are you happy in the cape, or would.... (Cape Coral, Sarasota: neighborhood, gated)

[mnpedwards]

Originally Posted by stahltkd

Give it some time. Things go slow around here (except the drivers who will want to cut you in line, weave in and out) and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Take time to enjoy life, friends, and good times. Does Cape Coral have its downsides - sure, but so does every city in the world does as well

Agree completely!

[rikoshaprl]

When I was looking for a retirement home I wanted one with gulf access and a wide water view. The view was important to me because I knew I wouldn't use my boat more than once a week but I would be enjoying my water view every day. Cape Coral is the best place to find affordable waterfront homes. If I had more money to spend I would have bought closer to the river (I am one mile away) or riverfront but still in Cape Coral. I like being within 30 minutes to the beaches and airport, and having plenty of shopping and restaurants nearby. I like being ten minutes from Fort Myers and a couple hours from major cities.

[Billythepokerkid]

@IAMRITA
I lived in Bradenton, then moved to Cape Coral, then onto Bonita. First, whoever said the beaches near Bradenton are superior to the ones in the Ft. Myers area is crazy. Sanibel and Captiva are rated as some of the best beaches in the entire world. Lovers Key and Barefoot are also some of the best in the country, all of which are within the same drive you have in Bradenton to get to the beach. Second, I know the OP was originally about CC in general, which isn't rich in the way of gated communites, but if that is your thing I can assure you there are probably 100 gated communites from Naples up through Ft. Myers that would make living in Bradenton seem like a trailer park. Finally, I liked Cape Coral. I moved because I got an awesome real estate deal. There are many great neighborhoods in SE, SW. Not sure whos parking cars in vacant lots and using "Creative Fencing", because the restrictions in the Cape barely allow you to park your own car in your driveway and you can't just go put up a fence without code enforcement being in your driveway before you even unload the truck. (the latter I know from experience.) There are tons and tons and tons of trees, so I really have no idea where this is coming from. The city across the bridge is called The City of Palms. The sidewalk thing. There are plenty of sidewalks where they need to be. I see no sense in ruining someones front yard, when probably half of all streets in the SE, SW Cape are deadends or not thru streets. Most of the neighborhoods are safe and quiet. You know your neighbors and with the obvious few exceptions, people are pretty courteous down here. I never felt unsafe walking on the street at night or worried about the kids in the neighborhood riding their bikes up and down the road. On CC Parkway or Del Prado that would be a different story, But A. I would never live on either one of those streets and B. if for some reason I did, they have sidewalks.

[SICOFFLORIDA]

Some say the cape is a bedroom community? I say its a bathroom community full of crap. Sold all my homes in the cape 5 years ago. What a dive a depressed area. I would not recommend the cape to anyone unless your a crack head!

[cviz]

We bought a home last year and we absolutely love the Cape. Anyone who has visited us has fallen in love with the place. It's obvious there are some individual who our sour on the Cape, since they saw they propery values drop significantly. But as the saying goes "One man's loss, is anothers gain".

Why I don't wish ill will on anyone, there are certain risks in any type of investment; including Real Estate.

[Iamrita]

Originally Posted by Billythepokerkid

@IAMRITA
I lived in Bradenton, then moved to Cape Coral, then onto Bonita. First, whoever said the beaches near Bradenton are superior to the ones in the Ft. Myers area is crazy. Sanibel and Captiva are rated as some of the best beaches in the entire world. Lovers Key and Barefoot are also some of the best in the country, all of which are within the same drive you have in Bradenton to get to the beach. Second, I know the OP was originally about CC in general, which isn't rich in the way of gated communites, but if that is your thing I can assure you there are probably 100 gated communites from Naples up through Ft. Myers that would make living in Bradenton seem like a trailer park. Finally, I liked Cape Coral. I moved because I got an awesome real estate deal. There are many great neighborhoods in SE, SW. Not sure whos parking cars in vacant lots and using "Creative Fencing", because the restrictions in the Cape barely allow you to park your own car in your driveway and you can't just go put up a fence without code enforcement being in your driveway before you even unload the truck. (the latter I know from experience.) There are tons and tons and tons of trees, so I really have no idea where this is coming from. The city across the bridge is called The City of Palms. The sidewalk thing. There are plenty of sidewalks where they need to be. I see no sense in ruining someones front yard, when probably half of all streets in the SE, SW Cape are deadends or not thru streets. Most of the neighborhoods are safe and quiet. You know your neighbors and with the obvious few exceptions, people are pretty courteous down here. I never felt unsafe walking on the street at night or worried about the kids in the neighborhood riding their bikes up and down the road. On CC Parkway or Del Prado that would be a different story, But A. I would never live on either one of those streets and B. if for some reason I did, they have sidewalks.

