Cape Coral: A Waterfront Wonderland
Welcome to Cape Coral! Home of the world’s largest inter-coastal canal system!
You may have already heard of Cape Coral being referenced as a Waterfront Wonderland and that’s because the Cape Coral Canals are like no other. In 1957, the Rosen brothers, purchased Red Fish Point, and envisioned the future Cape Coral as a waterfront wonderland. For more on how our city came to be, see About Cape Coral here.
History of Cape Coral Canals
In 1958, the Gulf American Company began the construction of our canals. The company invested $12 million into equipment and employed 760 men working shifts of up to 20 hours per day. As the canals were dug, the dirt was used to build up the land to the then-required elevation of 5’6” above sea level. By 1963 over 160 miles of canals were dug.
Cape Coral currently has over 400 miles of navigable canals, 15 times more than Venice Italy! Cape Coral makes it an ideal location for boating, fishing, kayaking, and waterfront views. These canals are what draw people to Cape Coral. From our year round residents, Seasonal Residents, and our tourists.
Cape Coral Canal Types
Not all waterfront properties are created equal. There is a significant difference in certain properties and their location that will determine the desirability and price of a home. As they say, its all about Location, Location, Location!
So what are those differences?
The first term you will hear is Gulf Access canal, sometimes a called salt water canal. The second is a freshwater canal.
Gulf access canals will lead out to the Gulf of Mexico via the Caloosahatchee River.
Freshwater canals will not lead out to the river, these are essentially land locked.
Cape Coral Canals: Freshwater
With roughly 300 miles of the 400 miles of canals being fresh water, this is great, lower priced option for those looking for water views who are not avid boaters.
The freshwater canals do not all connect. When looking for a home on a freshwater canal, you must first determine what you are wanting in terms of the water. Is it the view? Kayaking? Fishing? Maybe even some boating?
You can do all of these on the freshwater canals, but some canal systems will be better for certain things. For example, if you would like a small fishing boat to canal cruise and do some fishing, then a canal system that leads to one of our lakes may be the best option for you.
Click to view all Cape Coral Canal Homes For Sale on Freshwater Canals. For a more advance and specific search, Contact Me for a custom list of homes.
Cape Coral Canals: Gulf Access
Gulf access canals make up only about 100 miles of the 400 miles of canals. They are by far the most sought after.
Again, with Gulf Access homes, determining what is most important will be a huge role in price point and home type. The closer you are to the river, and the fewer bridges, will be your highest price point. Is boating a priority with limited time spent at idle speed in the canals? Or is a great view your priority?
View all Gulf Access Homes for sale in Cape Coral.
Bridge Heights
The first step is to determine what type of boat you will purchase or know the specifics of the boat you already own. You will need to determine if your boat can pass under a bridge or power lines. There are numerous bridges throughout the city with a range of clearance from 8 to 11.5 feet. If your boat cannot pass under a bridge of that height, then you will be looking for a “Direct Access” or “Sailboat Access” homes.
These terms simply mean, no bridges. With sailboats and larger boats, knowing the depth you draw will also be an important factor to know where you can and cannot go. The canals were all dug to 6 feet in the center. Some are deeper, and some overtime have become more shallow.
Cape Coral Canals: Home Pricing
Typically, we see prices act like a seesaw. The closer to the river, the higher the land value, and the further the distance the lower the value. Now once you put a home on the land, you will have that seesaw effect with your home value. The closer to the river, the higher the land value, and lower home value. The further from the river you are, the lower the land value and the higher the home value.
What this means is that if you have a 45 minute boat ride through the canals to get out to open water, you will have a home with a higher value, maybe newer, bigger and more upgrades, than a home that has a 10 minute ride to the river.
Cape Coral Canals: Home Locations
Another important factor in Gulf Access homes, is where that home is located in Cape Coral. Cape Coral is divided into 4 quadrants, Southwest (SW), Southeast (SE), Northwest (NW), Northeast (NE).
Gulf access land is only found in 3 of these quadrants. SW, SE and NW. And you can see in the map above that the Gulf access canals are located along the perimeter of the City.
Spreaders
The western side of Cape Coral Canals exit to the river through the South and North spreaders.
The Spreader canals are also man-made, like our canals, and were developed in the late 1970’s under a mandate from the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation. They were designed to serve as a retention system for intercepting and releasing fresh water from the Cape Coral system of canals and distributing it through the mangrove areas for natural filtering rather than releasing it directly into Charlotte Harbor, Pine Island Sound and the Caloosahatchee River.
North Spreader
The North Spreader Canal runs from just south of Caloosa Parkway in NW Cape Coral to Pine Island Road.
South Spreader
The South Spreader Canal runs from just south of Pine Island Road to the Caloosahatchee River in Southwest Cape Coral.
Locks
Some parts of the SW Cape, you will have to go though a lock to get out to the River. These homes are located West of Chiquita Blvd. These properties, you will pass under a minimum of 1 bridge and travel through the spreader canal, through the lock and to the River.
This may sound like a long journey, but depending on location, it can be done in under 20 minutes, and these locations are some of the most desirable in the city!
For more in depth information on waterfront loving, check out this guide put together by the City of Cape Coral.