{"id":258268,"date":"2026-05-04T21:06:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T21:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/258268\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T21:06:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T21:06:20","slug":"downtown-cape-coral-or-south-cape-depends-on-who-you-ask-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/258268\/","title":{"rendered":"Downtown Cape Coral or South Cape? Depends on who you ask"},"content":{"rendered":"

New restaurants and bars seem to open there every week. Thousands of people pack the streets for sprawling events like Cape Coral Bike Night<\/a>. And what was once a sleepy business district has transformed into one of the hippest, busiest destinations in Southwest Florida.<\/p>\n

But what, exactly, do you call this growing hot spot in Southeast Cape Coral?<\/p>\n

Well, that depends on who you ask.<\/p>\n

For longtime resident Bella Martinez, the answer is simple: It\u2019s downtown Cape Coral. It\u2019s always been downtown Cape Coral.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis area used to be a couple hole-in-the-wall bars, old Florida homes, a laundromat on the corner, and your usual banks and fast-food spots,\u201d Martinez says. \u201cIt had its charm, but let\u2019s be honest: It wasn\u2019t a \u2018destination.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201c(Now) we\u2019ve got trendy restaurants, rooftop spots, luxury apartments, walkable streets, food trucks, art festivals and the Saturday farmer\u2019s market. It\u2019s where the city shows up for holidays, events, celebrations \u2014 everything happens here. That\u2019s what a downtown is.\u201d<\/p>\n

But technically, downtown Cape Coral hasn\u2019t been the area\u2019s name for more than 15 years. Look around, and you\u2019ll see various signs proclaiming the official name: South Cape.<\/a><\/p>\n

There\u2019s the South Cape Towne Center (better known as Big John\u2019s Plaza), South Cape Diner, South Cape Scooter Rentals, South Cape Community Center and more.<\/p>\n

The word \u201cdowntown\u201d never quite fit, says Helen Ramey, former economic development manager and CRA specialist for the city\u2019s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)<\/a>, which rebranded the area from downtown to South Cape around 2010.<\/p>\n

For example, there are no government buildings or city hall (although the city’s first council meetings happened at the fire station on Chester Street, says Janel Trull, executive director of the Cape Coral Museum of History<\/a>). And “downtown” usually refers to a place with a much longer history, like downtown Fort Myers. Cape Coral didn\u2019t come into existence until the early 1960s.<\/p>\n

Sure, older residents still think of the area as downtown Cape Coral, Ramey says, but newer residents seem to be adopting the new name.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new people are grasping it\u2026\u201d Ramey says. \u201cSometimes it takes a while for name changes.”<\/p>\n

Facebook poll: Most people call it downtown Cape Coral\"The<\/p>\n

The City of Cape Coral hosted its Bike Night event Saturday, April 11, 2026. Attendees could walk along a section of SE 47th Terrace and experience live performances, a variety of vendors, food trucks and more.<\/p>\n

Still, most people seem to call it by its old name: Downtown Cape Coral. That\u2019s despite years of promotion and branding.<\/p>\n

And neither Apple Maps nor Google Maps show the name \u201cSouth Cape\u201d when you search the apps: Only the names of businesses with “South Cape” in their name. But the apps do show downtown Cape Coral.<\/p>\n

The News-Press\/Naples Daily News conducted an informal poll of Cape Coral residents on the popular Facebook group Cape Coral Community Information<\/a>. And an overwhelming majority of the more than 300 responses all said the same thing: It’s downtown Cape Coral.<\/p>\n

For Bill Schmidt, “South Cape” makes him think of the entire southern half of Cape Coral south of Pine Island Road. But the branded South Cape area is actually found in the southeastern part of the city \u2014 and it\u2019s only about a one-mile stretch of that much bigger Southeastern Cape Coral area.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always called it downtown\u2026\u201d Schmidt says. \u201cThe 17 years we’ve been living here, that’s how we have described it. Whether that’s right or wrong I don’t know. That’s just what we call it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sherri Watson Warenik feels the same way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI call it downtown,\u201d Watson Warenik says. \u201cI moved here in 2003. I\u2019ve only ever heard it being called \u2018South Cape\u2019 very recently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Downtown fits better, she says, because that and the surrounding Southeastern Cape were settled and developed first in the city. \u201cThis was the original town of Cape Coral, where all the businesses were located.\u201d<\/p>\n

But not everyone calls it downtown. A minority of responders to The News-Press\/Naples Daily News poll say they call it by its official name.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I hear \u2018downtown,\u2019 I think downtown Fort Myers,\u201d says Miranda Gabrielle.<\/p>\n