Poster made a statement regarding distance from Heritage Harbour in Bradenton to the beach vs. Cape Coral. My response was that Cape Coral doesn't have a beach. If you live in Cape Coral you have to travel to Ft. Myers beach, a $ 2.00 toll (unless you waste gas to navigate around that, then there is the parking issue once you arrive...) and IMO Ft. Myers beach is not a nice as Holmes Beach or for that matter any AMI beach. Of course, you can pay a $6.00 toll and haul out to Sanibel, which is very nice, but really not economically condusive to a daily visit. As to the gated communites, it's true that CC isn't rich in them. As to the plethora of gated communities from Naples to Ft. Myers you are correct. As to whether they would make living in a gated community with a Bradenton zipcode seem like living in a trailer park, I doubt it. You're correct about my preference for a gated community. From what I observed and experienced in home shopping in SWFL, planned gated communites with HOA's were one way to assure against what I perceived to be haphazard development. The fences...One neighbor had a (deteriorating) red painted woven wooden fence which abutted another neighbor's (rusted) chain link fence which abutted another neighbor's white PVC-type fence. I guess they had fences because between them there were 8 barking dogs. And the undisposed dog poop smell wafting across their yards was really pleasant too in the 90 degree plus heat...It perfumed the underwear on the clotheslines. Code enforcement of fencing is a good idea but I don't know how that applies to fences that already exist. Insofar as what I noted about parking, it was based on personal observation for the months I lived in that neighborhood in CC.. Since I knew I was only living there on a temporary basis I didn't call or complain. I figured if that's the way the folks there do it, who am I to disagree? And there is a paucity of trees. I believe they were mowed down by the developers.

[rikoshaprl]

I was wondering where in CC you lived. Going back I see you talked about long drives on Burnt Store Rd. You must have been out in the boonies in far NW CC. From that area you are very far from the beaches. I don't see any reason to pay tolls into Fort Myers from there though. And you are right about a shortage of trees in that area. Other folks with the same concerns should consider the SE or SW areas of CC. I'm glad you found a nice place in Bradenton.

[Iamrita]

Originally Posted by rikoshaprl

I was wondering where in CC you lived. Going back I see you talked about long drives on Burnt Store Rd. You must have been out in the boonies in far NW CC. From that area you are very far from the beaches. I don't see any reason to pay tolls into Fort Myers from there though. And you are right about a shortage of trees in that area. Other folks with the same concerns should consider the SE or SW areas of CC. I'm glad you found a nice place in Bradenton.

The location was SW 20th Place. I don't believe it's considered to be in the boonies though I felt like I was!

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Iamrita

Poster made a statement regarding distance from Heritage Harbour in Bradenton to the beach vs. Cape Coral. My response was that Cape Coral doesn't have a beach.

Heritage Harbour doesn't have a beach, either. It's 35 minutes to get to the closest beach. It's also 35 minutes to Siesta Key and 40 minutes to AMI, two beaches you also bring up. In fact, Heritage Harbour is on the east side of I-75.

SW 20th PL to Fort Myers Beach is about 35 minutes, too.

[Iamrita]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Heritage Harbour doesn't have a beach, either. It's 35 minutes to get to the closest beach. It's also 35 minutes to Siesta Key and 40 minutes to AMI, two beaches you also bring up. In fact, Heritage Harbour is on the east side of I-75.

SW 20th PL to Fort Myers Beach is about 35 minutes, too.

You skipped a step in your "logic". Cape Coral is a city. Bradenton is a city. Cape Coral doesn't have a beach. Bradenton has AMI beaches. Heritage Harbour is a community with a Bradenton zipcode. I never claimed that Heritage Harbour had a beach. Nor did I indicate that the beach was at my backdoor. I don't have to pay a toll to get to the beach, or pay for parking once I arrive. And while your estimate of time may be accurate in season, it took me 30 minutes door-to-Holmes Beach west on SR 64 on Sunday.

Anyway, at this time I'm going to bring our discourse to a civil conclusion. OP asked about living in the Cape and I gave my honest opinions and observations based on my 5 months of living in Cape Coral. I've got no agenda or axe to grind, no real estate to sell either...

I'm happy. Hope you're happy too. Have a nice life.