florida relocation guides

Area Relocation Guides

Moving to Florida or Babcock Ranch? Check out My extensive relocation guides to learn more about the regions. These custom guides contain pertinent information regarding area schools, hospitals, churches, and recreational activities. Additionally, the guides present local suggestions for restaurants and bars, historical landmarks, family attractions, and entertainment venues. Individuals searching for jobs in Babcock Ranch or around the Florida Beaches will appreciate the business and commerce sections, which outline the region’s most popular industries. Whether building airplanes, conducting biomedical science experiments, or serving in the hospitality or tourism realm, these coastal communities present a wide array of job opportunities that allow families to permanently live where others vacation.

Often, moving is an exhaustive experience. I hope these guides will streamline the process and have you walking, talking, and driving like a seasoned resident before you even unpack your first moving box. Take time to read through each relocation guide before you search for properties. This way, you get an insider’s view of select towns and communities and can choose the one that best fits your lifestyle.

If you are a first-time home buyer, check out our                         , which details the home-buying process from start to finish. Similarly, if you wish to sell your home before you move, our                          lists important steps to ensure your property sells quickly and advantageously.

Allow Me to be the first to welcome you to your new community and soon-to-be new home!

Buyers Guide Sellers Guide

Areas

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Babcock Ranch

Discover Babcock Ranch in SW Florida

A top-selling, master-planned community in Lee & Charlotte Counties.

The top-selling, master-planned community of Babcock Ranch is located just east of I-75, on the border of Charlotte and Lee Counties. Babcock Ranch is the first solar-powered town in America where homes are energy efficient, built with sustainable materials and the community at large focuses on initiatives that support Florida green building standards. This multi-generational community was originally conceived in 2005 and its first residents moved in by early 2018. When fully built out, the community will have approximately 19,500 homes and 6 million square feet of commercial space. To learn more about Babcock Ranch, and available homes matching your needs and budget, contact Jenna Scharf, our Southwest Florida relocation expert.

Babcock Ranch Community Overview
  • Prices starting in the $200's
  • America's First Solar-Powered Town
  • 17,000-Acre master-planned community
  • 19,500 homes are planned
  • Single family, twin villas, condominiums and coach homes available
  • 50+ Miles of walking/fitness trails (when complete)
  • A vibrant Founder’s Square town center offers kayaking, events, dining and a Healthy Life Center
  • An on-going active scene of community events, concerts and celebrations
  • 6 Million sq ft of commercial space is planned
Babcock Ranch is a the 4th Best-Selling Community in Florida in 2023

Based upon mid year home sales in 2023, Babcock Ranch officially ranked as the 4th best-selling, master planned community in Florida (and 8th in the nation) by RCL & Co, a well-respected and independent real estate consulting firm. 

Your Babcock Ranch Guide to Real Estate, Shopping, Healthcare & Schools

Top Babcock Ranch Neighborhoods
The Babcock Ranch community is home to many top and best-selling SW Florida neighborhoods including the following.
  • Babcock National Golf & CC
  • Crescent Grove
  • Edgewater
  • Edgewater Shores
  • Lake Babcock
  • Lake Timber
  • Parkside
  • Trail's Edge
  • Northridge
  • Verde
  • Crescent Lakes

Babcock Ranch Home Builders

Babcock Ranch features many of the area's top home builders including the following.
  • AR Homes by Arthur Rutenburg
  • Divco Custom Homes
  • Florida Lifestyle Homes
  • Lennar
  • Meritage Homes
  • Pulte Homes
  • WCI
  • Toll Brothers
  • Christopher Alan Homes
  • D R Horton
  • William Ryan Homes
  • DiVosta
  • Park Square Homes


Babcock Ranch Shopping & Dining

Residents of Babcock Ranch enjoy the convenience of the centrally located Founder’s Square town center, and Crescent B Commons, which includes the following.
  • Square Scoops Ice Creamery
  • Lake House Kitchen & Bar
  • Cup A Joe Coffee Shop
  • Slater’s Goods and Provisions (a market & cafe)
  • The Hatchery (an office co-working Space)
  • Publix
  • M'Xuma Mexican Restaurant
  • Royal Paw Pet Grooming
  • Uyee Sushi & Grill
  • Pack n Ship
  • PI Local Pizzeria
  • Great Clips

