I wasn’t sure if this belongs in GQ or IMHO, so I’ll put it here and the Mods can move it if need be.
I’m not too young to be thinking about retirement, nor am I too old to consider moving elsewhere and starting a new career. I have relatives in Florida (Sarasota) and we spend about 3 weeks a year down there. I could seriously find myself moving to Florida. But not to a location too close to my relatives, and not on the east coast. So after an internet search I find Punta Gorda. What intrigues me is how many nice houses there are for sale at rather low prices.
But I don’t want to learn it from a web site, I want to hear from a real person. Can any of you tell me about Punta Gorda/Port Charlotte? Crime? Jobs? Weather (hurricanes?)
I can’t tell you a great deal, but my neighbours last year were a few good ol’ boys from Port Charlotte. Seems the area is full of rednecks with cash… small business owners, farmers, and the like. The people seem friendly, and according to them crime isn’t really an issue. Hurricanes are… the West coast of FL has gotten the brunt of hurricane damage in the last ten years. As a place to settle in, I’d suggest Merritt Island instead- on the east coast, next to Canaveral. Great Place…
I remember Punta Gorda as rather a sleepy little place, but things have changed somewhat. I have heard that Punta Gorda is becoming a bedroom community for Fort Myers, precisely because of low cost housing. It might be worth your while to buy property there now, because it ain’t gonna get any cheaper. So far as I know, Punta Gorda’s crime rate is relatively low, as compared to Fort Myers. You still get the West Coast of Florida experience–that is to say, the “real” Florida and not the cement covered wasteland that is the East Coast. I’m not as fond of Port Charlotte as I am of Punta Gorda, but that’s due to association and pleasant memories. Even so, Port Charlotte is a decent place and I wouldn’t object to living there.