History Of Cape Coral, Florida
Before the birth of Cape Coral, the simple area was known as “The Other Side of the River” by homesteaders, loggers, cattlemen and professional fishermen.
It was found on 1957 by real estate developers, Leonard and Jack Rosen who purchased 103-square-mile (207 km2) track know as Redfish Point for $678, 000. On the year, 1958, development of the city begun as master-planned, pre-platted community and created more than 400 miles of canals.
The Gulf American Corporation (GAC) was formed to make this “Waterfront Wonderland” and on the 4th of November, ground was officially broken as Cape Coral. Cape Coral was promoted like no other Florida development. Celebrities were brought in to tout the benefits of the locally known as “The Cape”. The first building was the Rosens’ company headquarters, at the corner of Coronado and Cape Coral Parkway.
Through GAC, the development grew at a remarkable pace, and on June 10, 1958, the first permanent resident, Kenny Schwartz who was the Rosens’ General Manager, moved in. Property sales after the first year reached $9 Million and curious northerners soon flown down for a quick look and a heavy sale pitched, landing an out-of-the-way strip, now called 47th Terrace.
Development continued through early 1960s, mostly on Redfish Point, south of Cape Coral Parkway. By 1963, population grew to 2,850, 160 miles (260 Km) of Canals were dug; and on March 14, 1964, two-lane Cape Coral Bridge was opened to traffic which made the area more accessible to potential buyers. This bridge ought to be located on the Everest Parkway connecting through Colonial Boulevard (currently the location of the Midpoint Memorial Bridge) but due to construction costs and proximity to the area of initial development, the Cape Coral Parkway to Braden-Sutphin Rd. (now College Parkway) route was chosen.
The City was incorporated on 1970 with a population of 11,470 and area of 120 square miles (310 Km2), making it the 2nd largest city in land mass in Florida. It is the principal city in the Cape Coral – Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population estimated on the area during 2009 was up to 645,899.
In its early years, Cape Coral was also known as the community with many retired residents. This changed when the population and construction boomed in the 1990s, which brought in younger families and professionals. Though, 20% of the population are seasonal residents. Nowadays the city has a wide range of businesses, retail, and restaurants on its major arteries: Cape Coral Parkway, Del Prado Boulevard, Santa Barbara Boulevard and Pine Island Road.
The city is a large peninsula on the Gulf Coast of Florida and is bordered by the Caloosahatchee River on the east and Matlacha Pass on the west. The city is located about 90 minutes south of Sarasota.
Cape Coral has a very rich history, from the moment a person discovered the very rich in water place till the population bloomed to more than a half a million residents. From the day it was called as “The Other Side of the river”, till its grounds were officially broke into “Cape Coral”. One can see the very little steps or baby steps made just to make the very big Municipality at Lee, County, Florida, United States.
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