Lee County, Florida: Difference between revisions

'''Lee County''' is located in [[southwestern Florida]] on the [[Gulf Coast of the United States|Gulf Coast]]. As of the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]], theits population was 760,822. In 2022, the population was 822,453, making it the eighth-most populous county in the state.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Lee County, Florida |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/leecountyflorida |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=www.census.gov |language=en}}</ref> The [[county seat]] is [[Fort Myers, Florida|Fort Myers]], (with a population of 86,395 as of the 2020 census),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile/Fort_Myers_city,_Florida?g=1600000US1224125 |access-date=2022-09-29 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> and the largest city is [[Cape Coral, Florida|Cape Coral]], with an estimated 2020 population of 194,016. The county comprises the Cape Coral–Fort Myers, FL [[Metropolitanmetropolitan Statisticalstatistical Areaarea]].

The area that is now Lee County has several archaeological sites that show evidence of habitation by peoples belonging to the [[Caloosahatchee culture]] (500 AD to 1750 AD). By the time of European contact, the area was more specifically occupied by the [[Calusa]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Marquardt |first=William |title=Shell Mounds in the Southeast: Middens, Monuments, Temple Mounds, Rings, or Works? |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25766215 |journal=American Antiquity |access-date=21 April 2022 |volume=75 |issue=3 |page=559 |date=July 2010 |jstor=25766215 |s2cid=162295725 |doi=10.7183/0002-7316.75.3.551}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Brown |first=Robin |title=Florida's First People |publisher=Pineapple Press, Inc. |location=Sarasota, FL |date=1994 |page=159 |isbn=9781561640324}}</ref> After European contact, fishermen from Cuba and other Spanish colonies set up fishing camps, known as "''ranchos"'' in Spanish, on the southern portion of the Gulf Coast of Florida. These ''ranchos'' extended from [[Charlotte Harbor (estuary)]] downsouth to [[San Carlos Bay]] and the mouth of the Caloosahatchee. These ranchos, likelyLikely established in the latter partspart of the 1600s, they were precursors to the larger European settlements that would be established in the following centuries.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hammond |first=E.A. |title=The Spanish Fisheries of Charlotte Harbor |url=http://palmm.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/ucf%3A25419 |journal=The Florida Historical Quarterly |volume=51 |issue=4 |date=April 1973 |access-date=30 August 2022}}</ref> As the 18th century came to an end, the Calusa who had once inhabited the area were replaced with the [[Seminole]]. In particular, in 1799, an Indian agent noted the existence of a Seminole town on the "Cull-oo-saw-hat-che" or Caloosahatchee River.<ref>{{cite book |last=Brown | first=Canter Jr. |title=Florida's Peace River frontier |publisher=University of Central Florida Press |location=Orlando, FL |date=1991 |page=6 |isbn=0813010373}}</ref>

After Florida became a U.S. territory in 1821, a number of settlers moved into Florida, causing conflict with the local Seminole Indians. Fort Myers was built in 1850 as a military fort to fend off Seminole Indians during the [[Seminole Wars]]. The fort was named after Col. [[Abraham C. Myers]], who was stationed in Florida for seven years and was the son-in-law of the fort's establisher and commander. In 1858, after years of elusive battle, Chief [[Billy Bowlegs]] and his warriors were persuaded to surrender and move west,<ref>Covington, James W. 1993. ''The Seminoles of Florida''. Gainesville, FL: [[University Press of Florida]]. {{ISBN|0-8130-1196-5}}.</ref> and the fort was abandoned. Billy's Creek, which flows into the [[Caloosahatchee River]], was named after a temporary camp where Billy Bowlegs and his men awaited ships to take them west. In 1863, the fort was reoccupied by federal troops during [[Florida in the American Civil War|the Civil War]]. In 1865, in the [[Battle of Fort Myers]], the fort was attacked by a small group of Confederates. The Union's garrison, led by Captain James Doyle, successfully held the fort and the Confederate forces retreated. After the war, the fort was again deserted.<ref>{{cite web |title=02, February in Florida History |url=http://www.myfloridahistory.org/library/flahistory/february |url-status=dead |publisher=[[Florida Historical Society]] |access-date=June 18, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014010803/http://myfloridahistory.org/library/flahistory/february |archive-date=October 14, 2011}}</ref> The fort was later disassembled and some of its wood was used to build parts of downtown Fort Myers.

