Back in the early 1900s, Cape Coral was a retiree playground where the likes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford spent winters tanning themselves on the gorgeous beaches of the Gulf of Mexico 30 miles south of Punta Gorda.
Then in 1957, two brothers, Jack and Leonard Rosen bought what was known as Redfish Point on rural Lee County's western side which comprised 114 square miles of overgrown woods and wetlands boarded by water on three sides, and loaded with deer, quail, bobcat and bootleggers!
The marketing plan was to create all of the amenitities of mordern suburbia combined with the magic of the tropics. A mega-plan was formulated to create a "Water Wonderland" that was to be unusual and captivating.
They named it Cape Coral despite the lack of any coral (or for that matter any cape). Assuming that what everyone wanted was waterfront property, they dug more than 400 miles of canals, created 27 miles of shoreline and paved more than 1700 miles of roads. The dredged soil was used as landfill for the roads and the future homes.
After that, the rest they say is "history".
Today, less than 25% of the population is over 65, Fort Myers (pop. 45,500) and Cape Coral (pop. 84,500), the two major cities in Lee County, are opposites of sorts. Fort Myers is more citified in look, atmosphere, attitude. Cape Coral welcomes water worshippers. The Cape, as the locals call it, has some 20 times more canals than Venice, Italy - a plus for the town's many boatniks. It's suburban, community-oriented and a tad less expensive than Fort Myers.
1997's job growth of 4.54%, bests the U.S. average by three percentage points. And the 4.5% unemployment rate is below the national average, as it has been for some time.
Folks in Lee County already are big on education. The area's 91% high school graduation rate places it among the nation's best. What's the secret? Some credit the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, a nine-year-old, nonprofit group whose high-profile Golden Apple Teacher Recognition program rewards outstanding teachers.
Lee County is also home to two of the Florida's most popular islands: Sanibel and Captiva, known worldwide for their spectacular seashells. The 6,000 permanent residents of Sanibel also enjoy the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge and more than 20 art galleries, amid all the tourists. And commuting? Let's put it this way: On Sanibel and Captiva, there are no traffic lights.
Spring home of the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins, allowing you to view up close, the best major league baseball teams during spring training.
Today, visitors from around the world come to Cape Coral to enjoy Paradise. With an abundance of beaches, boating, golf courses, outlet shopping malls, restaurants and sun, it has become the perfect vacation destination.
Won't you join us?
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