Victorian Neighborhood

[NoSnow4me]

There have recently been some modular homes built in CC that are outside of the box, but they kind of look like boxes.

[rikoshaprl]

Where I lived, on Long Island and Queens, homes on a block looked exactly alike, sometimes for blocks at a time. At least in SE Cape Coral, where I am now, there are some differences between each house. Each had a different builder. Some are from the 70's, 80's. 90's or 2000's. Some are hacienda types, some have the raised foyer with the columns. Some have metal roofs some barrel tiles, some shingles. Some have hip roofs some don't. Some have arches or stone face features, some don't. Each is a different color. All are concrete block so they are similar. Almost all are set on two lots so their size is similar too. No Victorians though haha.

[kroeran]

maybe check out Paseo townhouses and casitas. More southwestern than mediterranean, with a twist.

[chiluvr1228]

I agree with the McGregor Blvd area; however they are going to be expensive. You aren't going to find many Victorian type houses in the area but a Key West style house is nicer than the usual homes they build in this area.

[LifeIsGood01]

Originally Posted by goldsoul

HI, my best friend is relocating to Fort Myers area but she doesn't care for the typical Florida architecture. She is more of an Old World charm kind of girl. Quaint towns with outdoor shopping, restaurants, music, etc etc
Also needs to have some good elementary school options.
Any ideas?

thanks

Right off the riverfront in Fort Myers are some nice looking older homes. I would not guess that the schools are great as they are the same schools that the inner city kids a few blocks away would go to.

[chiluvr1228]

We have School Choice here so kids will not necessarily be going to the same schools as the "inner city kids". This was Lee County's solution to integrating the schools. So even if a person lives in Dunbar they could send their kid/kids to Cypress Lake if they want to.

[FloridAussie]

Really??!? Nobody has heard of Dean Park??!?

Dean Park Historic District | historic district in Fort Myers, Florida

If you like charming, historic, walkable neighbourhoods, it's the best Fort Myers has to offer. (I was looking for the same thing.) It's not quite New England, but walking around the little laneways behind the homes is plenty charming -- it was built when genteel people did not park their smelly, noisy autos in front of a home where neighbours had to see, hear and smell them; they had garages behind their home, instead. Most of the garages are now cute tiny rental cottages, B&Bs etc. They're the most charming places in FM, IMHO. And the big old homes fronting the streets are OK, too.

The next neighbourhood over, Gardner's Park, is next on the City's list for fixing up, so if you can't quite afford Dean Park (which is getting expensive) but you're willing to work to fix up a neighbourhood, it could be a good choice.

Though I will warn you, the locals here don't seem to like the old neighbourhoods at all; not even the nicer ones. Seriously: our neighbourhood is all foreigners and Yankees. Floridians seem to prefer the new subdivisions way out of town, with the bland same-y McMansions. To each their own, I guess.

[FloridAussie]

Dean Park isn't Victorian, though; it's 1920s/30s. But that's as old as you'll get in SWFL, AFAIK?

Anyone know of any older neighbourhoods here?

[chiluvr1228]

Doesn't Dean Park flood quite often? We moved back down to this area in 1999 and I remember during one of the storms Charley or Wilma or maybe just a really bad rainy pattern during the summer that Dean Park was on the news because of all the flooding.


If I won the lottery the first I would do is buy a house between McGregor and the river, preferably an older home that has been redone but kept the old world charm.