Relocating - Seeking info from our future neighbors! (Cape Coral, Port Charlotte: fit in, for sale)

[cpence]

Hi, all.
Hope you all can offer some help regarding the area. I've been posting in other forums, so my apologies if you've seen this elsewhere.
Newly retired, now in NW Illinois. Looking to move to warmer climes. Family on east coast, but a little distance is good and I like poking around the back-waters in a kayak with flyrod in hand. Also big on in-shore fishing (snook, tarpon, redfish) but very lousy at it. Mostly just live to be on the water in one form or another.
Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Cape Coral or Fort Meyers seem to be the best fit. Do not like high-rises and crowded beaches, do like natural areas and great sunsets. Wife loves the Sanibel beaches and occupying them, armed with an umbrella and her Kindle. Would like to discover other good places for her to conquer. Are we right about the PC-PG-CC area?
Any comments regarding community/senior activities, hospitals & doctors, shopping, bike paths, parks, beaches, boat launches, fishing (or warnings about all the above and the pitfalls of relocating in the area) would be welcomed. Dream home would be on water (canal with access to the bay, or decent sized lake) @ 200K plus or minus. The neighborhood and the neighbors are the most important things, though - no fun without a safe location and good people and kindred spirits nearby! We'd also like to be involved in the gulf coast recovery from the oil spill and eco-system preservation/restoration in the area.
Thanks in advance. Looking forward to "meeting" you all!

[TamRE]

Most of the homes in PGI will be over your price range, but there may be a few in Punta Gorda. You can join the PGI Civic Association - Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association. You may want to look near Ohara and Edgewater area in Port Charlotte. There is so much to do in this area as far as fishing, boating, shopping, hospitals, parks, golf, tennis, and more. There are no Gulf beaches in Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte. You would have to travel 40-45 minutes to Englewood or Venice beach.

Punta Gorda has a lot of local restaurants and great parks as well as fishing and boating and a bike path around the city. Port Charlotte has the Town Center Mall and shopping in strip malls all up and down US 41. There is a senior center in Port Charlotte - The Cultural Center of Charlotte - County -The Cultural Center of Charlotte County, Inc., Home. There are two hospitals in Port Charlotte and one in Punta Gorda.

Read more about the area on the following sites:

Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce - Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce: Home Page
City of Punta Gorda - City of Punta Gorda Florida
Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce - Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce || Port Charlotte, Florida
Charlotte County - Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce || Port Charlotte, Florida

[mary3g]

Hi cpence,
We just bought a home in Charlotte Park. It is on a canal and we have wonderful neighbors. While PGI may be out of your price range, this area is on the edge of PGI and there are homes fitting your bill. When we were looking for a home all the realtors wanted to show us Port Charlotte while I was insisting on looking here. Finally found a home I loved, and we were one day late bidding on it! We decided to search for a home ourselves and found an even better place a couple of streets away. To show you how nice the neighbors are... a couple days after we closed I asked my hubby to drive by the house we were too late for. The gentleman who bought it was in the yard. We stopped to congratulate him on his home. He actually has another home in the area but said this area (Alligator Creek) allows him to get fishing faster, so he decided to buy here. Then he told us that the next time we are down, he would love to take us out to all the best fishing spots and help us learn to navigate the waters!!! We were blown away. Just about everyone on our street came over to introduce themselves. The area is like a hidden gem. There are many mobile homes, but a conventional home can be built. There is one going in on our street right now.
My humble opinion.

[cpence]

Thanks for the replies and tips, Mary and TamRE. I appreciate them very much. We'll investigate Charlotte Park, Mary.

Just wondering whether you folks have any gripes about the various locations in and around PG/PC? Would you warn us away from any areas? The Isles aren't out of the picture. We can dig a little deeper into the ol' nest egg, if we have to. The big thing, really, is neighborhood and neighbors. We won't be happy if we don't fit in, and probably won't fit too well unless we're with down to earth "just plain folks" like ourselves. We're not too concerned about crime, but we are worried about doctor shortages in the future due to the Affordable Care Act. Kind of torn between living on/near water and the possiblity of flood or wind damage from hurricanes, too. Is there really any difference between living a little way "in" but still on a canal, and living closer to the bay, like in the Isles? I live to be on the water, and having close access to the bay would be a big plus. Mopping up after a storm is a big negative, though. Not to mention paying the insurance premiums.

[TamRE]

Here is some basic information on flooding if that is one of your concerns.
Flooding can occur even if you don’t live near a river, lake, or ocean? Areas most prone to flooding are barrier and offshore islands, areas near rivers, creeks, or canals, and low areas including those with elevations of less than 10 feet above mean sea level. Punta Gorda Isles is in a flood zone.

If you are looking to buy a home in the state of Florida, you need to check the flood hazards before you buy. One place you can begin is www.floodsmart.gov. Type in an address of a property you are interested in and it will give you the flood rating, range of rates and some insurance agencies to contact.

Another way to find out about flooding before you commit to buying a home is to check with the local county emergency management department. In Charlotte County, FL the web site is: http://www.charlottecountyfl.com/Emergency/Flooding/. It provides a storm surge map, flood zone map, and general flood information such as flood safety.

If the property you plan to purchase is within a flood zone, you can purchase National Flood Insurance through a property insurance agent. If the property is located in a flood plain, flood insurance is required when you obtain a mortgage. You will also have to pay to get an elevation certificate.

[MartyGras]

We just purchased a house in Punta Gorda.
Our neighbor hood is great the neighbors are very friendly and everyone knows everyone else.
All of the houses are on the water and some have pools.

There is a community pool and tennis courts and every Wednesday night the neighbors get together at the pool to drink their favorite drink eat some snacks. There is an HOA but not very restrictive and the yearly HOA fee is only $600 per year.

Here is a link to some properties in the area

Real Estate & Homes for Sale - Zillow

Good luck with your search

Gary

[MikeM8560]

Originally Posted by cpence

Hi, all.

Newly retired, now in NW Illinois. Looking to move to warmer climes.............We'd also like to be involved in the gulf coast recovery from the oil spill and eco-system preservation/restoration in the area.

we didn't see any oil

[cpence]

Thanks, Tam, Marty and Mike. Very helpful. We'll follow up with your links, TamRE.