Ona-Mission

My wife and I are relocating to Ft Myers area and spent 3 days scouting the area and have questions I hope I can get help. We are looking to rent a house and set out to see Lehigh Acres. Thats obviously not an option! I spend some time in Cape Coral and from what I can see the housing may be reasonable and good central location. Naples for me isn't an option. My wife and I work hard for our money and I don't want to be house broke. Naples is a beautiful area, just can't afford it.

Needs Im trying to fit.

Safe working class neighborhood.

Close to VA hospitol (my wife is an RN with the and trying for a transfer here) We would like for her to be close to work.

Close acccess to expressways, mainly I-75. I will be working in Lee and Collier County.

Cheap wearhouseing for my businesses. about 2000 sq ft. I found a lot of wearhousing on Metro Parkway and it seems like a lot available in North Ft Myers by Nor-Tech

Boat storage. I went to Ft Myers Beach and found rack for my 35 to be $500+ per month. (i think someone smokes too much dope for that price, maybe Im wrong) Im willing to do good outdoor storage as long as its secure, convienent, and close by. and I need 93 octain.

Ramp. I found a ramp at the beach but can see that would be tuff cuz of the drive and too any people. It would be tuff trailering there cuz the blue hairs don't realise what it takes to turn 60+ ft of boat and trailer. However I don't want a ramp easy to get to and be an hour ride through a no wake zone.


Any help would be greatly appreciated. With any luck we will meet soon on the water.

Thanks
Pat

tommymonza

Check out Bonita Springs. Right north of Naples .There is a small industrial park 3 miles from the coast and a mile from I-75.

Housing is much more reasonable than Naples and there is 2 ramps within 10 minutes with only a 5 minute ilde to get on plane or in the Gulf.

Cape Coral sucks. I have lived in Naples .Bonita and Cape Coral . for the last 25 years. I came from Grand Rapids Mi.

Bonita is it.

Cape Coral is to far up the river to get to the Gulf and 35 a minute ride to get to i-75. I lived on the water in the Cape for 2 years I could not wait to get back to Bonita Springs. Cape Cardiac is like the Twighlight Zone.

I know i will get a lot of flack for that comment but it is. Could not pay me to live there again.

If your interested i will be glad to answer more questions for you and i also have a very good friend who is a realtor who knows her chit and the area and isreal easy to work with.

One condition if you move down here: You have to blow all of that cold air out of your boat before you pull it down.Damn cold weather from all the Christmas Snowbirds bringing it with them about froze us Floridians to death the last couple weeks

Ona-Mission

Tommy,
Thanks so much for your feedback. I would love to talk to you more if you have the time. If you don't mind PM me with your phone and also the contact info for your realtor friend. This is huge help. Thanks again so much.

Pat

Maritime_Eng

I have lived in Cape Coral now for 5 years (Moved down from MN) and really like it here. The people are down to earth and the boating is really good. The Cape Coral Yacht club is the best launch in the area. Many people don't like the River but I think it offers alot. Many bars on the river that are alot of fun and even if the gulf is rough you can still take the boat out.
The are alot of places to rent/purchase in the area. I would stick to the SE part of the cape becasue it is closest to the river and has a small town feel.

Any questions feel free to PM me.

Don

redwenvy

I have not lived there but I do spend a lot of time in SW Florida and my wife and I are avid boaters. I know the Cape just got blasted by someone here but I think it is a pretty cool area. He does make a good point about the ride to the Gulf, but again consider the South end of the Cape only.

Bonita is also a great area in between Naples and Fort Myers but a further drive to the VA hospital, if I am correctly remembering where it is. Awesome area for boating in general. Many places to see and adventures to be had on the water. If you go, make sure you take a boating coarse, assuming you have not boated in the area very much. It is very different from inland lake boating.

The last point....Lehigh Acres, you are correct, what a sesspool!

tommymonza

Cape Coral used to be the Lehigh Acrs on the West side of i-75only 20 years ago . I know you guys like the Cape but it has to many inconveniences for me The # 1 being it is a hike out to 75. I lived a half mile north of the midpoint bridge on the river .Coming home from out of town was a 35 to 40 minute hike once you caught you exit on 75.

I know you Michigan guys and all are used to you long rural drives to get anywhere but this aint rural. Its one phuckin light after another if there is not one car on the road.

The river is great but it is hot as chit there in the summer also once that brown water heats up to 95.Much cooler living by the coast.

Bonita is small town and everything is within a mile or 2. I dread ever driving into Naples or Ft Myers . It is just to convenient to live here. Traffic sucks here from November till April so take your commute times and double them during those periods.
Hey if you like the Cape and have a job on the Cape so you dont have to spend 3 hours in the car everyday going to I 75 or Ft Meyers more power to you.

I hate driving in this traffic,It always blows me away when i go back up to Michigan and i can get clear across town 20 miles away in 20 minutes. I drive down to see my dad in Naples and it is20 miles and it is 50 minutes no traffic late at night because of the lights or an hour and 15 if the trffic is there.

bajarick

If you are looking for storage close to ramp
try summerlin storage on pine ridge rd, only
a few miles to the ramp at saniel bridge. You
cant beat the price.
Rick

bajarick

If you make the move check out fort myers
offshore club. Theres a thread on oso.
Rick

jswfl09

Did you ever end up moving down? If you did, just curious as to where.

Ona-Mission

Not yet. My target has moved to November. I've been working on my contractors licence since nov of 09, and still don't have it. This process has taken much longer then i ever expected.