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Estero is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP population was 9,503. It is the home of Germain Arena, which hosts the home games for the Florida Everblades ECHL hockey team and the Florida Firecats af2 arena football team. Florida Gulf Coast University is also located just outside of the Estero Planning District.
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Bella Terra Education
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High Schools
* Cape Coral High School
* Cypress Lake High School
* Dunbar High School
* East Lee County High School
* Estero High School
* Fort Myers Senior High School
* Ida S. Baker High School
* Island Coast High School
* Lehigh Senior High School
* Mariner High School
* North Fort Myers High School
* Riverdale High School
* South Fort Myers High School
Middle Schools
* Lexington Middle School
* Trafalgar Middle School
* Gulf Middle School
Elementary Schools
* Gulf Elementary
* Tropic Isles Elementary
* Orangewood Elementary
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Bella Terra History
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Lee County was created in 1887 from Monroe County. It was named for Robert E. Lee, Confederate general in the American Civil War.
Incorporated in 1886, Fort Myers is the center of a popular tourist area in Southwest Florida and the seat of Lee County. It is located about 120 miles south of Tampa at the meeting point of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caloosahatchee River. Fort Myers was the frequent winter home of Thomas Edison, as well as Henry Ford. Lee County has been the host to several Major League Baseball teams for Spring Training, over the past several decades. Currently, it is the spring home of the Boston Red Sox, as well as the Minnesota Twins.
Fort Myers, built in 1850 as a military fort to fend off Seminole Indians that were massacring the area’s few settlers, 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, and the fort was abandoned. Billy’s Creek, which flows into the Caloosahatchee River and runs between The Beau Rivage Condominiums and Alta Mar, was named after a temporary camp where Billy Bowlegs and his men awaited ships to take them west.
The fort was abandoned until 1863 when a small number of Federal troops re-occupied the fort during the Civil War. In 1865 the fort was attacked unsuccessfully by a very small group of Confederates. After the war, the fort was again deserted.
The first settlers arrived in 1866, but it wasn’t until 1882 when the city experienced a significant influx of settlers. By 1885, when Fort Myers was incorporated, it was 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.
Fort Myers first became a nationally known winter resort with the building of The Royal Palm Hotel in 1898. But what really sparked the city’s growth was the construction of the Tamiami Trail Bridge built across the Caloosahatchee River in 1924. After the bridge’s construction, the city experienced its first real estate boom and many subdivisions sprouted around the city.
In 1923, Collier and Hendry Counties were created by splitting these areas from Lee County. As recently as 2004, discussion had taken place surrounding the possibility of the city of Cape Coral becoming its own county, citing in particular a perceived lack of infrastructure support from the Lee County government. However a new county has not as of yet been created.
In August 2004, the county was hit hard by Hurricane Charley, particularly on the northwestern islands of Captiva, Gasparilla and North Captiva.
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Bella Terra Lifestyle
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As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 9,503 people, 4,608 households, and 3,336 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 174.1/km² (450.7/mi²). There were 7,345 housing units at an average density of 134.5/km² (348.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.43% White, 0.64% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.19% of the population.
There were 4,608 households out of which 10.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.2% were married couples living together, 2.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.31.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 9.2% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 14.1% from 25 to 44, 31.1% from 45 to 64, and 40.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 61 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $43,734, and the median income for a family was $51,227. Males had a median income of $38,886 versus $27,883 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $30,521. About 1.9% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.1% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.
