Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 45.9 square miles (118.9 km2), of which 14.7 square miles (38.1 km2) is land and 31.2 square miles (80.9 km2), or 68.00%, is water. The nearest city is Portland. Cape Elizabeth shares a border with South Portland to the north and Scarborough to the south.
The town includes two islands. Ram Island is a small and unoccupied island directly adjacent to Ram Island Ledge, home of the recently privatized Ram Island Ledge Light. The 226-acre (91 ha) Richmond Island, originally inhabited by Native Americans, then English settlers, is now uninhabited except by a small herd of sheep. It is privately owned by the Sprague family, the most prominent property owners in Cape Elizabeth, whose substantial estate also includes Ram Island Farm on the mainland.
Cape Elizabeth is the home of three coastal parks: Fort Williams Park, Two Lights State Park, and Crescent Beach State Park. Additionally, the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust, a private non-profit corporation, protects 560 acres (230 ha) of land on 22 different parcels for public use, maintaining a large system of connecting non-motorized trails on most.
Read more about this topic: Cape Elizabeth, Maine
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