Lehigh Acres

On the northwest corner of Lehigh Acres, 10 miles east of Fort Myers, the bedroom community of Centennial offers an even mix of established homes and available lots; amid a high demand for custom builds, the streets here are quickly filling up. “Here you have bigger lots, and you get much more home for your buck,” says Tim Cochran, a Realtor with Premiere Plus Realty Co. The neighborhood’s parallel streets and uniform setbacks contribute to its suburban feel, with Lee Boulevard and Buckingham Road offering easy access to State Road 82 for the commute to Fort Myers. Compared to areas further west in Lehigh Acres, where shopping and dining options are more scarce, Centennial includes a Publix grocery store and several locally owned eateries. On the area’s north side, Buckingham Community Park offers several sports fields and a dog park where residents can enjoy the year-long sunny weather. Most of Centennial’s homes are located on quiet, truncated streets set in a parallel, grid-like layout. Three-bedroom ranch-style homes from the 1990s and early 2000s sell for around $300,000, while five-bedroom New Traditional-style homes often sell for over $450,000. “People who work in Fort Myers but can’t afford to live there can find a nice home here for about $400,000,” says Cochran. On the west side of Centennial, the gated community of Olympia Point offers two-bedroom townhouses for under $300,000 and Mediterranean Revival-style lakefront homes in the $375,000 to $575,000 range. Olympia Pointe’s resort-style amenities include a clubhouse, pool, fitness center and playground. The neighborhood’s combination of available space and relative affordability compared to nearby cities like Buckingham and Fort Myers is attractive to both developers and new residents; quarter-acre open lots typically list for between $30,000 and $40,000, and construction is ongoing throughout the neighborhood. Most of the custom builds come in the form of New Traditional-style homes along the neighborhood’s north side. Local kids in Centennial may attend Tortuga Preserve Elementary School, rated B-minus by Niche, which offers before- or after-school programs with designated homework time and group activities. Students at the C-plus-rated Varsity Lakes Middle can participate in after-school activities like Chess Club or PreZtige, the school’s Step Team. The B-plus-rated Lehigh Senior High offers an Academy of Digital & Media Arts, where students can develop graphic design and filmmaking skills while building a professional portfolio. Located in Centennial’s northwest corner, Buckingham Community Park is the home base for the local Little League team and also offers soccer and football fields. Local dog owners can let their pets off-leash at the attached Barkingham Dog Park, featuring a fenced-in play area dotted with longleaf pine trees. A mile east of the Community Park, Buckingham Trails Preserve offers over 2 miles of equestrian and hiking trails through scrub and pine flatwood habitats. Golfers can tee off at the public, 18-hole golf course at the nearby Club at Westminster. In the quiet suburbs of Lehigh Acres, large community events are few and far between, but each summer, residents gather for the big Fourth of July Fireworks Show. In addition to fireworks, this annual event features live music, food trucks and other vendors, all organized by Victory Church, a contemporary Christian institution set 8 miles away at the center of Lehigh Acres. Lee Boulevard serves as Centennial’s southern border and is lined with a few eateries and small shopping plazas like the Crossroads Shopping Center, anchored by a Publix. The corridor is dotted with popular dining spots serving a variety of Latin American cuisines, including neighborhood favorite Gandules Grill, a family-owned Puerto Rican restaurant. Locals can also head to El Sauce Latin Grill for an eclectic mix of Cuban specialties or enjoy a fresh pastry at Havana Bakery and Café. State Road 82 runs along Centennial’s west side, connecting with Interstate 75 just 3 miles west and providing direct access to downtown Fort Myers, less than 10 miles away on the Caloosahatchee River. Since there are only a few entry and exit points to Lehigh Acres, the commute to employment centers like Fort Myers can be bogged down with traffic, though recent infrastructure projects have helped alleviate the problem. “They’ve redone Lee Boulevard and built up 82; it’s three lanes both ways now. So it’s much easier to get to Fort Myers,” says Cochran. Route 110 on Lee County’s LeeTran bus system stops along Centennial's southern border, taking passengers east to Homestead Plaza or west to downtown Fort Myers. Nearby airports include The Southwest Florida International Airport, about 17 miles away, while the Lehigh Regional Medical Center is about 6 miles east.