after moving into his new home in 1958 . Depending on size and details , prices ranged from $ 10,990 to $ 26,250 for those first dwellings .
Meanwhile , the Rosens developed one of the most elaborate home- and lot-sales practices ever seen . They promoted Cape Coral and its land internationally , often offering prospective buyers free trips from northern cities .
The Cape Coral Yacht and Racquet Club was a crucial part of those first sales efforts . After opening in 1962 , it quickly became a major gathering place for community events and outdoor recreation , as well as sales presentations . The Cape Coral Gardens , including the Rose Garden , blossomed in 1962 . The Cape Coral Gardens was an elaborate attraction that featured live dolphin shows , a zoo , flocks of flamingos , a statuary garden and the famous Waltzing Waters , a dazzling array of water fountains choreographed to music and lights . The Gardens closed in 1970 , and Tarpon Point Marina now occupies the site .
Airplanes were another important part of the early Cape Coral sales experience . Early flights would stop traffic to land on Coronado Parkway ( the Cape ’ s third road ) and Cape Coral Parkway . After the Cape Coral Bridge opened in 1964 , most flights landed in Fort Myers .
Fewer than 300 people lived in Cape Coral in 1960 , but the Rosens knew amenities would attract buyers . Their company helped subsidize the first store , and also offered financial support for the first two doctors , Theodore David and Robert Tate . The volunteer fire department organized in 1964 , and the Gulf American Land Corp . picked up much of that tab , too .
By 1970 , the population had grown to 11,470 and residents voted to incorporate as a city . The first mayor was Paul Fickinger . The first police chief , Jim White , had three officers , a secretary and two patrol cars . In 1976 , Cape Coral High School opened with 1,500 students . The hospital opened a year later — and the first patient arrived within a few days to have a fishhook removed .
The 1970s brought dramatic growth . By 1980 , the population had tripled to 32,103 , and at the turn of the century , 102,206 people lived in Cape Coral . Today , its population of 169,000-plus , makes it Florida ’ s 10 th most populated city and the third largest in land area . In the halfcentury since the Rosens bought those first tracts of wilderness , the north side of the Caloosahatchee had indeed become a modern “ Waterfront Wonderland .”
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