Cape Coral

Home Sweet Home

"With more than 400 miles of canals, Cape Coral offers affordable waterfront living for both the freshwater and saltwater enthusiast," reports the Cape Coral Association of Realtors. Cape Coral has more canals than Venice, Italy and plenty of riverfront and bayfront property as well.

In land mass, Cape Coral is the second largest city in Florida. That means there's still room to build on individual lots or in planned and/or gated communities. Existing homes are also plentiful -- and, by most standards, relatively affordable. In 1999, the median sales price of single-family, existing homes was $106,600 for the entire Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), up 8 percent from 1998. The overall price range starts at $60,000 and climbs to $900,000.

Eighty percent of Cape Coral's housing inventory is single-family, about 20 percent condominiums. Newer developments include Emerald Cove, a gated community where homes range from $102,000 to $131,000; The Hermitage, offering direct-access to the Caloosahatchee River, with homes priced from $160,000 to $320,000 (lots additional); and Cape Harbor, a waterfront community complete with a marina and other amenities with houses priced from $254,000 to $290,000.

Vital Stats

Cape Coral/Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes all of Lee County.

Population: 392,895
Median age: 44.9
New citizens: 8,700
New job creation: 2.5 percent (1999)
Unemployment rate: 2.6 percent August, 1999
Cost of living: 97.15 percent (U.S. average=100 percent)
Per capita income: $25,144
Median household effective buying income: $31,904

Rain & Shine

Weather cooperates with the many nature lovers who winter here or live year-round in Cape Coral. It's warm and wonderful. Average annual temperature is 73.9 degrees Fahrenheit. The spring/summer average is 84 degrees; the fall/winter average is a very pleasant 71 degrees. It's a rare winter evening when the temperature drops much below 50 degrees. In fact, the average low for December is 54 degrees; for January and February, it's 53 degrees.

The average water temperature along Cape Coral's 27 miles of Gulf shoreline is 77.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Gentle Gulf breezes and an occasional light rain characterize October through May, but from June through September it usually rains more than eight inches monthly and the area has the lush vegetation to prove it. The average annual rainfall is 54 inches, but the rain is welcome. Florida's rainy season arrives simultaneously with summer's heat and helps cool things off with afternoon thunderstorms.

Job Market

Tourism, financial investments from retirees and construction activity combine with agriculture, retail, education and health care to fuel the local economy. The top 10 Lee County employers are the Lee County School Board (7,233), Lee Memorial Health System (3,698), Publix Super Markets Inc. (3,037), Columbia/HCA (3,005), The Mariner Group/South Seas Resort (2,000), Lee County Board of Commissioners (1,705), Health & Rehabilitative Services (1,553), the City of Cape Coral (1,291), Wal-Mart Corporation (1,269) and Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. (1,200). Major manufacturing employers include Intertech Resources (384), Harper Brothers (300), Precision Econowind (200), Raymond Building Supplies (196) and Harlequin Nature Graphics (189).

Class Notes

Extensive information about the schools in this area is available online at the state's Department of Education (http://www.firn.edu/doe/doehome.htm). There you'll discover everything you'll need to know about Florida schools -- in general and in particular. All you need is the name of your county and the names of the schools students from your neighborhood attend.

Use links from the DOE home page for general information about entrance requirements, immunizations and so forth.

For the nitty-gritty details that really matter, click on the logo for the "Florida School Indicators Report."

Getting Around

Interstate Highway 75 traverses Lee County in a north/south direction; in Collier County to the south, it turns east and is dubbed the Everglades Parkway, a.k.a. Alligator Alley. U.S. Highway 41 (Tamiami Trail) is the other main north/south road. It runs from Tampa to Miami, roughly paralleling I-75, although it is the older of the two highways and is both farther west--closer to the ocean--and farther south than I-75.

Transportation by water is not unusual; in fact, it's a given in Cape Coral, although used primarily for recreational rather than practical purposes. Many residents are "boatniks" -- the perfect place to live if seeking fellow sailors in love with the sea.

Seminole Gulf Railroad delivers freight to the area. Lee County Transit (LeeTran) buses drive regular routes around the county. Page Field serves general aviation; Southwest Florida International Airport offers jet service and connections to areas all over the world from its facility southeast of the city.

Great Outdoors

Within Cape Coral, the Four Mile Cove Ecological Park has 365 acres of unspoiled wetlands and mangrove swamps. Located along the Caloosahatchee River, the park has a 4,200-foot walking trail and a visitor’s center.

Native flowering plants and trees, red and black mangroves with their distinctive "legs," alligators, even crocodiles, are found in the area. So are burrowing owls and gentle manatees. Almost half of nearby Sanibel Island is preserved as the J.N. "Ding" Darling Nature Preserve, which protects nearly 300 species of birds as well as numerous amphibians, reptiles and mammals. The Lee County beaches and bays attract naturalists, especially on Sanibel, which captures shells and other sea treasures because of its unusual east/west orientation.

Children enjoy the outdoors as much as their elders. But for a special treat, area youngsters delight in the Imaginarium, a science center, with its mazes, holographs, optical illusions and other hands-on fun; and the Sun Splash Family Waterpark’s huge waterslide and play pools.

For all ages, visit the Edison/Ford Winter Estates at 2350 McGregor Boulevard in nearby Fort Myers. From 1886 until 1931, the prolific inventor Thomas Edison spent his winters here. The home, laboratory, lovely grounds and a museum holding many of the results of his genius are open to the public, as are the adjoining home, grounds and classic cars of his friend and admirer Henry Ford, another American giant.

