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{{Fort_Myers_Radio}}
{{Fort_Myers_Radio}}

A major daily newspaper called [http://www.news-press.com The News-Press], owned by Gannett, has been serving the area since 1884.


==Crime==
==Crime==

Revision as of 21:44, 12 October 2012

City of Fort Myers, Florida
City
Fort Myers
Fort Myers
Nickname: 
City of Palms
U.S. Census Bureau map showing city limits
U.S. Census Bureau map showing city limits
U.S. Census Bureau map showing city limits
U.S. Census Bureau map showing city limits
CountryUnited States
StateFlorida
CountyLee
FoundedMarch 24, 1886
Government
 • MayorRandy Henderson, Jr.
Area
 • City40.4 sq mi (104.7 km2)
 • Land31.8 sq mi (82.4 km2)
 • Water8.6 sq mi (82.4 km2)  21.25%
Elevation
10 ft (3 m)
Population
 (2010)[1]
 • City62,298
 • Density1,500/sq mi (600/km2)
 • Metro
618,754
 2010 U.S. Census
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
33900-33999
Area code239
FIPS code12-24125Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0282700Template:GR
Websitehttp://www.cityftmyers.com

Fort Myers is the county seatTemplate:GR and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. Its population was 62,298 in the 2010 census,[1] a 29.23 percent increase over the 2000 figure.

The city is one of two major cities that make up the Cape Coral-Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area, the other being Cape Coral. The 2010 population for the metropolitan area was 618,754.[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. 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 struck 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.

History

Typical architecture in downtown Fort Myers

Fort Myers was one of the first forts built along the Caloosahatchee River as a base of operations against the Seminole Indians. Fort Denaud, Fort Thompson, and Fort Dulany (Punta Rassa) all pre-date Fort Myers. When a hurricane destroyed Fort Dulany in October 1841, the military was forced to look for a site less exposed to storms from the Gulf of Mexico. As a result of the search, Fort Harvie was built on the grounds that now comprise downtown Fort Myers. Renewed war against the Seminoles in 1850 caused a re-occupation and extensive reconstruction of Fort Harvie.

Fort Harvie began in 1850 as a military fort in response to Seminole Indians who were in conflict with the area's settlers. It was renamed in 1850 for Col. Abraham C. Myers, who was stationed in Florida for seven years and was the son-in-law of the fort's founder and commander. In 1858, after years of elusive battle, Chief Billy Bowlegs and his warriors were persuaded to surrender and move west, and the fort was abandoned. Billy Creek, which flows into the Caloosahatchee River and runs between Dean Park and Fort Myers Broadcasting, was named after a temporary camp where Billy Bowlegs and his men awaited ships to take them west.

The fort was abandoned and stood empty until December 1863, when Union Army troops re-occupied it during the Civil War. On February 20, 1865, the fort was attacked by three companies of Florida militia, determined to end the Union cattle raids against local ranches. The Confederate state troops demanded the fort surrender, but the Union commander refused, and sporadic firing continued through most of the day. The Confederates retreated after dark. One Union soldier was killed and three wounded in the Battle of Fort Myers. One Florida militiaman had been wounded. Even though the attack had been driven off, the Union troops abandoned Fort Myers the following month.

The first settlers arrived in 1866, but not until 1882 did the area experience a significant influx of settlers. Three years later, however, when Fort Myers was incorporated, it was the second largest city after Tampa on Florida's west coast south of Cedar Key, larger than Clearwater and Sarasota, also growing cities at the time.

Fort Myers first became a nationally known winter resort with the building of the Royal Palm Hotel in 1898.[2] Access was greatly improved with the opening of a 28-mile (45 km) extension of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad from Punta Gorda to Fort Myers on May 10, 1904, giving Lee County both passenger and freight service.[3] But what really sparked the city's growth was the construction of the Tamiami Trail Bridge across the Caloosahatchee River in 1924. After the bridge's construction, the city experienced its first real estate boom, and many subdivisions sprouted around the city.

Geography and climate

Fort Myers and Cape Coral from space, July 1997.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 40.4 square miles (105 km2). 31.8 square miles (82 km2) of it is land, and 8.6 square miles (22 km2) of it (21.25%) is water.

