Fun facts: Here are 12 things you may not know about Lee County communities

From the "City of Palms" to islands world-renowned for their seashells, Lee County boasts a lot of cities with rich history and character.

Home to nearly 800,000 residents, it is known for its beautiful coasts, charming downtown areas, dedicated nature preserves, and rapidly growing commercial opportunities.

But there's a lot of county lore that might go unnoticed or unknown by both locals and visitors. Here are 12 fun facts about various cities sprinkled throughout Lee County that even old-timers might not have known.

Fun facts on Sanibel: City of Sanibel turns 50 in 2024. Here are 14 fun facts to know ahead of birthday celebration

Fort Myers got its name as an engagement present

Our city's name comes from a love story and a gift from a father.

According to the Greater Fort Myers blog, General David Twiggs was put in charge of a small fort on the Caloosahatchee River. His daughter, Marion, fell in love with one of his staff officers, Abraham C. Myers. Twiggs called the town “Fort Myers” to honor his future son-in-law and the two were married in 1853.

Even our palm trees have a rich history

Royal palm trees were first brought to the city by inventor and famous winter resident Thomas Edison. He imported them from Cuba in 1907, where he planted royal palm trees along McGregor Boulevard, which was then just a dirt road between downtown Fort Myers and Edison’s estate.

Today, the city is home to about 2,000 trees and city officials plant 90 more of these trees each year.

Speaking of Thomas Edison, Fort Myers received an electric light in 1898

Edison had a winter home in Fort Myers, which is now the Edison & Ford Winter Estates open to the public. The city of Fort Myers first received electric lights in the late 1800s. It’s said some of the locals weren’t too happy with street lighting because it kept their livestock up at night.

Sanibel's beaches have more shell varieties than anywhere in North America

With more than 400 species of shells, Sanibel has long been known as a world-class shelling destination. It even boasts the only museum in the United States —  Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum.

Tarpon fishing originated in Southwest Florida’s Pine Island

Considered the “Tarpon Fishing Capital of the World," the sport of tarpon fishing originated in Southwest Florida’s Pine Island Sound in the late 1880s, and Boca Grande Pass, the opening between Cayo Costa and Gasparilla Island, according to Visit Fort Myers.

Matlacha is entirely man-made

Not many people can say they physically created the land for their town. It was created in 1926 by the dredging up of oyster beds in Matlacha Pass to build a causeway and bridge between the mainland and Pine Island. Its first settlers were squatters on the causeway, refugees of the Great Depression.

The Spanish-American War started with a telegraph into Punta Rassa

According to the travel website Matador Network, one of the country’s main telegraph stations in 1898 stood where the Sanibel Causeway is today in the incorporated community of Punta Rassa. This cable led from Florida to Cuba and brought news of the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor. This outraged the nation, sparking the beginning of the Spanish-American War.

Spanish pirate Jose Gaspar said to have made his home on the various barrier islands

Surrounded by shelled, sandy beaches and island vibes, it might be difficult to think about the barrier islands once being a pirate refuge.

It was reported that José Gaspar, a legendary pirate who came to the region in the early 1800s, was charmed by the untamed nature of Sanibel and Captiva. It’s said Gaspar, more commonly known as Gasparilla, terrorized this part of Southwest Florida for decades.

Pine Island's first tourist was Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon

According to Visit Fort Myers, the first tourist to visit Southwest Florida was Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon. He visited Pine Island in 1513 and was later mortally wounded in these same waters by a Calusa Indian arrow.

Cape Coral has more canals than the Italian city of Venice

There are more than 400 miles of canals in Cape Coral, more than any other city in the world. Even Venice with its 150 city-based canals, the Italian city only has 26 miles of waterways to explore. Most of the cape's canals are navigable and some have access to the Gulf of Mexico.

Lehigh Acres is one of the largest unincorporated communities in the state

Located in Lee County's east central area, Lehigh Acres is a 96-square-mile, pre-platted residential community comprised of mostly quarter-acre and half-acre single-family lots.

Greater Fort Myers is the national headquarters for Chico’s Apparel and Hertz Rental Cars

After Hertz Rental Cars bought up Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group in 2012, the rental car company needed a new home for its growing businesses. The Fortune 500 Company saw Estero as its new home, bringing over 700 jobs to Lee County.

Matador Network shares that Chico's is Fort Myers born and raised, with the first in Periwinkle Place on Sanibel Island in 1983. Today it is an apparel giant housed in a 146,000-square-foot worldwide headquarters on Metro Avenue and it employs 2,000 people.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Lee County Florida: 12 facts you may not know about its cities