Fort Myers is the major commercial center and county seat of Florida’s Lee County. As of 2010, the population was over 60,000. It was the location of the winter homes of both Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. Both homes can be found on McGregor Boulevard.
The town originated as a fort built along the Caloosahatchee River to combat the Seminole Indians. It was later occupied by Union troops in the Civil War. Fort Myers was incorporated in the 1880s, and it eventually became one of the second largest cities on the west coast of Florida (the biggest was Tampa). The year of 1898 brought fame to Fort Myers – Royal Palm Hotel was built, and the city became known as a winter resort. A bridge was built, railroads were extended, and real estate money began pouring in.
Fort Myers has several award-winning and/or highly ranked secondary schools. Several colleges are located in the city. These include Hodges University, Keiser University, Rasmussen College, Nova Southeastern University, and Southwest Florida College.
Fort Myers also is excellent for business. It’s a major gateway to the tourist spots in Southwest Florida, and its large population and high degree of traffic make it a smart place to open a new business. Fort Myers is the spring training home of the Boston Red Sox. A former player, Mike Greenwell, helped bring the team to Fort Myers, and the resultant move brought City of Palms Park to Fort Myers in 1992.
The Historic Downtown of Fort Myers provides waterfront entertainment, and the city contains several unique points of interest, including a museum dedicated to Art of the Olympians and a combination nature center and planetarium. Whether you want to move here for business, for retirement, or simply for relocation, you’ll find plenty of interesting and worthwhile ways to fill your time while in Fort Myers.
