Are you thinking about moving to Port Charlotte and want someone to give you the bottom line of what it's really like to live here? In this episode of Hearty Home, we're going to give you the good, the bad, and the ugly of living in Port Charlotte, Florida. We’ll look at everything from location to lizards so you know exactly what to expect when you get here.
Living in Port Charlotte has its pros and its cons, just like every place. Before we get into the not-so-great things about Port Charlotte, we're going to start by giving you the top five reasons people love living here.
A Small-Town Community
The very first and most popular reason is that Port Charlotte is a small community. With a population of about 64,000 people, Port Charlotte is one of the best-kept secrets in Florida. If you're looking for a small community, don't skip over Port Charlotte.
Everyone here is so friendly and ready to lend a helping hand. According to niche.com, Port Charlotte was voted the third best place to raise a family in Charlotte County. Additionally, the public school systems are above average.
Ideally Located
Now that you know Port Charlotte is a small community, let's get into the second reason people love living here: location, location, location. Port Charlotte is centrally located between Fort Myers and Sarasota and is a great place for all of your water and outdoor activities.
Port Charlotte features more than 165 miles of waterways, providing access to Charlotte Harbor, the Gulf of Mexico, and miles of natural shoreline bordering it. But that's not all: 7 of the 21 golf courses in Charlotte County are found in Port Charlotte.
For all of you baseball fanatics, Charlotte Sports Park is the spring training home for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Beautiful Beaches
I'm sure you already know that the number three reason people love Port Charlotte is the beaches. There are so many great beaches in and around Port Charlotte. Some of the top beaches around are Englewood Beach, which tends to be a little bit more on the quiet, low-key side with plenty of white sands, waves from the Gulf of Mexico, and colorful shells. Englewood Beach is also within walking distance to the surrounding restaurants.
One of my favorite beaches is Gasparilla Island State Park. This beach is perfect for beachgoers, shell collectors, and an angler's paradise. Gasparilla has two picnic areas with pavilions and scenic views of the surrounding waters. You can also check out the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse Museum.
The last beach that is a must-see is Don Pedro Island State Park. This beach is pretty cool because it's only accessible by boat and features beautiful white sand. Get there on your own boat, on a charter boat, or by kayak for an amazing experience.
The Weather
Now that we talked about beaches, let's get into the fourth reason people love living here: the weather. You just can't beat this weather. Come to the place where your best side is outside.
The weather in Port Charlotte is much like other cities along the Gulf Coast. In the winter months from December to February, the temperature can be on average as high as 77 degrees Fahrenheit and as low as 51 degrees Fahrenheit. In the summer months of June to August, the average temperature is a high of 92 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 73 degrees Fahrenheit.
A Fisher’s Paradise
In addition to the beautiful weather, let's get into the fifth reason people love living here: fishing. Port Charlotte is a unique hidden gem of Florida's West Coast fishing. Port Charlotte offers access to freshwater and saltwater adventures, with the most fertile fishing around in Florida.
You can catch snook, redfish, tarpon, grouper, cobia, and much, much more. Port Charlotte and surrounding cities have many fishing charters and boat rentals that you’ve got to check out.
The Traffic
Now that you know a few of the pros of living in Port Charlotte, let's give you the lowdown on some of the cons of living here. Not everything is perfect, and if you're serious about moving to Port Charlotte, you need to know this stuff.
Did you know that Port Charlotte has seasonal traffic from November to May? This is considered in season, and this is the time that we have a lot of snowbirds and out-of-town guests. This creates busy roads and traffic—but don’t be discouraged, there's a break between May and October.
Public Transportation
If you can deal with a little bit of traffic, then maybe you won't mind the lack of public transportation. Port Charlotte does not have much public transportation or fixed bus routes, so most likely you will need a vehicle.
Charlotte County does provide curb to curb transportation services to the general public, but it's for a small fee. This service, however, does not connect to Sarasota County or Lee County's public transportation systems.
Entertainment And Lizards
The next con is that there's no nightlife in Port Charlotte. Most people travel to either Sarasota or Fort Myers. If you don't want to go that far, then Punta Gorda and Englewood have quite a bit of entertainment options.
The last con about Port Charlotte is the flippin’ prehistoric lizards and iguanas randomly roaming around. Don't be surprised to see iguanas sunbathing on your back patio or hanging out in a tree. There are mixed feelings about these reptiles, as they're not indigenous to South Florida or the Gulf coasts, but for the most part, they don't bother anybody.
Make Port Charlotte Your Home
I hope this gave you some insight into the pros and cons of living in Port Charlotte. We help people every day move and relocate here, and we would love to help you, too. If you have any additional questions about Port Charlotte, please don't hesitate to reach out and ask.
If you liked this video and want to receive more videos that are focused on everything Charlotte County, make sure you subscribe to my channel so you never miss an episode of Hearty Home. Stay tuned to see what I feature next!