26°24′08″N 81°52′20″W / 26.40218°N 81.87235°W / 26.40218; -81.87235
31-624: Hertz Arena is a 7,181-seat multi-purpose arena in Estero, Florida , outside Ft. Myers, Florida , which is located between Miromar Lakes, Florida and Bonita Springs, Florida . The arena opened in November 1998 and serves as the home of the Florida Everblades of the ECHL . The arena was first named Everblades Arena in 1998 after the hockey team that plays there. TECO Energy was the first company to obtain
62-696: A mangrove -ringed island that dominates Estero Bay. During the early 20th century, these families moved upriver to the settlement which came to be known as Estero. Estero is also the location of a utopian community called the Koreshan Unity , which is now preserved as the Koreshan State Historic Site. Until the 1970s, most settlement and development in Estero was near the river. As of the census of 2000, there were 9,503 people, 4,608 households, and 3,336 families residing in Estero. The population density
93-550: A median income of $ 38,886 versus $ 27,883 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $ 30,521. About 1.9% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line , including 1.1% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2010 United States census , there were 22,612 people, 10,444 households, and 7,484 families residing in the village. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 36,939 people, 15,763 households, and 10,706 families residing in
124-418: A state-of-the-art sound system, video boards, a VIP lounge and much more. Some of the luxury seating options available at the arena include a lounge, suite and box seating. The arena's VIP lounge, which can be rented out for private events, contains a wide variety of amenities.The arena's video boards are used to broadcast live events and offer a variety of features, such as a multi-angle view, instant replays and
155-483: A village on December 31, 2014. The Village of Estero is located in southern Lee County at 26°25′56″N 81°48′34″W / 26.43222°N 81.80944°W / 26.43222; -81.80944 (26.432237, –81.809447). It is bordered to the south by the city of Bonita Springs and to the north by unincorporated San Carlos Park and Three Oaks . According to the United States Census Bureau ,
186-741: A wide range of graphics. The arena has been used as a multipurpose venue, primarily hosting the Florida Everblades ECHL ice hockey team. It was also the home for the Florida Flame NBA Development League team, the Florida Firecats , Florida Tarpons and Gulf Coast Fire indoor football teams. Additionally, the venue has hosted various concerts, circuses, boxing, mixed martial arts events, AEW shows, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling shows, WWE shows, Professional Bull Riders events and family shows. The arena
217-729: Is also home to the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles club hockey team of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). In March 2006 and March 2010, the facility hosted the Division 3 ACHA National Championships and in March 2008 the Division 2 ACHA National Championships. The arena has also hosted a college hockey tournament, originally known as the Everblades College Classic and then
248-567: Is also the location of the Mound Key Archaeological State Park . In December 1966, the northern half of Estero Bay was designated as the state's first aquatic preserve , the Estero Bay Preserve State Park . The southern half of the bay was added to the preserve during the 1983 Florida Legislature session. In 2020, archeologists confirmed that Mound Key was the site of Fort San Antón de Carlos. Which
279-706: Is home to the Art Council of Southwest Florida which runs the nonprofit cooperative COCO Art Gallery at Coconut Point Mall in Estero, Florida. In 2023 the Artistic & Operations Center for the Southwest Florida Symphony relocated to Coconut Point Mall in Estero, Florida. In addition to the Coconut Point shopping center, Estero is also home to Miromar Outlets, with over 140 stores and the 400,000-square-foot Miromar Design Center. Additionally, Gulf Coast Town Center
310-535: Is located just 3 miles from the northern border of Estero. Estero is home to two state parks Mound Key Archaeological State Park and the Koreshan State Historic Site . Additionally it is home to the Estero Park and Recreation Center. As of April 2024 the Estero government is in the planning stages for an approved Estero Entertainment Center to be built via a privet public partnership on land owned by
341-409: Is only attainable by boat, canoe, or kayak and the Koreshan State Historic Site . Estero is also known for its many golfing opportunities as there are 11 golf courses within its borders consisting of 5 public and 6 private courses. There are also another 89 golf courses within 20 miles of Estero, including 23 public, 1 municipal, and 65 private courses. Estero encompasses some 35 gated communities and
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#1733085919134372-564: Is recognized as one of the safest places in Florida. Estero is the home of Hertz Arena , which hosts the home games for the Florida Everblades ECHL ice hockey team. Florida Gulf Coast University borders the Estero village limits and the Southwest Florida International Airport is located less than 5 miles to the north of Estero. The corporate headquarters of Hertz Corporation is located in Estero. In 2019, Estero
403-655: The Florida College Hockey Classic . It was a four-team tournament was hosted by the University of Maine Black Bears and the Cornell University Big Red , and two other invited teams. The winner was awarded the Ned Harkness Cup. On March 9, 2022, the arena had its first televised wrestling event as All Elite Wrestling (AEW) had its tapings of Dynamite and Rampage , marking AEW's debut to
434-485: The Seaboard Air Line Railroad (via its Seaboard-All Florida Railway subsidiary) also began service through Estero in 1927. Today, the former Atlantic Coast Line tracks are still in place east of US 41 and have been owned by Seminole Gulf Railway since 1987. The former Seaboard tracks were removed in the 1940s and its former route west of US 41 is now an FPL power line corridor. Estero incorporated as
465-466: The census of 2020, there were 36,939 people, 17,751 households residing in Estero. The racial makeup of the community was 32,527 White , 534 African American , 43 Native American , 761 Asian , 20 Pacific Islander , 795 from other races , and 2,259 from two or more races. There was a total of 2,884 Hispanic and Latino people of any race. On May 7, 2013, the Hertz Corporation announced it
