For generations , retiring to the lifestyle that Cape Coral affords was the reward for a lifetime of hard work and smart planning . Before long , the secret was out that you didn ’ t have to wait until retirement to indulge in year-round sunshine , golf and boating . Businesses and families brought their lives and work here , so their children could grow up with the kinds of perks many of their grandparents and great-grandparents dreamt of .
Today , Cape Coral offers the best of all worlds : a leisurely , small-town lifestyle with easy access to the culture and diversity of larger urban areas .
This is a place where you can launch your boat from the backyard and watch the sunrise as you head out to fish for the day — or for an hour before you go into work . You can spend weekends sailing around local islands , shopping at luxury retailers , watching a live Broadway performance or taking in a professional ballgame .
The Cape , as it ’ s affectionately called , is the largest city between Tampa and Miami . But with its small-town atmosphere and laidback lifestyle , it ’ s still one of Florida ’ s best-kept secrets .
Tourists arrive to visit family and to escape the cold of winter . Then they discover the area ’ s lifestyle , business opportunities and affordability , and before retirement community , people who ’ ve settled here had different ideas . Many of the city ’ s residents are young families , and business owners and community leaders have grown up here , taking advantage of thriving schools and youth sports programs . At the same time , there ’ s no shortage of social outlets and services for the significant population of adults and retirees , which continues to grow .
Vacationers love Cape Coral for its abundant recreational opportunities , relaxing environment and close proximity to big cities and attractions , including Tampa , Miami and Orlando . For others , the allure is its ample business opportunities and its
friendly atmosphere .
What draws most people to the Cape is the abundance of affordable waterfront property and the tropical lifestyle that goes along with it . The city boasts nearly 400 miles of navigable canals , and it ’ s surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico and the Caloosahatchee River , part of the federal Intracoastal Waterway , bringing boaters here from around the country .
In Cape Coral , sunshine and water are constant elements that continue drawing visitors and new residents to claim their place in this diverse paradise that ’ s poised for exciting growth in the coming decade .
Photo by Alejandra Bustamante
they know it , they ’ re buying their own piece of waterfront property in this sunlit paradise .
This is still a young city — its oldest houses are not even 60 years old . It continues to grow by leaps — about 50 percent in the past 15 years . People and cultural influences from all over the United States and the world enrich the local cultural blend . And although Cape Coral was originally envisioned as a vast capecoralchamber . com 49