[Big House]

Originally Posted by 121804

If kids are not part of the move, you guys will adjust fine in PG.

No, there is no beach nearby though you can sit on the docks & look out on the harbor.

Sanibel to your south is about 45 mins though a $6 charge to cross the bridge & then money to park. Some great little delis & shops. You can rent bikes or bring your own. We made a day of it every Sunday on Sanibel. In the summer, though, it was just for a few hours due to the heat. Fort Myers Beach is cheesy in my opionion and has no parking whatsoever.

Siesta Key is about 60 mins to the north. We never made it there but heard it's the best beach on the gulf side.

If you are open to exploring & don't mind road trips, you will find many things throughout the state. Not much in Charlotte County.

Most pools are caged due to bugs & random stuff in the air.

Never saw any deer ticks in PG but did have major issues with the fire ants which were everywhere. Be careful of those! The no see ums....well, I think it depends on the mating season. There are a lot of flying critters. Just be ready for them. Nothing you can really do about it.

(We live next to a state park now & have deer as nightly visitors all the time. This past winter there were 13 in our backyard at one time & they are so acclimatized to humans they stand right there on your patio & stare in your window!!!)

Thanks for the reply - We stayed in Siesta Key a couple years ago, and loved it. My wife and daughters are the beach goers, although I enjoy it too. I can't tell if the girls will want to relocate, althought they will enjoy visiting for sure. My oldest will be a Sr. in college, and my youngest will be starting college next year. We don't mind road trips so we will definitely scout the area out on a regular basis.

I enjoy NFL football, college football, college basketball, and lacrosse. What are some of the closest teams in the area?

[Big House]

Originally Posted by SoFLGal

Wow! I just got back and it's looks like there has been a lot of good advice on this thread from all who have contributed.

When I was referring to PGI as having an older population I wasn't saying that as a bad thing, just stating a fact. I just like to point out all things in an area so if that's not what you're looking for you can move on, or if it's OK with you you can investigate the area more.

If you are into fishing this might be a perfect location for you. Punta Gorda and the surrounding area has some of the best fishing in the world. Also most areas have pretty quick access to the Myakka River and the open waters of the gulf. When I was a kid we used to fish off the shore of the Punta Gorda area and catch all kinds of things-red snapper, snook, redfish, etc.

I saw a mention of beaches-Punta Gorda really doesn't have any really close good beaches. The closest beach would be in Englewood or Ft. Myers.

Yea, and it has been all positive. I watched a PBS television special and it rated two of the top 5 beaches in the area - cool. I really enjoy fishing. I've caught snapper, but never snook or redfish. The Chesapeake Bay gets rough sometimes, and very cold most of the year. The Best fishing season is from March though say September - then it gets tough to get out there. The best fishing on the Bay is for Stripped Bass; which we call Rockfish or Strippers. It is usually 10 degrees cooler on the water than on land.

[121804]

Originally Posted by Big House

Thanks for the reply - We stayed in Siesta Key a couple years ago, and loved it. My wife and daughters are the beach goers, although I enjoy it too. I can't tell if the girls will want to relocate, althought they will enjoy visiting for sure. My oldest will be a Sr. in college, and my youngest will be starting college next year. We don't mind road trips so we will definitely scout the area out on a regular basis.

I enjoy NFL football, college football, college basketball, and lacrosse. What are some of the closest teams in the area?

My husband & I played lacrosse through college. I hope to coach one day.
No lacrosse in SWFL At least not the way it is in the NE & midwest where we are from. It's close to a religion where my dh is from. We miss it & actually bought baby sticks this past weekend to use with our toddler.

As for college football, you'd have to become a UF fan or Miami or something.

Whatever teams are in Tampa or Miami. I stayed true to my teams throughout my life, so I never got into the teams down there.

Lots of tennis,golf & swimming in SWFL.

[Big House]

Where did you play lacrosse? It is a great game. I never played, but love it. There are a lot of high schools and colleges in MD, all around here that play. My daughters' HS is a perennial State Champion. Those players (boys and girls) regularly get scholarships to some of the best schools in the country. I recommend that all girls around here play, because they are almost guaranteed to get a scholarship offer to play somewhere. It is like the colleges have a lot of $$ to give away to womens sports.

[Big House]

Originally Posted by SoFLGal

I believe the average age in Punta Gorda is around 63. I like the downtown Punta Gorda area there are many nice restaurants and shops to look at. Harpoon Harry's in Fisherman's Village is usually one of the most happening places in town. They usually have bands on the weekends and they have pool tables and video game machines. It's a pretty family friendly atmosphere and it's right on the water.

