Lehigh Acres

Lehigh Acres is an unincorporated area and Municipal District in Lee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 Census the population was 135,272. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The community was developed in the mid-1950s by Chicago businessman Lee Ratner. The area is one of the fastest growing communities in the State of Florida as well as the U.S. It was declared a blighted area in 1992, and the Community Redevelopment Agency took steps towards improving infrastructure and planning elements neglected by the original developer. The median house price in the Fort Myers area peaked in late 2005 at $322,300. Three years later, it had plummeted to $106,900. Property values reached a low of $169,200 in the summer of 2008, and by late 2014, the average property value was $105,000. The town has a population of about 135,000, making it one of Florida's fastest-growing communities. It has a total area of 94.2 square miles (243.9 km²), of which 92.7 sq miles (240.0 km²) are land and 1.5 sq miles of water. It includes the runways of the former Buckingham Army Airfield, a major Army Air Forces training base that was closed at the end of World War II. In 1997, nearly 90% of Lehigh Ac Res' lots remained vacant, and it is estimated that nearly $11 million would be needed to repave the development's roads.

Geography

Lehigh Acres is located in eastern Lee County at 26°3630N 81°3821W (26.608333, -81.639167). It is bordered to the north by Alva, to the northwest by Buckingham, and to the southwest by Gateway, all unincorporated. Florida State Road 82 forms the southern border of the CDP. The CDP has a total area of 94.2 square miles (243.9 km²), of which 92.7square miles (240.0 km²) are land and 1.9square miles(3.9km²) is water. It is located 15 miles (24 km) to the center of Fort Myers, and 20 miles (32 km) southeast of the city of Tampa. It has a population of 2,816 (2,716 in the U.S. Census Bureau's latest count) and an estimated population of 3,715 (3,717 in the 2010 Census) as of July 1, 2010. The town has a median household income of $28,823 (3.7% of the total population) and a median population size of $29,822 (3% of population) as well as a median income of $28,722 (4% of total population). The town is located on the Florida Turnpike, which runs through Lee County. It also has a major highway, Florida State Highway 82, which leads to Fort Myers.

History

Lehigh Acres was developed in the mid-1950s by Chicago businessman Lee Ratner. Since then, the boundaries have stretched to cover 61,000 acres (250 km²), including the runways of the former Buckingham Army Airfield. The pasture land where Ratner's cattle roamed and the since broken up runways where military flight crews trained has been divided into some 152,000 0.25-acre (1,000 m2) and 0.5-acre lots for housing, along over 1,400 miles (2,300 km) of roads. The median house price in the Fort Myers area peaked in late 2005 at $322,300. Three years later, it had plummeted to $106,900. Property values reached a low in 2008 of $106, 900. By late 2014, property values averaged $169,200. The number of homes built during this period exceeded the total number of houses constructed during the preceding 50 years. The real-estate boom of the 2000s went bust. A reliance on construction jobs no longer available pushed the unemployment rate in the area of Le high Acres and Fort Myers to 14% by the summer of 2009. It is estimated that nearly $11 million would be needed to repave the development's roads. In 1997, nearly 90% of Lehigh Ac Res' lots remained vacant. In 2008, more than 7,500 new homes were constructed in the Le High Acres area, peaking at more than 6,000 in 2006.

Demographics

As of 2000, the median income for a household in the CDP was $31,517. By 2017, median household income was $46,649. In 2000, 84.52% of residents spoke English as their first language, while 11.81% spoke Spanish, 1.34% spoke German, and 0.83% spoke French as their mother tongue. In total, 15.47% of the total population spoke languages other than English. As of 2010, there were 38,995 households. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.03. The population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there are 94.0 males. For each 100 females age 18 and over, there is 88.5 males. The per capita income for the C DP was $17,186. By 2016, this figure rose to $17, 222. About 9.8%. of families and 11.7%. of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5%. of those under 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over. The CDP is located in the northern part of the city, near the New Jersey Turnpike.

Public transportation

Lehigh Acres is served by LeeTran buses. The city is home to the Lehigh County Museum of Art and Science. The museum is also home to a museum of art and science called the Museum of Science and Art, which opened in 1903. The town is also known for its art collection, which is called the Art Gallery of Lehigh Aces. The art gallery is located in the town's historic district. The community also has an art museum, which was established in 1903, and a library. The library is located on the city's main square, and is open to the public. It is also served by a public transit system called LeeTrans buses, which run from Lehigh Avenue to the city center and back again. It also has a public library, which serves the city of LeHigh Acres and surrounding areas. It was founded in 1903 and opened in the early 20th century. It has been named after a former mayor of the city, William "Bill" Lehigh, who was a prominent local figure in the community. It's also known as the "City of the Stars" for its architectural style. The area's history dates back to the early 1900s. It includes several historic buildings, including the "Lehigh County Courthouse", which was built in the 1920s and 1930s. The current mayor is the son of William "William" LeHigh, who served as mayor in the late 1930s and early 1940s, and was a member of the first city council.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Lehigh Acres, Lee County, Florida = 92.6. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 60. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 98. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Lehigh Acres = 6.5 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 135,272 individuals with a median age of 34.2 age the population grows by 90.40% in Lehigh Acres, Lee County, Florida population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,232.95 residents per square mile of area (476.04/km²). There are average 2.73 people per household in the 23,255 households with an average household income of $51,764 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 13.70% of the available work force and has dropped -8.64% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 9.02%. The number of physicians in Lehigh Acres per 100,000 population = 196.8.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Lehigh Acres = 54.3 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 112. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 267. 91 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 53.5 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 28, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Lehigh Acres, Lee County, Florida which are owned by the occupant = 72.68%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 9 years with median home cost = $105,140 and home appreciation of -13.08%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $12.05 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,162 per student. There are 17.6 students for each teacher in the school, 814 students for each Librarian and 598 students for each Counselor. 7.11% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 6.78% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 4.13% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).