During the Civil War, Fort Myers was occupied by federal troops with the intention of disrupting the Confederate cattle supply from Florida. In February 1865, it was the site of the [[Battle of Fort Myers]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Taylor |first=Paul |title=Discovering the Civil War in Florida : a reader and guide |date=2001 |publisher=Pineapple Press |location=Sarasota, FL |isbn=9781561642342 |edition=1st}}</ref> The first settlers in Fort Myers arrived in 1866. In the 1870s, Tervio Padilla, a wealthy merchant from the Canary Islands, came by way of Key West to Cayo Costa and established trade with natives and "ranchos" that extended northward to Charlotte Harbor. His ships often made port at Cayo Costa at the entrance to the harbor. Enchanted by the tropical island, he eventually decided to settle there. Padilla prospered until the outbreak of the [[Spanish–American War]], when his fleet was burned and scuttled. He then turned to another means of livelihood – fishing. When the government claimed his land, he was disinclined to set up another ranch, so moved with his wife further down the island and as before, simply homesteaded. The Padilla family is one of the first pioneer families of Lee County and many still reside within the county, mainly around the Pine Island area.

In 1882, the city experienced a significant influx of settlers. In 1885, when Fort Myers was incorporated,<ref>Grismer, K.H. (1984). ''Story of Fort Myers: The History of the Land of the Caloosahatchee and Southwest Florida'' (reprint ed.). Island Pr. p. 132</ref> its population of 349 residents made it the second-largest city only to Tampa on Florida's west coast south of Cedar Key, even larger than Clearwater and Sarasota, also growing cities at the time.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070107044709/http://www.fortmyers.org/fort-myers-history.htm The History of Fort Myers], www.fortmyers.org.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Downtown &#124; Fort Myers, FL - Official Website |url=https://cityftmyers.com/1741/Downtown}}</ref> Lee County was formed in 1887 from [[Monroe County, Florida|Monroe County]], with Fort Myers serving as the county seat.<ref name="Florida Historical Society"/> It was named for [[Robert E. Lee]], Confederate general in the American Civil War.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gannett |first=Henry |title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |year=1905 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n183 184]}}</ref> Fort Myers first became a nationally known winter resort with the opening of the Royal Palm Hotel in 1898, built by [[New York City]] department store magnate Hugh O'Neill.<ref name="news-press.com">[http://www.news-press.com/story/life/outdoors/2016/02/13/tourist-attraction-fort-myers-hugh-oneill-royal-palm-hotel-history-williams/79871878/ "Remembering the first tourist attraction in Fort Myers"], News-Press, February 13, 2016.</ref> Fort Myers was the frequent winter home of [[Thomas Edison]], as well as [[Henry Ford]].<ref name="Colihan"/> In 1911, Fort Myers was incorporated as a city.<ref>Grismer, p. 205</ref> In 1923, [[Collier County, Florida|Collier]] and [[Hendry County, Florida|Hendry]] Counties were created by splitting these areas from Lee County. Construction of the Tamiami Trail Bridge, built across the Caloosahatchee River in 1924, sparked the city's growth. After the bridge's construction, the city experienced its first real estate boom and many subdivisions sprouted around the city.<ref name="news-press.com"/> In 1927, a property purchased by the City of Fort Myers was turned into an airport, eventually called [[Page Field]].

On August 13, 2004, the county was struck by [[Hurricane Charley]], a [[Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale#Category 4|category 4]] storm, particularly on the northwestern islands of [[Captiva Island|Captiva]], [[Boca Grande, FL|Gasparilla]], and [[North Captiva]]. On September 10, 2017, Lee County was struck by [[Hurricane Irma]] as a [[Saffir–Simpson scale|Categorycategory 2]] storm. On September 28, 2022, [[Hurricane Ian]] made landfall on Lee County as a [[Category 4 hurricane|Categorycategory 4]] storm, causing major damage to [[Sanibel, Florida|Sanibel]], [[Pine Island (Lee County, Florida)|Pine Island]], and surrounding areas. [[Sanibel Causeway]] partially collapsed in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Andone |first=Paul P. Murphy,Rebekah Riess,Dakin |date=2022-09-29 |title=Sanibel and Captiva islands cut off from Florida mainland after Ian's 'biblical' storm surge washes away three parts of Sanibel Causeway |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/29/us/sanibel-causeway-bridge-florida-hurricane-ian/index.html |access-date=2022-09-29 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> 55 deaths occurred in Lee County as of October 4.<ref name="FL 105 deaths">{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/04/us/hurricane-ian-florida-recovery-tuesday/index.html|title=Hurricane Ian's death toll rises as crews in Florida go door to door in search for survivors in decimated neighborhoods|publisher=CNN|first=Nouran|last=Salahieh|date=October 4, 2022|accessdate=October 4, 2022}}</ref>

