Lehigh Acres is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 114,287, reflecting significant growth from the 86,784 residents counted in 2010. Lehigh Acres is one of the fastest-growing communities in Lee County. The area was initially developed in the mid-1950s by Chicago businessman Lee Ratner. After selling his pest control business, Ratner sought a tax shelter and invested in the Lucky Lee Ranch on 18,000 acres of land in eastern Lee County. Although initially focused on cattle ranching, Ratner, alongside Gerald H. Gould, Manuel Riskin, and Edward Shapiro, transitioned the area into a residential development, giving rise to what is now known as Lehigh Acres.