CRIME IN Ft Myers

[hiknapster]

I've said this before; when you start naming high-crime areas the point is lost. There are a lot of Midwesterners in Southwest Florida, though, and I guess Detroit and Chicago can be their frame of reference. However, if I'm going to spend money on a vacation or retirement home I don't want to be in a high-crime rate area.

I find it interesting that you live in Gateway, between Lehigh and the Dunbar/ East Fort Myers area, wjj. Bad, desperate people - especially those looking for money - do not stay in their own neighborhoods, where there are less booty to capitalize on.

Further, Gateway is in Fort Myers as is San Carlos Park, Island Park, etc. Those are just areas of Fort Myers. Are they in the city boundaries of Fort Myers? No. They are in Lee County. But that is still Fort Myers.

I like Gateway, don't get me wrong. I even use to work over there. And I don't think it is a particulary unsafe area by any means. But comparing it to Chicago is a bit unfortunate. I also don't by Lee County's reported crime rate. I think it is higher but the stats are massaged by a suspect police department. But that's neither here nor there. I've stated where the bad areas and I didn't consider Gateway to be one of them. But I don't consider Fort Myers to be that great. It has too many spotty areas. I'd rather purchase in Cape Coral.

[prairie360]

And the beat goes on....

[wjj]

Further, Gateway is in Fort Myers as is San Carlos Park, Island Park, etc. Those are just areas of Fort Myers. Are they in the city boundaries of Fort Myers? No. They are in Lee County. But that is still Fort Myers.

I really do not understand this comment. Lee County has over 600,000 residents but only one tenth of them live in Fort Myers. In other words, 90% of the residents of Lee County live outside of Fort Myers, including my neighbors in Gateway and your neighbors in CC. How can you say that anything in Lee County is still Fort Myers?

The Lee County crime stats, which include the bloated stats for Fort Myers, are lower than the FL state average. Strip out Fort Myers from those stats, and the rest of Lee County - the 90% - is well below the FL state average crime rates.

I do see your point about if you start talking about areas to avoid, then maybe the location is not right for many people who just are not used to having any crime within 50 miles of them. And I do agree that the frame of reference that you are coming from plays a big role. For someone coming from a big urban area, it is simply accepted that there will be high crime, run down areas that you need to avoid. It is just life. No one even thinks twice about it. But that does not mean that you cannot live in a very high end, very safe community in that urban area.

My primary home is in Lake County IL, which is about 25 miles north of Chicago and is considered to be one of the more affluent counties in the country in many surveys. But it is also home to some very dangerous and run down areas. But no one gives it a second thought. Just stay out of the bad areas. Everyone knows where they are. Likewise, I grew up in Chicago, my office is in Chicago, and my son lives in the city. I never feel like I am in any danger when I am in the city, but I also know what areas to stay out of, and I do.

From our frame of reference, Gateway fits the bill for us and we think it is quite nice and quite safe for a second home. For someone coming from a small town, it might be a scary place.