1211 El Dorado, Cape Coral, Florida

About Cape Coral

Cape Coral is the largest city in Southwest Florida. It is located in Lee County, Florida. With over 400 miles of navigable waterways, Cape Coral has more miles of canals than any other city on earth. According to estimates, as of 2009 the city had a population of 167,917. With an area of 120 square miles, Cape Coral is the second largest city in Florida in area after Jacksonville. The city is one of two major cities that make up the Cape Coral – Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population estimate for the area was 645,899 for 2009.

Nearly 75 percent of Florida's population lives within 160 miles of Cape Coral. Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), the region's mid-hub international airport, is within 15 miles. Interstate 75 passes within 10 miles of the city and connects northward to Tampa and on to the Midwestern states; and southeastward to Miami/Fort Lauderdale. Through I-75, Cape Coral has access to international sea ports on both the Atlantic and Gulf Coast.

Cape Coral is one of the largest entirely master-planned communities in the nation. Founded in 1957 and incorporated in 1970, Cape Coral was designed to be a “water wonderland” strategically located between Tampa and Miami on the Gulf of Mexico, about a 3.5-hour drive southwest of Orlando. Only about 45% of the city’s residential lots were developed by the year 2009. At build-out, the Cape’s population is estimated to be more than 400,000. Cape Coral has more than 60 square miles of unimproved commercial and residential land within its total 120 square mile city boundary.

Cape Coral is among the safest cities in Florida with populations over 150,000 according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Its quality of life, low home prices, and waterfront living have attracted residents from all over the world. Cape Coral offers a broad range of educational, cultural and recreational opportunities. The city has seven golf courses and is home to the popular Sun Splash Family Waterpark. The area is known by birding enthusiasts for a wide variety of wildlife and the largest population of burrowing owls in the state of Florida.

History:

Cape Coral is one of the largest entirely master planned communities in the U.S. It was planned, pre-platted and constructed as a “water wonderland”. Until the 1950’s the area was no more than a hunting and fishing camp. In 1957 real estate developers Leonard and Jack Rosen changed that by purchasing a 103 square mile tract known as Redfish Point for $678,000.

The Gulf American Corporation (GAC) was formed to develop this “Waterfront Wonderland”. Over the course of a few years, beginning in 1958, canals were dug, homes and businesses built, and a city was born. Cape Coral was promoted like no other Florida development. Celebrities were brought in to tout the benefits of "the Cape," as it is known by the locals. The first building was a four-plex at the corner of Coronado and Cape Coral Parkway. This building was the Rosen's company headquarters and the temporary home of Cape Coral's first permanent resident, Kenny Schwartz, the Rosen’s general manager. Cape Coral's first four homes were completed in May 1958 on Riverside and Flamingo Drives.

Through the rest of the 1950s and early 1960s, development moved quickly, mostly on Redfish Point, south of Cape Coral Parkway. By 1963, the population was 2,850; 1,300 buildings had been finished or were under construction; 80 miles of road had been built, and 160 miles of canals had been dug. The public yacht club, a golf course, medical clinic, and shopping center were up and running. A major addition for Cape Coral was the construction of the Cape Coral Bridge, which opened in early 1964. Before the bridge, a trip to Fort Myers was more than 20 miles, following the long haul up Del Prado Boulevard, then over the Edison Bridge to cross the river.

The city incorporated in August 1970, and its population continues to grow rapidly. With more than 167,000 residents in 2009, Cape Coral is one of the fastest growing areas in Florida and the U.S. As of January 2010, Cape Coral was the 2nd largest city in Florida geographically and the 11th largest in population.

Since its inception, Cape Coral had been known as a community with a large retirement population. This all changed with the population and construction boom of the 1990s that brought in younger families and professionals alike. The waterfront lifestyle attracted small business entrepreneurs and franchises. Today, Cape Coral offers a lively strip of restaurants and stores along its major arteries: Cape Coral Parkway, Del Prado Blvd, Santa Barbara Boulevard and Pine Island Road.

Source: Wikipedia