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Bella Terra News
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Search for "Estero FL" - Benefits Listings: July 24, 2008 - Naples Daily News
| The Humane Society Naples and Naples Dog Magazine are sponsoring "Yappy Hour" from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Manna From Heaven, the Pavilion, 835 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Naples. |
- FYI: July 21, 2008 - Naples Daily News
| The Collection at Vanderbilt will sponsor a family fun night from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Vanderbilt Beach and Airport-Pulling roads, Naples. |
- Caught golfing - BonitaNews.com - Bonita Springs, Florida
| It's not easy but it's beautiful." Clubs: Srixon irons and Callaway driver Practicing: "Mostly my driver." Favorite pro golfer: "It used to be Tiger , but I think I have to go with Rocco after . |
- Free Admission to Koreshan State Historic Site -- at Koreshan State Historic Site - BonitaNews.com - Bonita Springs, Florida
| When: Sunday, July 13 , 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Where: Koreshan State Historic Site , Intersection of Corkscrew Road and US 41, Estero, FL Cost: Free Age limit: All ages Categories: Outdoor Description: To celebrate ... |
- FYI: July 7, 2008 - Naples Daily News
| ABC Fine Wines and Liquors is having a wine tasting with more than 70 wines, gourmet food and cheese from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at 1000 Crosspointe Drive , Naples. |
- Waist-deep in muck, memories - News Press
| Though my father steadfastly refuses to leave the frostbitten, filthy and unfriendly wastes of Chicagoland for our paradisiacal oasis he can be persuaded to visit, so many of my favorite Florida memories ... |
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Bella Terra Transportation
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Airports
* Southwest Florida International Airport, in South Fort Myers, serves over 7.6 million passengers annually. Currently, the airport offers non-stop flights to three cities in Europe and two in Canada, in addition to 36 domestic non-stop destinations. 26 airlines operate scheduled service to and from the airport, with Delta Air Lines serving a plurality of the airport's passengers. On September 9, 2005, the airport opened a new terminal.
* Page Field, also in South Fort Myers, just south of the incorporated limits of the City of Fort Myers, is the county's general aviation airport. Prior to the opening of Southwest Florida Regional Airport in 1983 (now Southwest Florida International Airport), Page Field was the county's commercial airport.
Seaports/Marine Transport
A small port operation continues in Boca Grande, being used as a way-point for oil distribution. However, Port Boca Grande has been in decline for many years as the shipping industry has moved north, especially to the Port of Tampa.
In addition, a private enterprise operates a high-speed passenger-only ferry service between Fort Myers Beach From San Carlos Island and Key West.
Major Highways
The Southwest Florida Expressway Authority is an 8-person body including transportation officials from Lee and Collier Counties, the role of which is to raise toll revenue to widen and improve major arteries throughout both counties. Of particular priority is the needed revenue to widen the I-75 freeway beyond the 6-lane expansion due to begin in March 2007.
* Interstate 75 is the county's only fully-controlled-access freeway, and has nine interchanges within Lee County, linking the area to Naples, Fort Lauderdale and Miami to the south and east; and Sarasota and Tampa to the north. The freeway is due to be widened and improved dramatically from its current 4-lane structure, beginning in March 2007. Plans include express/local lanes, and/or HOT Lanes, coordinated by the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority. [3]
* U.S. Highway 41 runs the length of Lee County, and is the county's main north-south arterial highway. It is a major commercial corridor, running as an elevated highway through the center of downtown Fort Myers, continuing south as a multi-lane divided surface highway through the communities of South Fort Myers, San Carlos Park, Estero, and Bonita Springs. From north-to-south, the highway's name starts as "North Tamiami Trail", changes to "Cleveland Avenue" from the Caloosahatchee River to State Road 884 (Colonial Boulevard) in the City of Fort Myers, then it is called "South Cleveland Avenue" from Colonial Boulevard to County Road 876 (Daniels Parkway) then changes to "South Tamiami Trail until the border with Collier County.
* State Road 80 's western terminus is in downtown Fort Myers. The multi-lane highway runs east-northeast along the southern banks of the Caloosahatchee River as "Palm Beach Boulevard" within the county, traversing the state of Florida to connect the area with LaBelle, Clewiston, and West Palm Beach.
* State Road 82 's western terminus is in downtown Fort Myers. The highway is called "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard" within the incorporated limits of the City of Fort Myers, becoming "Immokalee Road" as it passes through Lehigh Acres and connects the area to Immokalee.
* State Road 884 is Lee County's main east-west arterial highway. Its western terminus is in the incorporated limits of the City of Cape Coral. Within Cape Coral, the highway is named "Veterans' Memorial Parkway", and is a multi-lane controlled access highway. The road crosses the Caloosahatchee River as an elevated highway across a toll bridge, interchanging with U.S. Highway 41, then becomes a multi-lane divided surface highway through Lehigh Acres.
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