Known as the Gateway to the Gulf, Bonita Springs is nestled along the Gulf of Mexico between Fort Myers and Naples, Florida. In addition to some of the most beautiful beaches along this coast, there are many freshwater streams and lakes. Bonita Springs is the perfect place to live if you enjoy fishing, boating, shelling and, of course, laying on the beach.
Bonita Springs was first discovered in the 1870′s, when government surveyors pitched camp near a medicinal spring, which the local Native Americans believed could heal the sick and injured. After the crew left, the site became known as Survey and the stream running from it, Surveyor’s Creek. In the next ten years, some homesteaders made it their home but the population really exploded in the late 1880s when Braxton B. Comer bought 6,000 acres of land around Survey. He brought farm workers, mules and equipment to work a large plantation growing pineapples, bananas, and coconuts.
In just a few short years, Survey became a community. A small schoolhouse was built in 1887 and by 1910 the Eagle Hotel was in business catering to visitors that came to enjoy Survey’s unspoiled beauty. In 1912, a man from Tennessee named Ragsdale purchased 2400 acres around Survey. He and his associate, Dan Farnsworth, surveyed the area and proposed streets. The developers decided that the name, Survey, lacked sales appeal, so the town was renamed Bonita Springs; Indian Spring Branch became Oak River; and Surveyor’s Creek was upgraded to Imperial River.
In the early 1920′s, Barron G. Collier extended his Fort Myers-Southern Railroad to include Bonita Springs which, with his new Tamiami Trail, brought another land boom to the area. And Fiddlerville, named for its millions of tiny fiddler crabs, became Bonita Beach. The historical Shell Factory got it’s start in Bonita Springs as well. As the years passed the U.S.41 Bypass and I-75 corridors opened up more access that brought shopping malls, offices, neighborhoods, and golf courses into the area.
Today, Bonita Springs is an attractive area with beautiful beaches, fine restaurants, and excellent recreational facilities. It has become another flourishing Southwest Florida township and is home to a variety of entertainment, such as art museums and galleries, restaurants, Barefoot Beach Preserve, and Everglades Wonder Gardens.
In addition, Bonita Springs is home to many outstanding luxury home and golf communities, such as the West Bay Club, Hunter’s Ridge, Pelican Landing, Bonita Bay, and Spanish Wells just to name a few. Bonita Springs’ real estate passes the paradise test and John R. Wood Reators know every real estate option that will suit your new Florida lifestyle!
Consider your next home or vacation home in the next great beachfront haven, Bonita Springs!
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