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54-668: The Midpoint Memorial Bridge (often referred to as simply the Midpoint Bridge ) is a bridge located in Southwest Florida . It spans the Caloosahatchee River , connecting Fort Myers and Cape Coral . It is a four-lane fixed span that is 1.125 miles (1.811 km) long. The bridge's name comes from serving as a midpoint or middle bridge for the Cape Coral bridges – Cape Coral Bridge is south, and

108-624: A U.S. territory in 1821, a number of settlers moved into Florida, causing conflict with the local Seminole Indians. Fort Myers was built in 1850 as a military fort to fend off Seminole Indians during the Seminole Wars . The fort 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

162-695: A center of tourism in Southwest Florida. It is about 120 miles (190 km) south of Tampa at the meeting point of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caloosahatchee River . Lee County is the home for spring training of the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball teams. The area that is now Lee County has several archaeological sites that show evidence of habitation by peoples belonging to

216-557: A computer and 87.2% of households had a broadband internet subscription. As of 2010, 78.99% of residents spoke English as their first language, and 15.19% spoke Spanish, 1.28% French Creole (mostly Haitian Creole,) 0.88% German, 0.59% Portuguese, and 0.55% spoke French as their main language. In total, 21.01% of the population spoke languages other than English as their primary language. Lee County's stronger economic sectors include construction, retail, leisure, and hospitality. Hertz moved its headquarters from New Jersey to Estero in 2016,

270-460: A year-round warm, monsoon -influenced climate that is close to the boundary between tropical and subtropical climates (18 °C (64 °F) in the coldest month), thus is either classified as a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cfa ), which is the classification used by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , or a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw ). Lee County has short, warm winters, and long, hot, humid summers, with most of

324-403: Is a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. It was one of the first areas of Florida to break away from a Solid South voting pattern. The last Democratic presidential candidate to win the county was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944. Since then, Adlai Stevenson II , Lyndon Johnson , Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama have been the only Democrats to manage 40 percent of the vote. Lee County

378-940: Is a public university located just south of the Southwest Florida International Airport in South Fort Myers. The university belongs to the 12-campus State University System of Florida . FGCU competes in the ASUN Conference in NCAA Division I sports. The school is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate's , 51 different types of bachelor's , 29 different master's , and six types of doctoral degrees. The parks are maintained by

432-630: Is also responsible for corrections, court operations, and civil proceedings. There are multiple specialized units within the agency including Aviation, K9, SOU, Fugitive Warrants, Marine, Electronic Surveillance, and Tactical Narcotics Teams. Colleges in Lee County include Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), Barry University , Nova Southeastern University , Florida SouthWestern State College , Cape Coral Technical College, Fort Myers Technical College, Hodges University , Keiser University , Southern Technical College , and Rasmussen College . FGCU

486-482: Is controlled directly by the county government. It is also very common for incorporated municipalities to contract county services in order to save costs and avoid redundancy. The region is designated as one of Florida's 4 districts for the Committee of Southern Historic Preservation (C-SHP). The district has been represented by Tommy Stolly since 2013. Southwest Florida is served by several major highways, including

540-537: Is from Fort Myers, and was instrumental in bringing his team to the city for spring training. The deal for JetBlue Park left City of Palms Park without a tenant. County officials have discussed the possibility of securing another team for City of Palms. Terry Park Ballfield (also known as the Park T. Pigott Memorial Stadium) in East Fort Myers is also not currently in use by a Major League Baseball team, though it

594-472: Is located in southwestern Florida , United States, on the Gulf Coast . As of the 2020 census , its population was 760,822. In 2022, the population was 822,453, making it the eighth-most populous county in the state. The county seat is Fort Myers , with a population of 86,395 as of the 2020 census, and the largest city is Cape Coral , with an estimated 2020 population of 194,016. The county comprises

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648-549: Is represented in the United States House of Representatives by Byron Donalds of the 19th district and by Greg Steube of the 17th district . Most of the county is in the 19th, while the far eastern portion is in the 17th. As of May 31, 2024. A small port operation continues in Boca Grande , being used as a way-point for oil distribution. However, Port Boca Grande has been in decline for many years as

