Located just north of Fort Meyers and about 45 minutes from the Southwest Florida International Airport, Punta Gorda is easily accessible from any where in the country. For more flight flexibility as well as the more sophisticated services and amenities of a true metropolitan area, the Tampa/St Pete/Clearwater metro area is also slightly less than two hours to the north.
The Punta Gorda area also offers a more reasonably priced, less crowded alternative to their pricier neighbors of Naples, Sanibel/Captiva just slightly to the south. Uniquely for boaters, Punta Gorda's location on Charlotte Harbor is quickly accessible to those island communities as well as the well-known cruising and fishing waters of the Pine Island sound and Boca Grande Inlet (of Hemmingway fame and major swordfishing activity).
Check out the Topretirement.com website. The Port Charlotte/ Ft Meyers/Cape Coral/Naples areas represent four of the top 100 picks in the entire country. Nearby Sanibel/ Captiva was also on the list last year. Thus, southwest Florida’s Charlotte Harbor’s area continues to be one of the most desirable areas in the country despite hitting some hard times. Several years ago, Punta Gorda was rated Top Place to Retire by Money Magazine. In 2004 Hurricane Charlie struck a direct hit, laying waste to the entire town and it fell off everyone’s radar. Two years later the unthinkable happened, a second hurricane followed almost the same path, making it only the second hurricane in over 30 years to hit the area. Punta Gorda, still reeling from the first, continued rebuilding. Today, the town is even better than it was 10 years ago, with a modern infrastructure supporting new parks, marinas and a revitalized town center and restored historic district.
Now US News & World Report names Punta Gorda #7 in the top “most affordable places to retire”. In addition, they’ve rated it # 6 in terms of “best retirement real estate steals” in this economy, indicating a pretty strong long-term potential, despite the current economy.
Boating oriented – a significant number of “sailboat access” lots afford good depths and the unique feature of having your boat at the dock in the backyard. You can buy into a development of houses clustered around a golf course anywhere (BSI has one of those too), but if you’re a boater, there’s nothing better than this.
Protected waterways – as the way BSI shrugged off the ravages of Charlie indicate, the site offers a good combination of easy gulf access AND hurricane-proof protected berthing. There used to be a lock off the Alligator Creek, it was removed long ago, but the remaining restricted opening protects the inner waterways from storm surges or strong tidal influences.
Canal waterfront – The old adage “They ain’t making any more waterfront” is always true. But even more so in Florida, which was razed by get-rich developers. Older canal developments were often done without adequate consideration of natural water circulation. As a result, many are stagnant backwater mosquito breeding areas with recurring areas of floating debris. In addition, lot sizes (smaller) and layouts (postage stamp sameness) are much less appealing. BSI’s curving canals allow for more natural waterflow, with far less landlocked “dead-ends”, in addition, open flow to the nearby mangrove areas keep the water naturally cleaner. The canals are also wider, for the most part. Most of BSI’s lots are also large enough and sufficiently varied so as not to have you looking directly into the neighbor’s bathroom.
Bulkheaded lots – designed from the start, these lots are more durable and erosion-resistant than an uncontrolled mix of riprap and rotting wooden bulkheads. And the wide canals allow for building of floating docks without cramping waterway space for passing vessels.
Deed restricted community – Opinions vary, but I for one do not want the value of my property diminished by my neighbor letting his go to seed or building some tacky monstrosity. I also appreciate the fact that my side yard view can’t be blocked by someone’s rusting RV or “old wooden boat” project. I believe driveways should be used for short-term guest parking and garages should be used to house vehicles, not provide overflowing storage space or low rent additional bedding areas. If you don’t share these feelings, there are many other places in Florida that you can buy where you can hate your neighbors forever.