According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|1212|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|785|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|428|sqmi}} (35.3%) isare covered by water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> Rivers and streams include the [[Caloosahatchee River]], the [[Imperial River (Florida)|Imperial River]], the [[Estero River (Florida)|Estero River]], Hendry Creek, and Orange River. Lee County is on the [[Southwest Florida|southwest coast]] of Florida. It is about {{convert|125|mi|km}} south of [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]], {{convert|115|mi|km}} west of [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida|Fort Lauderdale]] via [[Interstate 75 in Florida|Interstate 75]], and roughly {{convert|125|mi|km}} west-northwest of [[Miami, Florida|Miami]] via [[U.S. Highway 41 in Florida|U.S. Highway 41]].

Lee County has a year-round warm, [[monsoon]]-influenced climate that is close to the boundary between tropical and subtropical climates ({{convert|18|°C|0}} in the coldest month), thus is either classified as a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cfa''), which is the classification used by [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/documentlibrary/ewdcd/ewdstations-wmo.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=March 30, 2014 |archive-date=July 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723180123/http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/documentlibrary/ewdcd/ewdstations-wmo.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>{{efn|The NOAA document used classifies locations as warm as Newport News, Virginia, as "continental", but areas with drastically more extreme climates, such as Wichita, Kansas, as "subtropical".}} or a [[tropical savanna climate]] (Köppen ''Aw'').<ref>{{cite web |title=Köppen Climate Classification Map |url=http://climate.gi.alaska.edu/courses/geog401/World_Koppen_Map.jpg |url-status=dead |publisher=Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska, Department of Climate Science |access-date=October 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325031826/http://climate.gi.alaska.edu/courses/geog401/World_Koppen_Map.jpg |archive-date=March 25, 2009}}</ref> Lee County has short, warm winters, and long, hot, humid summers, with most of the year's rainfall occurring from June to September. The temperature rarely rises to {{convert|100|°F|0}} or lowers to the freezing mark.<ref name=NOAA/> At 89, Lee County leads the nation in the number of days annually in which a thunderstorm is close enough for thunder to be heard.<ref>{{cite web |title=Weather Variety – Annual Days With Thunderstorms |url=http://www.weatherpages.com/variety/thunderstorms.html |publisher=Weatherpages.com |access-date=June 12, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220124114/http://www.weatherpages.com/variety/thunderstorms.html |archive-date=February 20, 2012}}</ref> The monthly daily average temperature ranges from {{convert|64.2|°F|1}} in January to {{convert|83.4|°F|1}} in August, with the annual mean being {{convert|75.1|°F|1}}. Records range from {{convert|24|°F|0}} on [[Great Freeze|December 29, 1894]] up to {{convert|103|°F|0}} on June 16–17, 1981.<ref name=NOAA/>

|Some Otherother Racerace (NH)

|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed/Multi-Racialmultiracial]] (NH)

As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 760,822 people, 288,916 households, and 187,877 families residingresided in the county. About 4.6% of that population was under the age of 5 years old, 17.3% was under 18 years old, and 29.2% was 65 years or older.; 51.0% was female; 89.3% was 25 years or older were high-school graduates and 28.5% of those 25 years or older had a bachelor's degree or higher.

As of 2010, 78.99% of residents spoke English as their first language, and 15.19% spoke Spanish, 1.28% French Creole (mostly Haitian Creole,) 0.88% German, 0.59% Portuguese, and 0.55% of the population spoke French as their main language.<ref name= "MLA">{{cite web | url=http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&SRVY_YEAR=2010&geo=county&state_id=12&county_id=95&mode=geographic&lang_id=&zip=&place_id=&cty_id=&region_id=&division_id=&ll=&a=&ea=&order=r&pc=1 | title=Modern Language Association Data Center Results of Lee County, Florida | publisher=Modern Language Association | access-date=October 23, 2015}}</ref> In total, 21.01% of the population spoke languages other than English as their primary language.<ref name= "MLA"/>