With the combination of gorgeous sandy beaches and 400 miles of water canals, Cape Coral seems to be a combination of St. Tropez and Venice. With 355 days of sunshine per year, it's no wonder people are rushing to live in this city (and Cape Coral movers are only happy to help them.) Why is this place so perfect? Because it was built that way! Two enterprising brothers in the 1950s purchased some land on the peninsula in Southwest Florida, and turned it into a "Waterfront Wonderland" with beautiful shores, over 400 miles of navigable canals and lush protected land. As the ninth largest in Florida, with visitors far and wide, its no wonder why so many people are moving to Cape Coral.
Economy:
Healthcare, retail and real estate and construction are the biggest private companies in Cape Coral. The biggest contribution to the economy, however, is from local government services. Lee County School District and City Hall are on the top of the list of largest employers in the city. Despite the housing crises in 2008 and being three on the list of highest foreclosure cities in the U.S., it took only 2 years for housing inventory to stabilize. The main drags, such as Cape Coral Parkway, Del Prado Boulevard and Santa Barbara Boulevard has a wide variety of retail shops and restaurants.
Tourism:
As with most of Florida, watersports and activities are the number one reasons why visitors come to Cape Coral. The beaches are some of the most beautiful in the Gulf Coast. Fishing is abundant and boating can be done in both open water and the canals. There's also the very popular Sun Splash Family Waterpark, with tons of activities for the young (and young at heart) such as water slides, rides and pools. For those not too keen on getting wet, the western part of Cape Coral has been designated as a no-build eco zone and features pine forest, mangroves and tidal flats which attracts hikers and adventurers. Rare species such as manatees, bottlenosed dolphins, and the occasional bald eagle can be seen around the protected area.
History:
Since it's a relatively young city (compared to cities like Boston or Philadelphia) Cape Coral has a short history. It began as an idea back in the 1950s when two brothers – Leonard and Jack Rosen – bought over 100 square miles for $678,000. In 1958, they began construction, with The Gulf American Corporation (GAC) being created just for this purpose. They built housing, commercial building and other infrastructure, including the complex navigable canal waterways. With an aggressive marketing and advertising campaign (such as using celebrity endorsers), all 300,000 units of housing were sold and a wave of people began to move to Cape Coral. The flow of people continued to move in and the city was officially incorporated in 1970. Today, there is a diverse demographic of people living in Cape Coral, from retirees and professionals, to young families and seasonal residents.