I'm thinking of possibly moving down there and relocating my business.

 I have a few questions...

 1. Are both of these places pretty safe?  Any bad areas that one can easily
    "bump into?"

 2. How are the economic and population growth?  Are home prices rising?

 3. How did those areas handle last year's spate of hurricanes?

 4. Do you like living there?  If so/not, why/why not?

 5. Is there a local paper whose classified ads people tend to trust?
 
 Thanks in advance for any inside info about these places...

I live in this area.
1. Yes. Both areas are generally very safe. There are obvious areas
where you might not want to be after hours, especially in and around
some "downtown" areas of Ft. Myers. In any city, if you go hunting for
them, you'll find them. However, along US41/Cleveland avenue is not
likely to be trouble, and that's pretty much the main drag.

2. Population growth is generally among the fastest in the country.
Economic... well, Naples in particular is known for its multi-million
dollar homes. Ft. Myers and Naples are about 45 minutes apart, and so
comparing one with the other is really like asking the same questions
about the Bronx and Manhattan in the same breath. Home prices are
rising all the time in both neighborhoods.

3. More or less, the hurricanes passed us by. Sanibel and Captiva
islands (Gulf Coast) got slammed, but most inlands were spared. The
farther south you went, the less the hurricanes had an effect.

4. I love it here, because the weather is nice. I like to say SWFL has
two seasons: Hot, and January. It really is just a nice place to live,
but is a bit costly in real estate. In Naples, especially, there is a
lot to be desired in the way of roads and traffic is intense during
"Season" -- Approximately September-Easter, when the "Snowbirds"
arrive.

5. Yes, Ft. Myers has the www.news-press.com (News-Press) and Naples
has the www.naplesnews.com (Naples Daily News). As always, caveat
emptor, but these are about the only game in their respective town, so
they're trusted.

This is a free comment from someone who is not a Google Answers Researcher.