Area Information for Southwest Florida
Area Overview
Southwest Florida is a region of Florida, United States located along its gulf coast, south of the Tampa Bay area, west of Lake Okeechobee and mostly north of the Everglades. It consists of five coastal counties from Manatee County south to Collier County, although it sometimes is considered to include three rural counties inland, and the thinly populated mainland section of Monroe County.
As of 2000, the population of Southwest Florida was 1,500,846. A 2004 US Census Bureau estimate places the region's population at 1,704,155, a four year growth rate of 13.5%.
The most populous county in the region is Lee County, and the region's largest city is Cape Coral with an estimated population of 151,389 as of 2006. For more information visit the Southwest Florida visitor's website.
History
Southwest Florida was largely ignored by commercial developers until the late 1800s, and as such, lacks much of the heavier development present in other parts of Florida, such as that found in the central or southern regions of the state. In recent years however, there has been a major real estate boom focusing on downtown Fort Myers (high-rise residential condominiums); southern Lee County (commercial development and high-technology); eastern Collier County (residential development); and eastern parts of Bradenton.
Overall, the region notably suffers from urban sprawl; however, numerous efforts in recent years have been made to remedy this situation, especially as the urbanized area of the coastal counties pushes eastward in to agricultural land and the sensitive Everglades.Southwest Florida is a region of Florida, United States located along its gulf coast, south of the Tampa Bay area, west of Lake Okeechobee and mostly north of the Everglades. It consists of five coastal counties from Manatee County south to Collier County, although it sometimes is considered to include three rural counties inland, and the thinly populated mainland section of Monroe County.
As of 2000, the population of Southwest Florida was 1,500,846. A 2004 US Census Bureau estimate places the region's population at 1,704,155, a four year growth rate of 13.5%.
The most populous county in the region is Lee County, and the region's largest city is Cape Coral with an estimated population of 151,389 as of 2006. For more information visit the Southwest Florida visitor's website.
History
Southwest Florida was largely ignored by commercial developers until the late 1800s, and as such, lacks much of the heavier development present in other parts of Florida, such as that found in the central or southern regions of the state. In recent years however, there has been a major real estate boom focusing on downtown Fort Myers (high-rise residential condominiums); southern Lee County (commercial development and high-technology); eastern Collier County (residential development); and eastern parts of Bradenton.
Inland counties (De Soto, Hendry and Glades Counties) are notably rural, with the primary economic driver being agriculture. Important products grown in this area include tomatoes, beef, sugarcane, and citrus products including oranges. Agricultural harvesting in Southwest Florida employs approximately 16,000 seasonal workers, 90 percent of which are thought to be migrants.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 440,888 people, 188,599 households, and 127,681 families residing in the county. The population density was 549 people per square mile (212/km²). There were 245,405 housing units at an average density of 305 per square mile (118/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.69% White, 6.59% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.07% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. 9.54% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 86.7% spoke English, 8.7% Spanish and 1.1% German as their first language.
In 2005 the population was 76.6% non-Hispanic white, 14.3% Latino, 7.5% African-American and 1.1% Asian. There were 188,599 households out of which 22.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.50% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.30% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.73.
In the county the population was spread out with 19.60% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 24.00% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 25.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.2 years. For every 100 females there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,319, and the median income for a family was $46,430. Males had a median income of $31,247 versus $24,380 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,542. About 6.70% of families and 9.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.20% of those under age 18 and 5.60% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Attractions
Beaches in the following locales:
- Bonita Beach
- Cape Romano
- Fort Myers Beach
- Longboat Key, offshore from Bradenton and Sarasota
- Marco Island, offshore from Naples
- Naples
- Sanibel and Captiva Islands, offshore from South Fort Myers (renowned for the quality of shells that wash ashore)
- Sarasota
- Siesta Key
- Ten Thousand Islands
- Venice (renowned for sharks' teeth that wash ashore)
Attractions including:
- Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation (where the Seminole nation operates a sizable casino)
- Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers
- Lake Okeechobee renowned for fishing and ecotourism.
- Naples Botanical Garden
- Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens
- Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota
- St. Armand's Circle in Sarasota
Transportation
Southwest Florida is served by several major highways, including the Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) and the Interstate 75 freeway, both of which connect the area to Tampa to the north, and Fort Lauderdale/Miami to the east. Long-term cooperative infrastructure planning is coordinated by the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council (web site), and in heavily populated Lee County, the Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Greyhound Lines serves several locations in Southwest Florida, including Bradenton, Fort Myers, Naples, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda and Sarasota.
Southwest Florida International Airport, located in South Fort Myers, served over 7.6 million passengers in 2006 and offers non-stop flights to 3 cities in Europe and 2 in Canada, in addition to 36 domestic airports. The area's secondary airport, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, served 1.42 million passengers in 2006.
The Port of Manatee provides a full range of port services for commercial, industrial and cruise ship purposes.
Seminole Gulf Railway provides freight services throughout Southwest Florida.
