Gulfshore Neighborhoods

Newcomers like Charles and Kimberly Cook are captivated by the charm of the area's older homes. The Cooks are renovating a 65-year-old home on Gasparilla Drive, just off of McGregor. "I had never been to Fort Myers before, and although I'm a fourth-generation Florida native, I'm not really into palm trees; I'm from the center of the state," says Kimberly. "But when I drove down McGregor that first time and saw the big palms then turned onto Gasparilla and saw the river at the end of the street, I thought, this is beautiful."

Edison Park offers a similar way of life, but is not on the river. Found directly across from the Edison homestead, it was designed by the inventor's good friend, the late Jim Newton, and offers 1970s-era homes, priced in the high $200,000s, as well as a mix of newer and older residences, priced to more than $1 million. The Fort Myers Country Club is within walking or biking distance of most homes.

South Fort Myers

Fort Myers' jagged city boundaries continue north until about Colonial Boulevard. Anything south of the city limits is known as south Fort Myers, an unincorporated area of Lee County that was home to nearly 50,000 people in 2000. It's a large swath of land between Lehigh Acres, San Carlos Park and the Caloosahatchee that incorporates several distinct neighborhoods, including Cypress Lake, Iona-McGregor, Punta Rassa, Whiskey Creek and The Villas. Closeness to the beaches, the HeathPark Medical Center and a county park attract many residents to the area.

Iona-McGregor follows McGregor Boulevard en route to Fort Myers Beach, and because of its proximity to water offers some homes along canals leading to the Caloosahatchee River and overlooking Cape Coral on the river's west bank. Located off McGregor are the sprawling Gulf Harbor Yacht & Country Club and the ungated Town and River Estates, offering older homes, some on canals. Commercial development includes restaurants, retail stores and restaurants and the Tanger Outlet Center at the triangular intersection of McGregor and Summerlin. Punta Rassa, home to the Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa and a number of condo buildings. Turn from Summerlin Road onto John Morris Road and you'll eventually find Fort Myers' only beach, the 731-acre Bunche Beach, where natural tidal wetlands offer a look at Florida's more wild side.

Whiskey Creek, a 1,500-home subdivision dating from 1969, borders its namesake creek off McGregor Boulevard and is north of Iona-McGregor. Selling points include an executive golf course, a mix of condos, 55-and-older multifamily housing and single-family homes and a great location (close to the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, a number of restaurants and shops).

The Villas, a 1,350-home neighborhood behind the upscale Bell Tower Shops, was platted in the 1950s and boasts mature landscaping, large lots and mostly older homes. The first planned residential neighborhood developed south of Fort Myers, The Villas has a community center, a two-and-a-half-acre park and a voluntary but active homeowners association.

A number of subdivisions and gated communities are found on each side of the Tamiami Trail as it heads south to San Carlos Park. Nearby Lakes Regional Park on Gladiolus Drive is a 279-acre oasis in the middle of all this development, with more than half the park dedicated to freshwater lakes for fishing, canoeing and swimming.Two of the area's newest high-rises, Riva Del Lago, offer resort-style amenities.

Destinations in the eastern portion of south Fort Myers include the Southwest Florida International Airport, the Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve and Hammond Stadium, the spring-training home of the Minnesota Twins.

LEHIGH ACRES

Once a 20,000-acre tax shelter for a Chicago businessman-cum-Florida rancher, today's Lehigh Acres is experiencing sizzling construction activity, with 600 new-home construction permits issued monthly, taxable property values that increased 88 percent during the last year and a population of 42,400. Lee Ratner, the businessman, saw Lehigh's potential in 1954 when he subdivided his Lucky Lee Ranch, making the east Lee County community the first post-World War II retirement community in Florida. Today the 95-square-mile Lehigh has 152,000 lots (some on lakes and canals), a mix of new and old homes and is one of the more affordable real estate markets in Southwest Florida, sought out by young families and first-time homebuyers. The median age has dropped from 38 in 2000 to 36.5.

Proving Lehigh's affordability: condos priced under and around $100,000 and homes starting around $200,000. Some newer larger homes are approaching the $1 million mark.

NORTH FORT MYERS

Development has slowly pushed its way out of downtown Fort Myers and into North Fort Myers, where new gated communities mingle with mini farms. Waterfront (canals, lakes and the Caloosahatchee River) is often found in the mix, where $1 million homes offer deep-water sailboat access. The area has a solid commercial base and a major tourist attraction-the Shell Factory and Nature Park with its Waltzing Waters. The river, Cape Coral and Charlotte County define the area's 70 square miles.

PINE ISLAND

An island of just 17 miles long by two to four miles wide, Pine Island offers several distinct personalities-from the arts and fishing town of its land entry in Matlacha on Little Pine Island to the peace and quiet of Bokeelia on its northern tip and the more populated St. James City at its southern point. One thing you won't find on Pine Island: beaches. There aren't any, and residents are content for it to stay that way.

