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Oh, one other little comment- for some reason the Ft Meyers/Cape forum is stock full of folks that seem to really dislike the area, and are always ready to tell others how horrible it is. After looking around here for a bit, you will see the usual suspects.
If you check out other Florida forums there isn't nearly the anger or nastiness. Ask a question in the Punta Gorda forum and you will likely get well thought out and nice responses. Maybe it's just a smaller town and less stuff going on? Maybe the people who live there are calmer? Don't know, but lots of times I will go there for answers to general questions instead of asking here.
You posted questions about your fears, about living on a canal with a 3 yr. old little girl, with a large Labrador Retriever, both who are obsessed with water. You got experienced knowledgeable opinions.
You are working with a Realtor -- why not have your Realtor provide you with honest opinions and refer you to the city/county records? I'll bet you don't believe a word your agent tells you either. You think they only want a paycheck. I get it.
Now you say that schools are your biggest concern and you don't hear much negative, however, the chool system is not well received. Hmmmmm. Crime doesn't matter to you? You got experienced knowledgeable opinions.
And you say that almost all of your entire family lives in Cape Coral, and you have visited CC for the last 30 years. What are your family's opinions? from their knowledge and experience.
You are in total denial about everything with the name Cape Coral that applies to your question. I'm having a difficult time figuring out why you bothered to ask strangers on a public forum if you are so knowledgeable about Cape Coral and the several things you fear the most.
Believe what you want; but we really cannot help you any further. You have an answer for everything.
Check with your local police authorities about crime on streets you are attracted to; check with Animal Control about the alligator and canal issue. Do some research on your own, and then make up your own mind. In other words, suit yourself.
I live on a canal with two smaller dogs. I was worried when I first moved in that they would be falling in constantly. To keep them safe, and me sane, I fenced off access to the canal for them. To be honest, both have gone overboard, mostly when they get excited when dolphins swim by. I've been there to fish them out, so it wasn't a really dangerous situation. After that we put in a ramp so if they do fall in, they can climb out. After 2 yrs, they are both much better about watching where they are and staying somewhat away from the edge. But the young silly one still gets knocked in from time to time!
If I had a small child, I would definitely put up a fence! If for nothing else, for your peace of mind.
They tell me there can be alligators in my canal, but have never seen any. Well, I do have a rubber one tied to the dock and the boaters going by always stop and take photos thinking he is real! I just giggle. I'll bet they go home and tell everyone there are gators out here!?
Now, I don't live in Cape Coral, but on Pine Island. Pretty close. Crime? Crime is everywhere in this country, there are nasty people everywhere, there are stupid people everywhere. There is crime on our island, mostly petty stuff but now and then big stuff too. When I bought here I was pretty conscience of the neighborhood, what the surrounding properties looked like, how they were taken care of. I drove the neighborhood for weeks before I made the decision. I watched the people, their animals, the cars they drove. So far, so good!
Now what I really like about my choice of where to live- from May till September no one lives here! It's quiet, no neighbors, very little traffic, tons of privacy! When that gets boring, just wait and everyone comes back down- the neighborhoods light up again, there are folks walking the street, lots of people to talk to. Some hate the snowbirds. Me, it changes things up.
Life in Florida isn't for everyone, but where is? If you are from the northeast, living is much cheaper. Taxes cheap. Weather wonderful. Works for me.
My favorite place in that area...just LOVE Matlacha
Thanks so much for the response. It's good to hear that some folks actually like living in and around Cape Coral
We also love Matlacha. When we visit Florida we go fishing all day everyday and almost always launch in Matlacha.
Our top 2 locations to buy a house would be the area around Ceitus Parkway or Tarpon Point. We see pros and cons to both. Quick open water access in both locations. We could get a much newer home in the NW compared to buying a house that's going to need some updating around Tarpon Point. Then again, at some point we are going to have to pay assessments in the NW. I find it interesting that most "locals" consider the NW very remote. Of course it's not nearly as built up as other areas, but I don't mind that at all. Plus, we really like Christa McAullife school and it would be very close so we'd have a better shot at getting our daughter in that school.
Tarpon Point would probably be a better investment and most of my family lives in that area, but it's a challenge to find all our "wants" in that area in our price range. There are just so many factors to think about it makes my head spin!
Thanks so much for the response. It's good to hear that some folks actually like living in and around Cape Coral
We also love Matlacha. When we visit Florida we go fishing all day everyday and almost always launch in Matlacha.
Our top 2 locations to buy a house would be the area around Ceitus Parkway or Tarpon Point. We see pros and cons to both. Quick open water access in both locations. We could get a much newer home in the NW compared to buying a house that's going to need some updating around Tarpon Point. Then again, at some point we are going to have to pay assessments in the NW. I find it interesting that most "locals" consider the NW very remote. Of course it's not nearly as built up as other areas, but I don't mind that at all. Plus, we really like Christa McAullife school and it would be very close so we'd have a better shot at getting our daughter in that school.
