COMMUNITY GUIDE · LEE COUNTY, FLORIDA
Living in Fort Myers
The City of Palms
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Fort Myers mixes history and river views with some of Southwest Florida's best-known golf and lifestyle communities. Thomas Edison planted the royal palms that line McGregor Boulevard, which earned Fort Myers its nickname, the City of Palms.
FORT MYERS MARKET SNAPSHOT · AUGUST 2026
MEDIAN SALE PRICE: $430,000
MONTHS OF SUPPLY: 6.0
SALE-TO-LIST PRICE: 96.6%
From our monthly Lee County market report. See the full August 2026 report.
UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2026 · BY AJ & COURTNEY ACKERMAN, LPT REALTY
Living here
A lively downtown. The River District sits along the Caloosahatchee River, with restaurants, events and Centennial Park.
History next door. The Edison and Ford Winter Estates, the winter homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, are open for tours.
Baseball every spring. The Boston Red Sox train at JetBlue Park and the Minnesota Twins at Hammond Stadium.
Easy travel. I-75 sits along the western border of the city and Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) is just southeast of the city.
Variety. Fort Myers is the largest and main metropolitan of Lee County. Various parts of the city provide a wide array of lifestyle options from small acreage properties sitting right in the heart of the city, as well as traditional, golf, boating, amenity-rich, beachfront and exclusive luxury community options. Understanding the immediate community culture and social lifestyle you are looking for will be key to selecting the right area for you.
Neighborhoods & home types
Along McGregor Boulevard and the river: older, established neighborhoods with character, mature trees and river views.
Iona/Gladiolus area: Closest location to Sanibel, Fort Myers Beach and Bunche Beaches. Many golf, boating and lifestyle communities are featured here such as Gulf Harbour. The vibe here and along the rest of McGregor is more old-school SWFL than some of the newer areas with planned developments.
Downtown: condos and lofts in the River District, steps from restaurants, the riverfront and events, plus historic neighborhoods nearby such as Dean Park and Edison Park, with older homes full of character.
Daniels/Treeline area: more master-planned and golf-oriented, with communities such as Heritage Palms, Colonial Country Club, The Plantation, Gateway, Renaissance, Legends Golf & Country Club and Paseo. Both JetBlue Park and Hammond Stadium are here, and the airport is minutes away.
South Fort Myers/Estero border: close to shopping, dining and entertainment at Gulf Coast Town Center, Miromar Outlets and Coconut Point, with Florida Gulf Coast University nearby. Heading south, the area shifts toward higher-end gated golf and lifestyle communities such as The Brooks, The Forest, Grandezza and West Bay Club.
Typical homes: everything from downtown condos to single-family homes, villas and luxury golf-course estates.
Things to know
"Fort Myers" addresses cover a wide area. Many communities with a Fort Myers mailing address are outside the city limits, which can affect taxes and services.
Community fees vary widely. Compare HOA, club and any CDD fees before you choose.
Flood zones differ between river, inland and golf communities. See our Flood Zones & Insurance page.
Who's moving here
Fort Myers has grown 17.5% since 2020, to about 101,600 residents, and about half of its homes are renter-occupied.
Population: 86,395 (2020 Census) → 101,581 (July 2025 estimate)
Growth since 2020: +17.5%
Median age: 41.3
Residents 65 and older: 23.2%
Homes owner-occupied: 49.1%
Median home value: $384,500
Median household income: $63,732
Average commute: 25.2 minutes
Lived in another state 1 year ago: 3.6% (another Florida county: 2.7%)
Figures are from Census QuickFacts and the American Community Survey, 2020–2024. For the complete Census profile of Fort Myers, 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 Fort Myers in a flood zone?
Parts are, especially along the river and creeks, so check each address on Lee County's flood zone lookup. New FEMA flood maps take effect March 2, 2027. The city's rating in FEMA's Community Rating System improved to Class 6, a 20% flood insurance discount.
What are property taxes like?
The city's 2025 total is about 16.50 mills, or $16.50 per $1,000 of taxable value, the highest in Lee County. Areas with a Fort Myers mailing address outside city limits pay less. 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.
Is the home on city water and sewer?
Inside city limits, yes. The City of Fort Myers runs its own water and wastewater utility. Homes outside the city may be on Lee County Utilities or a private well and septic.
How far are the beach and the airport?
Fort Myers Beach has several Lee County beach parks, including Lynn Hall, Bowditch Point and Bunche Beach Preserve. Southwest Florida International (RSW) is usually a short commute from anywhere in Fort Myers.
Who is moving to Fort Myers?
The city grew 17.5% from 2020 to 2025. About 3.6% of residents moved from another state in the past year. The median age is 41.3, and about half of homes are owner-occupied.
How do schools work?
Fort Myers 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 Fort Myers
Buyers here are often choosing between communities, not just houses. We market your home and the lifestyle around it: the club, the amenities, the river or the neighborhood.