Southwest Florida





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


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 (661,000 population), and the region's largest city is Cape Coral with a population of 165,831 as of 2013.[1]




Map of Southwest Florida




Contents






  • 1 Development


  • 2 Government


  • 3 Regional Transportation


    • 3.1 Highways


    • 3.2 Airports


    • 3.3 Seaport


    • 3.4 Railway




  • 4 Tourism


  • 5 Education


  • 6 Sports


    • 6.1 Spring training




  • 7 Area codes


  • 8 Media


    • 8.1 Newspapers


    • 8.2 Television stations




  • 9 Counties


  • 10 Major incorporated cities


  • 11 Major unincorporated communities


  • 12 See also


  • 13 References


  • 14 External links





Development




Fishermen wading in Fort Myers Beach.


With no large cities in its early history, Southwest Florida was largely ignored by commercial developers until the late 1800s. As a result, the region lacks the heavier development present in other parts of Florida. In recent years however, 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]


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. Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council



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.[2]



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.[3]


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 in South Fort Myers, served over 7.42 million passengers in 2009 [4] and offers non-stop flights to 3 cities in Europe and 2 in Canada, in addition to 36 domestic airports. The area's secondary airport, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, served 1.34 million passengers in 2009.[5][3]


The following table shows the airports that serve the Southwest Florida area with commercial flights:



















































Airport name
 FAA
 IATA
 FAA
classification
 Enplanements
 Largest airline
(passengers)

Tampa International Airport
TPA
 TPA
 Large hub
 8,268,207
 Southwest (5,186)

Southwest Florida International Airport (Fort Myers)
RSW
 RSW
 Medium hub
 3,789,386
 Delta (1,650)

Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport
SRQ
 SRQ
 Small hub
 1,340,000
 Delta (636)

St. Petersburg–Clearwater International Airport
PIE
 PIE
 Small hub
 1,220,000
 Allegiant (1,082)

Punta Gorda Airport (formerly Charlotte County Airport)
PGD
 PGD
 Small hub
 836,000
 Allegiant (830)


Seaport


The Port of 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.[6][7]
Many of Florida railroads are like the nickname says: the Sunshine State. Florida features are highly interesting and diverse. South Florida's usually fantastic weather make it a worthwhile journey. The Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air Line, and the Florida East Coast provide Florida with a fascinating history since most of the South's classic lines are operated here.[7]



Tourism


Tourism is a major economic driver in the area. The warm winter climate draws tourists from across the United States, Canada, and Europe. [3] Small towns as well as cultural centres, sea-captains hangouts and small industrial centres, Southwest Florida has more than 25 major tourist meccas. Southwest Florida is a region with a comfortable mixture of Florida's classic and cosmopolitan, relaxed and fast-paced. A place for everyone.[8]




Bonita Beach


Major attractions/destinations:


  • Beaches in the following locales:


  • Bonita Beach

  • Cape Romano

  • Fort Myers Beach


  • Longboat Key, offshore from Bradenton and Sarasota


  • Marco Island, offshore from Naples

  • Naples

  • Sarasota


  • Sarasota Jungle Gardens in Sarasota


  • Sanibel and Captiva Islands, offshore from Fort Myers and Cape Coral


  • St. Armands Circle on St. Armands Key




Edison's winter home.


  • Attractions including:



  • Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers


  • Lake Okeechobee renowned for fishing and ecotourism.

  • Naples Botanical Garden

  • Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens


  • Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation where the Seminole nation operates a sizable casino.


  • Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota


  • St. Armand's Circle in Sarasota



Education




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 Atlantic Sun 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.[9][2]



Sports


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



























































Club
 Location
 Sport
 League
 Tier/Division
 Venue (capacity)

Florida Everblades
Estero
 Ice hockey
ECHL
 Mid-level minor league
Hertz Arena (7,100)

Fort Myers Miracle
 S. Fort Myers
 Baseball
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 Myers
 Basketball
Atlantic Sun 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[update], Southwest Florida hosts the following major league teams for spring training:




  • Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers


  • Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota


  • Minnesota Twins in South Fort Myers


  • Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton


  • Tampa Bay Rays in Port Charlotte



Area codes




  • Area code 239 Collier and Lee counties (Portions of Hendry, Charlotte and Monroe counties)


  • Area code 941 Charlotte, Manatee and Sarasota counties


  • Area code 863 DeSoto, Hendry and Glades counties



Media











Counties

























































































County
 County Seat
 Pop. (2004 est.)
 Pop. (2000)
 Change (2000–2004)
 Change (1990–2000)

Charlotte County
Punta Gorda
 157,134
 141,627
 +10.9%
 +27.6%

Collier County
East Naples
 296,678
 251,377
 +18.0%
 +65.3%

DeSoto County
Arcadia
 34,892
 32,209
 +8.3%
 +35.0%

Glades County
Moore Haven
 11,131
 10,576
 +5.2%
 +39.3%

Hendry County
LaBelle
 38,163
 36,120
 +5.4%
 +40.5%

Lee County
Fort Myers
 514,295
 440,888
 +16.6%
 +31.6%

Manatee County
Bradenton
 296,385
 264,002
 +12.3%
 +24.7%

Sarasota County
Sarasota
 355,477
 325,957
 +9.1%
 +17.3%
Total
 1,704,155
 1,500,846
 +13.5%

Florida – statewide
 17,397,161
 15,982,378
 +8.8%
 +23.5%


Major incorporated cities




  • Bradenton, Manatee County


  • Bonita Springs, Lee County


  • Cape Coral, Lee County


  • Fort Myers, Lee County


  • Naples, Collier County


  • North Port, Sarasota County


  • Sarasota, Sarasota County


  • Punta Gorda, Charlotte County



Major unincorporated communities


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




  • Lehigh Acres, Lee County


  • North Fort Myers, Lee County


  • Port Charlotte, Charlotte County

  • South Fort Myers, Lee County



See also




  • Florida Suncoast

  • Conservancy of Southwest Florida

  • Southwest Florida College

  • Southwest Florida International Airport



References





  1. ^ abcd "Southwest Florida Travel Guide - Vacation Resource & Coupons!". Southwest Florida Travel..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  2. ^ ab "Education in Southwest Florida | SWFL Economic Development Alliance".


  3. ^ abc "THE 15 BEST Things to Do in Southwest Gulf Coast 2019 - Must See Attractions in Southwest Gulf Coast, FL | TripAdvisor". tripadvisor.ca.


  4. ^ "SFIA (RSW) Total Passengers" (PDF). flylcpa.com. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
    [dead link]


  5. ^ "Activity Report 2009" (PDF). srq-airport.com. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
    [permanent dead link]


  6. ^ "Freight|Murder Mystery Train". Seminole Gulf Railway. Retrieved August 24, 2012.


  7. ^ ab "Florida Railroads". American-Rails.com.


  8. ^ "Your Vacation Guide to Southwest Florida". Visit Florida.


  9. ^ "Commission on Colleges". Sacscoc.org. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2013.




External links



  • Southwest Florida travel guide from Wikivoyage









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