Southwest Florida

Last updated

Southwest Florida is the region along the southwest Gulf coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is known for its beaches, subtropical landscape, and winter resort economy. [1]

Contents

Definitions of the region vary, though its boundaries are generally considered to put it south of the Tampa Bay area, west of Lake Okeechobee, and mostly north of the Everglades and to include Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties. For some purposes, the inland counties of DeSoto, Glades, and Hendry, and the thinly populated mainland section of Monroe County, south of Collier, are also included. [1]

The region includes four metropolitan areas: the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota MSA, the Cape Coral-Fort Myers MSA, the Naples-Marco Island MSA, and the Punta Gorda MSA. The most populous county in the region is Lee County (760,822 population), and the region's largest city is Cape Coral with a population of 194,016 as of 2020. [1]

Map of Southwest Florida. Counties in red are always included in Southwest Florida, while counties in pink are sometimes included in Southwest Florida. Map of SW Florida.PNG
Map of Southwest Florida. Counties in red are always included in Southwest Florida, while counties in pink are sometimes included in Southwest Florida.

History and Development

Fishermen wading in Fort Myers Beach. FortMyersFLfish.jpg
Fishermen wading in Fort Myers Beach.

Nomadic Paleo-Indians inhabited southwestern Florida during the last ice age around 10,000 BC. The Paleo-Indians gave way to the Calusa, the "shell people." The Calusa thrived on the southwest Florida coast and numbered over 50,000 when the first Spaniards reached the peninsula in the 16th century. [2] The arrival of the Europeans was devastating to the Calusa, as diseases such as smallpox and measles decimated the population. Eventually the Seminole would arrive from points to the north and establish themselves on the peninsula. Southwest Florida was mostly not developed until the Florida land boom of the 1920s. The Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) expanded south from Tampa. There has been a major real estate boom focusing on downtown Fort Myers (high-rise residential condominiums); southern Lee County (commercial development and high-technology); eastern Collier County (residential development); and eastern parts of Bradenton. Numerous efforts in recent years have been made to reduce development and preserve open space and recreational areas. [1] [ further explanation needed ]

Inland counties (DeSoto, Hendry and Glades Counties) are notably rural, with the primary economic driver being agriculture. Important products grown in this area include tomatoes, beef, sugarcane, and citrus products including oranges. Agricultural harvesting in Southwest Florida employs approximately 16,000 seasonal workers, 90 percent of which are thought to be migrants. [3]

Government

Each county in the region has its own county government. Within each county, there are also self-governing cities, towns and villages. The remaining majority of land in each county is controlled directly by the county government. It is also very common for incorporated municipalities to contract county services in order to save costs and avoid redundancy. The region is designated as one of Florida's 4 districts for the Committee of Southern Historic Preservation (C-SHP). The district has been represented by Tommy Stolly since 2013. [4]

Regional Transportation

Highways

Southwest Florida is served by several major highways, including the Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) and the Interstate 75 freeway, both of which connect the area to Tampa to the north, and Greater Miami–Ft. Lauderdale to the east. Long-term cooperative infrastructure planning is coordinated by the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council (web site), and in heavily populated Lee County, the Metropolitan Planning Organization. [5]

Greyhound Lines serves several locations in Southwest Florida, including Bradenton, Fort Myers, Naples, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda and Sarasota.

Airports

Southwest Florida International Airport, located to the south of Fort Myers, is the area's primary airport for commercial traffic, serving 10.3 million passengers in 2021 and becoming one of the 50 busiest airports in the United States. Since 2022, the Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings Discover operates a direct route between Fort Myers and Frankfurt Airport, the sole nonstop flight to Europe in the region; the airport also facilitates travel between 28 states as well as the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and Havana. [6] [7] [8]

Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport serves as the secondary airport for the region and the primary airport for American and Canadian travelers hoping to travel to the northern part of Southwest Florida, flying as far west as Denver, as far north as Toronto Pearson and Minneapolis, and as far east as Boston. In 2021, the airport served 3.16 million passengers, a new record for the airport. [9] [10]

General aviation airports sprawl across the region, with the airport in Naples being the twelfth busiest in the nation for private jet traffic. The region also hosts general aviation facilities at namesake airports in various locations including Immokalee, Buckingham, LaBelle, Arcadia, Marco Island, Punta Gorda, and Venice, as well as at Fort Myers' Page Field, Placida's Coral Creek Airport, Everglades Airpark near Everglades City, and the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport straddling the line between Southwest Florida and the Miami metropolitan area.

