Fort Myers is the county seat for Lee County and is home to the workings of the county government.  Fort Myers is the next major city north of Naples and is diverse in what it has to offer visitors and residents alike.

Historically, Fort Myers is an interesting place.  It became a winter haven for the wealthy in 1898 with the opening of its’ first resort called The Royal Palm Hotel.  Thomas Edison, the prolific and much admired inventor, made Fort Myers his winter home in 1887.  His good friend Henry Ford liked Fort Myers so much he built a home directly next door to Edison.  Today you can visit their riverfront winter retreats known as the Edison Ford Winter Estates and see what their homes were like.Set to the east of the Caloosatchee River, the city follows the journey of the river all the way to where it meets the Gulf of Mexico.  This is where Fort Myers ends in the south and Fort Myers Beach (which is a city in its’ own right) begins.

Fort Myers still has some rather celebrated part time residents today.  The Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins call Fort Myers home for the month of March when Spring training takes place in their stadiums.  Many visitors flock to the area for March to catch a game and watch their team in action.

As the city dates back to the late 1800’s, you will find period homes and a historical district in Fort Myers.  This is located in the downtown area and outskirts.  Downtown Fort Myers itself is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance at the current time with recent completion of a long term street-scaping project.  Plus the city is currently undertaking a very ambitious project to bring the riverfront further into the entertainment district so to create more waterfront for everyone to enjoy.  It is a funky area of town with boutiques, art galleries and outside dining and well worth checking out.

Elsewhere in Fort Myers you will find gated communities, a decent selection of first class golfing communities, some riverfront boating communities and residential streets lined with single family homes.  Condos tend to be located within gated communities with facilities ranging from country club style resort amenities to small private communities with a pool for residents’ use.  There is a small amount of waterfront property in Fort Myers.  These homes are located on or close to the river shoreline and tend to be a little higher priced than Cape Coral.  This is because there are not many waterfront homes in Fort Myers due to the lack of canal network, thus they have rarity value.

Commercially, Fort Myers is very well served retail-wise.  All the big national store names are here including multiple locations for Home Depot, JC Penny, Best Buy, Sears, Target, Walmart, Macy’s, and Dillard’s to name but a few.  Fort Myers also has an indoor covered shopping mall, called Edison Mall.  The mall has 160 stores and offers over 1 million square feet of shopping space.  In terms of the dining scene; Fort Myers has a healthy mix of major chains such as Carrabba’s, Outback, and Bonefish.  We also have many excellent proprietor-owned dining options such as the award winning Yabo, Christoff’s, and The Twisted Vine.

As you can see, Fort Myers is a vibrant city offering a lifestyle solution for everyone.  Any buyer considering a purchase in Fort Myers should first contact an agent with extensive knowledge of the city. The agent can then advise and guide the buyer through the assortment of properties available and neighborhoods to ensure any subsequent purchase made is the right one.