Babcock Ranch Medical & Healthcare

Babcock Ranch is located near medical and healthcare providers including the following.
  • Lee Physician Group (LPG) - Babcock Ranch
  • Lee Memorial Hospital
  • Lehigh Reginal Medcial Center

Nearby Beaches & Parks

Babcock Ranch is close to nearby Gulf beaches, natural preserves and parks including the following.
  • Fort Myers Beach
  • Venice Beach
  • Siesta Key Beach
  • Sanibel Beach
  • Bowman's Beach
  • Vanderbilt Beach
  • Babcock Ranch Preserve
  • Bob Janes Preserve
  • Shores Nature Trail Park

Babcock Ranch Area Schools

Babcock Ranch is located within the Charlotte County School District. Area schools include the following.
  • Babcock Neighborhood School (K-8)
  • Babcock High School (9-12)


Bonita Springs

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Cape Coral

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Estero

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Fort Myers

The Fort Myers area is one of the fastest growing areas in the entire state. 

With a population of 92,245, Fort Myers is home to top-rated beaches, a thriving business environment, local museums and attractions, as well as an active events and social scene. With an average temperature of 74 degrees year-round and 271 sunny days each year, Fort Myers offers its full-time residents an outdoor playground to enjoy activities such as kayaking, stand-up paddle-boarding, golf, boating and fishing. 


Fort Myers area commonly receive awards and accolades for its top-rated beaches, strong business climate, quality healthcare and overall high-quality of life. Below are recent mentions per year. 

Top 10 Reasons to Relocate to Fort Myers & Naples

  1. Fort Myers is the Fastest Growing City in Florida

    According to U.S. Census Bureau data for the period of July 2020 through July 2021, Fort Myers officially ranks as the #1 fastest-growing city in Florida and the #6 fastest-growing city nationwide for large cities whose population is 50,000 or more. View the fastest-growing U.S. cities list.

  2. Fort Myers & Naples are Very Safe Places to Live

    The Naples and Fort Myers areas have long been popular retirement destinations on Florida's west coast, but they are also very safe places to live. Recently, Naples and Fort Myers were recently ranked as the #1 and #3 safest cities to live in the country by US News & World Report for 2023 - 2024. These rankings are based upon crime reports per 100,000 people of U.S. metro areas. View the safest U.S. cities rankings list

  3. Fort Myers Real Estate Offers Good Value

    Both Fort Myers and Naples have gorgeous waterfront property, top-selling master-planned residential communities (Babcock Ranch in Fort Myers and Ave Maria in Naples) and high-rise condos with breathtaking views of the Gulf and natural Florida. The biggest difference between the two communities is the affordability of the real estate. At the start of August 2023, the median home price in Fort Myers is $370,857 whereas the median home price in Naples is over 200K more at $589,898 which makes Fort Myers a great value by comparison. For exact housing prices and a list of available homes matching your criteria, contact Jenna Scharf, our Fort Myers and Naples relocation expert listed on this page.

