Fort Myers

"City of Palms" aptly captures the graceful rustling of this historic cow-town acclaimed in modern times among the nation's "50 Fablulous Places to Raise Your Family." Natural assets prove an unfailing magnet for people in search of new frontiers. Today, Fort Myers drives one of the hottest home-building markets in the country, with commercial enterprises hot on its heels. Forward ho! International investors are lassoing funds and sending them into Fort Myers' historic downtown district on the banks of the Caloosahatchee. Developers kick off upscale golf course communities at the drop of a hat. Baseball stadiums hospitably welcome Red Sox and Minnesota Twins spring training camps while new sports arenas host our own Fort Myers Miracle baseball and Everblades hockey teams. Amateur skating, ice, roller and in-line, is big. Bike paths, wooded park boardwalks, lakeside picnic areas, marinas and neighborhood recreation centers proliferate. Six Mile Cypress Slough, Lakes Park and the Calusa Nature Center display nature's wonders. Lee County boasts more than 50 golf courses, earning the region title as the "Golf Capital of the World." Everyone loves to be outdoors 365 days a year. Thomas Edison, who wintered his home and laboratory here earlier this century, predicted, "There's only one Fort Myers, and 90 million people are going to find out about it." While Edison whimsically overstated the number, he correctly saw the attraction. Edison's uncommon friends and fellow business mavens Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone agreed and moved in next door. Their historic homes still set the tone for gracious riverfront living up and down McGregor Boulevard, charmed with an endless march of statuesque royal palms. Theater, concerts and arts classes scattered around town all come together in the Alliance of the Arts, which lets you know what's happening when. Florida Gulf Coast University and Edison Community College collaborate with cultural and academic offerings. August's annual two-week New Arts Festival complements February's two-week Edison Festival of Light. Mega single site events house themselves at the Harborside Convention Center. Fort Myers is a big small town. All the big-city amenities and conveniences are within hailing distance. Yet folks are always running into someone they know. We like it here. You will too. Ya'll come!

Photography by Pat Shapiro/Flying Colors of Naples