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Port Charlotte, Florida |
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Pictures fromPort Charlotte, Florida
Port Charlotte, Florida is on the lower Gulf Coast of Florida, 100 miles south of Tampa. Running along an east-west swing of US Highway 41 that navigates north of the bay area of Charlotte Harbor and the Peace River, Port Charlotte anchors the strip of land from Murdock to Charlotte Harbor (the town). In recent years a regional shopping mall and a few shopping centers along Highway 41 have been built to better service the area, known for its "mom & pop" businesses strung along US Highway 41.
During the 60's and 70's sales teams competed in the north for the real estate dollar of the soon-to-be-retired. The aging populations of northern cities shuffled to Port Charlotte to live in their "cracker boxes" and enjoy Florida. Many neighborhoods remain from from these early days including some very desirable waterfront properties. As the population of the area increases and jobs come available, many of these aging homes will be purchased and reconditioned as they have been in other parts of Florida.
Visitors to Port Charlotte can easily tour the southwest Florida cities in the area, by car -or by boat! Crossing the Punta Gorda - Port Charlotte Bridge south, you'll have access to Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach with a 30-60 minute car ride. While you can get there by car, Pine island including Matlacha, Bokeelia and St. James City are closer by water than roadway, as is Sanibel and Captiva Islands. North Captiva, Useppa, Don Pedro and Little Gasparilla islands are all just north of Sanibel-Captiva and must be reached by boat. A 30 minute drive west will find Rotonda, Boca Grande, Englewood and Gulf Coast Beaches. Another 15 minutes north puts one in Venice and Sarasota is another 20 minutes north. US Highway 41 and Interstate 75 are the major throughways in the area. The Punta Gorda / Port Charlotte area is serviced by the Southwest Florida International Airport - about 45 minutes south.
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| Twin spans of the Punta Gorda-Port Charlotte Bridge. | View of Charlotte Harbor. | |||||
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| Small businesses dot the way along US-41 in Port Charlotte. | ||||||
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| The Port Charlotte Beach (above ) is a sandy, Charlotte Harbor beach landing. It features, a boat launching ramp, fishing pier, tennis courts, and other sports activities. You can also get on your SkiDoo and GO! | ||||||
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| Above are houses in the Port Charlotte Beach area on canals. | ||||||
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Many canals are direct access (no bridges) to the Peace River and Charlotte Harbor. These are south off Edgewater Boulevard. |
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Port Charlotte was a project of the now defunct General Development Corp. In its heyday, many came to Florida to live in houses such as above. These smallish houses prevail in many neighborhoods north of US-41. |
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Personal watercraft |
Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club |
What a life! |
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Some of the newer neighborhoods north of US-41 have retained the original landscapes of Live Oak and Sable Palm. |
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