Lee County | |
|---|---|
 Base Operations at Page Field | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Florida | |
 Florida's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 26°35′N 81°55′W / 26.58°N 81.92°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Florida |
| Founded | May 13, 1887 |
| Named for | Robert E. Lee |
| Seat | Fort Myers |
| Largest city | Cape Coral |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,212 sq mi (3,140 km2) |
| • Land | 785 sq mi (2,030 km2) |
| • Water | 428 sq mi (1,110 km2) 35.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 760,822[1] |
| • Density | 969.2/sq mi (374.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional districts | 17th, 19th |
| Website | www |
Lee County is a county located in southwestern Florida, United States, on the Gulf Coast. As of the 2020 census, its population was 760,822. In 2022, the population was 822,453, making it the eighth-most populous county in the state.[2] The county seat is Fort Myers, with a population of 86,395 as of the 2020 census,[3] and the largest city is Cape Coral, with an estimated 2020 population of 194,016.
The county comprises the Cape Coral–Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which, along with the Naples-Marco Island (Collier County) MSA and the Clewiston (Hendry County, Glades County) Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA), is included in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers-Naples Combined Statistical Area (CSA).[4]
Lee County was established in 1887 from Monroe County.[5] Fort Myers is the county seat and a center of tourism in Southwest Florida. It is about 120 miles (190 km) south of Tampa at the meeting point of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caloosahatchee River.[6] Lee County is the home for spring training of the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball teams.
- ^ "Quickfacts Lee County". U.S. Census Bureau. July 1, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Lee County, Florida". www.census.gov. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ "Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Guidance on the Uses of the Delineations of These Areas" (PDF). Executive Office of the President. July 21, 2023. pp. 47, 129. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
- ^ Publications of the Florida Historical Society. Florida Historical Society. 1908. p. 32.
- ^ Jane Colihan Archived June 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine "Spring Break", American Heritage, February/March 2006