Fort Myers has been named one of the coolest small cities in America.
I grew up right between Chicago and Milwaukee, so big city life is something I’m very familiar with. It was definitely a bit of change for me when I first moved to Fort Myers, but for me, the pros definitely outweigh any cons. “Cold” is anything below 70. While traffic isn’t non-existent, it’s relatively easy to get around. Rent isn’t astronomical. And you can find a beer in a local bar for $5, not $15. Yes, you might have to travel to a larger city like Tampa or Miami to catch a big artist in concert or go to a Michelin star restaurant. But small cities have a charm about them too.
With Hurricane Ian devastating the area in September, we’ve got a long road ahead for rebuilding. A lot of people fear that as Fort Myers Beach rebuilds that it will be overrun by high rises and chain hotels. The reality of that remains to be seen, but I really can’t wait for the beach to thrive once again.
So what defines a “small city”? The Demographic Research Unit of the Department of Finance qualifies a small city as an incorporated area that has a population of 100,000 of less.
Thrillist put together a list of the coolest small cities in America and Fort Myers made the list! To me, I feel like sometimes people forget about Fort Myers with some of the larger cities in Florida. Many people from out of town hear Florida and think Miami, Orlando, Tampa. But there’s so many small towns, especially coastal small towns, that are so gorgeous and have so much to offer. And for us that live here, they may only be 3-4 hours away, so they make for a great little weekend getaway too.