 estimate): $19,298
Median household income (2006 estimate): $44,590
Median household disposable income (2006 estimate): $38,697
Number of employees (2006 estimate,
daytime workers): 11,077
Median home sale price: $239,000
Ad valorem tax: $16.4096

NORTH FORT MYERS
Close-up: Just across the bridge from Fort Myers along the northern bank of the Caloosahatchee lies the unincorporated community of North Fort Myers. Urban and rural meet here, with country homes and horse farms, public parks and lingering wilderness, as well as shopping centers and businesses. North Fort Myers retains vestiges of the past, with a collection of aging commercial buildings and mobile-home parks left from the 1950s and 1960s, along with newer retirement communities and upscale homes along the waterfront. The Shell Factory, a tourism institution, is located here. Though the community has long been home to many members of Lee County’s working class, growth and redevelopment are pushing out from Cape Coral and Fort Myers into the area. As developers realize the untapped potential of North Fort Myers’ riverfront, residential high-rises and other upscale waterfront communities like Paradise Preserve and Moody River Estates are under development.
UNINCORPORATED COMMUNITY
Lee County Administration Building
2115 Second St.
Fort Myers, FL 33901
(239) 332-2737
www.lee-county.com
Population (2006 estimate): 45,790
2011 population projection: 50,689
Median age (2006 estimate): 55.9
Per capital income (2006 estimate): $23,752
Median household income (2006 estimate): $37,995
Median household disposable income (2006 estimate): $33,391
Number of employees (2006 estimate, daytime workers): 7,681
Median home sale price: $185,000
Ad valorem tax: $16.7215

PINE ISLAND
Close-up: Largely surrounded by mangroves, Pine Island is one of Lee County’s oldest islands. Its Pineland community was once the site of a Calusa Indian village. On the little entry island of Matlacha, the road is lined with colorfully painted galleries, shops, seafood markets, bars and restaurants. At the south end of Pine Island is the largely residential St. James City. Bokeelia, at the northern tip, is facing further redevelopment into a more affluent community. Commercial fishing is still a way of life here, although a fading one. Agriculture still has a foothold, although the 2004 hurricanes took a toll on the island’s many exotic-fruit groves and nurseries. But as property values continue to rise, islanders are pushing to enforce a plan so that the island doesn’t become overdeveloped and lose its unique flavor.
UNINCORPORATED COMMUNITY
Lee County Administration Building
2115 Second St.
Fort Myers, FL 33901
(239) 332-2737
www.lee-county.com
Population (2006 estimate): 9,478**
2011 population projection: 10,136
Median age (2006 estimate): 54.7
Per capital income (2006 estimate): $26,883
Median household income (2006 estimate): $41,214
Median household disposable income (2006 estimate): $35,913
Number of employees (2006 estimate,
daytime workers): 1,467
Median home sale price: $259,900
Ad valorem tax: $16.3278

SANIBEL AND CAPTIVA
Close-up: Renowned for their beaches and abundance of shells, these sister islands are the region’s main tourist draws. Both took a severe hit in 2004, however, when Hurricane Charley blew ashore. Most facilities that were damaged have reopened—including Captiva’s South Seas Island Resort after a $140 million renovation—or have opened as new businesses.
Although the islands are often lumped together, they have significant differences. Sanibel, noted nationally for its environmentally friendly approach to development, incorporated in the 1970s to thwart high-intensity development. Captiva—accessed by driving the length of Sanibel—opted against joining Sanibel in city-hood and remains unincorporated. Development on Sanibel is tightly reined and about two-thirds of the island remains undeveloped, including the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Captiva has experienced a great deal of development and redevelopment, with beachfront mansions replacing most of the modest beach cottages.
City of Sanibel
800 Dunlop Road
Sanibel, FL 33957
(239) 472-4135
www.mysanibel.com
Population (2006 estimate): 6,660
2011 population projection: 7,266
Median age (2006 estimate): 57.7
Per capital income (2006 estimate): $72,284
Median household income (2006 estimate): $90,949
Median household disposable income (2006 estimate): $71,480
Number of employees (2006 estimate, daytime workers): 3,938
Median home sale price: $760,000
Ad valorem tax: $16.5601