Jennifer O’Connell also calls it South Cape.<\/p>\n

\u201cUp until recently, it didn\u2019t feel like a \u2018downtown,\u2019\u2019 O\u2019Connell says. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t much to do there, and it was kind of dumpy. (I\u2019m) happy to see more walkability, newer businesses, restaurants and people enjoying the area a bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n

The heart of Cape Coral: South Cape growing with bars, restaurants, new developments like The Cove at 47th\"The<\/p>\n

The Cove at 47th in downtown Cape Coral\/South Cape<\/p>\n

Officials from the city government or the CRA weren\u2019t available to answer questions about downtown Cape\u2019s growth and the area\u2019s rebranding as South Cape, said city spokesperson Kaitlyn Mullen.<\/p>\n

But according to the CRA\u2019s web page, the South Cape is home to \u201cmore than 60 restaurants, all-star chefs and cuisine, and more than 250,000-plus annual visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery great community has a heart that makes a place genuine and defines the character of the community,\u201d the web page says. \u201cFor Cape Coral, that place is the South Cape. It is the historical beginning of Cape Coral.”<\/p>\n

The CRA describes the area as \u201cthe heart of Cape Coral.\u201d South Cape encompasses roughly the same area as the CRA\u2019s special district, according to the city\u2019s Office of Economic & Business Development: A one-mile stretch from Del Prado Boulevard to Palm Tree Boulevard, bordered on the north and south by Southeast 46th Street and Miramar Boulevard.<\/p>\n

The city established the CRA in 1989 to help jumpstart the revitalization of the South Cape (then called downtown Cape Coral). The South Cape designation came about two decades later when the CRA rebranded the area.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A map of South Cape, also known as downtown Cape Coral and the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency’s special district.<\/p>\n

Why it’s called South Cape: Blame the Great Recession and South Beach<\/p>\n

The change came in response to the Great Recession from late 2007 to 2009, says former CRA employee Ramey. She worked as the CRA’s marketing manager and later economic development manager from 2006 until the city took over running the agency in 2012. Then she worked there for another decade as a CRA specialist.<\/p>\n

Back in the early 2000\u2019s, the city and the CRA called the area \u201cdowntown Cape Coral,\u201d Ramey says. And many construction projects were being developed under that name during the nationwide real estate boom.<\/p>\n

Then the Great Recession happened, she says, and most of those projects ended.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat came to a screeching halt,\u201d Ramey says. \u201cRemember at that time, Cape Coral was No. 2 in the greatest (real estate) sales. And then with the downturn, we were No. 2 two in the most foreclosures.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rebranding came after that, she says, to rekindle interest in the area. The name was inspired by famous neighborhoods such as South Beach or New York City’s SoHo.<\/p>\n

Now, almost two decades after the Great Recession, South Cape is booming again. A whatever you call the area, there\u2019s no denying that growth.<\/p>\n

Downtown Cape Coral\/South Cape is home to huge events such as Cape Coral Bike Night and the Cape Coral Art Festival<\/a>. New mixed-use developments with shops and residential space are rising into the sky, such as Bimini Square<\/a> and The Cove at 47th<\/a>. And cool bars and restaurants like Aqua<\/a> and Nice Guys Pizza<\/a> are drawing in younger, hipper crowds.<\/p>\n

South Cape also benefits from the city\u2019s $15 million streetscape project, completed in 2019<\/a>. The project added landscaping, wider sidewalks, lighting upgrades and more\u00a0to Southeast 47th Terrace, the heart of South Cape where many of the city’s biggest events happen.<\/p>\n

Cape Coral’s place to be for dining and entertainment\"The<\/p>\n

The City of Cape Coral hosted its Bike Night event Saturday, April 11, 2026. Attendees could walk along a section of SE 47th Terrace and experience live performances, a variety of vendors, food trucks and more.<\/p>\n

Years later, though, people still tend to call the place \u201cdowntown Cape Coral.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nonprofit South Cape Hospitality and Entertainment Association (SCHEA)<\/a> hosts monthly bar crawls with limo buses, blood drives and other events to attract people to the area, says new director David Delli Paoli, who\u2019s been a SCHEA employee since it started in 2013.<\/p>\n

But just about everyone Delli Paoli meets calls the place \u201cdowntown Cape Coral.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDepending on who I’m talking to, they have no idea (about South Cape),\u201d says Delli Paoli, who recently acquired SCHEA through his nonprofit Santa Life Foundation<\/a> and plans to use SCHEA proceeds to help area residents who need mental-health services. \u201cThey don’t know the rebranding. So if I’m talking about, \u2018Oh, I have this thing going on in South Cape,\u2019 they’re like, \u2018Well, where’s that?\u2019 As soon as you say \u2018downtown Cape,\u2019 they know what you’re talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why Delli Paoli prefers the term \u201centertainment district.\u201d Especially for the core of South Cape surrounding Southeast 47th Terrace and Cape Coral Parkway.<\/p>\n

