Fort Myers Beach is a town located on the North end of Estero 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 e ...

, United States. The town is on the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

and is accessed from the mainland by a bridge over Estero Bay. The population was 5,582 at the 2020 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 ...

. It was officially incorporated on December 31, 1995.

Geography

Fort Myers Beach is located at (26.438676, –81.925620). The town is situated on the North end of Estero Island, one of the

barrier islands Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a f ...

in the

off the coast of Fort Myers, Florida. 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 t ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (53.41%) is water.

Climate

Fort Myers Beach has a tropical

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...

and has the following statistics on average. It receives 56 inches of rain and 0 inches of snow per year. The number of days with any measurable precipitation is 76. There are 265 sunny days per year. The July high is around 89 degrees and the low is 75 degrees. The January high is 75 and the low is 55.

History

Early history

The Calusa Indians first inhabited Estero Island, the island that Fort Myers Beach occupies, 2,000 years ago. The Calusa Indians resisted Spanish colonization attempts successfully including those by

Ponce de León Ponce may refer to: *Ponce (surname) * *Ponce, Puerto Rico, a city in Puerto Rico ** Ponce High School ** Ponce massacre, 1937 * USS ''Ponce'', several ships of the US Navy *Manuel Ponce, a Mexican composer active in the 20th century * British sla ...

in 1513 and 1521. The Calusa met their demise 150 years later due to disease, hostilities, and political and economic upheaval. In the mid to late 1700s, Cuban

fishermen A fisher or fisherman is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers. Fishers may be professional or recreati ...

then began to settle a small fishing village known as a Ranchero. This effectively displaced the remaining Calusa. In 1845,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

became the 27th state.

American settlement

The

Homestead Act of 1862 The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of government land or the public domain, typically called a homestead. In all, more than of public land, or nearly 10 percent of th ...

initiated American settlements on Estero Island. In 1862, Robert Gilbert received a homestead grant at the end of Connecticut Street, the highest point on Fort Myers Beach. In 1911, William Case developed the first subdivision and cottage rental industry. By 1914, all the property on the island was homesteaded with little industry beyond a hotel, fishing, gardening, and a sawmill operated by the

Koreshan Unity The Koreshan Unity was a communal utopia formed by Cyrus Teed, who took the name "Koresh", the original Persian form of his name Cyrus. The Koreshans followed Teed's beliefs, called Koreshanity, and he was regarded by his adherents as "the new Mes ...

communal society An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, ...

based on mainland Estero). At this point, Estero Island was named Crescent Beach. Development on Crescent Beach was slow until the 1920s when Florida gained national attention as a vacation destination. In 1921, a toll bridge was opened connecting the beach to the mainland, followed closely by the construction of two casinos, hotels, a pier and the island's first canal. The land boom ended with the hurricanes of 1921 and 1926 that challenged the paradise appeal of southwest Florida. Despite entering a depression, Crescent Beach continued to gain small businesses, restaurants, subdivisions, and a school. In the 1950s, Crescent Beach continued to modernize. Many hotels were built including the Rancho del Mar, which boasted the first swimming pool. Additionally, the swing bridge was electrified to facilitate traffic. During this time, "pink gold" or pink shrimp were discovered igniting the shrimping industry and ancillary businesses to support it as the population increased by 50 percent. During this second land boom, numerous civic organizations, churches, local newspapers, weather and

US Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and maritime law enforcement, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

stations, and the Beach Library were added to the island. The library became the first free public library in Lee County and opened in 1955 in a one-room cottage with a single librarian.

Incorporation

Fort Myers Beach has continued to develop to the present day. The island has a mix of year-round and seasonal residents, as well as a vibrant tourism industry. On December 31, 1995, legislation was passed to incorporate the town of Fort Myers Beach.

Hurricane Ian

On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall just north of the town as a high-end Category 4 hurricane, causing catastrophic damage and substantial loss of life in the city from high winds and destructive storm surge, which decimated the majority of homes and businesses along the coastline, including the popular Times Square.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 6,277 people in 3,444 households residing in the town. The population density was . There were 9,402 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.7%

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 o ...

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.6%

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 ...

, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.5% 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 0.7% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

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 2.8% of the population. There were 3,444 households, out of which 7.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 4.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.81 and the average family size was 2.23. In the town, the population was spread out, with 5.4% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 11.6% from 25 to 44, 34.9% from 45 to 64, and 45.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 63.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $55,213, and the median income for a family was $79,292. Males had a median income of $41,761 versus $39,961 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 town was $57,902.

