CHARLOTTE COUNTY
Real Estate
|
2007 |
2008 |
4/2009 |
| Median Price* Single Family Home |
$186,900 |
$139,100 |
$95,500 |
| Median Price* Condominium |
$155,300 |
$126,500 |
$90,000 |
* Median Price of 101 homes sold would be that price which is lower than 50 of the prices and also higher
than 50 of the prices. In other words, there are homes and condominiums available in every price range in
Charlotte County. Median prices shown above are for the Punta Gorda MSA. The statistics are meant to give
you a feel for the area as compared to others you may be considering and to show the direction of the market.
Taxes
Visit Buy a Home in Florida for comprehensive property tax information.
Weather
Average High/Low in January 63/41, in July 90/71
Charlotte County wraps around Charlotte Harbor and 84% of the shoreline is preserved land. Golf Digest ranked Charlotte County as the “Third Best Place to Live and Play Golf in America”. Money Magazine called it one of the “Best Places to Live in the South”. US News and World Report designated it as one of “America’s Best Healthy Places to Retire”. With all of these accolades, no wonder Charlotte County is a popular choice! Get to know Charlotte County’s towns and islands:
Set on Gasparilla Island, the historic village of Boca Grande offers old world charm, quaint shops and restaurants, and gorgeous beach views.
Charming El Jobean has its own old-Florida flair. A former winter home for circus and carnival performers, it features a historic post office museum and cafe that hosts weekly Bluegrass jam sessions.
Located on the Lemon Bay, off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, Englewood remains one of Florida’s best-kept secrets... But not for long, the area was recently named as a "Top Ten U.S. Destination for 2009" by
TripAdvisor™ TravelCast. Englewood is a beach community which thrives on its nature parks, cultural events, beaches, fishing and arts offerings.
Two jewels you will find on Manasota Key are Chadwick Park at Englewood Beach and the Stump Pass Beach State Park. Sparkling water, sandy shores, hidden seashells and a lot of sunshine!
Seven miles of white sandy beach and crystal clear water await you on this retreat away from the world, Palm Island. A car ferry to get there adds to the remote feel of this island getaway.
If you’re looking for adventure, this secluded Gulf Coast community hosts any number of fun-in-the-sun pursuits. Placida also offers excellent catch-of-the-day dining.
Port Charlotte, the county’s geographical center, is home to the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Charlotte County Historical Center, a waterfront museum featuring changing glimpses into the area’s past.
The city of Punta Gorda, profiled below, is a historic town that lies along beautiful Charlotte Harbor. Streets lined with huge royal palms, beautifully restored period homes with wide verandas, brick lanes, street lamps and benches leave an almost tangible old-Florida atmosphere. Nearly everything is waterfront here from hotels and shopping to parks and fine dining.
Events
Florida Championship Wrestling Invades Punta Gorda with WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk
Downtown Punta Gorda Gallery Walk
40th Annual Christmas in July
‘Florida in Full Bloom’ Plant and Garden Expo
Charlotte Harbor Challenge & Ultimate Rib Fest
3rd Annual Peace River Boat Show
Barktoberfest Pet Costume Contest
19th Annual Symphony of Trees
29th Annual Christmas Light Canal Tours
31st Annual Christmas Parade
8th Annual Lemon Bay Festival - Every Day Events
Annual Wine & Jazz Festival
ORGANIC FARMERS MARKET AT FISHERMEN’S VILLAGE
7th Biennial National Art Exhibition
Peace River Seafood Festival
Community Affairs Fine Arts & Crafts Show
Arts & Culture
The Arts & Humanities Council of Charlotte County, Inc., a non-profit 501 C3 organization, is the official Local Arts Agency dedicated to supporting and promoting local visual artists, musicians, theater groups, dance studios, writers and cultural organizations.
The Council is Charlotte County's "Chamber of the Arts"!
Below is a partial list of their programs and accomplishments.
- The Charlotte Harbor Artsensation - an annual festival showcasing cultural organizations, artists, performers, writers. It also provides hands-on arts experience to children for free.
- The Cultural Calendar - annual printed calendar listing the events and programs of over 40 cultural organizations. It is provided to the media, members, the Visitors Bureau, Chambers of Commerce and the general public.
