Iona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 16,908 at the 2020 census, up from 15,404 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
A strong EF2 tornado struck the town on January 16, 2022, causing major damage and injuring three people.
Geography
Iona is located in southwestern Lee County. It is bordered to the west by Punta Rassa, to the east by Harlem Heights, and to the northeast by McGregor. Its northern boundary is the tidal Caloosahatchee River, across which is the city of Cape Coral. The southern edge of the community is Summerlin Road (County Road 869). McGregor Boulevard crosses the community from northeast to southwest. Iona is northeast of the causeway to Sanibel Island and southwest of the center of Fort Myers.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the Iona CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 35.32%, are water, primarily in the Caloosahatchee River estuary.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Iona had a population of 16,908. The median age was 67.6 years. 6.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 55.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.4 males age 18 and over.
There were 8,798 households in Iona, of which 7.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.2% were married-couple households, 17.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 24.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 15,299 || 90.5%
|-
| Black or African American || 171 || 1.0%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 22 || 0.1%
|-
| Asian || 185 || 1.1%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 5 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 394 || 2.3%
|-
| Two or more races || 832 || 4.9%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 1,078 || 6.4%
|}
2000 census
As of the census