702-419: Is the traditional home for Major League Baseball spring training, with teams informally organized into the " Grapefruit League ." As of 2004 , Southwest Florida hosts the following major league teams for spring training: Communities listed have a population greater than 30,000 according to the 2000 census . Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area Lee County

756-534: The Caloosahatchee Bridge is located north. It carries County Road 884 , which is known as Colonial Boulevard on the Fort Myers side, and Veterans Parkway on the Cape Coral side. Building a second bridge between Cape Coral and Fort Myers was first proposed in the 1970s, but construction was delayed for many years, largely due to opposition in Fort Myers. After a series of court battles, reaching

810-637: The Caloosahatchee culture (500 to 1750 AD). By the time of European contact, the area was more specifically occupied by the Calusa . After European contact, fishermen from Cuba and other Spanish colonies set up fishing camps, known as ranchos in Spanish, on the southern portion of the Gulf Coast of Florida. These ranchos extended from Charlotte Harbor south to San Carlos Bay and the mouth of

864-646: The Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport straddling the line between Southwest Florida and the Miami metropolitan area . SeaPort Manatee provides a full range of port services for commercial, industrial and cruise ship purposes. Seminole Gulf Railway provides freight services throughout Southwest Florida. The Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air Line, and the Florida East Coast provide Florida with an intriguing history since most of

918-728: The North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota MSA , the Cape Coral-Fort Myers MSA , the Naples-Marco Island MSA , and the Punta Gorda MSA . The most populous county in the region is Lee County (760,822 population), and the region's largest city is Cape Coral with a population of 194,016 as of 2020. Nomadic Paleo-Indians inhabited southwestern Florida during the last ice age around 10,000 BC. The Paleo-Indians gave way to

972-713: The Sanibel Causeway . On the Cape Coral side of the bridge, there is a replica of the statue from the Marine Corps War Memorial in Rosslyn, Virginia (which is just outside Washington, D.C. ). The statue depicts the six U.S Marines raising the American flag at the Battle of Iwo Jima . On the Fort Myers side, there is a small Vietnam War Memorial. Southwest Florida Definitions of

1026-908: The Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) and the Interstate 75 freeway , both of which connect the area to Tampa to the north, and Greater Miami–Ft. Lauderdale to the east. Long-term cooperative infrastructure planning is coordinated by the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council ( web site ), and in heavily populated Lee County , the Metropolitan Planning Organization . Greyhound Lines serves several locations in Southwest Florida, including Bradenton , Fort Myers , Naples , Port Charlotte , Punta Gorda and Sarasota . Southwest Florida International Airport , located to

1080-698: The U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 1,212 square miles (3,140 km ), of which 428 square miles (1,110 km ) (35.3%) are covered by water. Rivers and streams include the Caloosahatchee River , the Imperial River , the Estero River , Hendry Creek, and Orange River. Lee County is on the southwest coast of Florida. It is about 125 miles (201 km) south of Tampa , 115 miles (185 km) west of Fort Lauderdale via Interstate 75 , and roughly 125 miles (201 km) west-northwest of Miami via U.S. Highway 41 . Lee County has

1134-531: The 12-campus State University System of Florida . FGCU competes in the ASUN Conference in NCAA Division I sports. FGCU is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate's , 51 different types of bachelor's , 29 different master's , and 6 types of doctoral degrees. The following table shows the professional teams and major NCAA Division 1 teams that play in Southwest Florida. Florida

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1188-555: The 1870s, Tervio Padilla, a wealthy merchant from the Canary Islands, came by way of Key West to Cayo Costa and established trade with natives and "ranchos" that extended northward to Charlotte Harbor. His ships often made port at Cayo Costa at the entrance to the harbor. Enchanted by the tropical island, he eventually decided to settle there. Padilla prospered until the outbreak of the Spanish–American War , when his fleet

1242-579: The American Civil War. Fort Myers first became a nationally known winter resort with the opening of the Royal Palm Hotel in 1898, built by New York City department store magnate Hugh O'Neill. Fort Myers was the frequent winter home of Thomas Edison , as well as Henry Ford . In 1911, Fort Myers was incorporated as a city. In 1923, Collier and Hendry Counties were created by splitting these areas from Lee County. Construction of

1296-625: The Caloosahatchee. Likely established in the latter part of the 1600s, they were precursors to the larger European settlements that would be established in the following centuries. As the 18th century came to an end, the Calusa who had once inhabited the area were replaced with the Seminole . In particular, in 1799, an Indian agent noted the existence of a Seminole town on the "Cull-oo-saw-hat-che" or Caloosahatchee River. After Florida became

1350-540: The Calusa, the "shell people." The Calusa thrived on the southwest Florida coast and numbered over 50,000 when the first Spaniards reached the peninsula in the 16th century. The arrival of the Europeans was devastating to the Calusa, as diseases such as smallpox and measles decimated the population. Eventually the Seminole would arrive from points to the north and establish themselves on the peninsula. Southwest Florida

1404-456: The Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and Havana . Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport serves as the secondary airport for the region and the primary airport for American and Canadian travelers hoping to travel to the northern part of Southwest Florida, flying as far west as Denver , as far north as Toronto Pearson and Minneapolis , and as far east as Boston . In 2021,

1458-724: The Cape Coral–Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area ( MSA ), which, along with the Naples - Marco Island ( Collier County ) MSA and the Clewiston ( Hendry County , Glades County ) Micropolitan Statistical Area ( μSA ), is included in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers-Naples Combined Statistical Area ( CSA ). Lee County was established in 1887 from Monroe County . Fort Myers is the county seat and

1512-615: The Downtown Intermodal Transfer Center ; in addition, suburb-to-suburb routes are operated, as well as park-and-ride service to and from both Fort Myers Beach and Southwest Florida International Airport. The Downtown Intermodal Transfer Center in Fort Myers also serves as an intermediate stop on Greyhound Lines bus service. Newspapers include The News-Press and Florida Weekly . Arbitron standard radio market: Ft Myers-Naples- Marco Island . With an Arbitron-assigned 783,100 listening area population,

1566-625: The Florida Supreme Court, construction began in 1995, and the bridge opened for traffic on October 19, 1997. Earlier in 1959, the bridge's location was considered a possible location of the Cape Coral Bridge before its current location was determined. The Midpoint Memorial Bridge was constructed as part of the extension of Colonial Boulevard into Cape Coral . Before construction, Colonial Boulevard terminated at State Road 867 (McGregor Boulevard), which runs parallel to

1620-554: The Fort Myers area. A cross-town rivalry has developed with the Minnesota Twins , which conduct their spring training at Hammond Stadium in south Lee County, which has a capacity of 7,500 and opened in 1991. The Red Sox' lease with Fort Myers ran through 2019, but the Red Sox were considering exercising the early out in their contract that would have allowed them to leave following the 2009 spring season. On October 28, 2008,

1674-520: The Lee County commission voted 3–1 to approve an agreement with the Boston Red Sox to build a new spring-training facility for the team in south Lee County. That stadium, named JetBlue Park at Fenway South, is located off Daniels Parkway near Southwest Florida International Airport. The stadium opened in time for the 2012 season. City of Palms Park had been built in 1992 for the Red Sox' spring training. Former Red Sox left fielder Mike Greenwell

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1728-599: The South's classic lines are operated here. Tourism is a major economic driver in the area. The warm winter climate draws tourists from across the United States, Canada, and Europe. Major attractions/destinations: Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is a public university located just south of the Southwest Florida International Airport in South Fort Myers in Lee County, Florida . The university belongs to

1782-632: The Tamiami Trail Bridge, built across the Caloosahatchee River in 1924, sparked the city's growth. After the bridge's construction, the city experienced its first real estate boom and many subdivisions sprouted around the city. In 1927, a property purchased by the City of Fort Myers was turned into an airport, eventually called Page Field . During World War II , Page Field served as an advanced fighter training base and home to

1836-594: The airport served 3.16 million passengers, a new record for the airport. General aviation airports sprawl across the region, with the airport in Naples being the twelfth busiest in the nation for private jet traffic. The region also hosts general aviation facilities at namesake airports in various locations including Immokalee , Buckingham , LaBelle , Arcadia , Marco Island , Punta Gorda , and Venice , as well as at Fort Myers' Page Field , Placida's Coral Creek Airport , Everglades Airpark near Everglades City , and