  4. SW Florida is the Ideal Outdoor Year-Round Playground
    SW Florida is the perfect destination for outdoor enthusiasts with an average temperature of 74 degrees year-round and 271 sunny days each year. If you enjoy a great workout in the Florida sunshine, try kayaking or stand-up paddle boarding through natural mangroves and experience Florida wild birds and abundant sea life. There’s also lots of waterways, local islands and sand bars to explore by boat. Lastly, if you prefer to improve your golf game, SW Florida has lots of popular community golf courses to check out.
  5. SW Florida Has a Strong Economy & Job Market
    The SW Florida employment and job market has been very strong in post pandemic with a current unemployment at only 2.9 percent (June 2022). The top industries in the region include hospitality and tourism, healthcare, education, trades, retail and professional services. The biggest and largest employers in Lee and Collier counties include Lee Health System, county school districts, local city governments, Publix Supermarkets, Anthrex, ACI worldwide and ASG Technologies.
  6. Top-Rated Fort Myers & Captiva Island Beaches
    The beaches of SW Florida are among some of most beautiful and most popular in our state and are commonly top-ranked by TripAdvisor, USA Today and other ranking pulications. Fort Myers Beach, lined with its waterfront restaurants and open-air bars, is a popular beach attraction for many. Sanibel, and nearby Captiva Island to the north, are home to some of the best beaches in the world for shelling. Shelling is the art of locating, observing and collecting sea shells.
  7. SW Florida Offers Great Dining Options
    The SW Florida area offers a full array of casual outdoor eateries to elegant, five-star restaurants. There are also many new, trendy craft breweries and beer gardens to visit. These locations offer a very casual environment, are typically pet-friendly and many even offer daily live entertainment. Downtown Fort Myers, Cape Coral (near the bridge), Fort Myers Beach and downtown Naples are some of these trendy places to check out!
  8. Fort Myers & Naples Have Endless Events to Check Out,
    SW Florida offers its residents an active scene of year-round events, great musical performances and outdoor festivals to check out. In addition, there are also many popular community events that take place each year including Artfest Fort Myers, The Southwest Florida Music Festival, Crafts on the River, The Craft Beer & Music Festival, The Fort Myers Beach Pirate Fest, The Naples National Art Festival, Baconfest Naples, The Everglades Seafood Festival and many more!
  9. SW Florida Offers Top-Rated Healthcare
    When moving to SW Florida, it's important to know that you have quality healthcare available to you for both emergency and preventative care. The top-rated hospitals in Lee and Collier Counties respectively are NCH Healthcare System and Lee Memorial Hospital. Both commonly rank as best hospitals in the state of Florida each year.
  10. Fort Myers is a Great Small City to Start a Business
    With a growing population, Fort Myers makes a great small city to start a new business. In 2022, WalletHub ranked Fort Myers as the #5 best small city in the US (out of 1,300 small-sized cities) to start a business based upon 18 important factors including average growth, number of small businesses already in the area, investor access as well as the cost of local labor. View the best small cities to start a business rankings list.


Top Communities in Fort Myers
  • Cascades at River Hall
  • Crown Colony Golf & Country Club
  • Reflection Lakes
  • Seven Lakes
  • Gulf Harbor Yacht & County Club
  • Sanibel View
Top Beaches in Fort Myers
SW Florida is home to many top-rated beach in the state including the following.
  • Sanibel Beach
  • Bowman's Beach
  • Captiva Beach
  • Fort Myers Beach
  • Naples Beach
Popular Fort Myers Area Attractions
  • Calusa Nature Ctr & Planetarium
  • JC Sightseeing River Cruises
  • Edison & Ford Winter Estates
  • Imaginarium Science Center
  • Everglades Wonder Gardens
  • Railroad Museum of South Florida
  • Sun Splash Waterpark
  • Zoomers Amusement Park
Fort Myers Shopping
The Fort Myers area has many brand name retail and specialty stores at popular, local shopping destinations including the following.
  • Gulf Coast Town Center
  • Edison Mall
Fort Myers Dining
The Fort Myers area has many great casual and fine dining restaurants to enjoy out around the downtown River District and Fort Myers Beach including the following.
  • Capone's Coal Fired Pizza
  • Ford's Garage
  • The Standard
  • The Lodge
  • The Firestone
  • Izzy’s Fish & Oyster Bar

Fort Myers Employers

The Fort Myers area is home to many top companies in Lee County, and several are headquartered in the region. 
Top Medical Companies in Fort Myers
  • Arthrex
  • MedExpress Urgent Cares
  • Lee Health System
Top Healthcare Companies in Fort Myers
  • Shell Point Retirement 
  • Vi at Bentley Village
  • HOPE Hospice Healthcare
  • Family Health Centers of Lee County
  • Golisano Children's Hospital
Top Hospitality Companies in Fort Myers
  • Luminary Hotel
  • Marriott International, Inc.
  • Hotel indigo
Top Business Solution Companies in Fort Myers
  • Gartner, Inc.
  • Source Interlink Companies
  • Alorica, Inc.
  • LYNX Services
Top Technology Companies in Fort Myers
  • IT Vantage
  • Comcast
  • CenturyLink
Top Manufacturing Companies in Fort Myers 
  • Shaw Development LLC
  • Raymond Building Supply
  • D&D Machine & Hydraulics, Inc.
  • TSO Products
Largest Companies in Lee County
  • Lee County School District
  • Lee County Administration
  • Lee Health System
  • Publix Super Markets
  • Chico's 
  • FAS, Inc.
  • Wal-Mart
  • Lee County Sheriff's Office
  • Florida Gulf Coast University
  • City of Fort Myers
  • Lee County Public Safety
  • Shell Point Retirement Comm.
  • Hope HealthCare Services
  • Target
  • Comcast
Fort Myers Beach

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Naples

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Punta Gorda

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Sanibel

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