Who doesn’t love Thanksgiving?

Family, friends and food — slow-roasted turkey, heaping bowls of stuffing and oh, my, pumpkin pie! — Thanksgiving is an American holiday and American fairy tale, all in one.

We gather, we give thanks, and we mark a tradition dating back nearly 400 years, when people of vastly different views and cultures sat together in peace.

If only for a while.

Here in Cape Coral we have much to be thankful for and Thanksgiving is as good a time as any to run down the list as our city continues its sweep of national top-tier rankings for a variety of economic and quality-of-life commendations.

According to the presentation made by Cape Coral City Manager John Szerlag at this week’s “Catch the Vision,” Cape Coral is:

– No. 2 for projected job growth according to the Manpower Group Employment Outlook Survey “Best in the Nation” rankings.

– In the top 10 cities among the “Top Markets to Target” rankings listed by SetSchedule, a real estate tech firm.

– No. 9 on Forbes list of “America’s Fastest Growing Cities” and No. 1 for projected population and gross market growth.

– As part of Lee County, 10th in the nation on U.S. News & World Report’s “Best 25 Places People Are Moving To in 2019” list.

– No. 24 on Wallethub’s “Safest Cities in America” roster.

– No. 28 on Kiplinger’s list of “50 Florida Cities With the Lowest Local Taxes.”

Wallethub adds one more: Cape Coral is ranked first in Florida in its “Happiest Cities in America” survey.

If that brings more than just a smile of civic pride consider:

With voter approval, Cape Coral has begun implementing a generational parks master plan. The $60 million undertaking will improve existing parks while adding new facilities of all kinds — everything from more playgrounds and sports fields to pickleball and tennis courts to a lakeside beach and environmental preserve to a festival venue with an outdoor amphitheater .

Cape Coral has helped make schools within the city safer with resource officers attached to each; has prioritized additional sidewalks and continues efforts to bring a number of economic development projects to fruition even as the private sector is changing the face of major thoroughfares like Pine Island Road.

On the state level, Gov. Ron DeSantis has continued his commitment to funding for clean water initiatives after decades of state and federal-level mismanagement and neglect, and things are finally — finally — looking a little bit better on the waterfront.

Yes, we do, indeed, have much for which to be grateful in 2019.

Happy Thanksgiving and, however you and yours choose to celebrate, we hope you have a great holiday.

-Breeze editorial