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Charlotte County
Population 16,343

Punta Gorda juts out into Charlotte Harbor, one of the United States biggest natural harbors. This quaint little town is an undiscovered treasure, centrally located between the cities of Sarasota and Fort Myers. Punta Gorda is also an easy drive to Miami or Orlando and only 100 miles south of Tampa, which makes living here a great choice for weekend trips to bigger cities.

Sunshine reigns all year in this historic village and offers many enticing amenities to locals as well as tourists. Whether you like to shop, sun bathe, enjoy sailing and fishing, or want to simply relax and do nothing, Punta Gorda offers something for everyone. You will be impressed with the friendly and welcome environment that encircles the downtown businesses and shops.

Everywhere you go in Florida has the reputation of tropical paradise and Punta Gorda is no exception! Residents delight in acres and acres of waterfront property while they bask in unending sunshine. Intertwined within the landscape is over 70 miles of canals, all fronted by the prestigious Charlotte Harbor.

As of 2007, over 17,000 residents make Charlotte County their home. The average value of owned homes is $97,000.
Voted the best place to live in the south, Charlotte County boasts unlimited opportunity for living the dream of a lifetime! Pristine beaches connect major cities to Punta Gorda, including Interstate 75 north to Tampa and east to Miami.

General Information
· 14.2 square miles with a population density of 1154 people per square mile
· Average summer temperature 92 degrees
· Average winter temperature 52 degrees
· Average annual precipitation 48 inches
· Population 16,343 with a growth of 13.9% since 2000
· Median household income $62,396, up from $48, 916 in 2000
· Median house or condo value in 2008 $406,494
· Average cost of a house $97,000 in Charlotte County
· Average cost to rent $677
· Median age is 63
· Average travel time to work between 10 and 20 minutes
· 3 hospital and medical centers within easy and a quick driving distance

Employment Industry Opportunities

• Construction (13%)
• Accommodation and food services (8%)
• Professional, scientific, and technical services (7%)
• Arts, entertainment, and recreation (7%)
• Finance and insurance (7%)
• Health care (6%)
• Real estate and rental and leasing (5%)

In conclusion, Punta Gorda is a great place to live, work, and play. Close to larger cities, but far enough away for peace and seclusion, this small, best-kept secret of southern Florida is the perfect town to enjoy life to the fullest!

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One of the best assets FT Myers and the surrounding communities of Bonita Beach, Sanibel, Cape Coral and Pine island have is their incredible natural resources. Wildlife literally flourishes in the parks and reserves.
Boating and Fishing opportunities are everywhere . If you love nature and all it’s beauty, this is the place.
Some things to see:

Caloosahatchee River
A well-liked destination for fishing, waterskiing, sight seeing, and taking in the wildlife.
Barrier Islands: North Captiva, Cayo Costa, Gasparilla Island
Popular with residents and tourists alike,
Sanibel and Captiva Islands
Beautiful barrier islands famous for shelling, fishing, and the J.N. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Preserve. A great place to se wildlife in a natural habitat.
Cape Coral
A sandy beach and a public fishing pier are open to residents and visitors year round..
Fort Myers Beach
The ultimate” Beach Town”, Fort Myers Beach combines family entertainment with fun and nightlife.
Lover’s Key
Lover’s Key. Carl E. Johnson Park, operated by Lee County Parks, has wide sandy beaches and is close to restaurants, galleries and luxury hotels.
Bonita Beach
A great beach for leisurely walks and taking in the natural beauty of the area..
With 16 Beach parks, including state and federal lands, Ft Myers offers recreational facilities that compare with the best in the nation.
Outdoor activities in Ft Myers and lee county.

Fishing-saltwater and freshwater
Boating-Ocean or Bay
Camping-over 3500 campsites
Diving-Ocean
Bike riding
Birding
Shelling
Photography
Tennis
Golf
Sailing
Kayaking http://www.fortmyers-sanibel.com/everything_to_do/water_rec/
Recreational Opportunities:

23 Community parks
12 regional parks-spring training ://www.leeparks.org
15 tennis courts
9 tennis centers
95 plus Golf Courses
58 Boat Ramps/marinas http://www.watersportsfl.com/boat-ramps.htm
50 miles of white sandy beaches
Pro sports facilities

The World Champion Boston Red Sox hold Spring Training in Fort Myers at the county operated City of Palms Park
The Minnesota Twins conduct Spring Training at the Lee County Sports Complex..
The Minnesota Twins’ Single-A minor league ball club, the Fort Myers Miracle play at the Bill Hammond Stadium.
The Fort Myers Skatiium is located on Broadway directly adjacent to the City of Palms Stadium. The Skatium is a 71,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility that houses two skating rinks, one regulation National Hockey League ice rink and one in-line skating rink.
The Edison Festival of Light 5K Classic, Held every winter.
Charlotte County Speedway, on Piper Road just East of I-75 in Punta Gorda, offers weekly stock-car and winged-sprint races
The Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track on Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs has racing most days
Whether your recreational needs range from spectator to participant, FT Myers and it’s surrounding beaches and parks have it all

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Ft. Myers is a complex area, even more than the rest of Florida, because it encompasses such a wide variety of towns and natural areas.  Even first impressions depend on where you are.  Let’s say you fly into Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), which serves Naples-Marco Island as well as Greater Ft. Myers.  RSW is a beautiful, modern, busy facility, excelently sited at the intersection of I-75 and Ft. Myers’ Daniels Parkway.  From here it’s but a short drive to anywhere in Southwest Florida.  Downtown Ft. Myers is a half hour away; Sanibel-Captiva or Bonita Springs about 30-40 minutes; and Naples about 50 minutes.  Your first impressions will be how easy everything is.  Infrastructure appears to be excelent, even though you realize you’re in at least a medium-sized metropolitan area.  It’s no problem finding your way around, it’s clean, streets are wide and well-groomed.  There seem to be parks everywhere.

And in fact, to hear some people, you’ve just stumbled onto the perfect city.  Though summers can be hot, the rest of the year is mild, warm, and sunny; and much of the year it hardly rains, other than late afternoons (a Florida standard).  There are lots of beaches serving the public’s need to escape, there are lots of canals for those buyers who want to live waterside, and there’s lots of green spaces and watery preserves in the Big Cypress area that defines the inland section beyond residential LeHigh Acres.

Ft. Myers, an early fort and commercial center in colonial Florida, has emerged as one of the State’s foremost centers, with a proud array of financial, educational, cultural, and medical facilities that have made it a favorite for both retirees and an increasingly youthful population.  And housing ranges from old Florida through every kind of modern; there is something for everybody.

The greater Ft. Myers region consists of several distinct areas:  Ft. Myers itself; Sanibel and Captiva Islands;  Ft. Myers Beach; Bonita Springs and its beaches; Cape Coral and adjacent Pine Island; and nearby, more rural areas extending north (Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, and up towards Arcadia; and east along Rte 80 and the Coloosahatchee River towards La Belle).  Here’s a few of them:

Quick statistics-2005

• Population-530,000
• Ft Meyers pop-58,000
• Ft Myers beach-6900
• Average home price $281,000 (June 2005)
• Price index-100.25 or 10^th in the state (100 is average statewide and nationally)

About Ft Myers:

Fort Meyers and its neighboring areas offer up a great mix of culture, business, and lifestyles. Enjoy water sports, museums, walks on the beach, loys of sun, golfing, tennis, shopping till you drop, baseball spring training, restaurants, world class resorts and much more-almost too much to list.

From the modern business environment of Fort Meyers, to the laid back atmosphere of Sanibel or the neighboring Pine Island (reminiscent of small fishing villages in New England) to the incredibly fast expanding Cape Coral area, there is something here for every lifestyle and pocketbook.

A few endorsements

• Inc Magazine ranked Fort Meyers 9^th among the top 25 medium metropolitan cities for entrepreneurs.(2005

• US Housing markets ranked Ft Meyers Cape Coral as the number one housing market in a metropolitan market in the US for the 2^nd year in a row. (2004)

• Expansion magazine named Lee County a four-star community in its annual quality of life scorecard for 2003.

• Money magazine ranked Fort Myers-Cape Coral as one of the “Best Place to Live in America.”

• Self magazine ranked the Fort Myers-Cape Coral metropolitan area “No. 1 in the nation for working women.” (2003)

• Forbes magazine ranked the Fort Myers-Cape Coral metro area 37th among the top 200 best metro areas for business and careers

There’s definitely a reason this area is expanding and booming.. and the reason is simple—people want to live here!

So, If you think palm trees, sun and beaches should be in your future, you have to check Ft Meyers/Lee County out.

See the links to the left for more specific information. See the google map of the areas to the right

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