Why is Ft. Meyers known as 'Little Pakistan' in rap songs? (Jacksonville: real estate, apartments)

[121804]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Well, I wouldn't want to live in Miami, either, so I don't get the comparison.

And for a place with that much crime, it better offer more than traffic, early-bird specials, few job opportunities and high housing prices.

Fort Misery? I was told that was the city's nickname within the first week of living there. If you haven't heard it called that I would be very surprised. It's as common as "Cape Coma."

Red Sox training stadium? Not a very good part of town.

By the way, I'm from south central Massachusetts.

And they put a skateboarding park right next to it! That was my first dose of Ft Myers...Sox training game...my husband is from western Mass...there were 4 cop cars pulled up on someone's grass across the street....it's everywhere,of course...but i like what you said...a place should have more to offer than what Fort Myers does if it wants to survive in this economic world anymore. It's got some crime for not being all that big of a city & a lot of it is gang related crime that is plain out scary.

It's like the Little Train That Could & maybe one day it will make it up the hill. But with no real professional growth & a disastorous housing market, it will take years.

It's just a strange place. Think a lot of doing ok in that place depends on age, needs & if you have YOUNG children. Never heard it referred to as Little Pakistan, though

To each their own.

[jhlcomp]

What rubbish. I lived in Pakistan for almost 10 years and I can assure you there isn't a rapper or anyone on this forum that has a clue.

[florida1]

Originally Posted by jim09091

Yeah.. Fort Myers... the real ghetto.

When I was there a few weeks ago for the boat show in downtown it was so bad... there were children playing in the park and thousands of people walking around looking at the boats. People were eating in the restaurants. Can you believe that??? Out of control!

Whenever I go for any concerts or Red Sox spring training games I have to drive in by tank fully suited in Kevlar - makes Kosovo look like a playground.

GIVE ME A BREAK.

Like anywhere, there are a few bad neighborhoods but the people who compare it to the ghetto or call it Fort Misery (the same poster who now lives in boring, white-bread NH - I lived in North-Central Mass - most boring place on Earth and cold as all heck) need to go spend some time in a real city with some real bad neighborhoods (Miami, Atlanta, Detroit, etc). Spend a few days there and report back - the big bad ghetto streets of Fort Myers will suddenly look a bit tame.

Just like others said - it is to attempt to make your city of origin appear to be much for tougher than it really is.

As far as, "Because it has one of the worst crime rates in Florida and alot of crime occurs like in Pakistan. Take a look at the Sean Taylor incident, the 4 who killed Taylor were all from Fort Myers. "

Well, lets compare (relative to population) the amount of violent criminals now residing in greater Miami and compare to the criminals residing in greater Fort Myers. I believe Miami wins hands-down.

That's nothing! I was there about a week ago and I actually saw lawyers in business suits! BMW's and Mercedes were everywhere! Why just this past weekend there were thousands of men, women, and children (and some dogs too) participating in the annual heartwalk! I've never seen anything like it in my life. It makes south side Atlanta look tame. Seriously though, anyone who thinks Ft. Myers is a "crime haven" must live in a cage. Crime is no worse here than anyplace else. Also, that same list that has Ft. Myers as the third worst crime rate in Florida also has Palatka occupying the first or second place slot. Palatka!?!? I think that says something about the list. Palatka is a peaceful town in north, central Florida. I don't even see how people can take that list seriously.

Also I want to make a quick comment to hiknapster's post. There are three Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Ft. Myers/Bonita Springs (as of the 2007 list). Obviously if you compare that to Atlanta or Chicago that isn't a lot. However, the only cities in Florida with more Fortune 500 companies than Ft. Myers/Bonita Springs are Miam/Ft. Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Tampa/St. Pete, and Orlando. To say that Ft. Myers has no professional job market is absurd. Two of those companies are currently hiring. Also, there are actually 5,000 more jobs in the county this year compared to the same time last year (they publish this in the Business section of the news-press every Monday so people can track it). Unemployment keeps going up because population growth is far exceeding job growth. 30,000 people added last year and only 5,000 jobs. I think we can see where the problem is coming from. I'm not saying we have a hot economy here, in fact we have far from it. However, to act like Walmart and Publix are your best hope for employment is ridiculous. Most of the business owners I know would give their right arm for someone with a college degree. Unfortunately, because this area isn't a major metro yet (notice I said yet), many young professionals tend to overlook it. Iv'e seen IT and Analyst postions in this area open for months. There are jobs out there for professionals.

Also, you claim it is hard to make a living wage in SW FL. According to the last statistics, Lee County had a poverty rate of 9.7%. In comparison, Knox County, TN had a poverty rate of 12.6%. The statistics say that making a living in Knox County, TN is more difficult than making a living in Lee County. How come you don't complain about the employment where you live?

