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 the majority of the community still has to cross the river to Fort Myers for work and entertainment, this has improved in recent years with new stores, restaurants and nightclubs opening up. Today, Cape Coral offers a lively strip of restaurants and stores along Cape Coral Parkway, Del Prado Blvd. and Pine Island Road.
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 2009, the city had a population of 167,917, 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.
Geography
Cape Coral is located at 
26°38?23?N 81°58?57?W / 26.639600°N 81.982471°W.[5] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 115.10 square miles (298.1 km2), making it second only to Jacksonville as the 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]
The Real Estate Bubble
Southwest Florida was hit hard by the declining real estate market. After years of double digit property value increases beginning late 2006 the market started to slow to a crawl. As of April 23, 2009 the area is listed number 1 out of 25 for the highest Foreclosure Cities in the US according to RealtyTrac. This has also caused the closing of many businesses which in turn has lead to an unemployment rate of over 13.2% as of July 2009.
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.
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.
