Port Charlotte is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. The population was 60,625 at the 2020 census, up from 54,392 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Sarasota metropolitan area.

History The Calusa originally settled around the Port Charlotte area. In 1819, Florida was ceded by the Spanish and became a U.S. territory, and in 1845 Florida became the 27th state. For the first 100 years of statehood, the area around Port Charlotte was mostly undeveloped. Maps of the area at the turn of the 20th century show that most of the roads and railroads leading into southwest Florida had bypassed the Port Charlotte area. Aside from some cattle ranches and small farming, the area was mostly uninhabited. This would change when the post-World War II boom opened people's eyes to the possibility of developing land in Florida.

In the 1950s, the now defunct General Development Corporation led by the Mackle brothers decided to take advantage of the Florida land boom and developed land primarily on both of Florida's coastlines. Among the areas they planned and developed was the Port Charlotte area. Ultimately, Port Charlotte became the most populous community in Charlotte County, although like most GDC developments, Port Charlotte remained an unincorporated community.

Port Charlotte was severely impacted by Hurricane Charley on August 13, 2004. The hurricane, predicted to hit Tampa as a Category 2 hurricane, took a last-minute right hand turn and intensified into a Category 4 storm as it made landfall near Charlotte Harbor and caused severe damage in the city of Punta Gorda and in the Port Charlotte area. The storm's maximum sustained winds destroyed almost half of the homes in the county and caused heavy ecological damage to sensitive wetlands in the area.

Just over 18 years later, Port Charlotte was once again severely impacted by a major hurricane, this time Hurricane Ian on September 28, 2022. Ian made landfall as a Category 4 storm in Cayo Costa State Park before moving north-east into Charlotte Harbor, with south-eastern Port Charlotte going through the eye of the storm. Ian caused severe damage to Port Charlotte, mostly wind-related, and to the rest of the surrounding area. Maximum sustained winds of and a wind gust of were reported by a private weather station in Port Charlotte.

Geography Port Charlotte is located at the north end of the Charlotte Harbor Estuary, northwest of the city of Punta Gorda. It is south of Tampa and north of Naples. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (12.01%), is water.

The area of northwestern Port Charlotte where State Road 776 intersects US 41 is also known as "Murdock".

Climate Port Charlotte has a warm humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa) bordering on a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen climate classification: Aw). The summers are long, hot and humid with frequent afternoon thunderstorms. The winters are mild to warm with a pronounced drop in precipitation. Year round, the diurnal temperature change averages around 20 degrees Fahrenheit (11 degrees Celsius).

Climate data for Port CharlotteMonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYearMean daily daylight hours10.511.012.013.013.514.013.513.012.511.511.010.512.2Source: Weather Atlas

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Port Charlotte CDP, Florida – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)39,89042,90344,47485.88%78.88%73.36%Black or African American alone (NH)2,8954,7534,8476.23%8.74%8.00%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1221301290.26%0.24%0.21%Asian alone (NH)5218381,1401.12%1.54%1.88%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)1526330.03%0.05%0.05%Other race alone (NH)57863330.12%0.16%0.55%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)5569432,6601.20%1.73%4.39%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2,3954,7137,0095.16%8.66%11.56%Total46,45154,39260,625100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Port Charlotte had a population of 60,625. The median age was 53.8 years. 15.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 31.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.3 males age 18 and over.

99.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 25,999 households in Port Charlotte, of which 19.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.3% were married-couple households, 17.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 16,077 families residing in the CDP.

There were 29,998 housing units, of which 13.3% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.4%.

+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 46,264 76.3% Black or African American 5,061 8.3% American Indian and Alaska Native 196 0.3% Asian 1,183 2.0% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 36 0.1% Some other race 2,046 3.4% Two or more races 5,839 9.6% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 7,009 11.6%

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 54,392 people, 24,501 households, and 15,658 families residing in the CDP.

2000 census As of the census 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/km). There were 23,315 housing units at an average density of . 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.

In 2000, 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 2000, in the CDP, the age distribution of the population shows 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.

Arts and culture Port Charlotte Library (established in 1961) and Mid-County Regional Library are located here. They are part of the Charlotte County Library System.

Sports Port Charlotte was 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 until 2020. The Rays also hold extended spring training in Port Charlotte, and have a Florida Complex League team which began to play in June 2009.

The Port Charlotte Invitational was a golf tournament held in 1969 at the Port Charlotte Golf & Country Club on the LPGA Tour. Kathy Whitworth won the event.

Government Since Port Charlotte is unincorporated, it is governed by the Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners. 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.

Education

Public schools education is administered by Charlotte County Public Schools. Public schools in Port Charlette include Port Charlotte High School.

Private schools in Port Charlotte include: Family Christian Academy Charlotte Preparatory School Genesis Christian School Joyful Noise Learning Center Port Charlotte Adventist School Port Charlotte Christian School St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School

Technical schools include: Charlotte Technical College Southern Technical College's Port Charlotte campus Southwest Florida Bible Institute

Infrastructure Health care AdventHealth Port Charlotte and HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital are the only two hospitals.

Notable people

Charlie Bachman (1892–1985) – college football player and coach Patricia Barringer (1924–2007) – All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) player Kim Pawelek Brantly (born 1974) – middle and long-distance runner Al Bruno (1927–2014) – gridiron football player, coach, and sports administrator Jeff Corsaletti (born 1983) – Minor League Baseball player Marty DeMerritt (1953–2025) – Minor League Baseball player and Major League Baseball (MLB) coach Doug Dunakey (born 1963) – professional golfer Vinnie Fiorello (born 1974) – co-founder and drummer–lyricist for the band Less Than Jake Jim Fridley (1924–2003) – MLB player Billy Goelz (1918–2002) – professional wrestler Bob Grumman (1941–2015) – poet John Hall (born 1974) – National Football League (NFL) player Vincent Hancock (born 1989) – skeet shooter and Olympian Nathan Handwerker (1892–1974) – founder of Nathan's Famous Anthony Hargrove (born 1983) – NFL player David Holmberg (born 1991) – MLB player Raymond W. Hood (1936–2002) – Michigan House of Representatives member Douglas T. Jacobson (1925–2000) – United States Marine Corps major and Medal of Honor recipient Matt LaPorta (born 1985) – MLB player and 2008 Olympian Asher Levine (born 1988) – fashion designer Barbara Liebrich (1922–2006) – AAGPBL baseball player T. J. Luther (born 2000) – NFL player Walter Minx (1917–2009) – bomb-maker who threatened to blow up a Sears store to extort money Thomas C. Peebles (1921–2010) – physician who discovered the measles virusMartin, Douglas. "Dr. Thomas C. Peebles, Who Identified Measles Virus, Dies at 89", The New York Times, August 4, 2010. Accessed July 18, 2024. "Dr. Thomas C. Peebles, whose D in college biology belied a keen aptitude for medical research that led him to make landmark scientific advances including identifying the virus that causes measles, died on July 8 at his home in Port Charlotte, Fla." René Robert (1948–2021) – National Hockey League (NHL) player Eileen Southern (1920–2002) – musicologist and educator Roy Spencer (1900–1973) – MLB player Chuck Taylor (1901–1969) – inventor of the Chuck Taylor All-Stars sneakers Ted Wegert (1932–1986) – NFL player Pete Whisenant (1929–1996) – MLB player Josephine Wilkins (1893–1977) – feminist and president of the Georgia branch of the League of Women Voters Josh Williams (born 1993) – NASCAR and ARCA driver

References

External links