Lee County, Florida
Encyclopedia : L : LE : LEE : Lee County, Florida
Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The county makes up the entirety of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers MSA, and is the most populous county in Southwest Florida.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2000, the population of Lee County was 440,888. The population estimate for July 1, 2005 was 544,758, reflecting a 23.6 percent growth over 5 years. This, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, makes Lee County the 63rd fastest growing county in the country.[link]
Between 2000 and 2004, Lee County had the fastest growth rate in Hispanic population in the country. [link]
Its county seat is Fort Myers6, and its largest city is Cape Coral.
History
Lee County was created in 1887 from Monroe County. It was named for Robert E. Lee, general in the American Civil War.In 1923, Collier and Hendry Counties were created by splitting these areas from Lee County. As recently as 2004, discussion had taken place surrounding the possibility of the city of Cape Coral becoming its own county, citing in particular a perceived lack of infrastructure support from the Lee County government. However a new county has as of yet not been created.
In August 2004, the county was hit hard by Hurricane Charley, particularly on the northwestern islands of Captiva, Gasparilla and North Captiva.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,139 km² (1,212 mi²). 2,081 km² (804 mi²) of it is land and 1,057 km² (408 mi²) of it (33.69%) is water.Lee County is located on the southwest coast of Florida. It is approximately 125 miles south of Tampa and 115 miles west of Fort Lauderdale via Interstate 75; and approximately 125 miles west-northwest of Miami via U.S. Highway 41.
Borders
- Gulf of Mexico (west)
- Charlotte County, Florida (north)
- Collier County, Florida (southeast)
- Hendry County, Florida (east)
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 440,888 people, 188,599 households, and 127,681 families residing in the county. The population density was 212/km² (549/mi²). There were 245,405 housing units at an average density of 118/km² (305/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.69% White, 6.59% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.07% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. 9.54% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.There were 188,599 households out of which 22.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.50% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.30% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.73.
In the county the population was spread out with 19.60% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 24.00% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 25.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,319, and the median income for a family was $46,430. Males had a median income of $31,247 versus $24,380 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,542. About 6.70% of families and 9.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.20% of those under age 18 and 5.60% of those age 65 or over.
Municipalities
Incorporated
- City of Bonita Springs
- City of Cape Coral
- City of Fort Myers
- Town of Fort Myers Beach
- City of Sanibel
Unincorporated
- Alva
- Bokeelia
- Buckingham
- Burnt Store Marina
- Captiva
- Charleston Park
- Cypress Lake
- East Dunbar
- Estero
- Fort Myers Shores
- Gateway
- Harlem Heights
- Iona
- Lehigh Acres
- Lochmoor Waterway Estates
- Matlacha (on Matlacha Island)
- Matlacha Isles-Matlacha Shores
- McGregor
- North Fort Myers
- Olga
- Page Park
- Palmona Park
- Pine Island Center
- Pine Manor
- Pineland (on Pine Island)
- Punta Rassa
- San Carlos Park
- South Fort Myers
- St. James City
- Suncoast Estates
- Three Oaks
- Tice
- Villas
- Whiskey Creek
Islands
- Big Hickory Island (Lovers Key State Park)
- Cabbage Key
- Captiva Island
- Cayo Costa (Cayo Costa State Park)
- Estero Island (Town of Fort Myers Beach)
- Gasparilla Island (community of Boca Grande)
- Little Hickory Island (Beaches of Bonita Springs)
- Matlacha Island
- North Captiva Island
- Pine Island
- Sanibel Island (Town of Sanibel)
- Useppa Island
Transportation
Airports
- *Southwest Florida International Airport, in South Fort Myers, serves over 7.5 million passengers annually. Currently, the airport offers non-stop flights to three cities in Europe and two in Canada, in addition to 36 domestic non-stop destinations. 26 airlines operate scheduled service to and from the airport, with Delta Air Lines serving a plurality of the airport's passengers. On September 9, 2005, the airport opened a new terminal.
- *Page Field, also in South Fort Myers, just south of the incorporated limits of the City of Fort Myers, is the county's general aviation airport. Prior to the opening of Southwest Florida Regional Airport in 1983 (now Southwest Florida International Airport), Page Field was the county's commercial airport.
Seaports/Marine Transport
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 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 and Key West.
Major Highways
The Southwest Florida Expressway Authority is an 8-person body including transportation officials from Lee and Collier Counties, the role of which is to raise toll revenue to widen and improve major arteries throughout both counties. Of particular priority is the needed revenue to widen the I-75 freeway beyond the 6-lane expansion due to begin in March 2007.
- *Interstate 75 is the county's only fully-controlled-access freeway, and has nine interchanges within Lee County, linking the area to Naples, Fort Lauderdale and Miami to the south and east; and Sarasota and Tampa to the north. The freeway is due to be widened and improved dramatically from its current 4-lane structure, beginning in March 2007. Plans include express/local lanes, and/or HOT Lanes, coordinated by the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority. [link]
- *U.S. Highway 41 runs the length of Lee County, and is the county's main north-south arterial highway. It is a major commercial corridor, running as an elevated highway through the center of downtown Fort Myers, continuing south as a multi-lane divided surface highway through the communities of South Fort Myers, San Carlos Park, Estero, and Bonita Springs. From north-to-south, the highway's name starts as "North Tamiami Trail", changes to "Cleveland Avenue" through the incorporated limits of the City of Fort Myers, then changes to "South Tamiami Trail until the border with Collier County.
