Punta Gorda is a scenic and historic town of approximately 17,168 that sits on beautiful Charlotte Harbor. Along with its old-Florida charm and year-round sunshine, it offers a rich blend of cultures and age groups as well as strong civic involvement. This locale continues to be rated as one of the top places to live in the nation due to the amazing recreational opportunities, low crime rate, excellent health care, and incredible weather. Enjoy the tranquil coastal lifestyle while also having access to superb restaurants, shopping, top-notch marinas and rich historic surroundings. This vibrant hub and fisherman’s haven offers everything you could want, and more. It just doesn’t get better than this.
Location
Punta Gorda is located in the mid southwest coast of Florida. Situated in Charlotte County, it is also the county seat and the principal city of the Punta Gorda Metropolitan Statistical Area. Sitting on the eastern side of Charlotte Harbor, the town of Port Charlotte is to the north and North Fort Myers is to the south. Charlotte County is bordered by Sarasota County to the northwest, DeSoto County to the north, Highlands County to the northeast, Glades County to the east, Hendry County to the southeast and Lee County to the south.
Geography/Terrain
Covering a total area of 18.5 square miles, Punta Gorda has 14.2 square miles of land and 4.3 square miles of water. The city sits at an elevation of approximately 61 feet above sea level, on the banks of the Peace River and the Gulf of Mexico. Charlotte Harbor is on one side of the city, and rural land with large tracts of citrus, cattle and swamp are on the other. The rural land reaches as far as the borders of North Fort Myers. Charlotte Harbor is the unique site where the Peace River and ocean meet.
Distance to 3 closest major cities
Sitting on the Gulf Coast between Sarasota and Ft. Myers, Punta Gorda is approximately 70 miles south of St. Petersburg, 90 miles south of Tampa and 130 miles northwest of Fort Lauderdale.
Jobs
Southwest Florida continues to flourish economically, as the area businesses cater to local, domestic and international customers in both commerce and industry. As well as varied commercial sectors, distribution services, construction, design, retail, hospitality and tourism, health services, life sciences and real estate are the prime industry sectors.
Inc. Magazine ranked Punta Gorda 17th out of the top 60 "Hottest Small Cities". It rated highly in terms of job creation, favorable environments, affordable housing and general business vitality, and has created over 2,200 jobs over the past two years.
Educational, health and social services provide for 23.0% of the jobs in Punta Gorda, retail trade provides 15.0%, professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services provide12.4%, arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services provide11.5%, and finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing provide10.9%. The unemployment level is the area is 3.8%, and there has been a 5.35% increase in available jobs over the last year. The average time to travel to work is 23 minutes. The median household income in Punta Gorda is $43,744, and the average per capita income is 30,748.
Housing
This is a city where you can find whatever housing you are looking for! It is currently a buyers market with ample inventory and reasonable prices. You can find a home in the historic downtown, or in one of the new upscale communities. There are single-family homes, condos and villas. In the historic area, homes are on streets lined with massive royal palms, with brick lanes, street lamps and benches. You can find magnificently restored period houses with broad verandas, homes with access to Charlotte Harbor, river frontage, greenlands or even private golf and yacht clubs. Homes are on the market for an average of 3 to 6 months.
Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf
There are six parks in the Punta Gorda area, offering amenities such as tennis courts, basketball and shuffleboard courts and playgrounds. Bissett Park provides a beach playground, fishing, basketball, horseshoes, shuffleboard, tennis and a pavilion. The city’s Camalita Athletic Complex is equipped with three baseball fields, one football field, and a skate park, while Port Charlotte Beach on the shore of Charlotte Harbor provides a scenic park/beach combination.
