Fort Myers, Florida | |
|---|---|
 Sidney and Berne Davis Art Museum in downtown Fort Myers | |
 Seal | |
| Motto: "City of Palms" | |
 Location in Lee County, Florida | |
  Fort Myers  Fort Myers | |
| Coordinates: 26°37′N 81°50′W / 26.617°N 81.833°W[1] | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Florida |
| County | Lee |
| Founded | March 24, 1885 |
| Incorporated | August 12, 1885[2] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–Manager |
| • Mayor | Kevin B. Anderson |
| • Councilmembers | Teresa Watkins Brown, Fred Burson, Darla Bonk, Liston “Lin” Bochette, III, Terolyn Watson, and Johnny W. Streets, Jr. |
| • City Manager | Marty K. Lawing |
| Area | |
| • Total | 49.04 sq mi (127.00 km2) |
| • Land | 39.84 sq mi (103.19 km2) |
| • Water | 9.20 sq mi (23.81 km2) |
| Elevation | 10 ft (3 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 86,395 |
| • Estimate (2022)[5] | 95,949 |
| • Rank | 370th in country (as of 2021)[5] |
| • Density | 2,168.44/sq mi (837.24/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 33901-33903, 33905-33908, 33912-33913, 33916-33919, 33965-33967, 33993-33994 |
| Area code | 239 |
| FIPS code | 12-24125[6] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0282700[4] |
| Website | cityftmyers.com |
Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in and the county seat[7] of Lee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 86,395; it was estimated to have grown to 95,949 in 2022, making it the 25th-most populous city in Florida.[5] Together with the larger and more residential city of Cape Coral, it anchors the Cape Coral–Fort Myers metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses Lee County and has a population of 834,573 as of 2023.
Fort Myers is a gateway to the Southwest Florida region and a major tourist destination within the state. The winter estates of Thomas Edison ("Seminole Lodge") and Henry Ford ("The Mangoes") are major attractions.[8] The city takes its name from a local former fort that was built during the Seminole Wars. The fort in turn took its name from Colonel Abraham Myers in 1850; Myers served in the United States Army, mostly the Quartermaster Department, in various posts from 1833 to 1861 and was the quartermaster general of the Confederate States Army from 1861 to 1864.[9][10][2]
Fort Myers has substantial African American and Latin American populations. Centennial Park downtown along the Caloosahatchee River, the IMAG History & Science Center, Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium, and other historical sites are among the attractions.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
historywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ a b "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ a b c Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places of 50,000 or More, Ranked by July 1, 2021 Population: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021, United States Census Bureau, May 2022. Accessed December 1, 2022.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 7, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Southwest Florida Visitor Center". Swflvisitor.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
- ^ "The History of Downtown Fort Myers". Downtown Fort Myers. Archived from the original on December 25, 2010. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 129.