Fort Myers has 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), and is thus either classified as a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), which is the classification used by NOAA,[4] or a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw).[5] Notwithstanding the classification, the area has short, warm winters, and long, hot, humid summers, with most of the year's rainfall falling from June to September. At eighty-nine, Fort Myers leads the nation in the number of days annually in which a thunderstorm is close enough for thunder to be heard.[6] Monthly averages range from 64.9 °F (18.3 °C) in January to 83.1 °F (28.4 °C) in August, with the annual average being 74.9 °F (23.8 °C). Records range from 25°F to 104°F.[citation needed]

Climate data for Fort Myers, FL (Page Field), 1981-2010
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 90
(32) 		92
(33) 		93
(34) 		96
(36) 		99
(37) 		103
(39) 		101
(38) 		100
(38) 		98
(37) 		95
(35) 		95
(35) 		90
(32) 		103
(39)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 74.6
(23.7) 		77.0
(25.0) 		80.1
(26.7) 		84.4
(29.1) 		89.2
(31.8) 		91.4
(33.0) 		91.7
(33.2) 		91.7
(33.2) 		90.2
(32.3) 		86.6
(30.3) 		81.3
(27.4) 		76.5
(24.7) 		84.6
(29.2)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 53.5
(11.9) 		56.0
(13.3) 		59.3
(15.2) 		63.2
(17.3) 		68.6
(20.3) 		73.6
(23.1) 		74.6
(23.7) 		75.1
(23.9) 		74.3
(23.5) 		69.0
(20.6) 		62.1
(16.7) 		56.4
(13.6) 		65.5
(18.6)
Record low °F (°C) 27
(−3) 		27
(−3) 		33
(1) 		39
(4) 		50
(10) 		58
(14) 		66
(19) 		65
(18) 		63
(17) 		45
(7) 		34
(1) 		24
(−4) 		24
(−4)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.89
(48) 		2.13
(54) 		2.84
(72) 		2.02
(51) 		2.72
(69) 		10.28
(261) 		9.14
(232) 		10.21
(259) 		8.55
(217) 		2.67
(68) 		1.92
(49) 		1.69
(43) 		56.06
(1,424)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 5.5 5.2 6.2 4.2 6.8 16.0 17.6 17.9 15.4 6.8 4.4 4.5 110.5
Source: NOAA [7]

Demography

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1890575—
190094364.0%
19102,463161.2%
19203,67849.3%
19309,082146.9%
194010,60416.8%
195013,19524.4%
196022,52370.7%
197027,35121.4%
198036,63834.0%
199045,20623.4%
200048,2086.6%
201062,29829.2%
Population 1890-2010.[8]
Fort Myers Demographics
2010 Census Fort Myers Lee County Florida
Total population 62,298 618,754 18,801,310
Population, percent change, 2000 to 2010 +29.2% +40.3% +17.6%
Population density 1,559.1/sq mi 788.7/sq mi 350.6/sq mi
White or Caucasian (including White Hispanic) 54.6% 83.0% 75.0%
(Non-Hispanic White or Caucasian) 44.6% 71.0% 57.9%
Black or African-American 32.3% 8.3% 16.0%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 20.0% 18.3% 22.5%
Asian 1.6% 1.4% 2.4%
Native American or Native Alaskan 0.6% 0.4% 0.4%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian 0.1% 0.1% 0.1%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 2.8% 2.1% 2.5%
Some Other Race 8.0% 4.7% 3.6%

As of 2010, there were 35,138 households out of which 28.9% were vacant. In 2000, 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 2000, 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.

Languages

As of 2000, English spoken as a first language accounted for 79.79% of all residents, while 20.20% spoke other languages as their mother tongue. The most significant were Spanish speakers who made up 12.99% of the population, while French Creole came up as the third most spoken language, which made up 3.46%, French was at fourth, with 1.68%, and also German at 0.55% of the population.[9]

Government

Fort Myers is governed by a six member city council. Each member is elected from a single member ward. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote. Policing of the city is by the Fort Myers Police Department.

