May be moving to Fort Meyer (FLA)

[kserra]

I have received an offer to move down to Fort Myers for a nice teaching position...

Being born and raised in Michigan, I'm not that familar with the area and I was hoping some of you might give me some insight on life down there...

I know the heat is something down there, but will it drive me crazy?

What is the makeup of Fort Myers and Cape Coral? Is this a safe area, a good place to raise a family, etc...

The cost of living is great...my wife (I love that lady) thinks we should buy a condo on a golf course!!! Best of all, it's EXTREMELY affordable (below 150 K)

I've done some basic research and I've seen that Fortune magazine named Fort Myers as one of the top Metropolitian areas to live in America, but who knows about those ratings...

Any insight you can give me would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks!

Kevin

[sovereignstar]

You'll get a chance to see some Spring Training. The BoSox and the Twins both have their camps in Fort Myers (the Twins have a minor league team there as well, I believe).

[pjstp20]

I've lived in Fort Myers for 18 years before I moved to Tallahassee. I'm not sure what info you're specifically looking for but I'm sure I can provide it. A few things I can tell you: First it's spelled Fort Myers. It's hot but not as hot as other parts of Florida. Since it's near the Gulf the summer is a tad bit milder but still averages in the mid 90's. The Gulf breeze provides some relief so it doesn't feel like your sitting in a sauna like in Tallahasse, where it's almost unbearable to go outside in the summer. Say good bye to seasons because you get 8 months of summer and two each of fall and spring if you're lucky.

It's Southwest Fla, so there's a lot of retirees so get used to elder drivers if you know what I'm saying. Their population doubles in the winter. I would say its very safe and a good place to raise a family. Bored teenagers breaking into your car would make up 90% of the crime, so get a car alarm and you should be good there.

If you like beaches you'll love it there, you're about 10 minutes from Ft. Myers beach and 30 from Sanibel. If you're choosing where to live, live in Ft. Myers over Cape Coral. I know its a bit more expensive but it's worth it unless you want to live in a barren wasteland that has 3 trees for every 10 square miles.

The economy is pretty good, every time I go down there something is expanding or being built, it's growing like crazy and in another 10 years it'll probably be bigger than Ft. Lauderdale. If theres anything I missed let me know.

[Leonidas]

First off, if you go around calling it Fort Meyers, no one will want to talk to you. It's Fort Myers. They take that kind of thing very personally.

I am from there, and went to high school there, but haven't lived there in 17 years. I've been back a few times to visit and literally hardly recongognized it. Beaches used to be great, especially Captiva Island and Bunche Beach, but hurricanes killed those. Fishing is great in certain parts of Bonita Springs and off Sanibel.

There are some great neighborhoods, and some places you simply must stay away from. East Ft. Myers was once known by the FBI as "Cracktown USA", a title well earned. Cape Coral is cheap, but known for stupid, petty laws like not being able to park a truck in your driveway. Cape Coral is basically one big ass sub-development with no character or sceneray, but did I mention it was cheap? Oh yeah, I did.

San Carlos is pretty mice and fairly cheap. My sister has lived there for many years and loves it. That's down towards Bonita Springs in South Ft. Myers.

Under no circumstances move into a place called Pine Manor. Also stay away from anything near old Page Field.

But anything semi close to the regional airport is actually pretty nice. There are lots of nice subdivisions in that general area.

Ft Myers is a pure tourist town. The population swells hugely in the winter. Traffic gets beastly from Nov-April. One interstate slides to the East, but no bypasses or beltways. To get from Cape Coral into town requires a trip on a bridge, possibly with a toll depending on which you take. The drive on those bridges can be pretty dreadful.

Ft. Myers Beach is a fun place to hang out, but is extremely crowded during tourist season. I loved it in the summer. Felt like we locals had it all to ourselves.

Sanibel Island is really cool, but really expensive. Nice to visit, but better win the lottery if you want to live there.

There's one big mall and lots of smaller malls. Plenty of movie theaters. Plenty of good restaurants. Hope you like seafood. Lots and lots of baseball. Beaches and fishing are a way of life. Great golf courses (though a tad bit expensive to play).

When I grew up there, Ft. Myers was a small town trying desperately to be a city. I think they have fairly well achieved that. Not the town I once knew and loved, but if you have a good job there and can afford it, then it's probably a good place to bring the kids. Be warned though, there is a very significant urban element (gangs) and in the public schools your kids will be exposed to it. As I said, East Ft. Myers is as nasty as any neighborhood in big cities like Chicago or Atlanta, and they bus kids from that neighborhood to schools all over the county. There are a decent amount of private schools you might want to check into. Bishop Verot and Canterbury come to mind for high schools.

[kserra]

thanks for the info. My wife and I are flying down there during the beginning of June to look around.

I really appreciate the info on the nice places to live and the ones to avoid...I don't want to live in an area with major drug issues or gangs to worry about...

I still find it hard to believe that there are some really nice condos with golfing for around 150,000...we are probably going to go with something like this, at least until we get to really know the area...

The high school I'll be teaching in is a new charter school, Gateway Charter, and we're going to start with just a 9th and 10th grade...should be a nice start...plus I've been offered the chance to be the head of the history department...not huge power or anything, but nice to be given the distinction...

Any more insight on the area, whether it be useful, random, or just plain weird would be greatly appreciated. I am excited about the Spring Training down there...when my Tigers come to play the Sox or Twins, I'll be there for sure...

Thanks again.

Kevin

[gstelmack]

Beaches used to be great, especially Captiva Island and Bunche Beach, but hurricanes killed those.
That sucks. Captiva Island used to be a great beach to go to. It's been almost 20 years for me, but we used to have a lot of fun driving down their from Venice occasionally.