The Good Life
It doesn’ t take long for newcomers to understand why locals simply refer to their home as“ paradise.” By Donna Germain, President / CEO
Boating, swimming, outdoor recreation and year-round sunshine beckon, so where do you begin to explore the region’ s bounty? Your first stop is the Chamber of Commerce of Cape Coral’ s Welcome Center, located at the foot of the Cape Coral Bridge next to the picturesque Caloosahatchee River.
Those of us who have staked a slice of paradise get to experience it every day, but a true joy is when we get to experience the wonderment of our visitors, and new residents and businesses, as they share their enthusiasm in relocating to our little corner of Southwest Florida.
What’ s all the excitement? There’ s lots of it, beginning with the healthful quality of life afforded by ideal weather, expanses of calm waters, coastal breezes and a clean environment, which serve as the canvas of our community.
More than that, they are excited about the endless opportunities in store in Cape Coral. Opportunities for growth abound here. Cape Coral is called home by 160,000 residents. At 120-plus square miles, Cape Coral is the thirdlargest incorporated land mass in Florida, and it boasts unique growth potential. Approximately 40 percent of the land is improved— so there is plenty of room for new families and new business enterprises. Cape Coral’ s physical size is larger than Boston, San Francisco or Washington, D. C., but it retains a small-town quaintness and accessibility like no other. Even so, large, urban areas( Miami, Tampa and Orlando) are a short drive. In fact, Forbes ranked Cape Coral in its top cities for future job growth last year.
Endless Season
We have certainly earned the moniker as a“ Waterfront Wonderland.” With almost 400 miles of salt and freshwater canals, learning to boat, fish and kayak is a great way to connect with nature and exercise in the fresh air. Within a few miles are world-famous beaches renowned for excellent shelling and sweeping sunsets. If you are a sportsman, hunting and fishing— which lured pioneering settlers and tourists— are still popular pursuits. Imagine walking out your back door and onto your boat for a day of fishing, sun bathing, shelling or exploring. It’ s a frequent ritual that plays out each day in Cape Coral, which has more navigable canal miles than Venice, Italy.( Venice has only 26 miles of canals). It’ s all within minutes of the breathtaking Gulf of Mexico, which is why Cape Coral is known as the Gateway to the Gulf.
Residents simply don’ t complain of boredom around here. Cape Coral takes great pride in providing all types of recreational programming for the young and the young at heart. Football, basketball, baseball, soccer, softball, tennis, dance, yoga, bocce, sailing and kayaking are all highly accessible. The Cape also is home to the Cape Coral BMX Park, Wagging Tails Dog Park, Eagle Skate Park, Sunsplash Family Water Park and Seahawk Air Park— one of the finest remote-control airplane facilities— which hosts a national fly-in event each year.
Cultural Park Theatre, Cape Coral Historical Museum and Cape Coral Art Studio are the nexus of a cultural hub for entertainment, history, gardening and expressive arts. Events throughout the city engage the community and draw visitors from throughout the region. The annual Cape Coral Festival of the Arts is named one of Sunshine Artist’ s“ 200 Best” and is the second-largest event in the county. A short jaunt across the river takes you to Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, Edison & Ford Winter Estates, and the Burroughs Home.
Safety Matters
Cape Coral takes its public safety seriously, evidenced by the phenomenal support of elected officials and residents. The sheriff, police and fire department staffs are some of the finest and most highly trained in the nation, and they take a proactive approach to public safety. This makes Cape Coral the second-safest city in Florida with a population over 160,000. With Neighborhood Watch, Citizens Police Academy, Community Emergency Response Team training and Weed and Seed programs, community leaders’ and residents’ commitment to public safety is superior. In addition, Cape Coral ranks as the
safest driving city in Florida.
Bull’ s-eye for Rapid Growth
While the quality of life is second to none, Cape Coral is an enviable location for business startups. The community build-out is projected to be more than 400,000 residents, and Cape Coral recorded the third-highest population growth rate in the nation during the past decade, so those projections are on track. That means that tremendous future business growth opportunities are waiting to be seized. With a skilled, motivated workforce at the ready, new
capecoralchamber. com 2 business arrivals have a talented pool to tap into. Through economic development incentives available from the City of Cape Coral and Lee County, you owe it to yourself— and to your business— to find out about the advantages of relocating corporate headquarters or launching your startup here. The community has enjoyed a commercial building boom that has created flourishing retail space, Class A office space, and manufacturing and warehouse sites to get your venture running quickly and smoothly.
Whether you’ re focusing on your own children, or those of your employees, Southwest Florida offers top-notch educational institutions. The public school system and the city’ s charter school system prepare students for the global marketplace with Accelerated Reader, International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement and career education programs. Cape Coral’ s high-ranking schools meet the community’ s diverse needs. Higher education institutions such as Florida SouthWestern State College and Florida Gulf Coast University, Ave Maria University and a handful of smaller, private colleges are close by. Vocational schools, such as the Cape Coral Technical College and Southern Technical College, offer training and certifications in computer, medical, graphic arts, criminal justice and culinary careers.
Get in Touch!
Need to know more? Explore our slice of paradise in these pages of the Chamber of Commerce of Cape Coral’ s annual magazine. Our membership is one of the largest in the area and our members are committed to the success of our community. If you want to make new business relationships, we encourage you to flip to the back of the book to get a complete list of our members and their business categories. For detailed information and mapping: CapeCoralChamber. com. And by all means, drop by to say hello.
Chamber of Commerce of Cape Coral Welcome Centers South: 2051 Cape Coral Parkway E.,( 239) 549-6900 or( 800) 226-9609, Monday – Friday, 9 a. m. – 5 p. m. North: 790 N. Del Prado Blvd.( remote, unmanned center)
We invite you to stop in at one of our Welcome Centers so that we can help you begin exploring your new stake in paradise. The good life begins today.
See you soon! Donna Schuman Germain, President / CEO