Downtown Fort Myers, the City Where People Know Their History

When I think of going downtown I automatically think hustle and bustle, bars and restaurants and hockey and  baseball! Growing up in St.Petersburg and Tampa helps with this slightly different than the average automatic thought process. Downtown areas have changed from the focal point of the city, to the lawyers and CPA nest and the judicial system's breeding ground, to the cool artsy setting and the hipster hangout.

I figure now though, after walking through the Ft.Myers downtown area that the idea  of downtown didn't always produce those feelings. This particular downtown area is going through a continual change. The buildings have changed from their original banking functions, to the offices of lawyers and government officials alike. Roads are now made of brick instead of the original sand and shells. And, for the safety of the pedestrians there are sidewalks and crosswalks. Before all of this, there were only a few buildings and they all had a specific purpose. A lot of these old "original" buildings show what the Southern architecture in the late 1800's looked like. Many of the original settlers and builders of this city were removed Southerners. There are a lot of different signs, murals and window artwork that let the average "pedestrian" know that they are welcome to the area.



I believe that the area has many "nods to history". There are many signs along some of the streets that give a little bit of history to the random passerby. Other than the signs on the streets, the signs on the original buildings gives the area that old time feel without holding back new things from happening.

The economy of the Downtown Ft.Myers area has gone up and down of the years. From the start of the settlement to today the amount of citizens still matters most. The area is in need of people to fill the empty apartments and condos. The economy is slipping because there are not enough people being attracted to the downtown lifestyle. The officials of the city are trying their hardest to make the area look good enough for the younger generations to move in to.

All of this relates to sustainability because the downtown area is still thriving after over 100 years of first being built. The use of the land and the resources back then, has helped the city survive to this very day.