Bokeelia is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) located on Pine Island in

Lee County, Florida Lee County is located in Southwest Florida on the Gulf Coast. As of the 2020 census, the population was 760,822. The county seat is Fort Myers (with a population of 86,395 as of the 2020 census), and the largest city is Cape Coral with an esti ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a population of 1,855, up from 1,780 at the 2010 census. It is part of the

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area Lee County is located in Southwest Florida on the Gulf Coast. As of the 2020 census, the population was 760,822. The county seat is Fort Myers (with a population of 86,395 as of the 2020 census), and the largest city is Cape Coral with an esti ...

. Bokeelia is still home to one of Lee County's first pioneer families, the Padillas, who came by way of

Cayo Costa Cayo Costa State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Florida, on Cayo Costa (formerly known as La Costa Island or Padilla Rancho), an island directly south of Boca Grande (Gasparilla Island) and just north of North Captiva Island, approxima ...

Geography

Bokeelia is located in western Lee County at (26.687960, -82.145249). It sits at the northern end of Pine Island and is bordered by water on three sides:

Pine Island Sound Pine Island Sound is located in Lee County, Florida, lying between Pine Island and the barrier islands of Sanibel Island, Captiva Island, North Captiva Island and Cayo Costa, which separate the Sound from the Gulf of Mexico. The Sound connects to ...

to the west, Charlotte Harbor to the north, and Matlacha Pass to the east. Bokeelia is bordered to the south by the unincorporated communities of Pineland and

Pine Island Center Pine Island Center is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located on Pine Island in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,942 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metro ...

. The original settlement of Bokeelia is on Bokeelia Island, connected to Pine Island by a short bridge on Stringfellow Road (County Road 767), the main road through the community, and which ends at the town's short Main Street along Charlotte Harbor. To the south Stringfellow Road leads to Pine Island Center, from where County Road 78 leads west to

Cape Coral Cape Coral is a city located in Lee County, Florida, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico. Founded in 1957 and developed as a planned community, the city's population has grown to 194,016 as of the 2020 Census, a rise of 26% from the 2010 Census ...

on the mainland. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the Bokeelia CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 19.87%, are water. Little Bokeelia Island, formerly owned by Charles Burgess, is a private island off Bokeelia.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,997 people, 907 households, and 631 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 1,436 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.05%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.25%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.05% Native American, 0.30%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.85% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.50% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 12.47% of the population. There were 907 households, out of which 16.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.5% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.55. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 15.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 18.2% from 25 to 44, 31.9% from 45 to 64, and 28.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.0 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $36,319, and the median income for a family was $42,250. Males had a median income of $24,271 versus $28,854 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $27,613. About 12.4% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 25.6% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Lee County, Florida Census-designated places in Florida Populated places on the Intracoastal Waterway in Florida Populated places on Charlotte Harbor Pine Island (Lee County, Florida)