Charlotte County is located on Florida's southwest coast and is one of the most dynamically growing areas. Money magazine ranked it as "The Best Place to Live in the South". All of this is with good reason. The climate is subtropical, with an average annual temperature of 74 degrees. The air is clear and clean with pristine waters. The area's focal point is Charlotte Harbor, the second largest harbor in Florida, consisting of approximately 125 square miles of navigable, open water and since it is comparatively shallow, it will always remain recreational and free from the pollution and hazards associated with ocean-going commercial traffic. The harbor provides a paradise for sailboaters, powerboaters, canoeists, windsurfers, fishermen and all who enjoy water sports.

In addition, there are 21 public, semiprivate and private golf courses as well as numerous tennis courts. There are 4 yacht clubs plus most every service, regional, ethnic and national clubs.

The Crescent B Ranch in eastern Charlotte County offers its Babcock Wilderness Adventures, where you can experience the thrill of watching Florida's native wildlife as you tour the natural habitat from the comfort of a swamp buggy.

Cultural activities abound in Charlotte County. They can be found at the Memorial Auditorium (temporarily the Tentatorium) in  Punta Gorda, local art galleries like the Visual Arts Center, the Charlotte County Art Guild or the Port Charlotte Cultural Center. The Memorial Auditorium handles a wide variety of activities, including conventions, art and crafts shows, theatre, military service bands and outstanding musical attractions from top-name performers. The Visual Arts Center holds exhibit halls, student galleries, class and lecture areas in addition to the Donna Goff Gallery, which contains ever-changing exhibits of local artistic talent. The Port Charlotte Cultural Center combines quality art, musicals, plays and other entertainment in its facility. It includes a 418-seat theater, a public library and many classroom areas.

Charlotte County is known for its outstanding medical services. Having one of the highest health care providers to population ratios in the U.S. plus 3 major regional hospitals, there is no need to look elsewhere for almost any health need.

Whatever your interests, whether they be in water sports, the natural environment, music and the arts, or just plain fellowship, Charlotte County has it all plus a safe, friendly environment at a most reasonable cost.

Charlotte County boasts an unbeatable combination of reasons that make it "The Best Place to Live in the South".

Sunny, sub-tropical climate
Clean air and water
125 square miles of open, navigable waters
Affordable housing
Projected job growth nearly triple the national average
Wide variety of recreational activities
Low crime rate (59% below the national average)
Port Charlotte

Located north across the harbor and the Peace River via two new bridges is the area known as Port Charlotte which began its development in the late 1950's. Its current population is approximately 116,000 and there is still plenty of room for growth. It has more than 165 miles of man-made waterways, many with access to Charlotte Harbor.

There are numerous opportunities for recreation, including golf courses, yacht clubs, tennis courts, parks, boat ramps, pool and beach swimming.

The Murdock area of northern Port Charlotte is home of the regional Town Center Mall, which opened in 1989. There you will find major retailers as well as the smaller, specialty stores. Murdock is the "business and commercial hub" where shopping areas, office complexes, banks, theaters and restaurants have been built in recent years.

Average price of resale homes is approximately $223,000. Non-waterfront lots with central water and sewer service begin at about $35,000.

Punta Gorda Isles and Burnt Store Isles

Both of these waterfront communities offer boating access to Charlotte Harbor. Punta Gorda Isles began in 1958. "PGI" and "BSI" feature concrete seawalls, central water and sewer and strong, but reasonable deed restrictions. There are 65 miles of wide, saltwater canals (minimum width of 100 feet), with access times to the harbor ranging from seconds to 55 minutes. All waterfront properties are in the Canal Maintenance Program, which is run by the City of Punta Gorda. It maintains the seawalls and also keeps the canals dredged for continuous good boating access. Resale waterfront homes range in price from $399,000 to over $4,000,000. Waterfront lots range in price from $330,000 to over $2,000,000  Waterfront condos range in price from $225,000 to $500,000. You can travel the entire coast of Florida and not find a better value in waterfront properties than in Punta Gorda Isles/Burnt Store Isles.

The name means "fat point" in the language of the Conquistadors and is the county's only incorporated city. With 12,000 residents, including PGI and BSI, "old" Punta Gorda is currently in the middle of a major revitalization and beautification effort. With historic preservation as a priority, the city's Streetscape Program is restoring an old Florida atmosphere to its central district streets by adding brick lanes, period street lamps, benches and shade trees. The residential areas feature Spanish style clapboard tin-roofed homes with airy verandas, gingerbread woodwork and raised floors that bear witness to the fishing village architecture of its past. Historic Punta Gorda is experiencing an increasing demand for these quaint properties, with an eye toward restoring them to their original beauty.

