DOG-FRIENDLY PARKS IN CAPE CORAL, FL

Canal system sprawls across this city of 194,000, where Southwest Florida development carved 400 miles of waterways through former swampland. Subtropical climate means warm temperatures year-round—winter lows around 57°F, summer highs in the low 90s with afternoon thunderstorms—and 54 inches of annual rainfall concentrated May through October. Hurricane season brings anxiety from June through November as storms track across the Gulf. Retirees and families seeking affordable Florida living have fueled explosive growth over five decades.