As far as the actual topic is concerned (sorry for getting off track), I have no idea why Ft. Myers is called Lil Pakistan. I agree though that the most logical reason is so that the rappers from here (all two of them) can make this area out to be more dangerous and ghetto than it really is.

[hiknapster]

Ah, Florida1, you're back.

According to a market study by The News-Press, unemployment reached 5.2% on September in Lee County, the highest in 4 years, she said.

Total taxable sales in Lee were down more than 12%, year over year in July, and foreclosures rose 458% over october 2006.

Single family homes sales reached 2003 levels this year, while their medium price dropped 6% year over year.

Even big companies like The News-Press have been affected.

"1,900 homes cancelled their newspaper subscriptions, more than double than last year," Hudler said.

Juarez —who is also the Financial and Administration vice president for the Hispanic Chamber— has seen a drastic reduction in local businesses in the area, especially Hispanic-owned.

"My customer base has shrunk 50%percent", Juarez said. "22 businesses I used to have as clients have shut down within the last year. 17 of them were Hispanic-owned."

His own accounting firm has felt the effects of the economic downturn first-hand: He fired 2 of his 4 employees, and moved to a smaller and cheaper office. "We all have been hit hard," he said.


The News-Press, news-press.com, Business, Hispanic chamber hosts economic outlook lunch

[florida1]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Ah, Florida1, you're back.

According to a market study by The News-Press, unemployment reached 5.2% on September in Lee County, the highest in 4 years, she said.

Total taxable sales in Lee were down more than 12%, year over year in July, and foreclosures rose 458% over october 2006.

Single family homes sales reached 2003 levels this year, while their medium price dropped 6% year over year.

Even big companies like The News-Press have been affected.

"1,900 homes cancelled their newspaper subscriptions, more than double than last year," Hudler said.

Juarez —who is also the Financial and Administration vice president for the Hispanic Chamber— has seen a drastic reduction in local businesses in the area, especially Hispanic-owned.

"My customer base has shrunk 50%percent", Juarez said. "22 businesses I used to have as clients have shut down within the last year. 17 of them were Hispanic-owned."

His own accounting firm has felt the effects of the economic downturn first-hand: He fired 2 of his 4 employees, and moved to a smaller and cheaper office. "We all have been hit hard," he said.


The News-Press, news-press.com, Business, Hispanic chamber hosts economic outlook lunch

Yep, I'm back. The forums have seemed to have cooled off a bit.

"unemployment reached 5.2% on September in Lee County, the highest in 4 years"

Never said unemployment went down. I acknowledged it has gone up and I gave my opinion why I think it has gone up. Also, like I said, over 5,000 jobs have been added within the county between now and this time last year. Unemployment doesn't mean decreased growth.


"My customer base has shrunk 50%percent", Juarez said. "22 businesses I used to have as clients have shut down within the last year. 17 of them were Hispanic-owned."

That is from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. It is no secret that the hispanic population was hit the hardest by the housing slump. This is expected from them. Bus tickets to Mexico are flying off the shelf (Is anyone really sad about that though?) Also, Hispanics are leaving and the population is still growing. This seems to contradict the notion that most new residents are Latin.

As far as the housing prices and sales go, I challenge you to show me any decent sized metro area that has gained in these areas. This housing slump affects everyone. Just for a reference, everyone likes to single out Ft. Myers as the worst market in the country (all aspects of the economy, not just housing). However, I read an article the other day and the Sarasota metro area has lost 3xs more of its gross domestic product than Ft. Myers has. Ft. Myers is far from the worst market.

[florida1]

Here is an article from today's issue of the news-press:
The News-Press, news-press.com, Business, Steadier work force projected

It talks about how 100% of the businesses surveyed say they are not planning any layoffs within the first quarter of 2008. The news-press is desperate for stories. They post contradicting articles all the time. It used to be that growth and development would dominate the headlines. Now they have to dig up stories from anything they can find. It is quite funny. One of NBC's major news stories the other day was that a Southwest Airlines flight from Ft. Myers almost collided with a general aviation jet over Miami/Ft/ Lauderdale airspace. Apparently the warning light came on and the Southwest Airlines pilot avoided the accident. Maybe it's just me, but I don't see what is so spectacular about that story. It probably happens on a daily basis. I have to laugh at how desperate the media is getting around here.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by florida1

As far as the housing prices and sales go, I challenge you to show me any decent sized metro area that has gained in these areas. This housing slump affects everyone. Just for a reference, everyone likes to single out Ft. Myers as the worst market in the country (all aspects of the economy, not just housing). However, I read an article the other day and the Sarasota metro area has lost 3xs more of its gross domestic product than Ft. Myers has. Ft. Myers is far from the worst market.