Seaport

SeaPort Manatee provides a full range of port services for commercial, industrial and cruise ship purposes.

Railway

Seminole Gulf Railway provides freight services throughout Southwest Florida. [11] The Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air Line, and the Florida East Coast provide Florida with an intriguing history since most of the South's classic lines are operated here.[ citation needed ]

Tourism

Tourism is a major economic driver in the area. The warm winter climate draws tourists from across the United States, Canada, and Europe. [5]

Bonita Beach Bonita Beach.JPG
Bonita Beach

Major attractions/destinations:

Edison's winter home. Edisonwinterhome2006.jpg
Edison's winter home.

Education

FGCU's Academic Core FGCU Academic Core.jpg
FGCU's Academic Core

Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is a public university located just south of the Southwest Florida International Airport in South Fort Myers in Lee County, Florida. The university belongs to the 12-campus State University System of Florida. FGCU competes in the ASUN Conference in NCAA Division I sports. FGCU is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate's, 51 different types of bachelor's, 29 different master's, and 6 types of doctoral degrees. [12] [4]

Sports

The following table shows the professional teams and major NCAA Division 1 teams that play in Southwest Florida.

ClubLocationSportLeagueTier/DivisionVenue (capacity)
Florida Everblades Estero Ice hockey ECHL Mid-level minor league Hertz Arena (7,100)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels S. Fort MyersBaseball Florida State League Minor league — Class A Hammond Stadium (7,500)
Bradenton Marauders Bradenton Baseball Florida State League Minor league — Class A LECOM Park (8,500)
Charlotte Stone Crabs Port Charlotte Baseball Florida State League Minor league — Class A Charlotte Sports Park (7,000)
Gulf Coast League Red Sox Fort Myers Baseball Gulf Coast League Rookie League JetBlue Park (10,823)
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles Fort MyersBasketball ASUN Conference NCAA Division I Alico Arena (4,500)

Spring training

Florida is the traditional home for Major League Baseball spring training, with teams informally organized into the "Grapefruit League." As of 2004, Southwest Florida hosts the following major league teams for spring training:

Area codes

Media

Counties

CountyCounty Seat2000
Population		2010
Population		2020
Population		2018
Estimated
(2010 to 2018)		 % change
(2010 to 2018)
Charlotte County Punta Gorda 141,627159,978184,998+15.64%186,847184,998
Collier County East Naples 251,377321,521378,488+17.72%375,752378,488
DeSoto County Arcadia 32,20934,86237,489+7.54%33,97637,489
Glades County Moore Haven 10,57612,88113,724+6.54%12,12613,724
Hendry County LaBelle 36,21039,14341,556+6.16%39,61941,556
Lee County Fort Myers 440,888618,754754,610+21.96%760,822754,610
Manatee County Bradenton 296,385322,833394,855+22.31%399,710394,855
Sarasota County Sarasota 325,957379,448426,718+12.46%434,006426,718


Major incorporated cities

Major unincorporated communities

Communities listed have a population greater than 30,000 according to the 2000 census.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collier County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

Collier County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, its population was 375,752; an increase of 16.9% since the 2010 United States Census. Its county seat is East Naples, where the county offices were moved from Everglades City in 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeSoto County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

DeSoto County is a county located in the Florida Heartland region of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,976. Its county seat is Arcadia. DeSoto County comprises the Arcadia, Florida Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the North Port-Bradenton, Florida Combined Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hendry County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

Hendry County is a county in the Florida Heartland region of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,619, a 1.2% increase from 39,140 at the 2010 census. The county is majority-Hispanic or Latino. Its county seat is LaBelle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

Lee County is located in southwestern Florida, United States, on the Gulf Coast. As of the 2020 census, its population was 760,822. In 2022, the population was 822,453, making it the eighth-most populous county in the state. 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 estimated 2020 population of 194,016.

