Cape Coral, Coastal city in Lee County, Florida, United States
Cape Coral is a coastal city in Lee County, Florida, in the United States, spreading over more than 310 square kilometers along the Gulf of Mexico. The canal network threads through residential neighborhoods, small parks, and natural shorelines that shape the urban layout.
Brothers Leonard and Jack Rosen bought a large tract of land in 1957 and began building a new planned community based on artificial waterways. Over the following decades, the settlement grew into one of the largest cities in Florida, with the canals forming the backbone of the infrastructure.
The name refers to the coral shore, though no true corals grow in the region, with mangrove forests and seagrass beds shaping the landscape instead. Many residents dock small boats directly at their homes and use the waterways as daily access to the Gulf.
The waterways connect most residential areas to open water, allowing travel by boat or kayak through the town. The best time for visits near the water is early morning or late afternoon, when the sun is less intense.
The canal system exceeds the combined length of all waterways in Amsterdam and Venice and is almost entirely accessible from private properties. Numerous houses feature their own boat docks, providing direct access to the Gulf.
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