North of College Parkway (Cape Coral, Pensacola: home, safe area, to buy)

[luvtobewarm]

I'm going to be in the area, and I read this in the FAQ:
As a very rough rule of thumb, driving around Fort Myers north of College Parkway without knowing what you are doing, especially after dark (McGregor is the exception and a good way to get downtown after dark.) | Driving around anywhere after dark unless you are familiar with the area and know where you are going.
1) What is meant by north of college parkway? I was looking at a map and I see a sports complex and a country club north of there. How big of an area are we talking about? I will be staying in Cape Coral and the only way across is Cape Coral Parkway which goes right into College Parkway. So what does that mean to me?
2) Where is downtown Fort Myers? I assume from the above that McGregor is a safe road to take.
3) Any other areas to avoid - day or night? I probably won't be out much after dark.
Thanks in advance.

[justNancy]

You wrote:

"the only way across is Cape Coral Parkway"

This is not true. There are many ways to get on/off the Cape. What part of Cape Coral will you be driving to/from when you travel to/from Fort Myers? You can take the Cape Coral Bridge, the Midpoint Bridge, Pine Island Road, Del Prado Blvd and Hancock Bridge Parkway. From points north like Charlotte County, I've taken Burnt Store Road to the Cape.

Someone who lives in Cape Coral can probably offer more information than I, but I've driven to Cape Coral dozens of times. If you live in the North Cape and coming from downtown FM, you will be wasting time & gas by taking the Cape Coral Bridge since it is further south. You can take the Midpoint Bridge which is Colonial Blvd, just south of the Edison Mall. If I recall, the Edison Bridge (no toll) from downtown to Pondella Road in North Fort Myers to Pine Island Road is a quick way to access Cape Coral. Again, the Cape is HUGE, so it depends on where you'll be staying.

Do you own a GPS or have a navigation system in your vehicle? It's a great investment and you can find several models for less than $100. If you plan to drive in unfamiliar areas, I suggest you buy one. It's a life saver! I've lived in this area for nearly 2 decades and I've gotten mixed up in downtown FM.

Getting back to your question, there are several bad areas of Fort Myers, but I think you're specifically referring to the area of Cleveland Ave north of the Edison Mall. Parts of Fowler Street aren't safe either. What hours are you talking about, since it doesn't get dark until after 8 this time of year? Just don't walk around at night. It will sort of be obvious when you are driving through the not-so-nice areas.

[hiknapster]

The sports complex is the former home of the Red Sox spring training facility. It's a bad area. The country club is the oldest one in the area. It is still used but the area closest to Route 41 - Cleveland Avenue isn't great to not good. Downtown Fort Myers is due north, hugging the river.

https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q...&ved=0CK0BELYD

[luvtobewarm]

JustNancy - I would be staying near Cape Coral Parkway. I would be going to Sanibel/Ft Myer beach or just exploring. I stated it wrong when I said "the only way" but it seemed like the only sensible way for me. I will look at your other suggestions on the map - thanks.

I do have a GPS, but that once routed us through a horrible section in Chicago so I don't trust them anymore as far as that goes. I like to do my homework ahead of time and have some sort of an understanding of the layout of the area as I am "geographically challenged" even with a GPS!!!

The faqs said "driving around Fort Myers north of College Parkway without knowing what you are doing, especially after dark" makes it sound like some areas are not safe even in daylight. When the map showed a stadium and a country club north of College, I was confused as I would have thought those would be safe areas.

I would mostly be traveling during the day - maybe going out to eat at night and probably in Cape Coral.
Are there in bad areas in the Cape? I've only been there a couple times and it seemed fine to me. This time I will be on my own, so am paying more attention.

[luvtobewarm]

Thanks for the info. I wish they would compile it all and put it under the FAQ section as I am sure you guys must answer these questions a zillion times. Or maybe it's there and I missed it.....will check again.

Originally Posted by hiknapster

The sports complex is the former home of the Red Sox spring training facility. It's a bad area. The country club is the oldest one in the area. It is still used but the area closest to Route 41 - Cleveland Avenue isn't great to not good. Downtown Fort Myers is due north, hugging the river.

https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q...&ved=0CK0BELYD

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by luvtobewarm

I do have a GPS, but that once routed us through a horrible section in Chicago so I don't trust them anymore as far as that goes. I like to do my homework ahead of time and have some sort of an understanding of the layout of the area as I am "geographically challenged" even with a GPS!!!

That just happened to me in Pensacola. (My GPS is over 5 years old) I should have turned onto 98 and went through a bad area, although there was a lot of traffic. Any business area should be fine while people are still out and about. Anyway, I meant that a GPS will at least get you out of a jam (most of the time) but I also use online directions (Bing, Mapquest) I'm ready to buy a new GPS. Back in 2007 they were much more expensive and didn't offer free map updates. Use the map from Hiknapster as a guide. It shows all the major roads. Fort Myers really isn't a very large city and, as I wrote before, you can usually tell what sections are undesirable.

When you first arrive in a new area, it's best to drive around during the day to become familiar with it. Have a nice time!

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by justNancy

That just happened to me in Pensacola. (My GPS is over 5 years old) I should have turned onto 98 and went through a bad area, although there was a lot of traffic. Any business area should be fine while people are still out and about. Anyway, I meant that a GPS will at least get you out of a jam (most of the time) but I also use online directions (Bing, Mapquest) I'm ready to buy a new GPS. Back in 2007 they were much more expensive and didn't offer free map updates. Use the map from Hiknapster as a guide. It shows all the major roads. Fort Myers really isn't a very large city and, as I wrote before, you can usually tell what sections are undesirable.

When you first arrive in a new area, it's best to drive around during the day to become familiar with it. Have a nice time!

I use "Navigator" on my Android phone. It's Google and it will even re-route you around traffic. It's free and came with my phone. There is no way I would pay for a GPS. Far too much money. And my phone isn't anything fancy. It's a pay-as-you-go through Virgin. Does anything the expensive ones do.

Alas, I don't think there is anything that re-routes around bad areas. It could make a mint but be very politically incorrect.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

I use "Navigator" on my Android phone. It's Google and it will even re-route you around traffic. It's free and came with my phone. There is no way I would pay for a GPS. Far too much money. And my phone isn't anything fancy. It's a pay-as-you-go through Virgin. Does anything the expensive ones do.

Alas, I don't think there is anything that re-routes around bad areas. It could make a mint but be very politically incorrect.

Hik, I am so far behind when it comes to phone technology, but thanks for the suggestion. To give you an idea, my flip phone says Cingular on it. (although it works just fine) Amazing, isn't it? You buy something in 2007 (it was free with my 2 year AT&T contract) and it's obsolete a few years later. At that time the retail price for this Sony Ericsson phone with a Walkman was $300. What's amazing to me is that it still holds a charge, but not for very long. The only reason my Garmin Nuvi is out of date is because I never downloaded new maps. The roads were all different when I drove to Destin, but I got there. To me, Florida is probably the easiest state to get from point A to point B, especially after living in places like Boston!