Southwest Florida
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Southwest Florida is a region of Florida located along its gulf coast, south of the Tampa Bay area, west of Lake Okeechobee and mostly north of the Everglades.
As of 2000, the population of Southwest Florida was 1,500,846. A 2004 US Census Bureau[link] estimate places the region's population at 1,704,155, a four year growth rate of 13.5%.
The most populous county in the region is Lee County, and the region's largest city is Cape Coral.
Development
Southwest Florida was largely ignored by commercial developers until the late 1800s, and as such, lacks much of the heavier development present in other parts of Florida, such as that found in the central or southern regions of the state. In recent years however, there has been a major real estate boom focusing on downtown Fort Myers (high-rise residential condominiums); southern Lee County (commercial development and high-technology); and eastern Collier County (residential development).
Overall, the region notably suffers from urban sprawl; however, numerous efforts in recent years have been made to remedy this situation, especially as the urbanized area of the coastal counties pushes eastward in to agricultural land and the sensitive Everglades.
Inland counties (De Soto, Hendry and Glades Counties) are notably rural, with the primary economic driver being agriculture. Important products grown in this area include tomatoes, beef, sugarcane, and citrus products including oranges. Agricultural harvesting in Southwest Florida employs approximately 16,000 seasonal workers, 90 percent of which are thought to be migrants. [link]
Regional transportation
Highways
Southwest Florida is served by several major highways, including the Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) and the Interstate 75 freeway, both of which connect the area to Tampa to the north, and Fort Lauderdale/Miami to the east. Long-term cooperative infrastructure planning is coordinated by the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council ([web site]), and in heavily populated Lee County, the Metropolitan Planning Organization.Greyhound Lines serves several locations in Southwest Florida, including Bradenton, Fort Myers, Naples, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda and Sarasota.
Airports
Southwest Florida International Airport, located in South Fort Myers, served over 7.5 million passengers in 2005 and offers non-stop flights to 3 cities in Europe and 2 in Canada, in addition to 36 domestic airports. The area's secondary airport, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, serves slightly less than 1 million passengers per year.
Seaport
The Port of Manatee provides a full range of port services for commercial, industrial and cruise ship purposes.Railway
Seminole Gulf Railway provides freight services throughout Southwest Florida.Tourism
Tourism is a major economic driver in the area. In addition, many seasonal residents live in the area during the winter months, as temperatures in south Florida stay very moderate during that time of year.Major attractions/destinations:
- Beaches in the following locales:
- *Bonita Beach
- *Cape Romano
- *Fort Myers Beach
- *Longboat Key, offshore from Bradenton and Sarasota
- *Marco Island, offshore from Naples
- *Naples
- *Sanibel and Captiva Islands, offshore from South Fort Myers (renowned for the quality of shells that wash ashore)
- *Sarasota
- *Ten Thousand Islands
- *Venice (renowned for sharks' teeth that wash ashore)
- Attractions including:
Spring training
Florida is the traditional home for Major League Baseball spring training, with teams informally organized into the "Grapefruit League." As of 2004, Southwest Florida hosts the following major league teams for spring training:
- Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers
- Cincinnati Reds in Sarasota
- Minnesota Twins in South Fort Myers
- Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton
Counties
| County | County Seat | Pop. (2004 est.) | Pop. (2000) | Change (2000 - 2004) | Change (1990 - 2000) |- |bgcolor=| | Charlotte County | Punta Gorda | 157,134 | 141,627 | +10.9% | +27.6% | |- |bgcolor=| | Collier County | Naples | 296,678 | 251,377 | +18.0% | +65.3% | |- |bgcolor=| | DeSoto County | Arcadia County | 34,892 | 32,209 | +8.3% | +35.0% | |- |bgcolor=| | Glades County | Moore Haven | 11,131 | 10,576 | +5.2% | +39.3% | |- |bgcolor=| | Hendry County | LaBelle | 38,163 | 36,120 | +5.4% | +40.5% | |- |bgcolor=| | Lee County | Fort Myers | 514,295 | 440,888 | +16.6% | +31.6% | |- |bgcolor=| | Manatee County | Bradenton | 296,385 | 264,002 | +12.3% | +24.7% | |- |bgcolor=| | Sarasota County | Sarasota | 355,477 | 325,957 | +9.1% | +17.3% | ||
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| Total | 1,704,155 | 1,500,846 | +13.5% |- |bgcolor=| | Florida - statewide | 17,397,161 | 15,982,378 | +8.8%% | +23.5% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Major incorporated cities
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- Bradenton, Manatee County
- Bonita Springs, Lee County
- Cape Coral, Lee County
- Fort Myers, Lee County
- Naples, Collier County
- North Port, Sarasota County
- Sarasota, Sarasota County
Major unincorporated communities
Communities listed have a population greater than 30,000 according to the 2000 census.- Lehigh Acres, Lee County
- North Fort Myers, Lee County
- Port Charlotte, Charlotte County
- South Fort Myers, Lee County
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