I would not classify Punta Gorda as a high crime area but like most cities there are nicer areas than others.

Punta Gorda Isles has a lot of retirees. I think the average age in there is around 68.

I'm partial to the older section of town across from Gilchrist Park. There are some beautiful historical homes in that area.

That's all I can think of right now

Do you think that with the change over in home ownership that a younger group of people will be moving in? I would say that the neighborhood we are currently in had an average age about that 5-10 years ago, but now it is much younger, with many younger families moving in once the change started taking effect. There was no major cause for the change over, it occured slowly over a couple years, but it is definitely younger now. It seems, unfortunately so, that there are market pressures taking hold that may be increasing the turn-over. There are a lot of homes for sale - that is for sure.

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by Big House

Do you think that with the change over in home ownership that a younger group of people will be moving in? I would say that the neighborhood we are currently in had an average age about that 5-10 years ago, but now it is much younger, with many younger families moving in once the change started taking effect. There was no major cause for the change over, it occured slowly over a couple years, but it is definitely younger now. It seems, unfortunately so, that there are market pressures taking hold that may be increasing the turn-over. There are a lot of homes for sale - that is for sure.

I actually think that that is happening in PGI. I have a lot of younger friends that are moving into PGI and they are saying that many of their neighbors are younger.

[Big House]

Originally Posted by SoFLGal

I actually think that that is happening in PGI. I have a lot of younger friends that are moving into PGI and they are saying that many of their neighbors are younger.

(not sarcastic / point to ponder), that may be a selling point on one hand, maybe not on the other. . . . Everything goes in cycles, younger people will move in, then it will be a young area, and then they will age. I bet when PG and PGI were first getting going, people were in thier young forties and early fifties. The cycle may be heading in that direction again - just a thought.

[121804]

Originally Posted by Big House

(not sarcastic / point to ponder), that may be a selling point on one hand, maybe not on the other. . . . Everything goes in cycles, younger people will move in, then it will be a young area, and then they will age. I bet when PG and PGI were first getting going, people were in thier young forties and early fifties. The cycle may be heading in that direction again - just a thought.

The concern is the lack of professional jobs. There are the typical box stores & waitressing jobs throughout the area. Probably some decent paying admin type of jobs, also. If one is MD of some sort, of course there is something. Other than that, it is a VERY tough area to find employment that will cover a mortgage that goes with the cost of homes in the area. It's tough for a teacher or firemen to pay for a $400k home which is on the lower end in PGI. Right now, majority of homes for sale in that range were built in the 70s. For SWFL, that is ancient It's going to be tough for a young professional to come in & have $20k on the side to upgrade, also.

The main employer for several years had been construction. Now that is at a close to dead halt.

We did talk to a lot of younger people in our condo development that was mainly condos bought & rented out. Most were working in Fort Myers or some random job in Port Charlotte. They were living in PG due to rent. No one was working in PG, though. Then there were 3 families who moved in over the course of 6 weeks due to foreclosure. And our condo development was selling at $400-$599, so they were shady by any means. Just a sign of the times. Our landlord was desperate to get rent money. Just too much inventory in PG. Though this may have changed in the past 6 months & SoFLGal would probably know best.

Bighouse- take a look at the Charlotte County MLS which you can google & access online. You can see what is specifically for sale in the areas for both condos & single family homes. It's interesting. Look at difference b/w homes in Deep Creek & PGI. When you see it in person you will see the difference, also.

[Big House]

212804,

Thanks, I checked out some of the statistics on those sites. Pretty informative. Two questions - on an earlier post, I asked where you and your husband played lacrosse.

Next Question - on one of the news papers, I saw that the county caused the utility company to make budget cuts and staff cuts. Is the utility company in Punta Gorda / Charlotte county regulated by the jurisdiction? We went through a deregulation here - messed up by the State, and now all the tax payers are getting Jacked-Up!

[TKramar]

Originally Posted by SoFLGal

I saw a mention of beaches-Punta Gorda really doesn't have any really close good beaches. The closest beach would be in Englewood or Ft. Myers.

The nearest "beach" is actually in Port Charlotte...but, um, they have a pool right there. The water is nasty...filled with seaweed.

Englewood or Boca Grande...if you want to remain in the county. Venice has a beach...not sure exactly WHERE Siesta Key beach is.