496-549: The Gulf Shore Playhouse in or around 2007. The Koreshans' original tract is now owned by Florida as the Koreshan State Historic Site . Access to Estero was greatly improved in the 1920s when Tamiami Trail , a highway linking Tampa and Miami, and two railroads were built through the area. Tamiami Trail was fully complete in 1928. The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (via its Fort Myers Southern Railroad subsidiary) began service through Estero in 1925. A competing railroad,
527-562: The Gulf of Mexico: (from north to south) Matanzas Pass, Big Carlos Pass, New Pass, and Big Hickory Pass. Incorporated places on the bay include Estero , Bonita Springs and Fort Myers Beach . Two rivers , the Imperial River and the Estero River bring freshwater into the estuary. Tides play a major role in the functionality of the plant, crustaceans, mammals, and fish in the area. The bay
558-662: The Southwest Florida market. Estero, Florida Estero ( Spanish for " estuary ") is an incorporated village in Lee County, Florida , United States, located directly beside the first aquatic nature preserve established in Florida: The Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve, otherwise referred to as Estero Bay Preserve State Park which is within Estero Bay, Florida . At the time of the 2010 census , Estero
589-577: The Village of Estero. Estero Bay, Florida Estero Bay , Florida , is an estuary located on the west coast of the state southeast of Fort Myers Beach . The bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico , is long and very shallow and covers about 15 square miles (39 km ). Estero Bay is bordered on the west by a chain of barrier islands: Estero Island, Long Key, Lovers Key , Black Island, Big Hickory Island, and Little Hickory Island. Four outlets give access to
620-399: The age of 18 living with them, 68.2% were married couples living together, 2.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.31. In 2000, in the community, the population
651-476: The naming rights for the arena and it was renamed Hertz Arena on October 1. The company petitioned the city to repaint the arena bright yellow with black accents to match their branding. In August 2019, the Hoffmann family entered into an agreement to purchase both the arena and hockey team as part of their plan to expand the entertainment segment in Southwest Florida. Hertz Arena features LED lighting, luxury seating,
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#1733085919134682-688: The naming rights to the building, changing the name to TECO Arena. In 2004, TECO Energy decided they were no longer interested in holding the naming rights. Germain Motor Company bought the rights, and in 2004 the venue was renamed to Germain Arena. This same company, an automobile dealership with locations in Florida, Arkansas, and Ohio, also held the naming rights to the Germain Amphitheater in Columbus, Ohio . In September 2018, The Hertz Corporation bought
713-590: The region's first citrus groves. In 1894, Damkohler donated property to the followers of Cyrus Teed , who proposed a theory that people live on the inside of the Earth's outer skin, and that celestial bodies are all contained inside the hollow Earth. This theory, which he called Koreshan Unity , drew followers to occupy and develop Damkohler's original 320-acre (1.3 km ) tract. They were business-oriented and lived communally, prospering enough to found their own political party ("The Progressive Liberty Party") and incorporate
744-512: The town on September 1, 1904, as Estero. At the behest of other local officials, the Florida legislature abolished the municipality of Estero in 1907. During the 1910 US census, the population was 299. By the 1920 US census, it increased to 340 residents. The 1908 death of Teed (who claimed to be immortal) was a critical blow to the group's faith, whose membership dwindled into the 1960s. The foundation remains as "The College of Life Foundation", which contributed (for example) at least $ 25,000 to
775-500: The village of Estero has a total area of 25.4 square miles (65.7 km ), of which 24.4 square miles (63.1 km ) are land and 1.0 square mile (2.7 km ), or 4.05%, are water. Historically and culturally, the heart of Estero is the spring-fed Estero River , which flows to Estero Bay . Some of the earliest settlers of the area (notably the Alvarez, Fernandez, Johnson, and Soto families) were fishing families that lived on Mound Key,
806-417: The village. As of the census 2022: ACS 5-Year Estimates, the median income for a household in the village of Estero, Florida was $ 100,543, the median income for a family was $ 114,112 and the median income for Married-couple families was $ 119,269. The significant and sustained increase in median income in Estero can be attributed to a long-term influx of affluent households through inbound migration. As of
837-495: Was 450.7 inhabitants per square mile (174.0/km ). There were 7,345 housing units at an average density of 348.4 per square mile (134.5/km ). The racial makeup of the community was 97.43% White , 0.64% African American , 0.11% Native American , 0.35% Asian , 0.01% Pacific Islander , 0.77% from other races , and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.19% of the population. As of 2000, there were 4,608 households, out of which 10.0% had children under
868-615: Was an unincorporated community and census-designated place , but incorporated as a village on the last calendar date of 2014. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2020 census , the population was 36,939. Sandwiched along Florida's Gulf Coast between Naples to the south and Fort Myers to the north, Estero is known as a popular destination for high-end shopping and dining as well as for exploring history and wildlife at its two state parks: Mound Key Archaeological State Park , which
899-417: Was moving its corporate headquarters and about 750 jobs to Estero from its former bases at Park Ridge, New Jersey and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Hertz built a $ 75 million building at the southeast corner of US-41 and Williams Road on a previously vacant lot and cleared parcel that already contained a retention pond. The land is immediately south of Corkscrew Village and about a mile north of Coconut Point Mall. Estero
930-651: Was ranked #8 by USA Today for cities where the most people own their homes for having a homeownership rate of 85.5%. Mound Key, located in Estero Bay, is believed to have been the ceremonial center of the Calusa Indians when they were encountered by the Spanish in the early 1500s. German homesteader Gustave Damkohler began planting mulberry trees in 1882 along the Estero River, followed by others who established fish camps and
961-416: Was spread out, with 9.2% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 14.1% from 25 to 44, 31.1% from 45 to 64, and 40.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 61 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in Estero was $ 43,734, and the median income for a family was $ 51,227. Males had