Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers, Florida | |
|---|---|
Sidney and Berne Davis Art Museum in downtown Fort Myers | |
| Motto: "City of Palms" | |
Location in Lee County, Florida | |
| Coordinates: 26°37′N 81°50′W / 26.617°N 81.833°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| County | Lee |
| Founded | March 24, 1885 |
| Incorporated | August 12, 1885 |
| 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) | 95,949 |
| • Rank | 370th in country (as of 2021) |
| • 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 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0282700 |
| Website | www |
Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in and the county seat 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. 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. 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.
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. The city also has a notable student population, home to Florida Gulf Coast University and Florida SouthWestern State College.