Plenty of clean air and sunshine, as well as fishing, golfing, boating, and swimming are readily available. Just five miles from Punta Gorda, Babcock-Webb is the largest expanse of wet, pine flatwoods in southwest Florida, with abundant birds and wildflowers. You can hunt quail, participate in bird dog field trials, fish for bluegill, hike, mountain bike, or horseback ride. Cedar Point Environmental Park in Englewood is a 115-acre park offering wildlife and nature experiences. Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park provides vast areas of natural habitats for numerous varieties of wildlife. The Charlotte Harbor Estuary is Florida’s second-largest open water estuary. With its peaceful coves and bays, it provides endless opportunities for fishing, kayaking or canoeing. Charlotte Harbor area boasts over 830 miles of shoreline with river passages, mangrove-edged aquatic preserves and sandy beaches. A challenge to sailors, it has been rated one of the top-ten places to sail in the U.S. Paddlers can enjoy hundreds of miles of Blueway trails, beginning at the Peace and Myakka rivers and extending out to the Gulf of Mexico.
The beaches of the Charlotte Harbor area are a special treat. They are easy to reach, yet quiet and remote enough to attract wildlife such as birds, dolphins, and sea turtles. You won’t find big crowds, but lots of beautiful waves and white sand.
Golfers here can enjoy the sport throughout the year, on courses offering scenic vistas and spectacular landscapes. The Burnt Store Marina and Country Club Resort is located within a marina community. It has three scenic executive nine-hole courses that are played in three eighteen-hole combinations. St. Andrews South Golf Club and Twin Isles Country Club are two private courses in town. Blue Heron Pines, Punta Gorda Country Club and Seminole Lakes are three semi-private courses, while Chip Shot Par 3 is the single public course. The Charlotte Harbor area has been named the third best place in America to live and play golf.
Special Attractions/Events
There is so much to see and do in Punta Gorda, beginning with its unique downtown historical district. You can enjoy the cobblestone streets, charming shops and delightful restaurants as well as several historical sites, which are listed on the National Register. At renowned Fishermen's Village you can find the ideal gift at one of the interesting shops or savor a meal at one of the waterfront restaurants.
With Charlotte Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico so easily accessible, there are unlimited sailing, fishing, and boating opportunities. It is a paradise for recreational boaters and fishermen. Stroll along the scenic waterfront area or through the waterfront parks. In fact, pretty much everything this city offers, from its hotels to fine dining, is on the “waterfront”.
The Punta Gorda Historic Railroad Depot and Antique Mall was constructed in 1928. As the last remaining depot of six that were built in Mediterranean/Spanish style, it has been recently restored.
Punta Gorda has many special events and festivities throughout the year. For example, the Marine Exhibit at Fishermen’s Village is part of the Charlotte Harbor National Estuaries Day Events. This year there will be a Paul Gauguin Fine Arts Festival held at the Visual Arts Center in November. The Chamber of Commerce sponsors the Punta Gorda Lighted Boat Parade in early December and two fun-filled Trolley Tours each month. For cultural enjoyment, performances are offered regularly at The Center for Performing Arts and Education, such as “The Little Shop of Horrors”.
There are a good number of theme parks and various sightseeing hotspots both to the south and north of Punta Gorda.. Disneyland is about 3 1/2 hours to the north and Miami is about 4 hours to the south.
Interesting Facts/Historic Buildings and Places
The name Punta Gorda means "fat point" or “broad point” when translated from Spanish, the language of the early Conquistadors. The city was given this name because a broad (or fat) part of the land in Punta Gorda bulges out into Charlotte Harbor.
Ponce de Leon, first landed on Pine Island in Charlotte Harbor in the year 1513. Punta Gorda celebrates this event with an annual festival.
The city was originally called Trabue, after developer Isaac Trabue, and was eventually incorporated on December 7, 1887. Much of the city is dotted with historic buildings from the early 1900s. In 1886, Punta Gorda was the southern-most stop on Florida’s west coast railroad system. Thomas Edison and Al Capone, both renowned in their own right, have visited the Punta Gorda hotels.
Charlotte County’s most recent museum is the Blanchard House Museum of African-American History and Culture. The museum offers many fascinating historical tidbits For example: almost half of the first 15 men to settle in Punta Gorda were African-Americans, and four blacks signed their names on the document incorporating the new city of Punta Gorda.
The city was hard hit by Hurricane Charley in 2004, but has recovered very well. It has taken up the challenge to rebuild itself stronger and better than before. The city is undergoing major community revitalization and beautification.
- NUMBER1EXPERT™ 
