Port Charlotte

Port Charlotte, Florida
—  CDP  —
Location in Charlotte County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 26°59′25″N 82°6′21″W / 26.99028°N 82.10583°W / 26.99028; -82.10583
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Charlotte
Area
- Total	23.9 sq mi (61.9 km2)
- Land	22.3 sq mi (57.8 km2)
- Water	1.6 sq mi (4.1 km2)
Elevation	3 ft (1 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	46,451
- Density	1,943.6/sq mi (750.4/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	33900-33999
Area code(s)	941
FIPS code	12-58350[1]
GNIS feature ID	0289233[2]

Port Charlotte is a census-designated place (CDP) in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. The population was 46,451 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Punta Gorda Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Port Charlotte is located at 26°59′25″N 82°6′21″W / 26.99028°N 82.10583°W / 26.99028; -82.10583 (26.990181, -82.105831)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 23.9 square miles (61.9 km²). 22.3 square miles (57.8 km²) of it is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²) of it (6.66%) is water.

History

The Port Charlotte area was largely planned and developed by the now-defunct General Development Corporation, which also developed many other subdivisions and municipalities along Florida's west coast. Port Charlotte is not a chartered municipality but is, however, the most-populated area in Charlotte County.

Port Charlotte is home to the Port Charlotte Town Center Mall, the Charlotte County Administration Center (home of the Charlotte County Commission chambers) as well as Charlotte Sports Park which is the current spring training home of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Port Charlotte was hard hit by Hurricane Charley on August 13, 2004. The hurricane, predicted to hit Tampa, took a last-minute hard right turn into Charlotte Harbor and caused severe damage in the city of Punta Gorda and in the Port Charlotte area.

Government

Since Port Charlotte is unincorporated, it is governed by the government of Charlotte County. The county is governed by a 5-person county commission. They take turns rotating into the commission chair position every year. County commissioners frequently sit on other regional boards involving other municipalities and counties.

Sports

Port Charlotte is home to the Charlotte Stone Crabs, which is a member of the Florida State League and Class High-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, which also hold its spring training at Charlotte Sports Park. The Rays also hold extended spring training in Port Charlotte, and have a Gulf Coast League team beginning play in June 2009.

Education

Public schools in Port Charlotte are operated by Charlotte County Public Schools.^[4] For the 2007/2008 school year, all schools in Port Charlotte have received "A"s from the state department of education.^[5] Port Charlotte High School is the only public high school located in Port Charlotte, but not the only high school in Charlotte County.^[6]

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 46,451 people, 20,453 households, and 13,601 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,085.9/sq mi (805.3/km²). There were 23,315 housing units at an average density of 1,047.0/sq mi (404.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 89.23% White, 6.53% African American, 0.28% Native American, 1.14% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.18% from other races, and 1.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.16% of the population.

There were 20,453 households out of which 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.71.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 18.7% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 21.0% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 30.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $33,193, and the median income for a family was $38,406. Males had a median income of $29,019 versus $21,892 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,563. About 7.3% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over. The Herald Tribune stated in an article October 11, 2007, Charlotte County had the region’s highest unemployment rate at 5.8 percent in August, outstripping both the national and state averages.

Notable Residents

• Chris Demakes, the lead singer and guitarist of the ska band Less Than Jake, grew up in Port Charlotte.^{[citation needed]}
• John Hall, former Kicker of the National Football League's Washington Redskins; attended Port Charlotte High School^[7]
• Vincent Hancock, Olympic gold medalist at the 2008 Summer Olympics, was born in Port Charlotte.
• Anthony Hargrove, NFL Defensive End currently playing for the New Orleans Saints; attended Port Charlotte High School.^[8]
• Matt LaPorta - MLB Left Fielder currently playing for the Cleveland Indians, on US Olympic baseball team for 2008 Summer Olympics; attended Port Charlotte High School and Charlotte High School
• Wayne Rooney - Professional soccer player for Manchester United F.C. of the English Premier League owns a home in Port Charlotte with his wife Colleen McLoughlin.

References

External links

• Port Charlotte, Florida is at coordinates 26°59′25″N 82°06′21″W / 26.990181°N 82.105831°W / 26.990181; -82.105831 (Port Charlotte, Florida)Coordinates: 26°59′25″N 82°06′21″W / 26.990181°N 82.105831°W / 26.990181; -82.105831 (Port Charlotte, Florida)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Charlotte County, Florida County seat: Punta Gorda City Punta Gorda CDPs Charlotte Harbor | Charlotte Park | Cleveland | Englewood‡ | Grove City | Harbour Heights | Manasota Key | Port Charlotte | Rotonda West | Solana Unincorporated communities El Jobean | Placida | Deep Creek Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties