SW FL Overview

This website pertains to Lee & Collier Counties, located in Southwest Florida. Coverage includes Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Naples as well as everything noted on the map below, from Burnt Store Marina to the North all the way down to Marco Island to the South.

All the beaches and islands of Southwest Florida are included: Fort Myers Beach, Bonita Beach, Pine Island, Sanibel and Captiva.

As I believe everyone already knows, the draw here is the weather, beaches, golf, and the water! Fort Myers has an international airport (Southwest Florida International Airport, RSW) and most everything is under 30 minutes from the beaches. As a general rule, the further South the more expensive everything gets (This is of course a bit oversimplified, but a general rule of thumb). 

Fort Myers is the hub city in Lee County and contains most of the commerce.  Prices are higher than Cape Coral, which is more of a sprawling bedroom community.  Single family homes under $400,000 are a bit more limited in Fort Myers, whereas they are quite abundant in Cape Coral. There are however numerous townhomes, attached villas, condos, and gated golf communities throughout Ft Myers. Note that due to having far less canals on the Fort Myers side of the river, most Gulf access options are via community marinas as opposed to homes being directly located on canals, like on the Cape Coral side.

 Downtown Fort Myers, though small compared to most Northern cities is an inviting area with numerous restaurants and a lively atmosphere, especially on the weekends. It has a collection of late model high-rise condos pushed just outside of the downtown itself, along the riverfront.  Prices on these high-rise units are quite reasonable, starting in the $300,000’s, though the HOA fees do tend to add up quickly. 

To the very South of Fort Myers is the town of Estero. It is comprised mostly of very late model construction and is quite the shopping capital of the area, thanks to it millions of square feet of retailers and shopping malls. It seems like just ever restaurant known can be found here!  The overall area is very pretty and well maintained and most all find it to be a very desirable place to consider. Single family homes are typically priced from the $400,000’s on up and usually located within gated communities, many with golf courses. Gulf access is extremely limited here though– there is only the tiniest little section offering any such access, so for most boaters, its a matter of keeping the boat in an area marina if this is an area of interest to you.

Bonita Springs is further South and pricier. Basically the further South and closer you get to the city of Naples, the more expensive.  The portion of Bonita closest to (and including) the beaches is very desirable with homes commanding some very large figures. Boating is actually fairly shallow here, so its best suited for those accommodating smaller vessels.