Lee County in a Nutshell

Encircled by an innate beauty and just a hop to the Gulf of Mexico, Lee County in Southwest Florida has all that is needed to help you make the right choice when it comes to living a prosperous and healthily life in Fort Myers. 

There are approximately 10 million people living within a 150-mile radius of Fort Myers. Projections are that this will increase to more than 13 million by 2010. City planners and managers are working diligently to insure that with this increase the area’s infrastructure will meet the estimated growth. A new airport is under construction to cope with expanding visitors and one of Florida's larges universities, Florida Gulf Coast University, FGCU is adding more facilities in preparation for this escalating population. 

Several major travel and business magazines list Fort Myers and Cape Coral among the top 25 cities, ranking them as the fastest growing metro areas through the year 2005. The magazines use population projections from Woods & Poole Economics, Inc. Both cities have been selected by demographic analysts as 5-star communities for job growth, population growth and small business growth.

Lee County and Southwest Florida sustained tremendous growth in population from 1990 to 2000 increasing 32% in Lee County and 39% in the region.

The fastest growing segment of Lee County's population from 1980 to 1997 was the 25-44 year age group, growing by 119%. The 18-24 age group in Lee County is expected to grow 30% faster than Florida and 130% faster than the United States rates.

Statistics from U.S. Census Bureau rank Fort Myers - Cape Coral as the 4th fastest growing metro area in the United States. That growth has continued in the 1990's with Lee County remaining in the top 20 from 1990 to 2000.

Lee County Infrastructure

Lee County offers new and expanding transportation networks, including the Interstate 75 corridor connecting Lee County to Tampa to the north and Miami to the east. A $386 million creation of a  new Southwest Florida International Airport will double the size of the existing terminal.

Southwest Florida International is the 57th busiest airport in the United States and is projected by the Federal Aviation Administration to be the eighth fastest growing airport in the nation until 2010. The airport has experienced extraordinary growth in traffic since its first year of operation in 1984. Passenger traffic increased 297% between 1984 and 2000. The airport is currently in the process of a $386-million expansion and offers state-of-the-art storage, just-in-time freight transfer, less congestion, more competitive rates, faster turnaround and greater security than many older ports of entry.

Sprint/Florida and KMC Telecom both offer SONET ring service, with a survivable fiber-optic system that prevents phone service interruptions. Sprint/Florida is the local service provider in Lee County, and residential rates are below the national average.