7 Things You May Not Know About Bonita Springs, Florida

I decided to search the web tonight for some things you may not know about Bonita Springs, Florida.  Here is my list of 7 interesting facts  in no particular order:

1. According to Neighborhoodscout.com, Bonita Springs is safer than 33% of the cities in the United States.  There were 22 crimes per square mile in Bonita Springs compared to 91 in Florida, and compared to a national median of 49.6.

2. It is estimated that human habitation in Bonita Springs goes back to potentially 8,000 years ago, according to recent discoveries.  As to what these recent discoveries are, I have no clue because every website just mysteriously calls them “recent discoveries.”  Let’s just assume they found bones.

3. Bill and Lester Piper, who founded Everglades Wonder Gardens in 1936, were actually retired bootleggers.  There is actually a book about them entitled “Everglades Wildlife Barons: The Legendary Piper Brothers and their Wonder Gardens.”  One story discussed how Bill Piper was allegedly shot by a rival gang of bootleggers forcing him to move to a largely unsettled area of Florida.

4. Everglades Wonder Gardens had what was estimated to be the largest American crocodile in the world, who was named Big Joe and measured over 15 feet lengthwise and weighed close to 1,200 pounds.  He passed away in 2003, and was estimated to be around 75 years old.  He used to eat 30 pounds of chicken, fish, and meat each week.

5.  The Liles Hotel in Bonita Springs and its six cottages nearby were shown in the movie “Just Cause” with Sean Connery in the early 1990’s.

6. Bonita Springs is the northernmost city on the west coast of Florida with a tropical climate.  A tropical climate is one in which all twelve months of the year have a mean temperature over 64 degrees Farenheit.  This fact might not impress a whole lot of people, but I was desperate to finish this article.

7.  It has been suggested that Ponce de León may have spent time in Bonita Springs looking for the Fountain of Youth.  The Calusa Indians, who lived in the area in the early 1500’s, fought battles with Spanish explorers, which likely included Ponce de León.

Hope you enjoyed!  Feel free to add any additional interesting facts to the comments of this post.