Government

Fort Myers Beach is governed by a five-member town council. The current town council consists of Mayor Dan Allers, Vice Mayor Jim Atterholt, Council Member John R. King, Council Member Bill Veach, and Council Member Karen Woodson. The town attorney, John Herin, works with the Town Council to implement plans. The Town of Fort Myers Beach also operates Mound House Cultural and Environmental Learning Center located at 451 Connecticut Street, Newton Beach Park located at 4650 Estero Boulevard, Bay Oaks Recreational Campus (BORC) located at 2731 Oak Street, and Bayside Park located at San Carlos Boulevard and First Street. A few features of BORC include four full-size outdoor tennis courts, an 18-hole disc golf course, two full-size indoor basketball courts, weight room and a public pool that offers a children's pool along with a large slide. The pool is also available for lap swimmers. Times Square is the retail, restaurant, and entertainment center of the Town of Fort Myers Beach, which also has public beach access.

Education

Primary schools

* Fort Myers Beach Elementary School: the only primary school located on Fort Myers Beach. The school is limited to children who live on Estero and San Carlos Islands or have families who work on the Beach. Fort Myers Beach is the smallest public elementary school in Lee County. It is an A-ranked school.

Secondary schools

There are no secondary schools on Fort Myers Beach. See ''Lee County School District'' for other public schools in Lee County that school-age children on Fort Myers can attend.

Churches

The Chapel by the Sea was the first church on the island. A congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Chapel by the Sea was started in 1932 as a mission of the Presbyterians. It was officially founded one year later. The first building was constructed in 1937 with a seating capacity of 47. Today's Sanctuary holds 700. Although it is Presbyterian, the Chapel is known on the island as the community church. The church hosts "God's Table" feeding the poor and needy of the beach every day, Monday through Friday. Saint Raphael's Episcopal Church was the second church built on the island. It was founded on March 5, 1951, and the church was built in 1953. They are known for hosting the island's annual Blessing of the Shrimp Fleet, a tradition started in 1952 to bless all the boats and their crews. Other churches on the island are the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

of the Ascension, the Beach

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...

, St. Peter's

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

Church, and the Beach

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

Church.

Public transportation

Fort Myers Beach is served by LeeTran buses operated by the county.

Community events

Fort Myers Beach Lions Club Shrimp Festival

The Fort Myers Beach Lions Club Shrimp Festival takes place in March. The Shrimp Festival celebrates the shrimping industry on Fort Myers Beach. It consists of a shrimp eating competition, a 5k run, a parade, a pageant, and a food and crafts exposition.

Taste of the Beach

Taste of the Beach takes place in May. Taste of the Beach is an event where local restaurants offer samples of their signature dishes for purchase and compete for top Taste of the Beach Award in categories such as Best Appetizer, Best Beef Dish, Best Seafood Dish, Best Chicken Dish, Best Dessert, Best Decorated Booth, and People's choice award. Live music is performed throughout the event.

Fort Myers Beach Pirate Festival

The Fort Myers Beach Pirate Festival takes place the second weekend in October. The Fort Myers Beach Pirate Festival was named the #2 Pirate Festival in the Country by USA. This family-friendly event attracts thousands of people that come to enjoy the pirate bazaar, themed live music and performances, live ship battles, children's activities and the jolly pub quest (21+ event).

American Sand Sculpting Championship

The American Sand Sculpting Championship takes place in November. This is the largest sand sculpting event in the United States. Nearly 47,000 attendees visit and 2000 tons of sand are sculpted.

Fort Myers Beach Christmas Boat Parade

The Fort Myers Beach Christmas Boat Parade takes place in December. The event features 30 to 50 illuminated boats decorated with an array of animated Christmas scenes and filling the air with Christmas carols. The parade travels through the Back Bay and passes by some restaurants.

Gallery

File:Florida - Fort Myers Beach.jpg, The beach of Fort Myers Beach File:Florida - Fort Myers Beach - Harbor.jpg, Matanzas Pass File:Fort Myers Beach from Lani Kai terrace 2009.jpg, The beach as seen from the terrace of the Lani Kai Island Resort

References

External links

Town of Fort Myers Beach
official site
Greater Fort Myers Beach Area Chamber of CommerceFort Myers Beach Public Library
{{authority control Towns in Lee County, Florida Populated coastal places in Florida on the Gulf of Mexico Towns in Florida Former census-designated places in Florida Beaches of Lee County, Florida Beaches of Florida