Economy

Chico's FAS is based in Fort Myers.

Education

Secondary schools

Old Paul Lawrence Dunbar School

See: Lee County School District for other public schools in the area.

Secondary schools in the city include:

Higher education

Institutions of higher learning in the city include:

Baseball

Boston Red Sox

Former Boston Red Sox left fielder Mike Greenwell is from Fort Myers, and was instrumental in bringing his team to the city for spring training. City of Palms Park was built in 1992 for that purpose and holds 8,000 people. A cross-town rivalry has developed with the Minnesota Twins, who conduct their spring training at Hammond Stadium in south Lee County, which has a capacity of 7,500 and opened in 1991.

Red Sox logo on the fence outside the City of Palms Park

The Red Sox's lease with Fort Myers runs 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. Chief operating officer Mike Dee met with Sarasota officials on April 25, 2008 to discuss the possibility of the Red Sox moving to Sarasota's Ed Smith Stadium once its current spring inhabitants, the Cincinnati Reds, move to their new spring home in Goodyear, Arizona. Representatives of the Baltimore Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers have also met with officials from Sarasota.

On October 28, 2008, 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. Commissioner Brian Bigelow was the lone dissenting vote. Commissioner Bob Janes was not present for the vote, but stated that he supported it.

The new stadium, named jetBlue Park at Fenway South, is located off of Daniels Parkway near the former entrance to Southwest Florida International Airport and the community of Gateway. It opened in time for the 2012 Spring training season.

County officials have talked for months about the possibility of securing another team for City of Palms. The Washington Nationals moving to the park is currently a possibility, and negotiations are currently underway.[16][17] 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 is the former home of the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals.

City of Palms Classic

The City of Palms Classic is an annual high school basketball tournament held in Fort Myers, Florida.

Points of interest

The Edison Theatre, in the downtown historic district
Murphy-Burroughs House

Media

The metro area has TV broadcasting stations that serve the Fort Myers-Naples Designated Market Area (DMA) as defined by Nielsen Media Research.

A major daily newspaper called The News-Press, owned by Gannett, has been serving the area since 1884.

Crime

Unmarked graves

In March 2007, the remains of eight people were found in a wooded area in Fort Myers, leading to an ongoing investigation for a possible serial killer. So far three of the victims have been identified (using DNA) as Erik Kohler, John James Tihay and John Blevins. Derek C. Gair was briefly considered a suspect in early 2008.[20][21] This case has also been profiled on America's Most Wanted.[22]

Crime statistics

The crime rates per 100,000 people for the Ft. Myers/Cape Coral MSA were :

Crime Cape Coral-Fort Myers MSA crime rate[23] U.S. National Average[24]
Murder 7.6 5.4
Rape 26.0 29.3
Robbery 128.2 145.3
Assault 307.0 274.6
Burglary 1025.5 730.8
Theft 2236.6 2167.0
Motor Vehicle Theft 247.0 314.7

Notable people

Fort Myers has experienced steady population growth.

Present

Past

The Mangoes: Henry Ford's Winter home
  • The abandoned city scene from the 1985 movie Day of the Dead was filmed in downtown Fort Myers.[53][54]
  • Some courthouse and other "city" scenes in Just Cause were filmed in downtown Ft. Myers.[55]
  • The 1999 independent film Trans was filmed in Fort Myers, Florida.[56]

