Can someone tell me some differences between Coral Springs & Cape Coral Florida PLEASE! (Miami: middle-class)

[Gail Ann]

Can someone tell me some differences between coral springs & cape coral florida

I want to move to south Florida. Friends have mentioned both coral springs florida and cape coral florida as nice to live. Someone Please tell me the differences between living in Coral Springs and Cape Coral.

Thanks!

[ruski]

Coral Springs is in South Florida.

Cape Coral is not in South Florida. It is on the West coast of Florida, near Fort Myers.

[jhlcomp]

They are polar opposites.

[HK10019]

Originally Posted by Gail Ann

Can someone tell me some differences between coral springs & cape coral florida

I want to move to south Florida. Friends have mentioned both coral springs florida and cape coral florida as nice to live. Someone Please tell me the differences between living in Coral Springs and Cape Coral.

Thanks!

Very different communities. For one thing, Cape Coral isn't in metro South Florida, which hugs the southeastern coast of the state - it's in SW Florida.

Coral Springs is highly dense suburbia and part of the state's largest urban area, stretching from Miami in the south to West Palm Beach in the north. Incomes and COL are much higher than in Cape Coral. The political values are much more liberal. Cape Coral skews older and is more retiree-oriented, whereas Coral Springs tends to lean more towards upper middle-class families. The county in which Cape Coral sits, Lee, has about 620K residents; Coral Springs is in Broward, which counts 1.75 million.

When I left Florida Cape Coral - and all of SW Florida - was the epicenter of the housing and foreclosure meltdown. Much of the local economy was driven by construction which, of course, collapsed. Not pretty; I'm sure things have recovered to varying degrees since then.

If I had to choose between those two I would personally go with Coral Springs - more big city-type amenities, more diverse, less retiree-oriented, a healthier and more diverse local economy.

[Gail Ann]

How far of a drive is it from Cape Coral to Coral Springs? Is it a far drive?

[ruski]

About 2 hours. Look it up on a map.

[Tulippsy]

Does the city have to have "Coral" in its name? We have Coral Gables, too. Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

[Nolefan34]

The only thing the 2 have in common is the word "Coral" in their names, and the fact that they are suburbs.

Cape Coral- predominantly white, conservative, middle-class retirees from the Midwest who moved down to FL for cheap COL, low traffic, low crime, and warm weather. The area has very little diversity either age-wise or race-wise. Very few people there under the age of 40, and you'll be hard-pressed to find any blacks there. Most of the homes are newer, built on pre-planned cookie cutter lots with no foliage. Cape Coral has a somewhat interesting small downtown strip with some artsy-craftsy shops and restaurants. But by-in-large, is a sleepy, bedroom community. The area has plenty of big-box stores like Walmart, Sam's Club, Target, etc., but little in the way of small businesses or cultural activities. Fort Myers is located adjacent to Cape Coral and is more diverse, has more shopping, and a bit more going on, but still the same sort of general vibe. The beaches area beautiful (Sanibel and Captiva), but are very difficult to get to from Cape Coral. It takes like an hour to get there since there is no direct access and only one road from For Myers.

Coral Springs- Predominantly white, but more racially diverse, middle/upper-middle class suburb located in the South FL metro area. More of a Northeastern- NY, NJ transplant- influence mixed in with other groups. COL is much higher than Cape Coral, but so are incomes. More dense, housing choices are more diverse. Lots of gated communities with one or two story homes. Many more conveniences in or around Coral Springs. Fort Lauderdale airport is only 30 minutes away, multiple expressways to chose from to commute around the area, more shopping choices. More jobs.

If you are a retiree who wants to avoid all of the hustle-bustle and just settle down, you may like Cape Coral better. If you are someone in the hunt for jobs, who wants more "stuff to do" around where you live, and doesn't mind the higher traffic, density, and COL, then Coral Springs is far and away better.