Everyone talks about Cape Coral-Fort Myers for a reason.

Global Insight, the world's leading company for economic and financial analysis and forecasting, today released the third quarter 2007 update of House Prices in America, the U.S. housing-valuation analysis, showing that prices for single-family homes declined for the first time since 1994, with California, Florida and Michigan accounting for the steepest losses.

The largest declines in Florida were in Punta Gorda (14%) and Cape Coral - Fort Myers (12%).

Global Insight // Single Family Home Prices Fall for First Time Since 1994

AS far as challenging me to find decent-sized metro areas where housing has appreciated, well, surely you jest. There are plenty. There's a whole world beyond Fort Myers.

For example, Salt Lake City has appreciated 13.37 in the past year, Austin, Texas has gone up 9.67 and Asheville, North Carolina went up 9.44 percent.

Things have cooled down because people give their opinions, both positive and negative, but no one is trying to portray Fort Myers as booming. If there is so much growth, then why are sales down by 12 percent?

This, in my opinion, smacks of desperation.

[121804]

Originally Posted by florida1

There are two articles confirming that Lee County added 30,000 people this past year.

Please get the age statistics. Are these live births? Are these 18-24yr olds? Are these 45 & older?

That number can mean anything & means little when just stated as a number.

I was the one who said it has no professional growth & stand behind that comment 110%. Again, state thriving & booming companies (other than TWO) that can support a city the size of Fort Myers. Better throw LA & CC in there for those people need to work in FM to pay for their homes & bills.

It is a desperate city in desperate times. My husband's company is closing its branch Jan. 31. We saw the writing on the wall months ago in Fort Myers & got out before we owned a home no one would ever buy & had no income. We knew 12 months ago that if this exact thing would happen, it would be close to impossible for him to find the same type of job with a substanable income due to the lack of true professions in Fort Myers. We started to plan & thank goodness we did.

The excessive in housing there is laughable & absolutely sad at the same time.

Is Fort Myers the epitome of hell? No. Is it the hardest hit city in the US...no...

It is not thriving. It is no where close. It has serious issues with lack of jobs that a middle class American can survive on & a SEVERE overabundance of empty homes & resale homes that have seen little to no movement in the past 6-12 months.

Take away the snowbirders & retirees & see what is left.

I am NOT saying it will be this way forever nor has it been this way in the past. It has issues that need to be addressed & fixed. Sugarcoating doesn't work. The truth is what the truth is. Exaggerations, by either side, is a waste of time.

I believe Austin, TX & Sugarland, TX have seen positive growth this past year. Both are comparable in size to Ft Myers.

[sunrico90]

Advise to all. Please post to the OP and avoid personal issues or attacks...

Thank you

[florida1]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Everyone talks about Cape Coral-Fort Myers for a reason.

Global Insight, the world's leading company for economic and financial analysis and forecasting, today released the third quarter 2007 update of House Prices in America, the U.S. housing-valuation analysis, showing that prices for single-family homes declined for the first time since 1994, with California, Florida and Michigan accounting for the steepest losses.

The largest declines in Florida were in Punta Gorda (14%) and Cape Coral - Fort Myers (12%).

Global Insight // Single Family Home Prices Fall for First Time Since 1994

AS far as challenging me to find decent-sized metro areas where housing has appreciated, well, surely you jest. There are plenty. There's a whole world beyond Fort Myers.

For example, Salt Lake City has appreciated 13.37 in the past year, Austin, Texas has gone up 9.67 and Asheville, North Carolina went up 9.44 percent.

Things have cooled down because people give their opinions, both positive and negative, but no one is trying to portray Fort Myers as booming. If there is so much growth, then why are sales down by 12 percent?

This, in my opinion, smacks of desperation.

Desperation for what? Desperation to keep my home from being bashed on a public forum. I will be the first one to admit guilt to that.

but no one is trying to portray Fort Myers as booming.
Refer me to where I said it was booming. I said it has a growing professinal job market. I never said it was booming. In fact, I acknowledged that times are difficult for many. Please stop putting words in my mouth.

If there is so much growth, then why are sales down by 12 percent?
I don't know. I wish I did. Maybe more people are opting to rent. Decreased investor activity. It can be a couple things.

Lil Pakistan is simply a name made up by a group of people trying to portray Ft. Myers as a Hip-Hop town. We now have a famous home grown rapper (Plies) and many people are viewing this as an opportunity to bring attention to Ft. Myers. They often refer to the area as Lil Pakistan or the 239. (I looked it up)