- *Florida State Road 80 's western terminus is in downtown Fort Myers. The multi-lane highway runs east-northeast along the southern banks of the Caloosahatchee River as "Palm Beach Boulevard" within the county, traversing the state of Florida to connect the area with LaBelle, Clewiston, and West Palm Beach.
- *Florida State Road 82 's western terminus is in downtown Fort Myers. The highway is called "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard" within the incorporated limits of the City of Fort Myers, becoming "Immokalee Road" as it passes through Lehigh Acres and connects the area to Immokalee.
- *Florida State Road 884 is Lee County's main east-west arterial highway. Its western terminus is in the incorporated limits of the City of Cape Coral. Within Cape Coral, the highway is named "Veterans' Memorial Parkway", and is a multi-lane controlled access highway. The road crosses the Caloosahatchee River as an elevated highway across a toll bridge, interchanging with U.S. Highway 41, then becomes a multi-lane divided surface highway through Lehigh Acres.
Bi-County Transportation Corridor
In March 2005, Lee County and Charlotte County concluded a transportation study on creating a circumferential freeway that would bypass downtown Fort Myers, running through downtown Cape Coral and South Fort Myers.The freeway is being designed as an 8- to 10-lane structure, including minor frontage roads. It is to begin at the Jones Loop Road interchange with Interstate 75 south of Punta Gorda in Charlotte County, and end at an upgraded Colonial Boulevard interchange with Interstate 75 near Lehigh Acres. [link]
Major Road Bridges
- *Caloosahatchee River Bridge (U.S. Highway 41): 4-travel-lane single-span bridge connects North Fort Myers with Fort Myers, over the Caloosahatchee River.
- *Cape Coral Bridge (College Parkway/Cape Coral Parkway): Two 2-travel-lane spans (one eastbound, one westbound) connect Cape Coral with South Fort Myers, over the Caloosahatchee River.
- *Edison Bridge (Florida State Road 739): Two 3-travel-lane spans (one northbound, one southbound) connect North Fort Myers with Fort Myers, over the Caloosahatchee River.
- *Florida State Road 31: 2-travel-lane single-span bridge between Florida State Road 78 ("Bayshore Road") and Florida State Road 80, over the Caloosahatchee River.
- *Interstate 75: Two 3-travel-lane spans (one northbound, one southbound) between the Florida State Road 78 ("Bayshore Road") and Florida State Road 80 ("Palm Beach Boulevard") interchanges, over the Caloosahatchee River.
- *Matanzas Pass Bridge (Florida State Road 865): 3-travel-lane single-span bridge crosses Hurricane Bay and Matanzas Pass within the incorporated limits of the Town of Fort Myers Beach, connecting the mainland to the barrier islands.
- *Midpoint Memorial Bridge (Florida State Road 884): Two 2-travel-lane spans (one eastbound, one westbound) connect Cape Coral with Fort Myers, over the Caloosahatchee River. The Midpoint Bridge will be part of the future Bi-County Transportation Corridor.
- *Sanibel Causeway (Florida State Road 867): series of 2-travel-lane single-span bridges and two 3-travel-lane island causeways crossing the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River at the Gulf of Mexico, including a drawbridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. The causeway connects South Fort Myers with Sanibel.
Mass Transportation
Fixed-route bus service is provided by the Lee County Transit Department, operated as "LeeTran". Several routes extend outward from 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 also serves as an intermediate stop on Greyhound Lines bus service.
Media
Newspapers
Lee County's main newspaper is the Fort Myers News-Press.In addition, the Naples Daily News ([Web site]) (circulation 56,981) publishes a "Bonita Daily News" edition ([Web site]), which serves Bonita Springs in southern Lee County. The Daily News is owned by the Ohio-based E. W. Scripps Company.
Radio
Arbitron Standard Radio Market: Ft Myers-Naples-Marco Island. [link]With an Arbitron-assigned 744,800 listening area population, the metropolitan area ranks 64/297 for the fall of 2005.
The metropolitan area is home to 32 radio stations.
Television
Nielsen Media Research Designated Market Area (DMA): Ft. Myers-Naples. [link]Number of TV homes: 461,920
2005-2006 U.S. rank: 66/210
- WBBH - NBC Affiliate [NBC-2]
- WEVU - UPN Affiliate [UPN-8]
- WFTX - Fox Affiliate [FOX 4]
- WGCU - PBS Member Station [WGCU Public Media]
- WINK - CBS Affiliate [WINK News]
- WTVK - WB Affiliate [WB-6]
- WZVN - ABC Affiliate [ABC-7]
Professional sports
announced] that the Florida Flame will not return for the 2007-2008 season.External links
Government links/Constitutional Offices
- [Lee County Government / Board of County Commissioners]
- [Lee County Supervisor of Elections]
- [Lee County Property Appraiser]
- [Lee County Sheriff's Office]
Special Districts
- [Lee County Public Schools]
- [Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization]
- [South Florida Water Management District]
- [Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council]
Judicial branch
- [Lee County Clerk of Courts]
- [Public Defender, 20th Judicial Circuit] serving Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee Counties
- [Office of the State Attorney, 20th Judicial Circuit]
- [Circuit and County Court for the 20th Judicial Circuit of Florida]
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