Moving to Florida-Florida Real Estate Network-Living plus Relocating

One of the best assets FT Myers and the surrounding communities of Bonita Beach, Sanibel, Cape Coral and Pine island have is their incredible natural resources. Wildlife literally flourishes in the parks and reserves.
Boating and Fishing opportunities are everywhere . If you love nature and all it’s beauty, this is the place.
Some things to see:

Caloosahatchee River
A well-liked destination for fishing, waterskiing, sight seeing, and taking in the wildlife.
Barrier Islands: North Captiva, Cayo Costa, Gasparilla Island
Popular with residents and tourists alike,
Sanibel and Captiva Islands
Beautiful barrier islands famous for shelling, fishing, and the J.N. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Preserve. A great place to se wildlife in a natural habitat.
Cape Coral
A sandy beach and a public fishing pier are open to residents and visitors year round..
Fort Myers Beach
The ultimate” Beach Town”, Fort Myers Beach combines family entertainment with fun and nightlife.
Lover’s Key
Lover’s Key. Carl E. Johnson Park, operated by Lee County Parks, has wide sandy beaches and is close to restaurants, galleries and luxury hotels.
Bonita Beach
A great beach for leisurely walks and taking in the natural beauty of the area..
With 16 Beach parks, including state and federal lands, Ft Myers offers recreational facilities that compare with the best in the nation.
Outdoor activities in Ft Myers and lee county.

Fishing-saltwater and freshwater
Boating-Ocean or Bay
Camping-over 3500 campsites
Diving-Ocean
Bike riding
Birding
Shelling
Photography
Tennis
Golf
Sailing
Kayaking http://www.fortmyers-sanibel.com/everything_to_do/water_rec/
Recreational Opportunities:

23 Community parks
12 regional parks-spring training ://www.leeparks.org
15 tennis courts
9 tennis centers
95 plus Golf Courses
58 Boat Ramps/marinas http://www.watersportsfl.com/boat-ramps.htm
50 miles of white sandy beaches
Pro sports facilities

The World Champion Boston Red Sox hold Spring Training in Fort Myers at the county operated City of Palms Park
The Minnesota Twins conduct Spring Training at the Lee County Sports Complex..
The Minnesota Twins’ Single-A minor league ball club, the Fort Myers Miracle play at the Bill Hammond Stadium.
The Fort Myers Skatiium is located on Broadway directly adjacent to the City of Palms Stadium. The Skatium is a 71,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility that houses two skating rinks, one regulation National Hockey League ice rink and one in-line skating rink.
The Edison Festival of Light 5K Classic, Held every winter.
Charlotte County Speedway, on Piper Road just East of I-75 in Punta Gorda, offers weekly stock-car and winged-sprint races
The Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track on Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs has racing most days
Whether your recreational needs range from spectator to participant, FT Myers and it’s surrounding beaches and parks have it all

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Sanibel and Captiva Islands lie just across a bridge from Ft Myers. They are unique – really two islands now connected by a sandbar/bridge and a closed pass – and definitely a place that has its own character.
Both of these legendary islands are known the world over. They’re perceived as hard to buy into (nobody wants to leave, and Real Estate can be very expensive), but they are in fact accessible to all.

In Florida the beaches belong to everybody, so beach access is always the real issue. The Town of Sanibel has made a point of supporting a number of limited-parking access points, and two big ones at Bowman’s Beach and the Lighthouse.
And there is also great parking for the shopping and galleries and restaurants, and for the world class andworld-renowned wildlife refuge, Ding Darling. Sanibel-Captiva should be on everybody’s list of why to go to Southwest Florida, and what to do when you get there.

Sanibel means shelling, beaching and swimming in the totally placid waters of the Gulf of Mexico, birding trails and drives, great golfing and tennis and biking, incredibly diverse dining and shopping, and terrific galleries. There’s even decent theater. It can also mean kayaking, motor boating, tarpon fishing, and exploring the myriad islands of Pine Island Sound. There are lots of places to rent a boat or kayak.
The Sanibel experience, whether in private quarters, the large number of timeshares, or an excelent choice of hotels, tends to be a resort experience, albeit a very laid-back one.
There is also a quiet, very upscale residential experience, that features good government, great small town amenities, good schools, easy access to excelent health care and off-island shopping, etc.; but relatively few people see that side of it. Which is too bad—some parts of Sanibel are more affordable than people realize.

A few statistics
Demographics

Population: 6000 plus, and 3-4x seasonally
Median age: 60, younger with seasonal population
Median income: $80,000
Housing

As of Sept 2005, per an MLS search, a 2/2 home in Sanibel starts at $495,000. The same 2/2 in Captiva starts at $549,000.

Employment

Sanibel, like the mainland, is chiefly if not exclusively a services economy.
Many employed residents work on the island, since there is a reasonably good local economic base on Sanibel.
But obviously there is a much deeper job market and broader range of potential employment on the mainland, and that’s where most employed Sanibel residents work
More people come to Sanibel from Ft. Myers to work, than the other way round, so a lot of the service folks you encounter in the stores, etc., are not actually residents
Industries providing employment on Sanibel
· Tourist related (21.2%),
· Retail trade (13.9%),
· Business, Real Estate (13.5%),
· Professional, management services (12.6%).
In conclusion
if you can afford it, and love nature and yet want the additional amenities of a big city just a bridge away, this would be an incredible place to live. Here you really can have your cake and eat it too.

Here’s a suggestion for you. If you think you would be interested in relocating to Sanibel-Captiva, either full-time or seasonally, or perhaps opening a shop on the islands, try renting one of the many beautiful timeshare properties for a week. They are very reasonable, and it’s a terrific way to learn about the island, the world of real Estate there, and what it would be like to live there. My wife and I stayed with friends in the relaxed Sanibel Beach Club 1 this past June, and I can definitely recommend this approach.

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