- Charlotte Arts - the executive director’s weekly newspaper column about what is happening culturally.
- Weekly Cultural Calendar – Publish a weekly event calendar which is emailed to the media, members and published on the Council’s website.
- Artists Directory – Council maintains a list of local artists, their mediums and contact info. It is also published on the website with links to artists own sites.
- Art in Public Places provides hundreds of artists the opportunity to exhibit and sell their work in twenty-one public sites around the county – including the County Administration Building and the Justice Center. This also provides exposure to art by the general public and possibly people who might never go to an art museum.
- Café Philo - The Council sponsors eight philosophical discussion groups including Café Socrates, Café Earth and Café Theo. Approximately 200 people participate in the weekly discussions. We have also given advice to other communities on organizing Café Philo’s in their localities.
- Artrain USA – twice the Council has brought Artrain USA, a museum on wheels, to the County most recently in 2007. Artrain USA brings nationally recognized works to communities that have no art museum. This event was free to the community.
The Council provides leadership in planning and coordinating cultural events, arts education initiatives, and promotion of the cultural scene and assists cultural planning, facilities and event development. It has worked and continues to work with the following organizations: Visit them at http://www.charlottearts.org
Parks & Recreation
With more than 70 parks, preserves and recreational areas, Charlotte Harbor & the Gulf Islands encourages inland exploration, as well as waterfront strolling. Nature enthusiasts will want to hike and bike along park paths for possible encounters with birds of almost every feather, turtles and other local wildlife. Several area environmental centers offer guided tours and educational programs. Athletes can practice their favorite sports at public recreational facilities that include courts of just about every kind – from basketball and tennis to bocce and horseshoe.
Charlotte Harbor & the Gulf Islands is internationally renowned as one of the world’s top sport fishing destinations. Charlotte Harbor, Florida’s second-largest open water estuary, is formed by the blending of saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico with freshwater from the Peace and Myakka rivers. This supports an important ecological breeding ground for numerous fish such as tarpon, snook, redfish, barracuda, cobia and grouper.
Deep Sea, Back Bay and Flats fishing bring dedicated anglers to the Charlotte Harbor area in search of their own personal records or International Game Fish Association world records.
The Redfish Cup & Festival, produced for ESPN2, is recognized as the nation’s premier saltwater fishing tournament. The first of four tournaments casts off from Laishley Park Municipal Marina in Punta Gorda, Fla., with 60 invited teams from all over the South, including Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North and South Carolina and Texas.
Charlotte Harbor is filled with peaceful coves and bays, providing endless opportunities to tackle a tarpon, captain a kayak or commandeer a canoe. This tranquil coastal community boasts more than 830 miles of shoreline including river passages, mangrove-edged aquatic preserve and sandy beaches. Ranked as one of SAIL Magazine’s top-ten places to sail in the U.S., Charlotte Harbor is a challenge to sailors worldwide. Paddlers revel in the hundreds of miles of Blueway trails that start with the Peace and Myakka rivers and extend out to the Gulf of Mexico. You can take part in one of the newest hybrid sports, kayak geocaching, in which people hunt for hidden treasures while afloat on the water.
The Charlotte County Historical Center in Charlotte Harbor, with its spectacular harbor view, features seafarers’ artifacts of fisher folk from pre-history to the more recent past.
The arts here have been similarly affected by the legacy of the sea. Art Around Town showcases sculptures that seek to capture on land what can be found undersea. All around landside are gentle reminders to spend your days on a boat or along the shore, a line in the water; currents of the past melding in gentle ebb and flow with the present…
Visit Your Florida Lifestyle for more information on fishing and our Guide to Establishing Florida Residency for Florida fishing license information.
Beaches
The beaches of Charlotte Harbor & the Gulf Islands line miles of the Gulf coast. Easily accessible yet quiet and remote enough to attract abundant birds, dolphins, sea turtles and other wildlife, they are a local treasure. There are no big crowds here, just plenty of white sand lapped by gentle waves from the Gulf of Mexico and decorated with colorful shells.
For comprehensive information on all Florida beaches and gift certificates to the best Florida restaurants on or near them, check out The Florida Beach Book!
