There are faster ways to get through Fort Myers.

McGregor Boulevard isn't really about getting somewhere fast.

It's the road you take when you want Fort Myers to remind you that it existed before six-lane intersections, giant shopping plazas and gated communities with names that sound suspiciously like luxury candles.

The palms are ridiculous.

The houses don't all match.

You get glimpses of the Caloosahatchee.

Historic homes sit next to completely ordinary ones.

And every few minutes, Fort Myers quietly shows you another piece of its history.

People around here say “the McGregor corridor” like it's its own place.

And honestly?

It kind of is.

So today we're not touring all of Fort Myers.

We're taking one drive down McGregor Boulevard.

Because if you want to understand an older, prettier and slightly quirkier side of Fort Myers, this road tells the story surprisingly well.

McGregor Boulevard at a Glance

First: McGregor Boulevard Wasn't Always McGregor Boulevard

This may be my favorite part of the story.

Before the royal palms and historic houses...

It was basically a dirt cattle trail.

The road was known as Riverside Drive and ran south from Fort Myers toward Punta Rassa.

Then along came Tootie McGregor Terry.

Her late husband, Ambrose McGregor, had been a Standard Oil executive who invested heavily in Fort Myers and owned property next to Thomas Edison's winter estate.

After Ambrose died, Tootie wanted to honor him.

So she made Fort Myers an offer.

She would pay to have the road paved from Whiskey Creek south toward Punta Rassa if the city and county would pave the section from Whiskey Creek into downtown.

She even offered to help pay for maintenance afterward.

Her condition?

Name it McGregor Boulevard.

The road was ultimately completed and officially named McGregor Boulevard in 1914.

So the pretty road we drive today exists, in part, because a woman more than a century ago basically said:

“I'll help pay for the road, but we're naming it after my husband.”

And apparently Fort Myers said:

Deal.

😂

---

Then Came Those Palms 🌴

You cannot talk about McGregor without talking about the royal palms.

They aren't just landscaping.

They're part of the identity of Fort Myers.

Thomas Edison purchased his Fort Myers property along the Caloosahatchee in 1885, and in 1907 he began planting royal palms along what was then Riverside Avenue.

Over time, additional palms were planted and the iconic rows eventually stretched for roughly eight miles along McGregor Boulevard.

They're a major reason Fort Myers became known as the:

City of Palms.

And here's a fun piece of local trivia:

Edison originally considered something completely different.

Royal poincianas.

Imagine McGregor lined with huge bursts of orange-red flowers instead of palms.

It would be gorgeous.

But it would feel like an entirely different Fort Myers.

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The Edison & Ford Estates Aren't Randomly Sitting There

📍 2350 McGregor Boulevard

This is where the road and Fort Myers history really collide.

Thomas Edison bought more than 13 acres along the Caloosahatchee in 1885 and built his winter estate, Seminole Lodge.

Then his friend Henry Ford eventually bought the neighboring property, The Mangoes, in 1916.

Today, the Edison and Ford Winter Estates encompass more than 20 acres of historic buildings, gardens, museum exhibits and Edison's botanical research laboratory.

But even if you've never taken the tour, the property tells you something about McGregor.

This stretch of Fort Myers was desirable long before Southwest Florida became what it is today.

People were choosing this riverfront corridor more than a century ago.

---

Keep Driving and the Houses Start Telling the Story

This is probably my favorite thing about McGregor.

Everything doesn't match.

And I mean that as a compliment.

You'll see older Florida homes.

Mid-century houses.

Large renovated properties.

Smaller original homes.

Riverfront estates.

Newer construction squeezed between homes that have been there for decades.

Big trees.

Old landscaping.

Occasional commercial buildings.

Churches.

And entire streets where you can tell the neighborhood existed long before today's master-planned-community era.

Stephanie's Local Take

This is one of the easiest ways to explain the difference between an established area and a master-planned community.

In newer communities, consistency is often part of the appeal.

The houses coordinate.

The landscaping coordinates.

The entrances coordinate.

Sometimes I'm convinced the mailboxes have attended HOA meetings together.

😂

McGregor isn't like that.

It evolved.

And you can see the different decades layered on top of one another.

---

Then There's “The Fort”

Keep going and you'll pass another piece of Fort Myers history:

Fort Myers Country Club.

Locals call it The Fort.

It opened in 1917, with the course designed the year before by legendary golf-course architect Donald Ross.

And yes...

Thomas Edison and Henry Ford played there.

The City still operates the course today.

That's one of the things I love about this corridor.

History isn't confined to a museum.

You're literally driving past places people were using more than 100 years ago that are still part of everyday Fort Myers life.

---

McGregor Also Explains Why “Fort Myers” Isn't One Thing

This is where we get into real life.

Say someone tells me:

“I want to live in Fort Myers.”

Okay.

That tells me almost nothing.

😂

Do you want newer construction near Daniels?

Do you want downtown?

Do you want acreage?

Do you want a gated golf community?

Do you want to be closer to Gateway?

Do you want easy airport access?

Or do you picture:

Big trees.

Older homes.

Character.

Established neighborhoods.

River influence.

And streets that don't look like they were all built at the same time?

Because if it's that last one...

Now I'm thinking about the McGregor corridor.

---

And Yes, Location Along McGregor Matters

This is something you won't necessarily understand by looking at a map.

McGregor runs a long way.

The Edison & Ford end near downtown feels different from the sections farther south.

As you continue toward areas around Whiskey Creek and beyond, the neighborhoods, housing styles and everyday destinations change again.

And McGregor ultimately becomes part of the route toward the Sanibel/Captiva area.

So saying:

“I want to live near McGregor”

still isn't specific enough.

Near which part of McGregor?

And where do you actually need to go every day?

That's the conversation.

---

The Caloosahatchee Is Always Part of the Story

You don't have to live directly on the river for the Caloosahatchee to influence this part of Fort Myers.

The river shaped where people settled.

It influenced where prominent winter residents built homes.

It affects the roads.

The neighborhoods.

The views.

The vegetation.

And the entire character of this side of town.

Sometimes you see the water.

Sometimes you're only a few streets away from it.

But the corridor feels connected to the river in a way that newer inland parts of Fort Myers simply don't.

---

My Favorite Part of McGregor?

It doesn't feel like Fort Myers is trying very hard.

And I mean that in the best possible way.

There are places around Southwest Florida where everything feels intentionally created to produce a certain lifestyle.

The landscaping.

The clubhouse.

The entrance.

The architecture.

The town center.

McGregor feels different.

The lifestyle grew there.

The palms got taller.

The houses changed.

Neighborhoods filled in.

Businesses came and went.

Fort Myers expanded around it.

And somehow this old road remained one of the most recognizable pieces of the city.

---

If You've Never Driven McGregor Just to Drive It...

Do it.

Not at 5:15 on a Tuesday when you're late for something.

😂

Take it when you have nowhere particularly urgent to be.

Start near the Edison & Ford Winter Estates.

Drive south.

Look at the palms.

Look at the houses.

Pass The Fort.

Notice how the neighborhoods change.

Pay attention to the river.

And remind yourself that this was once a dirt cattle trail leading south out of a tiny Florida town.

That's pretty damn cool.

---

Why This Matters If You're Thinking About Living in Fort Myers

This is exactly why I'm getting more hyperlocal with these guides.

You can Google:

“Best places to live in Fort Myers.”

You'll get a list.

You can Google:

“Homes for sale in Fort Myers.”

You'll get thousands.

Neither tells me anything about how you want to live.

If someone tells me:

“I want Fort Myers, but I don't want everything around me to feel brand new.”

Now we're getting somewhere.

If they say:

“I love mature trees and older neighborhoods.”

Keep talking.

If they say:

“I want character. I don't need every house on the street to match.”

Now I'm probably taking them down McGregor.

Not because McGregor is automatically the answer.

But because the things they just told me are clues.

And that's the difference between searching for a house...

and figuring out where you actually belong.

---

Here's Where You Can Get More Details

If this little history lesson made you want to explore the corridor yourself, these are the resources I'd start with:

Edison & Ford Winter Estates
History, tours, gardens and visitor information

Fort Myers Country Club
City of Fort Myers — current course information

Visit Fort Myers
Local information on McGregor Boulevard, the Caloosahatchee and Fort Myers attractions

And if you're going to visit Edison & Ford, check current admission and hours directly before heading over.

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About The Inked Agent's SWFL Living Series

I share the streets, neighborhoods, waterways, hidden gems and local stories that help you understand what Southwest Florida communities are actually like to live in.

Because knowing Fort Myers means knowing more than what houses sold for last month.

Sometimes it means knowing why there are eight miles of ridiculously gorgeous palms lining an old cattle trail.

Stephanie Barrett
SWFL's Only Inked Agent®
Broker Associate | LPT Realty LLC
📱 941-815-0201
✉️ inkedagentco@gmail.com
🌴 inkedagentflorida.com

No Fluff. No Filter. Just Sold.