COMMUNITY GUIDE · LEE COUNTY, FLORIDA
Living in Bonita Springs
Beach Days and a Riverside Downtown
———
Set between Fort Myers and Naples, Bonita Springs is Gulf beaches, a walkable riverside downtown and a mix of golf, gated and waterfront communities. It's a favorite for people who want the beach close by without leaving Lee County.
BONITA SPRINGS MARKET SNAPSHOT · AUGUST 2026
MEDIAN SALE PRICE: $720,000
MONTHS OF SUPPLY: 6.0
SALE-TO-LIST PRICE: 96.1%
From our monthly Lee County market report. See the full August 2026 report.
UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2026 · BY AJ & COURTNEY ACKERMAN, LPT REALTY
Living here
Beaches. Bonita Beach sits on Little Hickory Island. Barefoot Beach Preserve, a 342-acre park, is one of the area's most loved natural beaches.
Downtown on the river. The Imperial River runs through downtown on its way to Estero Bay, with parks, restaurants and events nearby.
Parks and wildlife. Lovers Key State Park is just north, with trails and kayak rentals. Everglades Wonder Gardens has been a local landmark since 1936.
Easy access. Close to I-75, Naples and Southwest Florida International Airport.
Neighborhoods & home types
Near the beach and bay: Luxury waterfront homes and condos with Gulf and bay access. Bonita Bay, Pelican Landing and The Colony offer gated, amenity-rich waterfront living with golf, marinas and beach access, and Saltleaf is a newer luxury community on Estero Bay.
Golf & Lifestyle east of US-41 and west of I-75: gated golf and lifestyle communities such as Spanish Wells, Worthington, Highland Woods, Palmira and Vasari, with everything from villas and coach homes to single-family estates.
Downtown Bonita: older, established neighborhoods near Old 41 Road and the Imperial River, close to Riverside Park, local shops and restaurants. Many homes here have no HOA.
Small acreage: off Old 41 and around Terry Street, you'll find larger lots and small acreage properties with more room and fewer restrictions, still minutes from downtown and the beach.
Typical homes: beach and bay condos, single-family homes, villas and luxury golf-community estates.
Things to know
Beach-area condos: look at building age, recent assessments, reserves and insurance before you buy or list.
Community fees vary between golf, gated and non-gated neighborhoods. We compare the total cost for you, or if desired point you in a non HOA direction in this area.
Flood zones matter most near the Gulf, the bay and the Imperial River. See our Flood Zones & Insurance page.
Who's moving here
Bonita Springs has grown 7.4% since 2020, to about 57,600 residents, and about 1 in 17 residents lived in another state a year earlier.
Population: 53,644 (2020 Census) → 57,634 (July 2025 estimate)
Growth since 2020: +7.4%
Median age: 62.1
Residents 65 and older: 44.2%
Homes owner-occupied: 81.8%
Median home value: $497,100
Median household income: $95,210
Average commute: 24.2 minutes
Lived in another state 1 year ago: 5.9% (another Florida county: 1.8%)
Figures are from Census QuickFacts and the American Community Survey, 2020–2024. For the complete Census profile of Bonita Springs, see QuickFacts.
Across Lee County, all growth from 2020 to 2025 came from people moving in. Net migration added about 85,000 residents, while deaths outnumbered births by about 6,800.
Where newcomers come from: the most common home states of people moving to Lee County were Illinois, Ohio and New York.
Where people who leave go: most stay in Florida. The top destinations were Leon, Collier and Hillsborough counties (2015–2019 data).
Buyer questions
Is Bonita Springs in a flood zone?
Parts are, especially west of US 41 and along the Imperial River, so check each address on Lee County's flood zone lookup. New FEMA flood maps take effect March 2, 2027. The city's Class 5 rating in FEMA's Community Rating System gives flood policies a 25% discount.
What are property taxes like?
The city's 2025 total is about 12.80 mills, or $12.80 per $1,000 of taxable value, one of the lowest in Lee County. Some communities, such as The Brooks and Bonita Landing, also sit in a community development district (CDD), which adds an assessment to the tax bill. If it's your primary home, the homestead exemption can cut taxable value by about $50,000, and Save Our Homes caps yearly increases in assessed value at 3%. A statewide amendment on the November 2026 ballot could raise the homestead exemption.
Who provides water and sewer?
Bonita Springs Utilities.
How far are the beach and the airport?
Bonita Beach Park and nine public beach accesses line Bonita Beach Road. Parking at Little Hickory Island Park is closed for storm repairs, but you can still walk in. Southwest Florida International (RSW) is about 20-40 minutes away.
Who is moving to Bonita Springs?
The city grew 7.4% from 2020 to 2025. About 5.9% of residents moved from another state in the past year. The median age is 62.1, and 82% of homes are owner-occupied.
How do schools work?
Bonita Springs is in the Lee County School District, which uses school choice. Families rank schools on an application, and bus service is organized by zone.
Selling in Bonita Springs
Buyers here are often weighing Bonita against Naples and Estero. We show them the value your home offers: beach access, the community and the lifestyle, priced against what's actually selling nearby.