Lehigh Acres, Florida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lehigh Acres, Florida
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Aerial view of Lehigh Acres
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Location within Lee County, Florida
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| Country | United States |
| State |  Florida |
| County | Lee |
| Settled | 1954 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 94.21 sq mi (244.00 km2) |
| • Land | 92.69 sq mi (240.08 km2) |
| • Water | 1.51 sq mi (3.92 km2) 1.14% |
| Elevation | 20 ft (6 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 114,287 |
| • Density | 1,232.95/sq mi (476.04/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes |
33900-33999
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| Area code(s) | 239 |
| FIPS code | 12-39925 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0285447 |
Lehigh Acres is a community in Lee County, Florida, United States. It's not a city, but a special area called a census-designated place (CDP). In 2020, about 114,287 people lived here. This was a big jump from 2010, when there were 86,784 residents. Lehigh Acres is growing very fast and is part of the larger Cape Coral-Fort Myers area.
Contents
Exploring Lehigh Acres' Location
Lehigh Acres is found in the eastern part of Lee County. It is located at 26°36′30″N 81°38′21″W / 26.60833°N 81.63917°W. To the north, you'll find Alva, and to the northwest is Buckingham. Gateway is to the southwest.
The city of Fort Myers, which is the main city of Lee County, borders Lehigh Acres to the west. The community stretches east all the way to the Hendry County line.
Roads and Waterways in Lehigh Acres
Florida State Road 82 marks the southern edge of Lehigh Acres. This highway goes west about 15 miles to the center of Fort Myers. It also goes southeast about 20 miles to Immokalee.
The United States Census Bureau says that Lehigh Acres covers a total area of about 243.9 square kilometers. Most of this area, about 240.0 square kilometers, is land. The rest, about 3.9 square kilometers, is water.
The Story of Lehigh Acres
Lehigh Acres was started in the mid-1950s by a businessman from Chicago named Lee Ratner. He was looking for a way to save money on taxes. Ratner had sold his pest control business and faced high taxes on his earnings.
He heard that investing in cattle could help. So, he bought 18,000 acres of land in eastern Lee County. He named this land the Lucky Lee Ranch.
How Lehigh Acres Began
Even though he had never developed land before, Ratner decided to try. He teamed up with Gerald H. Gould, an advertising expert from Florida. He also worked with Manuel Riskin, an accountant, and Edward Shapiro, a real estate agent. Together, they started selling land in Lehigh Acres.
Gerald Gould was the president of the company that developed Lehigh Acres. He led the company from 1954 until it was sold in 1972.
Growth and Development Over Time
Since the days of the Lucky Lee Ranch, Lehigh Acres has grown a lot. It now covers about 61,000 acres. This includes the old runways of the Buckingham Army Airfield. This was a big training base for the Army Air Forces during World War II. It closed after the war.
The land where Ratner's cattle once roamed and where military planes trained has been divided. There are now about 152,000 lots for houses, each about 0.25 to 0.5 acres in size. Over 1,400 miles of roads were built. Areas along main roads like Homestead Road and Lee Boulevard were set aside for shops and businesses. In 1997, almost 90% of these lots were still empty.
Changes and Challenges in Lehigh Acres
In 1992, Lee County worked with a new developer. They decided that Lehigh Acres needed improvements. They created the Community Redevelopment Agency to help fix problems. This agency aimed to improve roads and other important services that the first developer didn't focus on. It was estimated that about $11 million would be needed to repave the roads.
From 2003 to 2007, there was a big boom in building new homes in Lehigh Acres. This was because house prices were going up. In 2006, more than 7,500 new homes were built. This was more homes than had been built in the previous 50 years combined!
However, like many places in the United States, the real estate boom ended. The average house price in the Fort Myers area reached its highest point in late 2005 at $322,300. Three years later, it had dropped to $106,900. Many people in Lehigh Acres worked in construction, but those jobs disappeared. By the summer of 2009, the unemployment rate in the area reached 14%. Property values were at their lowest in 2008. By late 2014, the average property value was around $169,200.
Lehigh Acres' Population and People
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1970 | 4,394 | — | |
| 1980 | 9,604 | 118.6% | |
| 1990 | 13,611 | 41.7% | |
| 2000 | 33,430 | 145.6% | |
| 2010 | 86,784 | 159.6% | |
| 2020 | 114,287 | 31.7% | |
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Population Changes from 2010 to 2020
| Race | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
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| White (NH) | 38,364 | 36,679 | 44.21% | 32.09% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 15,652 | 21,013 | 18.04% | 18.39% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 234 | 229 | 0.27% | 0.20% |
| Asian (NH) | 1,019 | 1,282 | 1.17% | 1.12% |
| Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH) | 25 | 44 | 0.03% | 0.04% |
| Some other race (NH) | 310 | 797 | 0.36% | 0.70% |
| Two or more races/Multiracial (NH) | 1,383 | 3,471 | 1.59% | 3.04% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 29,797 | 50,772 | 34.33% | 44.43% |
| Total | 86,784 | 114,287 |
In 2020, the 2020 United States census showed that 114,287 people lived in Lehigh Acres. There were 34,101 households and 26,168 families.
In 2010, the 2010 United States census counted 86,784 people. There were 27,040 households and 20,416 families.
Languages Spoken in Lehigh Acres
In 2000, most residents, about 84.52%, spoke English as their main language. About 11.81% spoke Spanish. A smaller number spoke German (1.34%) or French (0.83%). In total, about 15.47% of the people spoke a language other than English at home.
Getting Around Lehigh Acres
Lehigh Acres has public transportation. It is served by LeeTran buses, which help people travel within the community.
Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District
Most of Lehigh Acres is managed by a group called the Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District (MSID). This is a special district created by the Florida Legislature. It covers parts of Lee County and also some areas in nearby Hendry County.
The MSID has an elected board of commissioners. This board has power over some services that cities usually provide.
See also
In Spanish: Lehigh Acres para niños