Scouting in Florida is composed of Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and Girl Scouts USA (GSUSA) local councils in Florida. Scouting in Florida has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punta Rassa, Florida</span> Census-designated place in Florida, United States

Punta Rassa is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,620 at the 2020 census, down from 1,750 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seminole Gulf Railway</span> Shortline railroad in Southwest Florida

The Seminole Gulf Railway is a short line freight and passenger excursion railroad headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida, that operates two former CSX Transportation railroad lines in Southwest Florida. The company's Fort Myers Division, which was previously the southernmost segment of CSX's Fort Myers Subdivision, runs from Arcadia south to North Naples via Punta Gorda, Fort Myers, Estero, and Bonita Springs. The company's other line, the Sarasota Division, runs from Oneco south through Sarasota. Seminole Gulf acquired the lines in November 1987 and operates its own equipment. The company's first train departed Fort Myers on November 14, 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Area code 239</span> Area code for southwestern Florida

Area code 239 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for a part of Southwestern Florida. The numbering plan area (NPA) includes Lee and Collier counties, small parts of Hendry and Charlotte counties and the Everglades National Park in Mainland Monroe County. The area code was activated for service on March 11, 2002, in an area code split in which the southern half of NPA 941, from North Fort Myers, was renumbered with 239. A permissive dialing period ended on March 10, 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Venice in Florida</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Florida, USA

The Diocese of Venice in Florida is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory–or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southwest Florida in the United States. It was founded on June 16, 1984. Frank Dewane has been bishop since 2007. The Diocese of Venice in Florida is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Miami.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarasota metropolitan area</span> Metropolitan area in Florida, United States

The Sarasota metropolitan area is a metropolitan area located in Southwest Florida. The metropolitan area is defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) consisting of Manatee County and Sarasota County. The principal cities listed by the OMB for the MSA are North Port, Bradenton, Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, and Venice. At the 2020 census, the MSA had a population of 833,716. The Census Bureau estimates that its population was 891,411 in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punta Gorda station</span> United States historic place

The Punta Gorda Atlantic Coast Line Depot is a historic Atlantic Coast Line Railroad depot in Punta Gorda, Florida, United States. It is located at 1009 Taylor Road.

WGCU-FM is an National Public Radio-member station on Florida's Gulf Coast. Licensed to Fort Myers, it is owned by Florida Gulf Coast University with studios along FGCU Boulevard, on campus. WGCU also operates WMKO 91.7, a full-time simulcast station licensed to Marco Island to serve the Naples area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida</span> Diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States

The Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA) in Florida which extends from Marco Island on the south, to Brooksville on the north, and inland to Plant City, Arcadia and LaBelle on the east. As part of the ECUSA, the diocese is a constituent member of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the U.S. state of Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punta Gorda, Florida</span> City in the United States

Punta Gorda is a city located in Southwest Florida and is the county seat of Charlotte County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census the city had a population of 19,471, up from 16,641 at the 2010 census. Punta Gorda is the principal city of the Punta Gorda, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, part of the North Port-Bradenton Florida Combined Statistical Area.

The Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway is a historic railroad line that at its greatest extent serviced Gasparilla Island in Charlotte Harbor and a major shipping port that once operated there. The railroad's principal purpose was to transport phosphate mined along the Peace River and in the Bone Valley region of Central Florida to the port to be shipped. It also brought passengers to the island community of Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island, and is largely responsible for making Boca Grande the popular tourist destination it is today. Part of the line remains in service today between Mulberry and Arcadia, which is now owned and operated by CSX Transportation. Today, it makes up CSX's Achan Subdivision and part of their Brewster Subdivision.

The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's Lakeland—Fort Myers Line was one of the railroad company's secondary main lines in Central and Southwest Florida. It was built incrementally in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Parts of the line are still active today.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Southwest Florida Travel Guide - Vacation Resource & Coupons!". Southwest Florida Travel.
  2. ↑ http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/calusa/calusa1.htm
  3. ↑ "Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council". Archived from the original on May 11, 2006. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Education in Southwest Florida | SWFL Economic Development Alliance".
  5. 1 2 "THE 15 BEST Things to Do in Southwest Gulf Coast 2019 - Must See Attractions in Southwest Gulf Coast, FL | TripAdvisor". tripadvisor.ca.
  6. ↑ Shaw, Derrick; Wirtz, Taylor (August 1, 2022). "RSW sees 21% decrease in June year-over-year traffic, up year-to-date". WINK NEWS. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Airline adds only non-stop flight to Germany from RSW". ABC7 Southwest Florida. March 28, 2022. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Routes". Southwest Florida International Airport. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Nonstop Destinations". Fly SRQ. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  10. ↑ "SRQ Airport Finishes 2021 With Record-Breaking Numbers". Sarasota Magazine. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Freight". Seminole Gulf Railway. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Commission on Colleges". Sacscoc.org. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.