Port Charlotte vs Punta Gorda (Venice, Englewood: low crime, houses, neighborhood)

[southbound2014]

Originally Posted by kyjake39

PC and PG are both nice towns with the average age being higher than most other areas.There are a few nice boat launch sites in both towns so one should take into consideration their location when purchasing a home.When we decided to move here the flood insurance and cost of living on a canal caused us to not do so and sold my boat and bought a condo.After living here and getting to know the area better wish I had bought in a canal so I could have had a boat.

KJ39

Are you saying that there are "only a few" boat launches meaning you "need" a canal home?

I have never had a dock and certainly don't mind towing and launching but at my age I can no longer tolerate the weekend madness that we experience at the landings around here. Just feeling out if it is the same down there.

Thanks for your input.

[TamRE]

Here is the link to the boat ramps in Charlotte County - Community Services

There are not many deed-restricted communities with their own boat launch. There is one in Harbor Heights and one at the Port Charlotte Beach Complex. The newer homes in Punta Gorda Isles are $350k and above. Here is the link to the Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association that has information on buying waterfront property too. Untitled Document PGI Waterways - PGI's Extraordinary Waterways

One nice thing about Punta Gorda Isles is that the city maintains the seawalls, but you pay for it in your taxes. Where if you live elsewhere, you are responsible for your own seawall.

Venice does not have a lot of waterfront, gulf access homes like Charlotte County does. Homes in Venice are more expensive than Port Charlotte but similar to Punta Gorda Isles.

[southbound2014]

HH

That is great info and exactly the kind of info I was hoping to gain here. We do quite a bit of what you said.

When you say "out that way" what area (towns) are you speaking of.

Thanks

[Harbor Hopper]

I listed the towns in my post:

Placida/Englewood/Nokomis/Laurel/Osprey/Venice

We absolutely love it out there, but we got such a steal on our waterfront home in PC that we will stick it out here and do the trailering thing. We have a 32ft cruiser that is for sale, since it just sucks you dry in fuel in maint costs to travel to where the fun is. We got bored of cruising the harbor within the first year living here. Don't get me wrong, it's gorgeous, but there's just nothing to do but drive around wasting fuel, unless I drop anchor and fish on one of the reefs in the harbor. I was amazed that nobody rafts up or anchors out together.

[southbound2014]

TamRe

Thank you for all the information. We are just beginning to do our search but value information from locals who have "been there done that".

I have lived in a beach resort my entire life and know how much mis-information is given to the buyers of real estate. You can view all the properties you want on line and use google earth endlessly but nothing replaces what a seasoned local can pass along to you.

[southbound2014]

HH

Thanks... sorry I read right over that in your first post.

[daFrogMan]

Originally Posted by redfish353

Take Port Charlotte off of your list....you'd be way better off buying an older waterfront home in Punta Gorda than a newer waterfront in Port Charlotte. Without sounding snooty (we are just a middle class working family)...Pt. Charlotte is filled with criminals and trashy people compared to Punta Gorda. To narrow down your decision, visit the supermarkets like Winn Dixie and Publix in Port Charlotte and than shoot across to the Publix's in Punta Gorda. The difference in people is night and day. If you have a lot of tattoos on your face and neck and enjoy cooking meth in your shed, than Port Charlotte would be the better choice. Also, before we were able to save for a canal front home in Punta Gorda...we always launched our boat out of Ponce De Leon park in Punta Gorda and loved it. It's a clean, fairly uncrowded ramp (except for snowbird season) and always has places to park. I know that everyone's taste is different...but Port Charlotte is not a nice area and has a lot of crime. The only plus size is that you can get a huge house on the water compared to what you can get in any other area. Our second choice next to Punta Gorda would be Venice which is absolutely beautiful. ABSOLUTELY stay out of Fort Myers and Sarasota........lots of traffic, extremely high per capita crime rates, and the water is ten times as busy with boats.

I second Venice. However for us to buy waterfront we'd have to have much more $$$.
Port Charlotte DOES have some areas where you wouldn't want to be. However there are some very nice canal homes. Our area is anchored well and don't have any issues. Yes, stop in Walmart around 9 at night in Murdock Cir, you'll be surprised to say the least! Not too long ago there was a bust in PG that you wouldn't think could happen. I think it was a meth lab or something llike that.

I've noticed in FL, they publish just about everything where as other parts of the country it is kept more hush. Heck, they even have a tabloid that shows mug shots from around the counties. That was a first for me.

Keep an eye on 'news hyphen press dot com' and get information about the area. If you do go to the website, use in private browsing. They are a paid subscription site and you only get to read 3 articles before you get locked out. Clearing your cookies does the trick but if you use in private, you don't have to. Just close the browser when you get locked out and open a new in private.

Google earth is great for street view as well.

[daFrogMan]

Originally Posted by southbound2014

KJ39

Are you saying that there are "only a few" boat launches meaning you "need" a canal home?

I have never had a dock and certainly don't mind towing and launching but at my age I can no longer tolerate the weekend madness that we experience at the landings around here. Just feeling out if it is the same down there.

Thanks for your input.

SB, I can say having a dock in the back yard with a boat lift is awesome! I haven't been a trailer sailer for many years and really never want to go back. Was in the big boat arena for a while with a slip. It is nice to come home after a hot day, pop the boat on the lift, hose it off and jump in the pool (after filleting your catch of course).

Drive to and fro, no longer for me. Now in the winter months with the blow out tides, sometimes we can't get the boat off the lift. They you would be better off towing to the ramp(s). I figure if it's so shallow in the canal, I don't want to be out in a harbor I'm not that familier with. Would hate to hit an oyster bar flat out!

[MartyGras]

I dont think you can go wrong buying a place in Punta Gorda

Second Lowest crime rate of any city it's size in Florida.

Drive through Punta Gorda and you will see that the town is very well maintained.

Town wide bike paths

Nice downtown with shops and restaurants

Great parks and events.

The houses in Punta Gorda are well maintained

You will never have to worry that your neighbor will have junk cars and a toilet bowl as a planter on their front yard.

I don't want to sound like a snob but as another person pointed out there is a definite difference in the populations of the two towns

Gary

[chuckycheese]

Punta Gorda Isles is very cool.....no two ways about it. And, it's not really all that expensive... although it may be someday since it's rather unique because of the canals. It seems so unlikely that any development like it will ever take place again in Florida because of all the environmental 'hurdles'.

If anyone is interested, the canal maintenance fee that's added to your property taxes in PGI, is $500 a year. It's a pretty good 'lick', for sure, but it went up only a couple of years ago so I would think it probably won't go up again for a long time. (It was $300 before and that was in effect for quite a few years.)