Best for job growth

Towns include:  Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres
Job growth (2000-2007): 46.37%

Lee County's white sand beaches and golf courses are attracting more foreign tourists with the growth of its Southwest Florida International airport with direct flights to Europe and Canada.

The Cape Coral-Fort Myers area has been hit by the crumbling housing market, with construction down and foreclosures up. The public school system and health care sectors remain the county's largest employers, and supermarket chain Publix and Wal-Mart are among the major private employers. --L.M.

NEXT: Rockwall County, TX