You've just described Cape Coral, named by Money Magazine as one of the "Best Place to Live" in the United States. Located on the beautiful Caloosahatchee River, the Cape offers more than 400 miles of fresh and saltwater canals linking backyards to lakes, the Caloosahatchee River and the Gulf of Mexico. It's known throughout Florida as a boater's paradise and a place where waterfront living is still an affordable reality for all ages, from young families to active retirees.

works connected the river to Lake Okeechobee, the Caloosahatchee became part of the Intracoastal Waterway, a link to Florida's east coast. Today, its winding waters are home to frisky river otters, basking alligators, and birds in abundance: eagles, snowy egrets, ospreys, wood storks, owls and kingfishers.

Quality in Education

The public school system in Lee County sets high standards for itself. Florida's Secretary of Education recently applauded its pace of academic success as evidenced by improved academic performance over the last three years and higher SAT scores. More than 60 percent of the district's graduates go on to college, and another 5 percent continue their education in technical schools.

This school year the Lee County school district is educating more than 63,000 students in 81 schools. It is the largest employer in the county, employing some 7,300 staff at last count. In the last five years, the district spent nearly $500 million in new construction and renovation projects, including two new high schools, a high-tech vocational campus and six more magnet schools. In addition, the school board has invested $35 million over five years into a technology program designed to bring its schools into the 21st century.

Nearly one-quarter of Lee County's student attend Cape Coral's 15 schools. Cape Coral has some impressive numbers of its own: Six of its schools have earned Blue Ribbon School of Excellence honors from the State of Florida. Four of those have taken national honors as well.

From children's playgrounds to shuffle-board courts, Cape Coral's parks offer a full roster of recreation and relaxation. Riverfront Jaycee Park is perfect for picnics as well as quietude. Take the kids to Four Freedoms Park, which has a playground and recreational center, or Veterans Memorial, which boasts basketball, bocci ball and shuffleboard courts. Amateur pilots and captains of every age take to wing and rudder at Seahawk Park, which welcomes radio-controlled scale models.

Beach-lovers flock to the gentle slopes and sugar-sand of Fort Myers Beach, known as the world's safest. A short drive takes you to Sanibel Island, "Shelling Capital of the Western World;" picnic beaches along the causeway ($3.00 toll) that leads to the island invite you to commune with the seagulls, pelicans and dolphin that frequent the waters. Cape Coral's Yacht and Racquet Club has a public access riverfront beach and fishing pier, a favorite community gathering spot.

Sports Galore!

The Cape's daily dose of sunshine and pleasant temperatures lets you enjoy golf, tennis, swimming and boating all year round. Area golf courses, many designed by nationally renowned course architects, offer challenges for every level of play. Several Cape Coral schools and parks have tennis courts, and the Cape Coral Yacht Club is a municipally facility that includes a large pool and boat slips along with tennis courts.

Boating and fishing are popular, too. Backyard canals and fully equipped marinas, such as Tarpon Point Marina at Cape Coral's southern end, provide access to deep water. Sightseeing cruises, fishing charters and wildlife adventures take to the waters as well. (Fishing usually requires a license, check with the local Bait & Tackle Shop.)

Baseball buffs cheer the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox during spring training in nearby Fort Myers. Professional hockey (the Florida Everblades), ice skating and indoor roller rinks, plus in-line skating with challenging ramps and tubes, promise thrills for spectators and participants alike.

Family values add up to plenty of creative, supervised fun for kids of all ages here on the Cape. The Cape Coral Parks & Recreation Department offers a full roster for all ages. Get soaking wet and have a blast doing it at SunSplash Family Waterpark with 15 tropical acres of pure enjoyment. More water-time fun awaits at the Yacht and Racquet Club, where kids can frolic at the riverfront beach while you drop a line from the pier.

Shop around

Downtown Cape Coral is a pedestrian paradise, with paver-brick walkways, Victorian lighting and tree-shaded benches. Lots of convenient parking, widened roads and sidewalk ramps at corner curbs create the ideal outdoor emporium. From November through April, vendors gather downtown each Saturday morning for the seasonal Farmers Market; they offer tasty treasures such as farm-fresh produce, just-picked citrus and jams and jellies.

Shopaholics and browsers love Coralwood Shopping Center (known as "the mall" to locals), whose 343,000 SF contain buyers' delights that range from clothing and cards to food and footwear. Nearby Del Prado Mall welcomes shoppers to its expanded line-up of stores, and through-out the city, spiffy new centers: Camelot Isles, Santa Barbara Center, Coral Pointe Shopping Center and Chelsea Place. On the horizon is the regional mall planned for the north Cape, where easy-access highways will lead to 1.1 million square feet of retail space on 140 acres.

Business Relocations

The Cape Coral-Fort Myers Metro Area has caught the attention of the national business community. In Forbes Magazine's ranking of Best Economic/Best Places for 2000, it placed in the top third among 200. Inc. Magazine ranked Lee County as one of its Top 50 Entrepreneurial "Hot Zones." Money Magazine rated the area the 6th Best Place to Live in America. Business Week says Southwest Florida is one of the top five "job meccas" for older adults.

Business is booming in Cape Coral, and the city's economy is healthy and diverse. Light industry, high and mid-tech, hospitality and tourism, healthcare, financial services and retail makeup the ever-growing mix. New residents arrive with seasoned skills and professional backgrounds, a ready-made employment pool.

Beautiful birds, winsome wildlife and lush vegetation are all part of the intriguing ecosystems in and around Cape Coral. As you walk, bike or drive through the Cape, you'll discover meticulous gardens, lush blooms and an amazing variety of palm trees and flowering trees and shrubs. Delightful landscaping graces homes, office buildings and street medians, making the Cape an oasis of nature's bounty.

Though a bustling community, Cape Coral is surrounded by enchanted enclaves of nature. Explore 365 acres of wetland preserve at Four Mile Eco Park, or take a nature walk through the virgin cypress woodlands at Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium in nearby Fort Myers.

Whether you're here for a day, a week, a season or forever, there's a pleasure and pastime to match your passion here in Cape Coral, where's "It's Just Paradise!"