Cape Coral History

Cape Coral is a city where a vision became reality. It was in 1957 when Jack and Leonard Rosen, two entrepreneurial brothers from Baltimore, purchased the peninsula on the Caloosahatchee River across from Fort Myers and shortly thereafter turned the approximately 100 square miles of swamp land into a fast growing city. The property was divided by the newly formed Gulf American Land Corporation into thousands of buildable lots, many of them located on newly dug canals. Aggressive marketing in the entire U.S. followed. Potential buyers were brought into town by plane, with today's Del Prado Blvd. serving as a landing strip. The first single family homes were already completed in May 1958, with a prime location right on the river.

In the following years, about 400 miles of canals were created, giving Cape Coral the nicknames "Waterfront Wonderland" and "Venice of America." Not even the real Venice features this many canals. The population slowly but steadily increased. While in 1963, less than 3,000 people called Cape Coral home, the number had risen to over 10,000 in 1970 when Cape Coral officially became a city. There was no stopping the growth now: The population of around 75,000 in 1990 had doubled by 2010, and the estimate for 2015 was 180,000 inhabitants. For many years, the city has also served as a destination for thousands of winter guests ("snowbirds"), bringing the population numbers even higher from January through March.

From the beginning, the infrastructure played an important role in the city's development. As early as 1963, there was a shopping center, hospital, yacht club and a golf course. With the opening of the Cape Coral Bridge to Fort Myers a year later, access to the city became much easier. In 1997, a second, much needed bridge was built, the so-called Midpoint Bridge. Today, the city offers numerous stores, supermarkets, restaurants, schools, a water park, a hospital, several golf courses and last but not least the German American Social Club, where one of the largest Oktoberfests in the U.S. is celebrated each year.

The closest international airport is located in Fort Myers, about 15 miles from the Cape Coral Bridge. Direct flights from Europe arrive several times a week. Cape Coral is a popular vacation destination, not only because of the climate but also because of the many vacation homes that are available. Boating is a favorite pastime, as well as fishing or simply relaxing by the pool.

It is nothing short of remarkable to see what was created on a piece of swampland within just sixty years. Despite its fast growth, Cape Coral has remained an attractive place to live, where locals and vacationers feel equally at home.