Good Sports

Cape Coral has a well-developed series of local parks for people who prefer to keep two feet on dry land and a picnic basket within reach, but if your favorite sport requires water, Lee County has everything -- swimming, boating, fishing, jet-skiing, snorkeling, diving, waterskiing and parasailing. While many people choose to live in Cape Coral because of its access to the Gulf of Mexico, many others prefer fishing the freshwater Caloosahatchee River. Others drop a line into one of the city’s many canals.

Southwest Floridians love golf. The region is home to 95 golf courses, about a third of which are in Lee County, so golfers of all skill levels have many courses to choose from. In Cape Coral itself, five golf courses give golfers immediate access to the links.

For big-league sports, residents travel to Tampa, Orlando and Miami unless the sport is baseball. The Boston Red Sox train in downtown Fort Myers at City of Palms Park and the Minnesota Twins train at Lee County Sports Complex, a major stop on the Grapefruit League circuit. A minor league club owned by the Twins, the Fort Myers Miracle, plays at the Sports Complex during the summer season.

Hot Times in the City

If you've ever said, "I just want a little peace and quiet," push Cape Coral to the top of your list. Warm days can be spent searching for rare shells or at the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum on Sanibel Island. Many locals prefer the area’s cultural events and annual festivals that occur throughout Lee County. Those seeking "hot times" however need only to cross a bridge or two. Only minutes away in Lee County, a number of attractions draw both locals and tourists alike.

In January, Cape Coral hosts the Cape Coral Festival of the Arts draws 200 juried artists and craftspeople to the downtown. Accented with food and entertainment, the festival is an example of the city’s small-town charm. In July, the Red, White and Boom Festival celebrates Independence Day with fireworks over the water. Cape Coral's German-American Club puts on their popular Oktoberfest each autumn.

Elsewhere in Lee County, the Edison Festival of Light dominates more than two weeks of February's calendar. North Fort Myers' Cracker Festival re-enacts each February the southernmost Civil War battle, fought Feb. 20, 1865. (It's still not clear who "won.") In March, Sanibel hosts its Annual Sanibel Shell Fair and Fort Myers Beach its Shrimp Festival. And in Bonita Springs, the Koreshan State Historic Site memorializes an eccentric sect that considered the earth a hollow globe with people residing inside it. Every April the city hosts the Koreshan Unity Lunar Festival. Another fall highlight is the sandsculpting contest held in Fort Myers Beach.

Downtown Fort Myers shelters the restored and refurbished Arcade Theatre, originally built in 1908. Its offerings include plays, children's theater and movies. Home base for the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra & Chorus is the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, adjacent to the community college campus. Mann Hall hosts concerts, ballet, musical performances, ice shows and touring Broadway productions. And Fort Myers' own Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre specializes in Broadway shows.

Shop 'til You Drop

Cape Coral’s only true mall -- the Coralwood Shopping Center -- is simply referred to as "the mall" by residents. With restaurants, movies and a complete range of stores, it’s the hub of local shopping. Across the bridge, downtown Fort Myers holds antique shops, art galleries and boutiques.

If you prefer to shop on the nearby islands -- Sanibel and Captiva -- you'll encounter casual attire and nifty gift shops, but no large malls. On Sanibel, however, Periwinkle Plaza and Periwinkle Mall have unique goods in a relaxed island atmosphere.

Nightlife

Dining out is popular, but so is casual entertaining on the boat, patio or veranda. Local Cape Coral restaurants cover every taste, style and price. For waterfront dining, consider the Matlacha Oyster House on Pine Island, Sandy Hook Fish and Rib House or Snook Harbour Inn. For casual dining, visit Annie’s, Hooter’s, Thirsty’s, Kokomo Joe’s Eatery or Bubba’s Road House and Saloon. For evening dining, don’t miss Mr. C’s or the community’s brand new Outback Steak House.

College Scene

Cape Coral does not have its own college, but a number of nearby institutions offer higher education. Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), the state's 10th major institution of higher learning, opened in the fall of 1997 in southern Lee County. About 10 miles south of Fort Myers, close to the international airport and I-75, but not far from the Everglades, the multimillion dollar FGCU facility continues to rise from the ground on some of its 760 acres.

The Fort Myers branch of the Tampa-based University of South Florida will be absorbed into FGCU. Edison Community College enrolls almost 10,000 in its state-supported, two-year, coed program. Also in the southwestern portion of the state, both Nova and Barry universities have branch locations; independent International College in nearby Naples enrolls 540 students; the Southwest Florida College of Business, an independent, two-year school serves 220 students; and Walden University specializes in graduate-level education.

Just for Seniors

Some of the area's seniors reside in the region for six or fewer months per year. Many others stay year-round. Both groups volunteer and are active in charities and church groups. In March, area businesses present the Seniors Festival--a two-day exposition sparked by competitive games and a concert.

When seniors need assistance, information and referral services are a phone call away. The Senior Helpline, called Age Link, is 941-433-3900. Information specialists will refer citizens over 60 to a broad range of services including personal care, homemaker services, adult day care, respite care, medical transportation and home-delivered meals. Some service providers will charge a fee; other services are free from state or federal sources but are in demand and may require a waiting period; yet other services are free to the needy but fee-based for everyone else.

At least eight senior centers are scattered around the county: Cape Coral (2); Bonita Springs (1); Fort Myers (2), North Fort Myers (1); Lehigh Acres (1); and Sanibel (1). Most offer recreational activities and congregate meals.