1890-415: The annual mean being 75.1 °F (23.9 °C). Records range from 24 °F (−4 °C) on December 29, 1894 up to 103 °F (39 °C) on June 16–17, 1981. As of the 2020 United States census , 760,822 people, 288,916 households, and 187,877 families resided in the county. About 4.6% of that population was under 5 years old, 17.3% was under 18, and 29.2% was 65 or older; 51.0% was female; 89.3%

1944-451: The city experienced a significant influx of settlers. In 1885, when Fort Myers was incorporated, its population of 349 residents made it 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. Lee County was formed in 1887 from Monroe County , with Fort Myers serving as the county seat. It was named for Robert E. Lee , Confederate general in

1998-1006: The county's Parks & Recreation Department. The department also maintains spring training facilities for the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins . Some of the main tourist attractions in Southwest Florida are its beaches. Lee County is home to ten beach parks and an additional seven beach accesses, maintained by Lee County Parks & Recreation. Popular beaches include Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel and Captiva Island, Bonita Beach, Bunchee Beach, and Lovers Key. The Lee County Library System has 13 branches. The towns of Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island, though located in Lee County, maintain their own independent public library entities. The Lee County Library System currently provides more than 294,000 county residents with over 1.5 million items and materials available for use or patron circulation, as well as an online library materials catalog, free wi-fi, public computer access, and scanning and printing capabilities. Unlike most urban counties, Lee County

2052-738: The first major corporation to relocate to Lee County. The largest employers in Lee County as of 2019 are: The Lee County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency for Lee County, Florida headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida . The Lee County Sheriff's Office responds to all calls for service within unincorporated Lee County and employs civilian dispatchers who provide dispatch for LCSO Deputies and Florida Southwestern State College Police. The Cape Coral Police Department , Fort Myers Police Department , Sanibel Police Department and Lee County Port Authority Police maintain their own police dispatch centers. The Lee County Sheriff's Office

2106-571: The fort and the Confederate forces retreated. After the war, the fort was again deserted. The fort was later disassembled and some of its wood was used to build parts of downtown Fort Myers. During the Civil War, Fort Myers was occupied by federal troops with the intention of disrupting the Confederate cattle supply from Florida. In February 1865, it was the site of the Battle of Fort Myers . The first settlers in Fort Myers arrived in 1866. In

2160-478: The fort was abandoned. Billy's Creek, which flows into the Caloosahatchee River, was named after a temporary camp where Billy Bowlegs and his men awaited ships to take them west. In 1863, the fort was reoccupied by federal troops during the Civil War . In 1865, in the Battle of Fort Myers , the fort was attacked by a small group of Confederates. The Union's garrison, led by Captain James Doyle, successfully held

2214-434: The hotel on the corner of First and Fowler was torn down. Lee County has been the host to several Major League Baseball teams for spring training over the past several decades. The county received a boost in 1983 when Southwest Florida Regional Airport (now known as Southwest Florida International Airport ) opened. On August 13, 2004, the county was struck by Hurricane Charley , a category 4 storm, particularly on

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2268-542: The intersection with US 41 . The bridge is owned by the Lee County Department of Transportation. There is a two-dollar toll for westbound vehicles only and no toll for eastbound traffic. Florida's statewide SunPass prepaid electronic toll collection system is accepted on the Midpoint Bridge, along with Lee County's Leeway prepaid toll system, which is also used on the Cape Coral Bridge and

2322-710: The metropolitan area ranks 62/299 for the fall of 2006. The metropolitan area is home to 32 radio stations . Nielsen Media Research designated market area : Ft. Myers-Naples Number of TV homes: 479,130 2006–2007 U.S. rank: 64/210 Fort Myers is home to Florida Gulf Coast University . Its teams, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles , play in NCAA Division I in the ASUN Conference . The Eagles' men's basketball team had an average attendance of 2,291 in 2013. The Boston Red Sox hold their annual spring training at JetBlue Park at Fenway South in