Golf
Ranked the 3rd Best Place in America to Live and Play Golf by Golf Digest, Charlotte Harbor & the Gulf Islands offer year-round play on more than 20 courses ranging in level from executive to championship. Scenic vistas and spectacular landscapes provide the backdrop for naturally inviting play on courses that include two ranked 4½ stars by Golf Digest and three Audubon-certified courses.
Visit Your Florida Lifestyle for additional golf information.
Hospitals
3 Hospitals serve Charlotte County:
Charlotte Regional Medical Center http://www.charlotteregional.com
Fawcett Memorial Hospital http://www.fawcetthospital.com
Peace River Regional Medical Center http://www.peaceriverregional.com
Visit Florida Medical Resources for comprehensive information including Florida hospital ratings.
Colleges
Edison State College http://www.edison.edu/charlotte/
For comprehensive information on Lifelong Learning, visit Your Florida Lifestyle.
Airports
Charlotte County Airport (PGD)
The Charlotte County Airport is one of the most modern general aviation airports in Southwest Florida and is conveniently located just off interstate I-75. There are two lighted runways, one 6,500 foot and one 5,000 foot runway, navigational aids and a self fueling facility.
DirectAir and Allegiant Air both provide commercial flight service with daily non-stop flights from many northeast, midwest and southeast U.S. destinations.
Shopping
From waterfront boutiques and malls, to antique fairs and flea markets, shopping takes on many forms within Charlotte County.
The Port Charlotte Town Center Mall http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=134
is the only enclosed regional shopping center in Charlotte County and features over 100 specialty shops and eateries along with a 16-screen Regal Cinemas movie theatre.
Dearborn Street In Olde Englewood Village offers relaxed dining, unique shops, antiques, art galleries and special events.
Fishermen's Village in Punta Gorda is a waterfront mall, marina and resort featuring 33 shops and boutiques, seven restaurants, vacation villa rentals, fishing charters, harbor cruises, boat and jet ski rentals, live entertainment and special events.
Charlotte County, Florida, Cities & Towns
Incorporated
Unincorporated
Additional Resources
Charlotte County Government www.charlottecountyfl.com
Charlotte County Tourism www.charlotteharbortravel.com
Featured Towns/Cities
Punta Gorda
Most of Punta Gorda's downtown was destroyed by fire in 1905. After this disaster the City Council mandated that all new business structures be constructed of brick or concrete. With the completion of the first bridge across Charlotte Harbor in June of 1921, the great Florida land boom of the 1920's reached the fishing village of Punta Gorda. During this period many of the City's key structures were built including City Hall, the Old County Courthouse, and National Register Landmarks including the Punta Gorda Women's Club, Smith Arcade, Charlotte High School, and the Punta Gorda Atlantic Coast Line Depot.
In 2004, Punta Gorda was extensively damaged by Hurricane Charley - damage that included many of its homes, structures and historic landmarks. However, a revitalization of the City took place in the immediate years following the storm that resulted in buildings being restored or built to hurricane resistant building codes. The new buildings, remarkable restorations and exciting amenities concurrently preserved the City's past while showcasing state-of-the art modern facilities. During this time, Laishley Park Municipal Marina was built and the Harborwalk, Linear Park and various trails are built and/or are planned to create a link throughout the City for bicycle and pedestrian traffic.
Punta Gorda has prospered to include more than 21 square miles of land and over 70 miles of canals, all bounded by beautiful Charlotte Harbor. With a current population of 17,444 residents, this community offers a leisurely life style with acres of waterfront property and abundant sunshine.
Punta Gorda offers a variety of housing, from historic waterfront homes and Florida beach front condos to smaller bungalows within walking distance to the water to newer single family homes with acreage inland.
If you would like to get a feel for home prices in Punta Gorda and Charlotte County, visit www.zillow.com and search for recent homes sold.
If you would prefer to save precious time and would like personalized assistance, call or email us today to take advantage of our free Florida Relocation Services. We’ll answer all of your questions and if the timing is right for you, we’ll introduce you to one of the best real estate agents in Charlotte County who can provide detailed information and professional assistance.
