Port Charlotte, Florida, United States

🇺🇸 Port Charlotte is an unincorporated community and place (CDP) in Charlotte County, Florida, United States It is part of the Sarasota-Bradenton-Punta Gorda Combined Statistical Area.

Port Charlotte was named to the "10 Best Places to Retire", in the United States for the year 2012 by U.S. News & World Report.

History The first people to call the Port Charlotte area home were the nomadic Paleo-Indians as they chased big game such as woolly mammoth southward during the last ice age around 10,000 BC. At the time, Port Charlotte was not a coastal area; the peninsula of Florida was much wider than it is today and much drier. As the ice melted, the sea level rose and Florida assumed the shape and climate it has today and the Paleo-Indians gave way to the Calusa, the "shell people". The Calusa thrived on the south-west Florida coast and numbered over 50,000 when the first Spaniards reached the peninsula in the 16th century. The arrival of the Europeans was devastating to the Calusa, as diseases such as smallpox and measles decimated the population. Eventually the Seminole would arrive from points to the north and establish themselves on the peninsula.

In 1819, Florida was ceded by the Spanish and became a U.S. territory, and in 1845 Florida became the 27th state. For the first 100 years of statehood, the area around Port Charlotte was mostly undeveloped. Maps of the area at the turn of the 20th century show that most of the roads and railroads leading into south-west Florida had bypassed the Port Charlotte area. Aside from some cattle ranches and small farming, the area was mostly uninhabited. This would change when the post-World War II boom opened people's eyes to the possibility of developing land in Florida.

In the 1950s, the now defunct General Development Corporation led by the Mackle brothers decided to take advantage of the Florida land boom and developed land primarily on both of Florida's coastlines. Among the areas they planned and developed was the Port Charlotte area. Ultimately, Port Charlotte became the most populous community in Charlotte County, although like most GDC developments, Port Charlotte remained an unincorporated community.

Port Charlotte was severely impacted by Hurricane Charley on 13 August 2004. The hurricane, predicted to hit Tampa as a Category 2 hurricane, took a last-minute right hand turn and intensified into a Category 4 storm as it made landfall near Charlotte Harbor and caused severe damage in the city of Punta Gorda and in the Port Charlotte area. The storm's 145 miles per hour (233 km/h) maximum sustained winds destroyed almost half of the homes in the county and caused heavy ecological damage to sensitive wetlands in the area.

Just over 18 years later, Port Charlotte was once again severely impacted by a major hurricane, this time Hurricane Ian on 28 September 2022. Ian made landfall as a Category 4 storm in Cayo Costa State Park before moving north-east into Charlotte Harbor, with south-eastern Port Charlotte going through the eye of the storm. Ian caused severe damage to Port Charlotte, mostly wind-related, and to the rest of the surrounding area. Maximum sustained winds of 115 miles per hour (185 km/h) and a wind gust of 132 miles per hour (212 km/h) were reported by a private weather station in Port Charlotte.

Geography Port Charlotte is located at the north end of the Charlotte Harbor Estuary, north-west of the city of Punta Gorda. It is 100 miles (160 km) south of Tampa and 65 miles (105 km) north of Naples. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 32.3 square miles (83.7 km²), of which 28.4 square miles (73.6 km²) is land and 3.9 square miles (10.1 km²) (12.01%), is water.

Murdock The area of north-western Port Charlotte where State Road 776 intersects US 41 is also known as Murdock.

Government Since Port Charlotte is unincorporated, it is governed by the government of Charlotte County. The county is governed by a 5-person county commission. They take turns rotating into the commission chair position every year. County commissioners frequently sit on other regional boards involving other municipalities and counties.

Demographics As of the 2020 United States census, there were 60,625 people, 25,925 households, and 16,077 families residing in the CDP.

According to Sperling's Best Places, as of July 2015 the family median income in Port Charlotte was $48,911, and household income was $40,049. The per capita income was $22,681. Port Charlotte's unemployment rate was 5.50%, compared to 6.30% for the United States overall.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 54,392 people, 24,501 households, and 15,658 families residing in the CDP.

Sport Port Charlotte was home to the Charlotte Stone Crabs, which is a member of the Florida State League and Class High-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, which also hold its spring training at Charlotte Sports Park until 2020. The Rays also hold extended spring training in Port Charlotte, and have a Florida Complex League team which began to play in June 2009.

The Port Charlotte Invitational was a golf tournament held in 1969 at the Port Charlotte Golf & Country Club on the LPGA Tour. Kathy Whitworth won the event.

Education Public schools in Port Charlotte are operated by Charlotte County Public Schools. For the 2007-08 school year, all schools in Port Charlotte received A's from the Florida Department of Education. Port Charlotte High School is the only traditional public high school located in Port Charlotte, although some parts of Port Charlotte are considered part of Charlotte High School's area, and students have the option to attend Charlotte Virtual School, a charter school, a special needs school, or a different traditional public high school through school choice. There are numerous private schools in Port Charlotte, including Family Christian Academy (formerly known as Community Christian School), Charlotte Preparatory School (formerly known as Charlotte Academy), Genesis Christian School, Joyful Noise Learning Center, Port Charlotte Adventist School, Port Charlotte Christian School, and St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School. Port Charlotte is home to three small higher education facilities, including Charlotte Technical College, Southern Technical College's Port Charlotte campus, and Southwest Florida Bible Institute.

Library The Mid-County Regional Library and the Port Charlotte Library are located in Port Charlotte. They are included in the Charlotte County Library System.

History • 1961 – Port Charlotte Library was established • 1963 – The Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, and Englewood Public Libraries joined and formed the Charlotte County System • 1968 – The Port Charlotte Library moved to the Cultural Center of Charlotte County, the present location • 1985 – The Murdock Library was established as the library system administrative facility • 1996 – The Charlotte County Library System updated circulation with an automated catalog system • 2005 – Murdock Public Library moved to the new Mid-County Regional Library facility