Geography

Cape Coral is located at 26°38′23″N, 81°58′57″W (26.639600, -81.982471).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 115.10 square miles (298.1 km²), making it the second largest in Florida. 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.

The City is divided into Four Quadrants: NW, NE, SW and SE. The East-West Divide is Santa Barbara Blvd., and the North-South divide is Embers Pkwy/Hancock Bridge Pkwy. These are also the centers for the city"s street grid.

The City contains a large network of canals, some of which lead to the Gulf of Mexico and some to local lakes. Many houses are along the canals, a large number of which have docks or boat lifts. Fish regularly swim the canals, and can be caught with deep running minnow lures. The fish include Crevalle Jack, catfish, Mullet, and others.

The Cape Coral Bridge connects Cape Coral Parkway to College Parkway in Fort Myers. The Midpoint Memorial Bridge connects Veterans Parkway to Colonial Boulevard, also in Fort Myers. 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.

History

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’s 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.

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 of road had been built, and 160 miles 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, 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 1990"s that brought with it young working class families. There is still a larger than normal retirement population. While some of the community still has to cross the river to Fort Myers for work and entertainment, this has become less of a requirement with new stores, restaurants and nightclubs opening up every year. Today, Cape Coral offers a lively strip of restaurants and stores along Cape Coral Parkway, Del Prado Blvd. and Pine Island Road. Also, there is an array of activities within the city including Sun Splash Family Waterpark, Mike Greenwell’s Family Fun Park and the brand new, 27,000-sq.-ft. Eagle Skate Park.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 102,286 people, 40,768 households, and 30,209 families residing in the city. (In 2007 were 167,572 people living in Cape Coral) The population density was 972.4/mi² (375.4/km²). There were 45,653 housing units at an average density of 434.0/mi² (167.6/km²).

The racial makeup of the city was 93.01% White, 2.00% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.20% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.33% of the population.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $43,410, and the median income for a family was $47,503. Males had a median income of $32,320 versus $25,068 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,021. About 5.3% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

One of the most attractive features of Cape Coral and Southwest Florida is its terrific year-round weather. The area averages 335 days of bright sunshine each year (the other 30 days are just moderate sunshine). While the summers are very warm, humid and rainy, the winters in Cape Coral are absolutely beautiful. Southwest Florida receives about 53 inches of rain each year, the majority of which falls from May through September. During the summer months, afternoon rains regularly roll in with heavy downpours and stormy conditions that may last only a couple of hours before subsiding. Then the sun reappears, heat and humidity return, and all is well until the next day when the cycle begins again.

Air Temperatures:

Annual Average: 74.4 F
High Average: 84.1 F
Low Average: 64.7 F
Annual Rainfall: 53.37 inches

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.

Every October the local German-American Club holds the annual Oktoberfest styled after the original held in Germany. This has been the case since 1985.

Notable residents

Echo Chernik, illustrator.
The members of Twisted Method grew up and first formed their band in Cape Coral.
Angela Watson, actress.
Greg Spires, NFL player
Earnest Graham, NFL Running Back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jeff Lindsay, author of Darkly Dreaming Dexter, in which Showtime"s Dexter (TV series) is based off of.
Lela Star, pornographic actress was born in Cape Coral.

source: www.wikipedia.org

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