Deep Creek Park is located north of the Peace River between two I-75 interchanges. It was developed by Punta Gorda Isles, Inc. and offers resale homes with an average sale price of about $250,000. Greenbelt lots begin around $40,000 and lakefront lots around $100,000. All have city water and central sewer availability.

Prairie Creek Park is located northeast of Punta Gorda and consists of three and five-acre homesites in a country setting protected by reasonable deed restrictions. For horse-lovers, nature-lovers, or those who enjoy some space, this area is hard to beat. Resale homes begin around $350,000 and lots around $80,000.

Seminole Lakes

  GIS Mapping site

Lifestyle

In new U.S. Census figures, the Punta Gorda statistical area - which includes all of Charlotte County - is the Number 1 area in the country in home ownership among large metropolitan areas as 83.7 percent of the area's homes are occupied by their owner. (Charlotte Sun Herald, Tuesday, November 27, 2001. )

Charlotte County has 48 parks and recreation areas. The county has an
estimated 12.5 miles of Gulf Coast beaches with sparkling waters along the length
of its barrier islands. There are 28 marinas and 13 boat ramps located along the
Peace River (Charlotte Harbor), Cape Haze Peninsulas, Lemon Bay and the
Placida Harbor area. The large number of canals within major residential
subdivisions provide access to open water for a significant percentage of the
population, which reduces the demand for commercial facilities.

Baseball - 5
Basketball - 6
Boat Ramps - 10
Fishing Piers - 12
Football - 2
Fitness/Nature - 3
Horses - 1
Horseshoes - 6
Picnic Areas - 15
Playgrounds - 15
Shuffleboard - 6
Softball - 3
Swimming Pools - 5
Swim Beaches - 2
Tennis - 9
Volleyball - 5
Water Skiing - 3
Windsurfing - 2
Yacht Clubs - 3
County Clubs - 6
Golf Courses - 13
Racquetball Courts - 3
Public Beaches - 4
Camping Parks - 9
County Parks - 34
Movies - 8
Theaters - 2
Wildlife Refuge - 1
Museums - 1
City Parks - 6
Symphony Orchestra - 1
Public Libraries - 4


Auditorium - The Charlotte County Memorial Auditorium and Civic Center is
located in Punta Gorda. The auditorium offers a seating capacity of 2,000 with
completely equipped stage, meeting rooms and sound system.

Cultural Center - Located in Port Charlotte, the Center is a focal point for adult
education, cultural, recreational and social activities. The cultural center houses
16 classrooms, library, a 418-seat theater and more.

Boating/Fishing/Hunting - Over 75,000 acres of sparkling waters leading to the
Gulf of Mexico provide swimming, boating, surfing, snorkeling and fishing.
Located east of Punta Gorda is the Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area.
(See the Sun Herald's Waterline for more information about boating and fishing.)

Sports - Charlotte County Stadium is the Spring Training Facility of the Texas
Rangers. The stadium is also home for the Florida State League's Charlotte
Rangers. The Chicago White Sox winter in nearby Sarasota. Youth Sports include
Little League, Babe Ruth, YMCA Soccer, Pop Warner Football and a BMX Track.

Libraries - There are 4 in the county: Punta Gorda, Englewood, Port Charlotte
Cultural Center and Murdock. The Florida Adventure Museum in Punta Gorda,
also is operated under the County Library System.

Tourist Facilities - 183 businesses, 291 eating and drinking establishments.

Golf Courses - 2 public, 8 semi-private and 3 private, totaling 13.

Commerce

Shopping - 586 businesses and over 20,000 sf. of shopping centers with gross
sales in 1998 of $2.31 billion. Includes: 30 acre waterfront project, commercial,
retail, riverwalk, adult living community, residential, marina and public park.

Financial Institutions - Charlotte County offers national, state and local banking
institutions to meet all your banking needs.

Weather

Climate: Sub-Tropical
Temperature: Annual average is 74.8 . Low month is January (64 ) and high
month is July (81.6 .)
Winds: Prevailing easterly, average 12-18 mph
Rainfall: Averages between 49.53 inches annually, with 2/3 occurring
between June and September.
(Information from www.charlottecountyfl.com

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