to the mainland, followed closely by the construction of two casinos, hotels, a pier and the island's first canal. The land boom ended with the hurricanes of 1921 and 1926 that challenged the paradise appeal of southwest Florida. Despite entering a depression, Crescent Beach continued to gain small businesses, restaurants, subdivisions, and a school. In the 1950s, Crescent Beach continued to modernize. Many hotels were built including the Rancho del Mar, which boasted the first swimming pool. Additionally, the swing bridge was electrified to facilitate traffic. During this time, "pink gold" or pink shrimp were discovered igniting the shrimping industry and ancillary businesses to support it as the population increased by 50 percent. During this second land boom, numerous civic organizations, churches, local newspapers, weather and US Coast Guard stations, and the Beach Library were added to the island. The library became the first free public library in Lee County and opened in 1955 in a one-room cottage with a single librarian. Incorporation Fort Myers Beach has continued to develop to the present day. The island has a mix of year-round and seasonal residents, as well as a vibrant tourism industry. On December 31, 1995, legislation was passed to incorporate the town of Fort Myers Beach. Hurricane Ian On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall just north of the town as a high-end Category 4 hurricane, causing catastrophic damage and substantial loss of life in the city from high winds and destructive storm surge, which decimated the majority of homes and businesses along the coastline, including the popular Times Square. Demographics As of the census of 2010, there were 6,277 people in 3,444 households residing in the town. The population density was . There were 9,402 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.7% White, 0.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.8% of the population. There were 3,444 households, out of which 7.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 4.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household