Introduction to Cape Coral, Florida
First incorporated as a city in 1970, Cape Coral is located on the Florida's south/central Gulf coast in Lee County. Cape Coral is 20 minutes southwest of Fort Myers, and 20 minutes north of Fort Myers Beach. Cape Coral is the third largest city in Florida in physical area, behind Jacksonville and Tampa. Cape Coral is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan statistical area (MSA).
Cape Coral was built by two land speculators, the Rosen brothers, who thought that Cape Coral's location on the Gulf Coast would be attractive to home buyers. Cape Coral is built around a system of over 400 miles of canals. The city of Cape Coral lies between the Caloosahatchee River, part of the Intracoastal Waterway and the Gulf of Mexico.
Cape Coral is conveniently located near several major highways including Interstate 75, Florida 80, Florida 739 and Florida 884.
Cape Coral Arts and Culture
As one would expect from a city located on the gulf coast with 400 miles of canals, Cape Coral provides ample access to boating, fishing and other water sports activities. Other entertainment attractions in and around Cape Coral include:
- The annual Aquatic Festival.
- The annual Synchronized Swim Show.
- The Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre.
- Over 30 parks and facilities managed by the Parks and Recreation Department including the 27,000 square foot Eagle Skate Park, Four Freedoms Park, Four Mile Cove Ecological Preserve, Rotary Park, Yacht Club Community Park and more.
- The Cape Coral Art League.
- The Cape Coral Arts Studio.
- The Cape Coral Historical Museum.
- The Cultural Park Theatre.
- The Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre.
- Nine golf courses, many of which are public.
- Sun Splash Family Waterpark.
For sports fans, nearby Fort Myers is home to Minor League Baseball's (MiLB) Fort Myers Miracle of the Florida State League. The Miracle are a Class A Advanced affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.