If you want a good house in Florida but don’t want to pay huge amounts or sit in traffic, then Lee County’s Lehigh Acres might be good for you. This expansive, unincorporated settlement started in 1954 as a cattle ranch, Lucky Lee Ranch, run by down-on-his-luck businessman Lee Ratner. Ratner started selling off some of his land.
Later expansion granted Lehigh Acres new land, including closed-down Buckingham Army Airfield, an Army Air Force training base discontinued after World War II. Lehigh Acres turned out to not be such a lucky place. It was declared blighted by Lee County in 1992, and the county set out to improve it. In 1997, almost 90 percent of lots in the community were vacant.
In 2002, though, the housing market shift made it a seller’s market. New houses were built quickly from 2003 to 2007. In fact, more homes were built in this period than had been built in the past 50 years of the community’s existence.
Today, Lehigh Acres has a population of around 90,000, and its total area is 95.98 square miles. Lehigh can give you a taste of the rural southwest Florida lifestyle. If you are looking for a good opportunity, look no further. Golf is available, and freshwater fishing is excellent.