References

  1. ^ a b c "American FactFinder2". Census.gov. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  2. ^ Photo
  3. ^ Turner, Gregg M., "A Journey Into Florida Railroad History", University Press of Florida, Library of Congress card number 2007050375, ISBN 978-0-8130-3233-7, page 156.
  4. ^ http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/documentlibrary/ewdcd/ewdstations-wmo.pdf
  5. ^ "Köppen Climate Classification Map:". Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska, Department of Climate Science. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  6. ^ "Weather Variety - Annual Days With Thunderstorms". Weatherpages.com. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  7. ^ "NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 2012-02-13.
  8. ^ "Census Of Population And Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-05-19.
  9. ^ Modern Language Association Data Center Results of Fort Myers, Florida.
  10. ^ 2007 Scores. Dunbar is also Home to the First Ever Microsoft Certified High School in the world. Offering Certifications for its students ranging from company's including Microsoft, Cisco, and Comptia.
  11. ^ America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com
  12. ^ [1][dead link]
  13. ^ "Keiser University- Ft. Myers". Keiser University. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  14. ^ "NSU Campus info". Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  15. ^ "Rasmussen College- Ft. Myers campus". Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  16. ^ "Lee County commissioners approve Red Sox agreement". Retrieved 2008-10-29.
  17. ^ "Lee County requests permission to enter into negotiations with Nationals about new spring home, Washington Times". Retrieved 2012-03-22.
  18. ^ "Art of the Olympians". Art of the Olympians. 2011-03-05. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  19. ^ "Welcome to Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium". Calusanature.com. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  20. ^ "Bone investigation solves 1 mystery, opens another". CNN. January 10, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  21. ^ [2][dead link]
  22. ^ "Fugitives | Unknown Fort Myers Eight Killer | Brief". AMW. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  23. ^ FBI crime rate tables by MSA (2008)
  24. ^ FBI crime rate tables (2008)
  25. ^ "Broadcasters | twinsbaseball.com: Team". Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  26. ^ Nobles, Charlie (November 27, 2001). "COLLEGES; Hurricanes' Buchanon Might Be the Best of the Best". The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  27. ^ a b Lawler, Jerry (2002). It's Good to be the King...Sometimes. World Wrestling Entertainment. ISBN 978-0-7434-5768-2.
  28. ^ "'Bama's mountain of a nosetackle: 365-pound Terrence Cody". CNN. September 25, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  29. ^ "Pro Profiles - Bill Davey Pro Bodybuilding Profile". Bodybuilders.com. 1966-07-20. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  30. ^ Peek into inner circle shows Noel Devine's no deviant, August 28, 2006
  31. ^ By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM (2006-05-17). "Ex-ballplayer Greenwell to make Truck debut - May 17, 2006". Nascar.Com. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  32. ^ "Mario Henderson". Nfl.com. 1984-10-29. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  33. ^ "Nolan Henke - Golf - CBSSports.com PGA". Cbssports.com. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  34. ^ Hildebrand Hired as First Diving Coach at Florida Gulf Coast, August 31, 2006
  35. ^ "Smesko announces signings of transfers » Naples Daily News". Naplesnews.com. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  36. ^ Adam Johnson MLB RHP Stats & P4x4 Boggerpress Champion!
  37. ^ "Freak Of Nature". CNN. August 28, 2000. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  38. ^ "Terri Kimball - Terri Kimball Nude - Terri Kimball Pics". Playboy.com. 2009-01-27. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  39. ^ "Singer Mindy McCready taken into custody". USA Today. July 26, 2007. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  40. ^ LPGA Tour profile for Terry-Jo Myers
  41. ^ Wetzel, Dan. "Final curtain for the Kimbo show - UFC - Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  42. ^ "Warner Music Canada - Plies". Warnermusic.ca. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  43. ^ "ESPN.com: Where Sanders goes, teams win". Espn.go.com. 1967-08-09. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  44. ^ "Peggy Schoolcraft IFBB Pro Bodybuilder". Bodybuilding.com. October 9, 2002. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  45. ^ "2001 Ms. International results". Getbig.com. March 2, 2001. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  46. ^ "Vonzell Solomon". American Idol. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  47. ^ In-Spires
  48. ^ By Lisa Winston / MLB.com (2010-02-15). "Article | MiLB.com News | The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Web.minorleaguebaseball.com. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  49. ^ Jermy Ware Jeremy Ware NFL & AFL Football Statistics
  50. ^ "Walt Wesley NBA & ABA Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  51. ^ "Florida: Edison Pageant of Light (Local Legacies: Celebrating Community Roots - Library of Congress)". Lcweb2.loc.gov. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  52. ^ "Lee". Sao.cjis20.org. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  53. ^ Day of the Dead (1985) - Filming locations
  54. ^ Day of the Dead Locations - Fort Myers, Florida
  55. ^ Just Cause, IMDB
  56. ^ Trans (1998), IMDB
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