Fort Myers, Florida

Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers and Cape Coral from space, July 1997
Nickname:  City of Palms
Location in Florida
Country   State     County	United States   Florida     Lee County
Founded	March 24, 1886
Government
• Mayor	Jim Humphrey
Population  (2005)
• City	61,412
• Metro	544,758
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Website	http://www.cityftmyers.com

Fort Myers is the county seatTemplate:GR 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 61,412 (pushing past the 50,000 mark in 2003).

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.[1]

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 (RSW) is located southeast of the city in South Fort Myers, near Gateway and Lehigh Acres.

Interesting facts

• The first known resident of Fort Myers was Manuel Gonzalez, a Cuban immigrant who settled there in the 19th century.
• Fort Myers Senior High School, an International Baccalaureate school, was ranked as one of the best schools in the nation by Newsweek magazine.
• American Idol runner-up Vonzell Solomon graduated from Cypress Lake High School's Center for the Arts.
• In the premier episode of the final season of The Sopranos, Eugene Pontecorvo inherits $2 million from a relative and asks Tony Soprano if he can take the money and buy a retirement home in Fort Myers.
• The above ground scenes of the movie "Day of the Dead" were filmed at Page Field Airport, and Downtown Fort Myers

Higher Learning

• Edison College
• Southwest Florida College
• International College
• Nova Southeastern University
• Florida Gulf Coast University

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 104.7 km² (40.4 mi²). 82.4 km² (31.8 mi²) of it is land and 22.2 km² (8.6 mi²) of it (21.25%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 48,208 people, 19,107 households, and 10,738 families residing in the city. The population density was 584.8/km² (1,514.6/mi²). There were 21,836 housing units at an average density of 264.9/km² (686.1/mi²). 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.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,514, and the median income for a family was $32,477. Males had a median income of $26,292 versus $20,529 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,312. About 18.1% of families and 21.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.3% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

Points of interest

• Edison and Ford Winter Estates
• The city is the home of the Fort Myers Miracle baseball club of the Florida State League, and is the spring training locale for the Boston Red Sox. The Minnesota Twins hold their spring training in suburban South Fort Myers.
• Fort Myers shares the Florida Everblades ECHL hockey team, Florida Firecats af2 arena football, and Florida Flame NBA Development League basketball team with nearby Naples.

Famous people from Fort Myers

• Earnest Graham - NFL Player - RB - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Greg Spires - NFL Player - DE - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (current team), New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns
• Phillip Buchanon - NFL player - CB - Houston Texans (current team), Oakland Raiders
• Jevon Kearse - NFL player - DE - Philadelphia Eagles (current team), Tennessee Titans
• Deion Sanders - Former NFL player - CB - Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, Baltimore Ravens; Former MLB Player - New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants
• Vonzell Solomon - American Idol 3rd place finisher
• Elissa Steamer - Pro skateboarder
• Mike Greenwell - Former MLB Player and current NASCAR driver
• Anthony Henry - NFL Player - CB - Dallas Cowboys (current team), Cleveland Browns
• Mindy McCready, country music artist
• Cliff Williams - bass player for the rock band AC/DC

External links

• City of Fort Myers
• Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce