COMMUNITY GUIDE · LEE COUNTY, FLORIDA
Living in North Fort Myers
Relaxed Living, Close to Everything
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Just across the Caloosahatchee River from downtown Fort Myers and bordering Cape Coral, North Fort Myers offers a quieter pace, more space for your money, and quick access to the river, shopping and I-75.
NORTH FORT MYERS MARKET SNAPSHOT · AUGUST 2026
MEDIAN SALE PRICE: $362,500
MONTHS OF SUPPLY: 7.0
SALE-TO-LIST PRICE: 95.8%
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 slower pace. North Fort Myers is unincorporated Lee County, with a relaxed, small-town feel.
Popular with retirees. Nearly half of residents are 65 or older, because the area is home to many 55+ and golf communities.
On the river. Neighborhoods along the Caloosahatchee and its canals offer waterfront living, sometimes at a lower price than Cape Coral or Fort Myers.
Acreage. Want room for a workshop, a boat and trailer, horses or just more privacy? Parts of North Fort Myers, especially further east, have larger lots and small acreage properties with fewer restrictions than planned communities.
Babcock Ranch nearby. The solar-powered town of Babcock Ranch is a short drive northeast.
Neighborhoods & home types
Riverfront and canal neighborhoods where you'll find a wider variety of residents, these neighborhoods are near the Caloosahatchee such as Waterway Estates and Yacht Club Colony, Palm Island, North Star Yacht Club, Lochmoor Estates, and Moody River.
Golf and 55+ communities, from newer construction to manufactured-home communities. Del Webb Oak Creek is a newer 55+ community. Six Lakes, Pine Lakes, Lake Fairways, Sabal Springs and Del Tura are established 55+ golf communities, some with manufactured homes. Magnolia Landing offers golf with no age requirement. In some manufactured-home communities you own the land, and in others you lease it and pay monthly lot rent. That affects price, financing and resale, so we'll walk you through it. *Real estate licenses do not cover the ability to help purchase a manufactured home on leased land.
Typical homes: single-family homes, villas, and manufactured homes in land-owned or land-lease communities.
Things to know
Unincorporated Lee County means county services and taxes, not city ones.
Flood zones vary near the river and canals. See our Flood Zones & Insurance page.
Who's moving here
North Fort Myers had 42,719 residents in the 2020 Census, and 86% of its homes are owner-occupied. The Census Bureau doesn't publish yearly estimates for unincorporated areas like this one.
Population: 42,719 (2020 Census)
Median age: 63.4
Residents 65 and older: 45.8%
Homes owner-occupied: 85.7%
Median home value: $161,800
Median household income: $56,261
Average commute: 28.4 minutes
Lived in another state 1 year ago: 5.5% (another Florida county: 1.4%)
Figures are from Census QuickFacts and the American Community Survey, 2020–2024. For the complete Census profile of North 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 North Fort Myers in a flood zone?
Homes near the river and on canals often are, while many inland areas are not. Check each address on Lee County's flood zone lookup. New FEMA flood maps take effect March 2, 2027. Unincorporated Lee County's Class 5 rating in FEMA's Community Rating System gives flood policies a 25% discount.
What are property taxes like?
It depends on the tax district. A common 2025 total is about 14.66 mills, or $14.66 per $1,000 of taxable value. 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?
It varies by neighborhood. Florida Governmental Utility Authority (FGUA) and Lee County Utilities serve many areas, while others use private wells and septic. FGUA is converting about 253 septic homes in Yacht Club Colony to sewer.
Who is moving to North Fort Myers?
About 5.5% of residents moved from another state in the past year. The median age is 63.4, and 86% of homes are owner-occupied. The median home value, $161,800, is one of the lowest of our eight areas, partly because the area has many manufactured-home communities.
How far is the airport?
Southwest Florida International (RSW) is about 12 miles away as the crow flies, and Punta Gorda Airport (PGD) about 19.
How do schools work?
North 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 North Fort Myers
Buyers here often compare value against Cape Coral and Fort Myers. We price your home against what's actually selling nearby and highlight what sets it apart: the water, the community or the space.