Matlacha

Home of the "fishingest bridge in the world," Matlacha was originally inhabited by squatters, who built fishing camps along Pine Island Road. Today these small cottages are considered historic gems, and some are now used as art galleries and shops. Side streets display Matlacha's fishing and shrimp fleet and a combination of older and newer homes, most on the canals that reach into Matlacha Pass. Residents like the area's laid-back ambiance and its walk-to-anywhere location. There's even a park, bait and tackle shops, a few restaurants and a bar. Pastel-hue buildings and painted light poles reflect Matlacha's artistic side.

Pineland/Bokeelia

Tiny Pineland, found at the three-point convergence of Pine Island and Stringfellow roads, has amenities reserved for much larger places. There's a post office, albeit one of the country's smallest, a marina, a Bible college, a marine research institute, an Indian archaeological site and even a golf course. Pineland also boasts a working novelist-Randy Wayne White. There's a restaurant and hotel-the 1926 Tarpon Lodge and Restaurant, overlooking Pine Island Sound. Charters to the surrounding islands-Sanibel, Captiva, Useppa and Cabbage Key (a restaurant there is rumored to be Jimmy Buffet's inspiration for Cheeseburger in Paradise)-are available at nearby Pineland Marina.

Bokeelia seems virtually undiscovered despite its port, restaurants (the Lazy Flamingo and Captain Cons, which serves fabulous grouper) and art galleries. Homes here embody Florida's past-some have white picket fences, tin roofs, widow walks and wraparound porches for watching the sun set over Black Bay and Charlotte Harbor. Anglers say Bokeelia's shallow waters are ideal for snook, trout and grouper.

St. James City

About two-thirds of Pine Island's residents live in St. James City, arrived at via an 8.5-mile due-south direction on Stringfellow and past Elks, Moose and fisherman's clubs and co-ops. St. James City has a thriving commercial base with businesses that take advantage of its ties to the sea. There are several marinas and fishing charters and establishments like the Waterfront Restaurant and Marina, said to attract diners from 50 miles away with its burgers and grouper sandwiches, and the Double Nichol Pub, a tavern and sandwich shop, where the specialty is the Father, a toasted sandwich with bologna, pepperoni, salami, cappicola, provolone, jalapeños, oil, lettuce, tomato and onion.

SAN CARLOS PARK, THREE OAKS

Escalating home prices, proximity to the international airport and university and a new shopping center (the mega Gulf Coast Town Center) have placed this south Lee County community on an upward spiral. Close to the major amenities of its larger neighbors-Fort Myers to the north and Bonita Springs to the south, San Carlos Park and Three Oaks are the ideal midpoint for folks who work in Naples and Fort Myers. Many residents have lived in San Carlos for five years, when homes sold in the low $100,000s and attracted young families and first-time buyers. Two recreational facilities-the 36-acre Three Oaks Park and Karl Drews Community Center-offer programs for children and adults, youth sports and playgrounds. Baseball and soccer fields at Three Oaks Park stay busy most weekday and weekend nights. Many of the vacant lots from a few years ago now have homes. Lots in San Carlos tend to lack deed restrictions and city water and sewer (a majority of homes use wells and septic tanks). Neighboring, newer areas like Three Oaks have central water and sewer services and deed restrictions.

RURAL LEE COUNTY

Even Lee County's rural edge is changing. Gated communities along Palm Beach Boulevard/S.R. 80, once considered too far removed from the amenities of Fort Myers, are proliferating. Verandah, located along the Orange River, and River Hall, a 2,000-acre community by new-to-Southwest-Florida developer LandMar Group, take advantage of the area's slower way of life this area affords. Far-reaching towns like Alva and Buckingham have also kindled interest from buyers who want a more rural lifestyle and larger lots that can accommodate mini ranches and horses.

Many of the homes in Fort Myers Shores, found along the south bank of the Caloosahatchee River east of S.R. 31, back into canals leading to the river. Travel farther east along S.R. 80 and signs of civilization and development loosen. Land restrictions have kept vacant property in Buckingham, the site of a World War II Army training camp for airplane gunners, fairly sizeable. Neighboring Olga is located on the Caloosahatchee. Development has followed with a new Publix-anchored shopping center at routes 80 and 31. Recreational outlets are just miles apart-a marina at Sweetwater Landing, Hickey Creek Mitigation Park, Franklin Lock Recreational Area and the Caloosahatchee Regional Park, a 768-acre facility on the north shore with two walking trails, mountain bike and equestrian trails, primitive campsites and breathtaking views of the namesake river.

Just east of the park is Alva (Latin for white), named by Danish sea captain and botanist Peter Nelson for the white flowers growing along the riverbank. As one of Lee County's first county commissioners, Nelson platted out the village of modern-day Alva, laying out a network of streets and setting aside property for schools, parks, churches and the first library in South Florida. Today Alva's surrounding citrus groves and pastures are being transformed into gated communities, five- to 10-acre residential tracts and grand riverfront homes surrounded by moss-draped live oaks. Alva's quaint century-old United Methodist Church is the oldest church in continuous use in Southwest Florida.