2376-469: The northwestern islands of Captiva , Gasparilla , and North Captiva . On September 10, 2017, Lee County was struck by Hurricane Irma as a category 2 storm. On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall on Lee County as a category 4 storm, causing major damage to Sanibel , Pine Island , and surrounding areas. Sanibel Causeway partially collapsed in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. 71 deaths occurred in Lee County as of October 4. According to

2430-500: The primary economic driver being agriculture . Important products grown in this area include tomatoes , beef , sugarcane , and citrus products including oranges . Agricultural harvesting in Southwest Florida employs approximately 16,000 seasonal workers, 90 percent of which are thought to be migrants . Each county in the region has its own county government. Within each county, there are also self-governing cities, towns and villages. The remaining majority of land in each county

2484-588: The region vary, though its boundaries are generally considered to put it south of the Tampa Bay area , west of Lake Okeechobee , and mostly north of the Everglades and to include Manatee , Sarasota , Charlotte , Lee , and Collier counties. For some purposes, the inland counties of DeSoto , Glades , and Hendry , and the thinly populated mainland section of Monroe County , south of Collier, are also included. The region includes four metropolitan areas:

2538-507: The river. In Cape Coral, CR 884 (locally known as Veterans Parkway) now terminates at SR 78 (Pine Island Road) near Matlacha , and includes an overpass over the intersection with Del Prado Boulevard ( CR 867A ). The addition of the Midpoint Memorial Bridge resulted in several ancillary road projects in Fort Myers . Colonial Boulevard was widened to six lanes and overpasses were constructed over McGregor Boulevard and at

2592-418: The several bomber groups. Following the war, a small terminal was built in the mid-1950s as the airport transitioned to commercial use. Another airfield was constructed in 1942 called Buckingham Army Airfield . The base was closed down in 1945, after which the barracks served as classrooms for Edison College until 1948. Following the end of World War II, the Royal Palm Hotel was closed permanently, and in 1947,

2646-564: The shipping industry has moved north, especially to the Port of Tampa . In addition, a private enterprise operates a high-speed, passenger-only ferry service between Fort Myers Beach from San Carlos Island and Key West . Another ferry service is offered from Fort Myers to Key West. Fixed-route bus service is provided by the Lee County Transit Department , operated as " LeeTran ". Several routes extend outward from

2700-482: The south of Fort Myers, is the area's primary airport for commercial traffic, serving 10.3 million passengers in 2021 and becoming one of the 50 busiest airports in the United States. Since 2022, the Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings Discover operates a direct route between Fort Myers and Frankfurt Airport , the sole nonstop flight to Europe in the region; the airport also facilitates travel between 28 states as well as

2754-519: The year's rainfall occurring from June to September. The temperature rarely rises to 100 °F (38 °C) or lowers to the freezing mark. At 89, Lee County leads the nation in the number of days annually in which a thunderstorm is close enough for thunder to be heard. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 64.2 °F (17.9 °C) in January to 83.4 °F (28.6 °C) in August, with

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2808-413: Was 25 years or older were high-school graduates and 28.5% of those 25 years or older had a bachelor's degree or higher. The median household income was $ 59,608 with a per capita income of $ 34,818. About 10.5% of population below the poverty threshold . The median value of owner-occupied housing units between 2016 and 2020 was $ 235,300 and the median gross rent was $ 1,225. Around 94.2% of the households had

2862-463: Was burned and scuttled. He then turned to another means of livelihood – fishing. When the government claimed his land, he was disinclined to set up another ranch, so moved with his wife further down the island and as before, simply homesteaded. The Padilla family is one of the first pioneer families of Lee County and many still reside within the county, mainly around the Pine Island area. In 1882,

2916-663: Was mostly not developed until the Florida land boom of the 1920s . The Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) expanded south from Tampa . There has been a major real estate boom focusing on downtown Fort Myers (high-rise residential condominiums); southern Lee County (commercial development and high-technology ); eastern Collier County (residential development); and eastern parts of Bradenton . Numerous efforts in recent years have been made to reduce development and preserve open space and recreational areas. Inland counties ( DeSoto , Hendry and Glades Counties) are notably rural, with

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