Best Web Design in Fort Myers, FL (2026)

Web Design for Fort Myers, Florida

Fort Myers is the Southwest Florida county seat where inventor Thomas Edison built his winter laboratory and lined the streets with royal palms, giving the 'City of Palms' its name. Set on the Caloosahatchee River, it grew from a Seminole Wars fort into a sun-drenched tourism and spring-training town that hosts both the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins. Its downtown River District, the Edison and Ford Winter Estates, and the largest banyan tree in the continental United States make it a place where Gilded Age invention meets Gulf Coast leisure.

AppWT works with Fort Myers, FL businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Fort Myers

Also known as. City of Palms.

History. The original fort was built during the Second Seminole War, relocated to the current site in 1850, and named for Colonel Abraham Myers, an Army quartermaster; it was abandoned in 1858. The civilian town was founded on February 21, 1866 by Captain Manuel A. Gonzalez and was incorporated on August 12, 1885 with 349 residents. Inventor Thomas Edison first visited in 1885, bought 13 acres along the Caloosahatchee River, and completed his winter home 'Seminole Lodge' in 1886; his friend Henry Ford bought the adjacent estate 'The Mangoes' in 1916. The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad reached Fort Myers on May 10, 1904, and the Edison Bridge opened on February 11, 1931, Edison's 84th birthday. Fort Myers suffered catastrophic damage when Hurricane Ian struck on September 28, 2022.

Local economy. As the seat of Lee County, Fort Myers is the government and commercial hub of Southwest Florida, with tourism and real estate as core industries. Spring-training baseball is a major economic driver: the Boston Red Sox train at JetBlue Park ('Fenway South') and the Minnesota Twins at Hammond Stadium in the Lee Health Sports Complex (built 1991). The city sits within the fast-growing Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area, home to about 834,573 people as of 2023. The population itself grew to roughly 86,395 in the 2020 Census and an estimated 95,949 by 2022.

Culture and community. The Edison Festival of Light, held each February around Edison's birthday, culminates in a Grand Parade billed as the largest night parade in the Southeast. The City of Palms Classic, an elite high school basketball tournament, has been held annually since 1973. The downtown River District hosts monthly ArtWalk and MusicWalk events along the Caloosahatchee waterfront. Spring-training baseball for the Red Sox and Twins draws a seasonal culture of northern visitors each February and March.

What makes Fort Myers distinct. The banyan tree at the Edison estate grew from a small sapling and is now the largest of its kind in the continental U.S. Edison personally championed planting royal palms along the main boulevard, literally naming the 'City of Palms.' The Edison Bridge was deliberately dedicated on February 11, 1931 to coincide with Thomas Edison's 84th birthday.

Fort Myers is the county seat of Lee County and the historic gateway to Southwest Florida, set along the Caloosahatchee River.

Fort Myers Landmarks and Local Life

• Edison and Ford Winter Estates - Historic winter homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford with a botanical garden on the Caloosahatchee River
• Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center - Downtown arts venue in the former federal building
• IMAG History & Science Center - History and science museum in downtown Fort Myers
• Centennial Park - Downtown riverfront park along the Caloosahatchee River
• Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve - Lee County wetland preserve with a boardwalk trail and wildlife viewing

Fort Myers at a Glance

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023.

• Median household income: About $62,160
• Adults with a bachelor degree or higher: About 32.1%
• Housing: About 49% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, reflecting a large renter population
• Housing: Roughly 36% of housing units are single-family detached homes