{"id":280677,"date":"2026-05-22T10:57:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T10:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/280677\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T10:57:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T10:57:11","slug":"cape-coral-residents-weigh-in-is-it-downtown-or-south-cape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/280677\/","title":{"rendered":"Cape Coral residents weigh in: Is it downtown or South Cape?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Fort<\/a><\/p>\n

Charles Runnells, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News<\/p>\n

Fri, May 22, 2026 at 9:02 AM UTC<\/p>\n

Is it downtown Cape Coral or South Cape?<\/a><\/p>\n

We asked Cape residents what they call that area packed with bars and restaurants just west of Cape Coral Parkway and Del Prado Boulevard. And despite years of it being branded as South Cape, most people seem to prefer the old name: Downtown Cape Coral.<\/p>\n

South Cape is, indeed, the official name. The City of Cape Coral calls it that, and so does the city\u2019s South Cape-focused Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).<\/a> But that doesn\u2019t seem to matter to many people.<\/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 305 responses all said the same thing: It\u2019s downtown Cape Coral. Although some people have adopted the new name \u2014 or even use both.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what people had to say (answers have been edited for length and clarity):<\/p>\n

It’s always been downtown Cape Coral<\/p>\n

Born and raised here. Always been and always will be downtown Cape. \u2014 Mackenzie A. Robilotta<\/p>\n

I call it downtown. I moved here in 2003. I\u2019ve only ever heard it being called \u2018South Cape\u2019 very recently. \u2014 Sherri Watson Warenik<\/p>\n

I own John Michael’s Diamond and Jewelry Studio, and we call it downtown Cape! Great place to be in business. \u2014 Bob Lanzieri<\/p>\n

Been here since ’77. It\u2019s Downtown. \u2014 Lisa Bryant<\/p>\n

We refer to it as Downtown Cape. And we always say our store is in Big John’s Plaza, even while we wait for his return. \u2014 Tropical Furniture Gallery Cape Coral, referring to the popular statue being repaired after damage from Hurricane Ian<\/p>\n

Downtown Cape. That\u2019s what our Realtor called the area when we moved here, and that\u2019s what we continue to call it today. \u2014 Karen Locke<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a waste of money rebranding that area as South Cape. Only the newbies call it that. \u2014 Kelly Peters LaMagna<\/p>\n

‘South Cape’ just fits better then ‘downtown Cape Coral’\"Cape<\/p>\n

Cape Coral’s Big John stands guard over South Cape Towne Center, otherwise known as Big John’s Plaza, in October 2024. The statue, currently gone for repairs, is a popular landmark in downtown Cape Coral\/South Cape.<\/p>\n

I say both. But I live in South Cape. \u2018Downtown\u2019 feels off to me. (It) doesn’t have a downtown feel. \u2026 Could just be me, but I just say \u201847th Terrace\u2019 if out-of-towners want to bar hop. \u2014 Jennifer O’Connell<\/p>\n

Drive the area, and you\u2019ll see it\u2019s definitely South Cape. \u2014 Facebook page It’s South Cape, posting photos showing signs for South Cape Diner and South Cape Community Redevelopment<\/p>\n

The area that was the original business hub of Cape Coral became known as South Cape. Because it lacked the traditional city hall, library, police station, etc., it was branded as the South Cape dining and entertainment district. Many of the new businesses formed after 2000 embraced the new name South Cape. \u2014 Helen Ramey, former economic development manager and CRA specialist for\u00a0the city\u2019s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), which rebranded the area from downtown to South Cape around 2010.<\/p>\n

Either is acceptable. But usually, downtown is more of an urban area with actual culture. The only thing to do around there is eating food and getting drunk. \u2014 Mason Corbin<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A neon-filled hallway welcomes customers to Nice Guys Pizza, one of the most popular restaurants in downtown Cape Coral\/South Cape.<\/p>\n

South Cape, because up until recently, it didn\u2019t feel like a \u201cdowntown.\u201d There wasn\u2019t much to do there, and it was kind of dumpy. Happy to see more walkability, newer businesses, restaurants and people enjoying the area a bit more. \u2014 Nicole Dahlberg<\/p>\n

Just South Cape, like “South Beach.” No one calls South Beach “Miami Beach downtown.” \u2014 Yaro Manzano<\/p>\n

South Cape. Downtowns are walkable. \u2026 A walkable downtown, to me, would include centralized parking, whether in garages or lots, with additional parking available parallel to the roadways. In South Cape, nearly every business has its own devoted parking lot. This has the effect of encouraging people to drive from one destination to another. \u2014 John Schiller<\/p>\n

‘South Cape’ means everything south of Pine Island Road or Veterans Parkway<\/p>\n

Downtown. To me, South Cape is the entire city south of Veterans (Parkway). \u2014 Carissa Domrase<\/p>\n

It is and has always been downtown. Downtown is a part of South Cape. South Cape is much bigger than the downtown area. \u2014 Bill Wend<\/p>\n

Downtown. South Cape would be a much larger area. \u2014 Joseph Sears<\/p>\n

To me, anything on Cape Parkway is downtown Cape, and everywhere else is South Cape. \u2014Stephanie Snyder<\/p>\n

Confusion with downtown Fort Myers\"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

South Cape. When I hear \u201cdowntown,\u201d I think downtown Fort Myers. \u2014 Miranda Gabrielle<\/p>\n

I call it South Cape. I live just this side of the Cleveland bridge (in North Fort Myers). So when someone says “downtown,” it could be either downtown Fort Myers or Cape. \u2014 Stephanie Christine Denton<\/p>\n

I lived in Cape Coral for 25 years. And my entire childhood, it was always referred to as downtown. However, when we think downtown, we think of a big downtown city like Fort Myers. And this is more like a strip, so I think that\u2019s why people started referring to it more as South Cape. \u2014 Angela Fisher<\/p>\n

Downtown Cape Coral, home to many shops, bars and restaurants\"Clint<\/p>\n

Clint Strand (right) and Stephen James have been repairing Cape Coral’s hurricane-damaged Big John since removing the statue from its South Cape pedestal in November 2024. They’re doing the work at Cape business Brand 1 Ink and hope the statue can return later in 2026.<\/p>\n

I call it “downtown.\u201d To me, that\u2019s exactly what it is, since it\u2019s the spot where most people gather and where you find the highest concentration of bars and restaurants. \u2014 Robin Olivarez<\/p>\n

Downtown Cape, because it really is the hub of Cape Coral, much like any other downtown area. It\u2019s not a traditional downtown layout. \u2014 Summer Molloy<\/p>\n

Downtown Cape, cause it\u2019s got the hang-out places. Most places that have that, you call them downtown and fill in the city name (like downtown Fort Myers). \u2014 Dawn Verbeke Allard<\/p>\n

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. Everything happens there. That\u2019s what a downtown is. \u2014 Bella Martinez<\/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: Downtown Cape Coral or South Cape, what to call SW Florida hotspot<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Charles Runnells, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News Fri, May 22, 2026 at 9:02 AM UTC Is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":280678,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[33752,209,211,210,119666,119667,16931,87910],"class_list":["post-280677","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-cape-residents","tag-downtown-area","tag-downtown-cape","tag-south-cape"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280677","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=280677"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280677\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}