Lehigh Acres, Florida
Encyclopedia
Lehigh Acres is a census-designated place
(CDP) in Lee County
, Florida
, United States
. The US Census Bureau estimates the CDP's population at 67,867 as of 2006. The community is an expansive, pre-plat
ted subdivision
of approximately 61000 acres (246.9 km²).
Lehigh Acres is a part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2006 population of 798,324.
, the CDP has a total area of 95.98 square miles (248.6 km²). 94.89 square miles (245.8 km²) of it is land and 1.09 square miles (2.8 km²) of it (1.14%) is water.
of 2000, which predates the sizable housing boom of 2003 to 2007, there were 33,430 people, 12,707 households, and 9,250 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 352.3/sq mi (136.0/km²). There were 14,486 housing units at an average density of 152.7/sq mi (58.9/km²). The racial makeup of the 2010 CDP Race Census was 44.20% White, 34.30% Hispanic, 18% African American, 0.30% Native American, 1.20% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.77% from other races
, and 1.99% from two or more races.
There were 12,707 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.4% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the CDP 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 were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $38,517, and the median income for a family was $42,492. Males had a median income of $30,202 versus $21,935 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $17,186. About 5.8% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.
Gerald Gould was the president of the corporation that developed Lehigh Acres which began in business in 1954. He remained as president until the company was sold in 1972.
Since the days of the Lucky Lee Ranch, the boundaries of Lehigh Acres have stretched to cover 61000 acres (246.9 km²), to include 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. The pasture land where Ratner's cattle roamed and the since broken up runways where military flight crews trained has been divided into some 152000 0.25 acres (1,011.7 m²) and 0.5 acres (2,023.4 m²) lots for housing, along over eleven thousand miles of roads. Strips of land along major thoroughfares, such as Homestead Road and Lee Boulevard, were set aside for commerce. In 1997, nearly 90% of Lehigh Acres' lots remained vacant.
In 1992, Lee County, with the cooperation of a new developer, declared Lehigh Acres to be blighted, which authorized its Community Redevelopment Agency to take steps towards improving infrastructure and planning elements neglected by the original developer. It is estimated that nearly $11 million would be needed to repave the developments roads.
But as in much of the United States, the real-estate boom of the 2000s went bust
. The median
house price in the Ft. Myers area peaked in late 2005 at $322,300. Three years later, it had plummeted to $106,900. A reliance on construction jobs no longer available pushed the unemployment rate in the area of Lehigh Acres and Fort Myers to 14% by the summer of 2009. Property values in Lehigh Acres dropped 25% in 2008, and another 50% in 2009.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Lee County
Lee County, Florida
Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. Located in southwest Florida, the principal cities in the county are Fort Myers and Cape Coral...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The US Census Bureau estimates the CDP's population at 67,867 as of 2006. The community is an expansive, pre-plat
Plat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted subdivision
Subdivision (land)
Subdivision is the act of dividing land into pieces that are easier to sell or otherwise develop, usually via a plat. The former single piece as a whole is then known in the United States as a subdivision...
of approximately 61000 acres (246.9 km²).
Lehigh Acres is a part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2006 population of 798,324.
Geography
Lehigh Acres is located at 26°36′30"N 81°38′21"W (26.608333, -81.639167). According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 95.98 square miles (248.6 km²). 94.89 square miles (245.8 km²) of it is land and 1.09 square miles (2.8 km²) of it (1.14%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, which predates the sizable housing boom of 2003 to 2007, there were 33,430 people, 12,707 households, and 9,250 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 352.3/sq mi (136.0/km²). There were 14,486 housing units at an average density of 152.7/sq mi (58.9/km²). The racial makeup of the 2010 CDP Race Census was 44.20% White, 34.30% Hispanic, 18% African American, 0.30% Native American, 1.20% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.77% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.99% from two or more races.
There were 12,707 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.4% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the CDP 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 were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $38,517, and the median income for a family was $42,492. Males had a median income of $30,202 versus $21,935 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $17,186. About 5.8% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.
1950s to 1990s: Sparse Settlement
Lehigh Acres got its start in the mid 1950s when Chicago businessman Lee Ratner needed a tax shelter. He had sold his pest control business, and he faced the possibility of losing most of his earnings to the high capital gains tax of that era. Ratner heard that cattle was a good investment for people in his predicament, and he bought 18,000 acres (73 km²) of land in eastern Lee County and named it the Lucky Lee Ranch. After ranching for a while, and despite having no prior development experience, Ratner joined with Gerald H. Gould, a Florida advertising executive, Manuel Riskin, a Chicago CPA, and Edward Shapiro, a former Chicagoan who was in the real estate business in California, and began land sales at Lehigh Acres.Gerald Gould was the president of the corporation that developed Lehigh Acres which began in business in 1954. He remained as president until the company was sold in 1972.
Since the days of the Lucky Lee Ranch, the boundaries of Lehigh Acres have stretched to cover 61000 acres (246.9 km²), to include the runways of the former Buckingham Army Airfield
Buckingham Field
Buckingham Field is a private-use airport located seven nautical miles east of the central business district of Fort Myers, in Lee County, Florida, United States...
, a major Army Air Forces training base that was closed at the end of World War II. The pasture land where Ratner's cattle roamed and the since broken up runways where military flight crews trained has been divided into some 152000 0.25 acres (1,011.7 m²) and 0.5 acres (2,023.4 m²) lots for housing, along over eleven thousand miles of roads. Strips of land along major thoroughfares, such as Homestead Road and Lee Boulevard, were set aside for commerce. In 1997, nearly 90% of Lehigh Acres' lots remained vacant.
In 1992, Lee County, with the cooperation of a new developer, declared Lehigh Acres to be blighted, which authorized its Community Redevelopment Agency to take steps towards improving infrastructure and planning elements neglected by the original developer. It is estimated that nearly $11 million would be needed to repave the developments roads.
2000s: Boom and Bust
A surge in housing prices led to a boom in Lehigh Acres new-housing construction from 2003 to 2007, peaking at more than 7,500 new homes constructed in 2006. The number of homes built during this period exceeded the total number of homes constructed during the preceding 50 years.But as in much of the United States, the real-estate boom of the 2000s went bust
United States housing bubble
The United States housing bubble is an economic bubble affecting many parts of the United States housing market in over half of American states. Housing prices peaked in early 2006, started to decline in 2006 and 2007, and may not yet have hit bottom as of 2011. On December 30, 2008 the...
. The median
Median
In probability theory and statistics, a median is described as the numerical value separating the higher half of a sample, a population, or a probability distribution, from the lower half. The median of a finite list of numbers can be found by arranging all the observations from lowest value to...
house price in the Ft. Myers area peaked in late 2005 at $322,300. Three years later, it had plummeted to $106,900. A reliance on construction jobs no longer available pushed the unemployment rate in the area of Lehigh Acres and Fort Myers to 14% by the summer of 2009. Property values in Lehigh Acres dropped 25% in 2008, and another 50% in 2009.
External links
- Hubert B. Stroud and William M. Spikowski, Planning in the Wake of Florida Land Scams, Journal of Planning Education and Research (includes Lehigh Acres as redevelopment model)