Cape Coral? Bonita Springs? or Lehigh?

[SunnyFLErin]

I have lived in Cape Coral for a year. My biggest complaint is the lack of jobs. Other than that, I find it to be a family-oriented town with a lot of quaint-ness to it. Its is very pretty, and the people are very nice. I have noticed that a lot of people that have lived here for a long time think it's going down the toilet, but that's just because they dont want the town to grow. I moved here from Fort Lauderdale, and I think the Cape is probably the safest place I have lived. The schools are good, and the area is not over-run with bad people. Most people here are middle to upper-middle class, the homes are affordable, and the city is strict in enforcing their rules. Thats good because people are not allowed to have their homes looking like crap and leaving trash everywhere. All the neighborhoods I have been to in the Cape are well-maintained and beautiful. The schools are all rated as A schools. I know all of my neighbors and I like all of them. To me the Cape has a small-town feel in a big area. The town is on the water, which is great, and close enough to Fort Myers to work there.

As for Bonita, it is full of retirees, very expensive, and an awful commute to Fort Myers every day. Expect to spend at least an hour in the car each way. It's a very seasonal town, too, so in the winter traffic gets much worse.

Lehigh is a dump, very desolate and ugly and full of crime. Don't go there.

Punta Gorda is cute and little and historic, also very seasonal, but not good for families as there is not much to do there.

Port Charlotte is just like Fort Myers, not good.

Fort Myers High School is terrible, don't even consider that! It's in a bad neighborhood. North Fort Myers in general is a bad area, full of crime and illegal immigrants. To me, it looks like an inner city ghetto, and I will not ever go there without my husband. When I watch the news at night, all the crime comes from Fort Myers. All the shootings, rapes, child abductions, etc. But compared to the national average, Fort Myers is not one of the worst crime areas in the country like people are leading you to believe. Many people who live around here have a small-town mentality, because a few years ago this was a small town, so they think that an occassional crime is awful. And it is, but not compared with the rest of the country. In Baltimore city, 10 people are shot and killed every day. In Fort Myers, it's one.

If you want real statistics, go to Moderator cut: link removed. They have good info. Some of it may be a little dated, but it gives you an idea.

[paradiddle]

The News-Press, news-press.com, Lehigh Acres, Triple slaying shocks Lehigh Acres

Nice crime story.......

[firemed]

Originally Posted by SunnyFLErin

I have lived in Cape Coral for a year. My biggest complaint is the lack of jobs. Other than that, I find it to be a family-oriented town with a lot of quaint-ness to it. Its is very pretty, and the people are very nice. I have noticed that a lot of people that have lived here for a long time think it's going down the toilet, but that's just because they dont want the town to grow. I moved here from Fort Lauderdale, and I think the Cape is probably the safest place I have lived. The schools are good, and the area is not over-run with bad people. Most people here are middle to upper-middle class, the homes are affordable, and the city is strict in enforcing their rules. Thats good because people are not allowed to have their homes looking like crap and leaving trash everywhere. All the neighborhoods I have been to in the Cape are well-maintained and beautiful. The schools are all rated as A schools. I know all of my neighbors and I like all of them. To me the Cape has a small-town feel in a big area. The town is on the water, which is great, and close enough to Fort Myers to work there.

As for Bonita, it is full of retirees, very expensive, and an awful commute to Fort Myers every day. Expect to spend at least an hour in the car each way. It's a very seasonal town, too, so in the winter traffic gets much worse.

Lehigh is a dump, very desolate and ugly and full of crime. Don't go there.

Punta Gorda is cute and little and historic, also very seasonal, but not good for families as there is not much to do there.

Port Charlotte is just like Fort Myers, not good.

Fort Myers High School is terrible, don't even consider that! It's in a bad neighborhood. North Fort Myers in general is a bad area, full of crime and illegal immigrants. To me, it looks like an inner city ghetto, and I will not ever go there without my husband. When I watch the news at night, all the crime comes from Fort Myers. All the shootings, rapes, child abductions, etc. But compared to the national average, Fort Myers is not one of the worst crime areas in the country like people are leading you to believe. Many people who live around here have a small-town mentality, because a few years ago this was a small town, so they think that an occassional crime is awful. And it is, but not compared with the rest of the country. In Baltimore city, 10 people are shot and killed every day. In Fort Myers, it's one.

If you want real statistics, go to Moderator cut: link removed. They have good info. Some of it may be a little dated, but it gives you an idea.

Most of the Data is very old. 2000 data is a far cry from today. Cape Coral was a nice place but it has changed in the last few years. Fort Myers, North Fort Myers and Cape Coral are high crime areas. Drugs in Cape Coral beat most other areas.
The News-Press, news-press.com, Cape Coral, Cape DUI checkpoint nets 24 arrests

[FSU_Alum]

I would rent first--house prices here are dropping exponentially.

If you have a daughter going into the 11th grade, then living in an area with a decent high school should be your top priority. We have School Choice and "Zones" here, so you don't automatically get to send your kids to the school closest to you. Check out Welcome to The School District of Lee County for more information on School Choice and zones.

The best high schools in Lee County are Fort Myers High (it is consistently in the Top 100 for the U.S. list; it has a very strong IB and AP program) and Cypress Lake High.

In Cape Coral, it really is a crapshoot with high schools. One year, they'll do well, the next they won't. Cape High has had problems with violence the last few years. Also, be aware that you will have to "pay to go to work" if you live in Cape Coral...and there is this whole city water issue going on (people are having to pay like 20k to have their houses hooked up to city water).

Gateway is a nice area, but check to see which school zone it is in. If it is East Zone, your high school choices are Riverdale, Lehigh and East Lee County. If that is the case, Gateway Charter High might be a good bet (though, Riverdale is improving, due to its IB program).

Personally, I would prefer Gateway or South Fort Myers. (If I had to choose, I'd pick South Fort Myers--good schools and close to everything; feel very safe there, as well.)