Tarpon Point would probably be a better investment and most of my family lives in that area, but it's a challenge to find all our "wants" in that area in our price range. There are just so many factors to think about it makes my head spin!
the area around ceitus is still the SW. When most people talk about the NW being remote they are more or less referring to Gulf stream and above. The area around Ceitus will not be recognizable by 2017. Utilities are expected to hit that area in 2015. burnt store rd and pine island rd are both undergoing widening. the plans are in for a super Walmart with an access road coming off El Dorado. Once Walmart goes in there will be a bunch of businesses popping up all around it. Being anchored by Walmart and where the Publix super market is on the corner of burnt store and Pine island the area should be one of the fastest growing areas of the city. the shops at surfside are just down the road on Veterans, and a quick Jaunt over to Matlacha and Pine Island. Lowest crime area of the city and some of the better schools.
Cons- farthest commuter location, farthest from airport, hospital and beach (at least by car) But I rate that area as the best bang for your buck in the area.
I'm not from FL, but in MI I spent summers at the lake, and we and other families with toddlers and doactuallgs lived along a canal. Granted, there were no gaters! But drowning was on everyone's mind.
Children were taught to float early on and were tossed into the water (with others there) and shown what to do. Many were floating and dog-paddling by age 4. Many wore life jackets or those inflatable arm floats (probably no longer available) when around the docks, even if they weren't swimming until they had been tossed in a few times and proved they could dog-paddle well enough to get to shore.
Young puppies were also introduced to the water under supervision, but most knew how to swim immediately.
No one drowned back then in my neighborhood.
Now, parents build fences around the yards and don't let their childrLakesen near the water, so if they do get out and fall in, they are goners because no one insisted that they learn to swim.
That would scare me more than the gaters.
I'm not sure what the timeframe of your "back in the day" would be, but I can assure you that indeed there were instances of children drowning back when, that I know of, in the 60's, 70's and 80's. I personally knew of three instances where children drowned in family pools- one where the parents believed the child figured out how to climb on a chair, undo what should have been an unreachable latch at the top of a sliding glass door, and went outside in the wee hours of the morning when he should have been sleeping. Other children were toddlers who wandered into pools during times when families had company, one parent thought the other was watching the toddlers, so no one actually was, and the toddler slipped unnoticed into the pool, and the distraction of a party, or many people kept him from being noticed till it was too late. One child I know of drowned when he was home with a babysitter who wasn't paying close enough attention. You mention children knowing how to swim by age 4- these drowning incidents occurred ( and still do) with children under the age of 3.
Lakes and canals present other hazards for children and pets- as others have mentioned, canals often have seawalls which are difficult for a child, or a pet to climb out of in the event they fall into those canals. There are also alligators in freshwater or brackish lakes or canals, which have known to attack swimmers under certain circumstances, and they can see a small child or a pet as a tasty morsel when they're hungry- or when they're accustomed to associating humans with food- as when people who live around those lakes or canals very foolishly feed the alligators. I've never personally seen an alligator attack ( and hope I never do) but over the years we've all heard or read accounts of alligators attacking and killing swimmers, or even small dogs or children playing along the edges of lakes. So it can happen.
Living in Florida as we do, with so many lakes, pools around, parents are encouraged to teach their children to swim at as early an age as possible- programs referred to as "waterproofing", even toddlers. It's believed that this helps a youngster know to keep himself afloat, and get to the side of a pool in the event he falls in unintentionally, but it doesn't prevent drowning in all cases. Most parents I've known have made sure their children learned to swim, and the kids became strong swimmers by the time they were 5 or 6 years old- as did my own children. But there are still those toddlers........
I'd still suggest that someone moving into a canal or lake-access home with young children or pets put up a fence to keep the children or pets from falling into, or jumping into the lake or canal. It's not even that the children can't at least keep themselves afloat or that a dog can't swim, it's more of a deterrent to an attractive nuisance, possibly to slow down the kid or dog determined to get in that water, allowing the parent/caregiver to get to them before its too late. And it provides some peace of mind. IMO, that's worth it.
No we don't already own a come on the canal but plan on buying one in the near future. Honestly, one of the primary reasons we want to move to the cape is to have a house on a canal with a boat and gulf access.
Just because we have a kid and a dog we should not even consider a canal home? That seems a little dramatic as I'm sure many many people have dogs and kids and live on a canal.
I've lived in Cape Coral for 10 years and have only seen an alligator in a canal once..I have never seen them get out of the water and climb a sea wall..they are pretty dumb lol. All you have to do is get a nice fence around the yard until you get to the sea wall (make sure it is PERMITTED this city is very strict about permits lol...but it is a good thing in some ways)...do you have a deck on the canal? If so just get a fence until the grass ends ..
Hope this helps
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