Cape Coral, Florida

Cape Coral history began in 1957 when two brothers from Baltimore, Maryland, Leonard and Jack Rosen, flew over the peninsula known as Redfish Point, across the Caloosahatchee River near present-day Fort Myers. Cape Coral was founded as Redfish Point. Leonard and Jack Rosen, who were real-estate developers and a small group of partners, purchased a 103-square-mile (270 km²) tract known as Redfish Point for $678,000 in that year and, in 1958, began development of the city as a master-planned, pre-planned community.

The Gulf American Land Corporation (GALC), was formed to develop the area. GAC developed a marketing model that was a total departure from traditional selling methods. Approval was secured from the Lee County to master-plan the entire property into lots. Instead of listing the lots with real estate agents, GAC developed the land-sales, dinner-party model, operating from banquet rooms in local hotels. People were invited to attend by offering a free dinner for two. The model, referred to as team-selling, allowed for a well-trained team to close deals in 90 minutes. Buyers would sign a contract and agree to come to the property within six months and cancel if not satisfied. Ezio Valentini, an Italian real estate developer, joined GAC and became Director of Sales. The program was so successful that offices were opened in 24 states and an arrangement was made with an airline to charter flights to fly buyers to the property.

Instead of borrowing from banks and lenders, the developers factored the sales contracts to pay for building the infrastructure. Canals were dug, streets paved, houses and businesses built.[8] Cape Coral was promoted like no other Florida development. Celebrities were brought in to tout the benefits of "the Cape", as it is known locally. The first building in Cape Coral was the Rosens' sales office. It was built where George's Auto now stands, at Cape Coral and Coronado Pkwys.[9] Cape Coral's first permanent resident was Kenny Schwartz, the Rosens' general manager.[10] Cape Coral's first four homes were completed in May 1958, on Riverside and Flamingo Drives.[11]

Development continued through the early 1960s, 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 mi (130 km) of road had been built, and 160 mi (260 km) 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 3,400 feet (1,000 m) long Cape Coral Bridge across the Caloosahatchee River, which opened in early 1964. Before the bridge, a trip to Fort Myers was more than 20 mi (32 km) via Del Prado Boulevard and over the Edison Bridge to cross the river.

The city incorporated in August 1970, and its population continued to grow rapidly until the real estate slowdown that gripped the region beginning in 2008.[12]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 120 square miles (310.8 km²), of which 110.09 square miles (285.1 km²) is land and 9.91 square miles (25.7 km²) (9%) is water.[13] Cape Coral is a large peninsula and is bordered in the south and east by the Caloosahatchee River and in the west by Matlacha Pass. The city of Fort Myers lies across the Caloosahatchee River to the east, and Matlacha and Pine Island lie across Matlacha Pass to the west. Matlacha Pass is home to Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge and the state's Matlacha Pass Aquatic Preserve.[14]

As of 2018, Cape Coral is the eighth largest city in Florida by population. More than 60 percent of the population is between the ages of 15–64 and residents under 25 outnumber residents over 65. Southwest Florida's 18–24 age group is growing at a faster rate than the state of Florida and the United States.[20]

As of 2010, there were 78,948 households, out of which 23.0% were vacant.[21] In 2000, 29.5% households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.85.

In 2000, the city's population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $43,410, and the median income for a family was $47,503. Males had a median income of $32,320 versus $25,068 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,021. 7.0% of the population and 5.3% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.2% were under the age of 18 and 5.6% were 65 or older.

The City of Cape Coral operates under the council-manager government form of government. City Council members are elected at large from seven districts. The mayor is also elected at large and is the eighth member of the council. The mayor presides over council meetings. The City of Cape Coral provides police and fire services within the city.

The economy in Cape Coral is based on health care services, retail, and real estate/construction. The city's Economic Development Office promotes and incentivizes business relocation to Cape Coral. In 2016 the city's top five employers were the Lee Memorial Hospital, Lee County School System, Publix Supermarkets, City of Cape Coral and Walmart.[28]

Cape Coral has continuously expanded public and private school systems with high performance standards. Cape Coral is part of the Lee County School District, which is operated by the Lee County Board of Education. As of 2009, the Board of Education operated 8 elementary, 6 middle, and 5 high schools in the Cape.[29]

There are four public high schools in Cape Coral: Cape Coral High School, built in the late 1970s; Mariner High School, which opened in 1987; Ida S. Baker High School, founded in 2004 and named after one of the early principals of Cape Coral High School, which opened in 2005; and the newest, Island Coast High School, which opened its doors for the 2008–2009 school year.

In addition, the City of Cape Coral has created a municipal charter school system consisting of two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The charter schools use the Core Knowledge and Cambridge Curricula. Since the system is public, there is no tuition. The municipal charter schools are available exclusively to children who live in Cape Coral.[30]

The main campus of Florida SouthWestern State College is located immediately east of Cape Coral in Fort Myers. The college offers associate and bachelor's degrees, plus technical training in fields such as allied health programs, computer networking & programming, business administration, paralegal, criminal justice and fire science. 2009 enrollment was more than 16,000 students on four campuses.

One of Florida's youngest state universities, Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), opened in 1997 in nearby Fort Myers and now serves more than 12,000 students. FGCU has established a Cape Coral satellite facility, which provides Cape students with a growing offering of core courses. The university offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees, including an executive master's program, a college of business and engineering and biotechnology programs.

Other colleges and universities serving the area are Hodges University, Southwest Florida College and Rasmussen College.

Cape Coral is also home to the Cape Coral Technical College,[31] a postsecondary educational institution operated by the Lee County public school system. It provides training in medical, computer and food-science fields. Employer-specific training, both on and off-site, is available through Business and Industry Services of Lee County which maintains an office in Cape Coral.[32]

The area supports waterfowl, wading birds, migrant songbirds, gopher tortoises, dolphins and reptiles. Rotary Park is home to wading birds, raptors, butterflies, foxes and other wildlife. Nature enthusiasts can track exotic birds and native fish from the boardwalk at Lake Kennedy and watch the West Indian manatees at Sirenia Vista Park. Cape Coral is home to the largest population of burrowing owls in Florida.[37]

• Nate Allen, NFL safety[39]
• Pat Burke, NBA player
• Stacy Carter, professional wrestler
• Dustin Diamond, actor[40]
• Earnest Graham, NFL running back
• Mike Greenwell, MLB player
• Jessica Holmes, TV host and news anchor
• Hilary Hemingway, author and niece of Ernest Hemingway [41]
• Jeff Lindsay, author[41][42]
• Seth Petruzelli, mixed martial arts fighter
• Niko Price, mixed martial arts fighter
• Jason Smith, Olympic curler
• Greg Spires, NFL player
• Angela Watson, actress
• Michael Wendler, German singer
• Karey Lee Woolsey, singer-songwriter
• Mike Zunino, MLB catcher

• Cape Coral Barometer

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cape Coral, Florida.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Cape Coral.

• Official website
• Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce