Halfway between Sarasota and Fort Myers on the banks of the Peace River, Port Charlotte offers a quiet suburban lifestyle with plenty of access to the water without the tourist traffic of other coastal towns. Golf courses and hiking trails surround the city, with Port Charlotte Beach Park to the south offering sandy shores and a fishing pier. Living here offers easy access to hundreds of miles of waterways and nature preserves while being more affordable than Englewood and Punta Gorda, just next door. Home to around 64,000 people, many find employment at the local school system, Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, golf clubs, retail chains, Fawcett Memorial Hospital and Charlotte Regional Medical Center. Port Charlotte is also known as a destination for retirees.
Deep Creek Golf Club is located 2 miles from I75 and Harbour Heights.
Bayshore Live Oak Park is located on the west side of the 41 Bridge in Charlotte Harbor.
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Nature trails, beaches and fishing piers in Port Charlotte
According to Trust for Public Land, around 46% of Port Charlotte’s residents are a 10-minute walk from a park. Tippecanoe Environmental Park is a 380-acre preserve in Port Charlotte with 7 miles of trails through wetlands and dry brush. Port Charlotte Beach Park, home to the city's only beach, has a fishing pier, boat ramp, bocce and tennis courts and a heated swimming pool. There are three boat ramps and four fishing piers total in Port Charlotte. “If you’re a boater, you can go out to Charlotte Harbor, which takes you to the intercoastal waterway and Pine Island. You can follow the intercoastal and head to Bocca Grande,” says local Realtor Tina Evans of Paradise Exclusive Inc. Bocca Grande is a super upscale neighborhood known for its pristine, public-access beaches. City marinas include Port Charlotte Yacht Club, Moore Haven Dock, Charlotte Harbor Community Sailing Center and Grassy Point Yacht Club. Golfers enjoy four semi-private and one public golf course in Port Charlotte and at least 10 other courses in the surrounding area.
Harbour Heights Park is popular for its fishing docks and its public boat ramp.
Tippecanoe Environmental Park is a 380-acre preserve in Port Charlotte with 7 miles of trails through wetlands and dry brush.
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Parkside Village is in development
Shopping and dining lines U.S. Route 41, which runs diagonally from Port Charlotte Town Center Mall to Charlotte Harbor. Port Charlotte Town Center is currently in decline yet still has anchor stores like JCPenney and a Regal Town Center movie theater. A few miles away in Charlotte Harbor, waterfront restaurants like Waterside Table offer stunning views of the bay, especially during sunset. Across the bridge in Punta Gorda is Fisherman's Village, where there's more local shopping and dining on the water.
Promenades Mall, another once-thriving mall in Port Charlotte, is in transition. In 2023, it was announced that a part of the mall would be demolished and redeveloped into a mixed-used district called Parkside Village. The new center will eventually act as a downtown for Port Charlotte, with apartments, a hotel, stores and restaurants all within walking distance.
Port Charlotte Town Center is currently in decline yet still has anchor stores like JCPenney.
Harpoon Harry's is just across the Bridge from Harbour Heights.
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Live music in downtown Punta Gorda
Locals can visit Visani Italian Steakhouse and Comedy Theater for a weekend night out to see a rotating roster of local and visiting stand-up comics. Charlotte County Jazz Society, in Port Charlotte, hosts monthly jam sessions and concerts from October until April. Charlotte Players, the county’s nonprofit regional theater company, is located on the edge of Port Charlotte and has offered live entertainment throughout the year since its founding in 1957. There's usually live music playing at the tiki bars and parks in downtown Punta Gorda on weekends.
More affordable than Punta Gorda and Englewood
Evans says the western side of Port Charlotte, closer to Englewood, is quieter and more upscale than the southeastern side, closer to Charlotte Harbor and Punta Gorda. Neighborhoods are designed along gridded streets, with some homes backing up to canals and rivers. “If you’re by a canal you could have a million-dollar house, but down the street you could have a $150,000 house. It’s kind of skitter-scattered,” she says. “Those beautiful new homes are built in between the original tiny little Florida homes.”
Port Charlotte is an active market with nearly 1,000 homes for sale, and almost the same number of undeveloped lots. One of the newest residential areas is The Cove at Westport, a gated community, where residents have access to a fitness center, pool, pickleball courts and a dog park. Popular 55-plus communities in Port Charlotte are Kings Gate and Maple Leaf, home to the Maple Leaf Golf Course. Gulf Cove is a waterfront community built around canals that lead out to the Miaca River. Custom-built homes on the Peace River have price tags in the millions, but most homes in Port Charlotte are less than $400,000. The median home price here is around $350,000 – approximately 12.5% less than in Punta Gorda and 6% less than in Englewood.
Many homes in Harbour Heights enjoy direct access to not only the Peace River, but the Gulf.
Charlotte Harbor homes deliver tropical vibes with brightly colored stucco.
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Regional transit along U.S. Route 41
U.S. Route 41 is the town’s main roadway, running roughly 30 miles south to Fort Myers and about 100 miles north to Tampa. “January through April, you’ll see the traffic pick up. This is tourist season,” Evans says. “For the rest of the year, it’s smooth sailing.” There’s an Amtrak station in Port Charlotte on Kings Highway. Nearby airports include Punta Gorda Airport, about 11 miles away, with flights to over 50 destinations through Sun Country and Allegiant Airlines. Southwest Florida International Airport, in Fort Meyers, is larger and served by 15 airlines, including United and Delta.
Highly rated Charlotte County Public Schools
Charlotte County Public Schools earns an A-minus rating from Niche, and there are over 30 colleges and universities within 100 miles.
Historic Charlotte High School first opened its doors in 1926.
State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota has a satellite campus outside city limits.
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Safety reports and countywide hurricane protocols in Port Charlotte
According to FBI data, the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office reports property and violent crime rates significantly lower than state figures. The Sheriff's Office has released a multiyear strategic plan on its website that details the department's goals, including its focus on intelligence-led policing and targeting the distribution of illegal substances.
Weather is warm most of the year in Port Charlotte, with temperatures only dropping below 70 degrees from October to November. The area gets its share of hurricanes though. Helene, in 2024, caused significant flooding throughout parts of Charlotte County. Information about storm preparations and evacuation zones is available on the Charlotte County website.
Betty Rohe started selling real estate in 2004. Her interest in real estate began through selling her own home. She now enjoys sharing her knowledge, along with her outstanding customer service skills, with her clients.
With many years of experience as a Realtor, she offers top-notch advice on all aspects of your real estate transaction whether buying or selling or renting a home. Her determination to provide the very best experience to all of her clients is most important; quality, not quantity! She goes above and beyond!
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
