City Profile
Cape Coral is located in southwest Florida in Lee County. The history of Cape Coral began 40 years ago when the brothers Leonard & Jack Rosen concluded that the area’s location on the Gulf Coast could provide almost endless opportunities for waterfront living in the abundant sunshine.
The Rosen’s purchased property, platted the community, and created more than 400 miles of canals. The largest concentration of earth moving equipment in Florida history was used to excavate the Cape Coral canals and prepare home sites, commercial areas, and industrial districts. The brothers implemented a global marketing campaign that resulted in the sale of nearly all 350,000 residential building sites, the majority to people living in other states and nations.
In the ceaseless promotion of the City of Cape Coral, the Rosen brothers, along with other land developers, helped to introduce millions of people to the benefits of living in Florida. By selling home sites on installment, the price of waterfront real estate became affordable for even blue-collar Americans and helped Cape Coral become one of Florida's fastest growing cities. At one point in the 1960’s the Rosen’s were spending more money than the state government on promoting Florida and the City of Cape Coral.
Cape Coral now occupies a large peninsula bordered by the Caloosahatchee River on the east and Matlacha Pass on the west. It is located about 120 miles south of Tampa and 40 miles north of Naples. Since incorporating in August, 1970 Cape Coral' population has experienced rapid growth. With more than 164,000 residents, Cape Coral’s population is growing at about 5% per year. Cape Coral is among the fastest growing cities in the United States. The City of Cape Coral is approximately 45% developed.
Cape Coral is also the state’s second largest city by land mass – 122 square miles. The city features thousands of waterfront residential properties on canals including many with direct saltwater access to the Gulf of Mexico.
Learn more about Cape Coral's history, growth, and our city's unparalleled quality of life>>