\u201cSouth Cape\u201d is a too-broad term that could cover the entire southern half of Cape Coral, Delli Paoli says. You tell people \u201cSouth Cape,\u201d he says, and \u201cthey’re going to be like, \u2018Oh, I’m going to go over to Lobster Lady\u2019 (restaurant in southwestern Cape Coral).\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A private table is available inside the wine room at Aqua in Cape Coral.<\/p>\n

Complicating matters: The Cape Coral Police Department actually has a THIRD name for the area \u2014 one that latches onto that entertainment district idea. They call it The SEED (an abbreviation for the South East Entertainment District), says Cape Police Chief Tony Sizemore.<\/p>\n

That name \u2014 only used internally by the police department \u2014 helps police better pinpoint that smaller, core of shops, restaurants and bars within the CRA\/South Cape district. The name further differentiates the area from the police department\u2019s Southeast Precinct \u2014 the entire southeastern quarter of Cape Coral. So police know exactly where they\u2019re going when there\u2019s a call for service there.<\/p>\n

The SEED has its own specific challenges for police, Sizemore says. That\u2019s why it gets its own designation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s hundreds of apartment units and parking garages, and it goes up, right?\u201d Sizemore says. \u201cSo it’s a vertical, a lot more people in a square foot area. Then you have retail, commercial, businesses, restaurants. \u2026 And then at night it becomes bars, restaurants. And pedestrian friendly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, there’s just a lot going on. It’s a unique little footprint, and that’s why it’s got a unique name.\u201d<\/p>\n

Name aside, downtown Cape Coral has changed a lot\"Members<\/p>\n

Members of the band Red Hannah perform on stage. The City of Cape Coral hosted its Bike Night event Saturday, April 11, 2026. Attendees could walk along a section of SE 47th Terrace and experience live performances, a variety of vendors, food trucks and more.<\/p>\n

Whichever name they choose, some Cape Coral residents are just happy to the area growing and thriving.<\/p>\n

\u201cUp until recently, it didn\u2019t feel like a \u2018downtown,\u2019\u201d says Nicole Dahlberg, who calls the area South Cape. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t much to do there, and it was kind of dumpy. (I\u2019m) happy to see more walkability, newer businesses (and) restaurants, and people enjoying the area a bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Bella Martinez, who calls the place downtown Cape Coral, the name helps show the blending of past and future happening in the area: Old and new businesses, co-existing together in one place.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt shows growth,\u201d Martinez says. \u201cIt shows identity. It shows that Cape Coral is becoming something bigger, while still holding onto what makes it special \u2014 our waterfront lifestyle, our community and that laid-back Florida feel.”<\/p>\n

\"Seed<\/p>\n

Seed & Bean Market is located between Oak & Stone and Big Nick\u2019s Barbecue at The Cove at 47th in Cape Coral.<\/p>\n

The CRA\u2019s former economic development director, for one, thinks the South Cape name will eventually stick.<\/p>\n

It\u2019ll just take time.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s especially true as more people move to Cape Coral every year, see all those South Cape signs and just go with it. The city is quickly approaching 240,000 residents.<\/p>\n

South Cape is bigger than just \u201cdowntown,\u201d Ramey says. It\u2019s a fast-growing place with its eye on the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can’t think of just today,\u201d Ramey says. \u201cWe’ve got to think 50 years from now. We’ve got to think 100 years from now. … If you think long-term, though, the name will catch on eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The City of Cape Coral hosted its Bike Night event Saturday, April 11, 2026. Attendees could walk along a section of SE 47th Terrace and experience live performances, a variety of vendors, food trucks and more.<\/p>\n

Do you have an opinion about this topic? Send us a letter to the editor or guest column at mailbag@news-press.com<\/a> or letters@naplesnews.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Charles Runnells covers arts and entertainment for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To reach him, call 239-335-0368 or email crunnells@usatodayco.com. Follow or message him on Facebook(@charles.runnells.7), Instagram (@crunnells1) and X (@CharlesRunnells).<\/p>\n

Please support local community journalism and stay informed about Southwest Florida news by subscribing to The News-Press<\/a> and Naples Daily News<\/a>. Download the free News-Press<\/a> or Naples Daily News app, and sign up for daily briefing email newsletter, food & dining and growth & development newsletters here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Cape Coral’s downtown, South Cape packed with bars, restaurants<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New restaurants and bars seem to open there every week. Thousands of people pack the streets for sprawling…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":258269,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[33752,209,211,210,87910],"class_list":["post-258268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news","tag-south-cape"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258268\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}