Fort Myers is the county seat and commercial center of Lee County in Florida, with a population of 74,000. Fort Myers is a gateway to the Southwest Florida region and a major tourist destination within Florida. The city is located 125 miles (200 km) southwest of Tampa and 137 miles (220 km) northwest of Miami. The winter homes of Thomas Edison (“Seminole Lodge”) and Henry Ford (“The Mangoes”) are a primary tourist attraction in the region. The city is named after Colonel Abraham Myers. The geographic statistical area is serviced by Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), located southeast of the city. Fort Myers was one of the first forts built along the Caloosahatchee River as a base of operations against the Seminole Indians during the American Indian Wars. During the Seminole Wars, Fort Myers was a strategic location for its visibility and access to Atlantic waterways. During the American Civil War, Confederate blockade runners and cattle ranchers called Fort Myers home. These settlers prospered through trading with Seminole Indians and Union Soldiers. read more…
Cape Coral is a city located in Lee County in Florida on the Gulf of Mexico. Founded in 1957 and developed as a master-planned, pre-platted community, the city grew to a population of 180,000 by the year 2015. Cape Coral is the largest city between Tampa and Miami. It is a principal city in the Cape Coral – Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is known as a “Waterfront Wonderland”, with over 400 mi (640 km) of navigable waterways, Cape Coral has more miles of canals than any other city in the world. read more…
