Cape Coral

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City of Cape Coral, Florida
Cape Coral and Fort Myers from space, July 1997
City Logo
Location in Lee County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 26°38′23″N 81°58′57″W / 26.63972°N 81.9825°W / 26.63972; -81.9825Coordinates: 26°38′23″N 81°58′57″W / 26.63972°N 81.9825°W / 26.63972; -81.9825
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Lee
Founded	1965
Incorporated	1970
Government
- Type	Council-Manager
- Mayor	Jim Burch
- District 1	Gloria Tate
- District 2	Pete Brandt
- District 3	Bill Deile
- District 4	Dolores Bertolini
Area [1]
- City	115.10 sq mi (298.1 km2)
- Land	105.19 sq mi (272.4 km2)
- Water	9.91 sq mi (25.7 km2)  8.61%
Elevation	5 ft (2 m)
Population (April 2008)[2]
- City	165,774
- Metro	623,725
	University of Florida estimate
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	33900-33999
Area code(s)	239
FIPS code	12-10275[3]
GNIS feature ID	0279997[4]
Website	www.capecoral.net

Cape Coral is a city in Lee County, Florida, United States. With over 400 miles (640 km) of navigable waterways, Cape Coral has more miles of canals than any other city on earth. According to estimates as of April 2008, the city had a population of 165,774,^[2] making it the largest city in Southwest Florida. The population estimate for the Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area was more than 623,725 as of April 2008.^[2]

Geography

Cape Coral is located at 26°38′23″N 81°58′57″W / 26.639600°N 81.982471°W / 26.639600; -81.982471.^[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 115.10 square miles (298.1 km²), making it the second largest city in Florida in terms of area. 105.19 square miles (272.4 km²) of it is land and 9.91 square miles (25.7 km²) of it (8.61%) is water.^[1]

Cape Coral is bordered on the south and east by the Caloosahatchee River and on the west by Matlacha Pass. The city of Fort Myers lies across the Caloosahatchee River to the south and east, and Matlacha and Pine Island lie across Matlacha Pass to the west.

Canals

Cape Coral Florida has over 400 miles (640 km) of canals, more than any other city in the world^[6]. Cape Coral's canal system is so extensive that local ecology and tides have been affected.^[7]

Bridges

Cape Coral is connected to Fort Myers by two bridges. The Cape Coral Bridge connects Cape Coral Parkway to College Parkway in Fort Myers. The Midpoint Memorial Bridge connects Veterans Parkway to Colonial Boulevard.

Hancock Bridge Parkway, after intersecting Santa Barbara Boulevard, sweeps north to its approximate terminus on Pine Island Road, with the east end of Hancock Bridge Parkway terminating at U.S. Highway 41.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 102,286 people, 40,768 households, and 30,209 families residing in the city. The population density was 972.4/mi² (375.4/km²). There were 45,653 housing units at an average density of 434.0/mi² (167.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.01% White, 2.00% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.20% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.33% of the population.

There were 40,768 households out of which 29.5% 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 the city the 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.

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. About 5.3% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

History

Over the course of a few years, beginning in 1958, canals were dug, homes and businesses built, and a city was born. 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 Rosens' new general manager. Cape Coral's first four homes were completed in May 1958 on Riverside and Flamingo drives.^[8]

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 (130 km) of road had been built, and 160 miles (260 km) of canals had been dug. The 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 (32 km), following the long haul up Del Prado, then over to the Edison Bridge to cross the river.

Since its inception Cape Coral had been known as a "sleepy" community with its large retirement population. This all changed with the population boom of the 1990s that brought with it young working class families. There is still a larger than normal retirement population. While some of the community still has to cross the river to Fort Myers for work and entertainment, this has become less of a requirement with new stores, restaurants and nightclubs opening up every year. Today, Cape Coral offers a lively strip of restaurants and stores along Cape Coral Parkway, Del Prado Blvd. and Pine Island Road.

City Events

• The city holds an annual Independence Day fireworks festival known as Red, White & BOOM!! This is the biggest single day event in the city and also the biggest July 4 display in Southwest Florida. Red, White and BOOM is presented annually by the Chamber of Commerce of Cape Coral.^[9]
• Every October the local German-American Club holds an annual Oktoberfest styled after the original held in Germany. This has been the case since 1985.^[10]
• The Cape Coral Festival of the Arts is held the second weekend of January every year. The event takes place on Cape Coral Parkway and attracts over 100,000 visitors.^[11] Nearly 300 artists and craftspeople from across the nation line the street to make this one of the largest and best attended art festivals in Southwest Florida.

Education

Three public high schools in Cape Coral are operated by the Lee County School District: Cape Coral High School, built in the late 1970s, Mariner High School, which opened in 1987, and Ida S. Baker High School, founded in 2004 and named after one of the early principals of Cape Coral High School, with the building opening in 2005. The newest high school, Island Coast High School, opened its doors for the 2008-2009 school year.

Notable residents

• Echo Chernik, illustrator. (Current)
• The members of Twisted Method grew up and first formed their band in Cape Coral. (Current)
• Angela Watson, actress. (Former)
• Bill Cunningham, talk radio host.
• Greg Spires, NFL player (Former)
• Earnest Graham, NFL Running Back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (former)
• Jeff Lindsay, author of Darkly Dreaming Dexter, on which Showtime's Dexter (TV series) is based.^{[citation needed]}
• Lela Star, pornographic actress was born in Cape Coral.
• Stacy Carter, professional wrestler.
• Seth Petruzelli- mixed martial arts fighter
• Lee Bennett Hopkins,Chidrens poet and author of anthologies
• The members of Godsmack live in Cape Coral. (Current)

References

External links

• City of Cape Coral Official site
• Satellite view of the canals
• Cape Coral Historical Museum
• Pictorial History of Cape Coral
• Cape Coral Gardens
• Chamber of Commerce of Cape Coral
• What's Up Cape Coral
• Cape Coral Sailing Club
• Cape Coral Festival of the Arts
• Community Redevelopment Agency of Cape Coral
• Cape Coral Parks and Recreation

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