Punta Gorda Real Estate

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Punta Gorda History, Geography & Real Estate

Punta Gorda, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Punta Gorda occupies a point where the Peace River meets Charlotte Harbor.

The first settlers, the Howard brothers, came to Charlotte Harbor in the late 19th century, about a decade after the close of the American Civil War. The rate of growth in the area has not changed much since then. Less than ten years after the first settlements in the area, railroads rolled into the town of Trabue in June 1886, and with them came the first land developers and Southwest Florida’s first batch of tourists. The town was renamed Punta Gorda (Spanish for “Fat Point”) in 1887.[9]

Punta Gorda became the southernmost stop on the South Florida Railroad, until an extension was built to Fort Myers in 1904,[10] attracting the industries that propelled its initial growth. One man drawn to the area was George Brown, an African-American shipbuilder and landowner, who became one of Punta Gorda’s founding fathers.

In 1887, just 12 years after the first settlers trekked to Charlotte Harbor, 34 men, four of whom were African-American, met at Hector’s Billiard Parlor and Drugstore to discuss incorporation.

Once Punta Gorda was officially incorporated, mayoral elections took place and a council was formed. Four of the five council members elected were not American citizens, and the remaining councilman was a native of Florida, Albert Gilchrist.

In 1890, the first postmaster of Punta Gorda was appointed. Robert Meacham, an African-American, was appointed by jilted lawyer Isaac Trabue as a deliberate affront to the Southern mentalities of the original community. Trabue had come to Punta Gorda to create his own town, named after himself. When the founders incorporated Punta Gorda without Trabue, he vowed revenge. Trabue eventually left the area and returned to his home in Kentucky.

In 1885, phosphate rock was discovered on the banks of the Peace River just above Punta Gorda. Phosphate was a valuable mineral for fertilizers and many other products, and was in great demand worldwide. At first the phosphate was barged down the Peace River to Port Boca Grande, where it was loaded onto schooners for worldwide shipment. But by 1905 it was felt that building a railroad to Port Boca Grande and carrying the phosphate to it by rail should improve the method of shipment.

Early Punta Gorda greatly resembled the modern social climate of various classes living together and working together. While the regal Punta Gorda Hotel, at one point partly owned by Cornelius Vanderbilt, reflected the upper class, Punta Gorda was a pretty rough town, as most frontier towns were. In the early days, Punta Gorda’s location at the end of the railway line made it a popular destination for some pretty shady characters, resulting in around 40 murders between 1890 and 1904.

In 1925, a bungalow was built by Joseph Blanchard, an African-American sea captain and fisherman. The Blanchard House still stands as a museum, representing middle-class African-American life in the area. Exhibits cover political, civic and religious life; founding families; education; and the Civil Rights Movement through vintage photos, newspaper clippings and family heirlooms.

The Blanchard House and Museum of African American History and Culture of Charlotte County highlight the community that thrived from the town’s founding until integration led residents to move away and businesses to close. In addition to exhibits, the museum serves as a community center with a library of books by black writers, a book club, seminars on African-American history and culture, and leadership classes.

Punta Gorda in the 20th century still maintained steady growth. Charlotte County was formed in 1921 after DeSoto County was split. Also in 1921, the first bridge was constructed connecting Punta Gorda and Charlotte Harbor along the brand-new Tamiami Trail. This small bridge was replaced by the Barron Collier Bridge in 1931, and then by the current bridge crossing the Peace River.

Historic places

There are many historic places in Punta Gorda, including ten places on the National Register of Historic Places:

A. C. Freeman House
Charlotte High School
Clarence L. Babcock House
H.W. Smith Building
Old First National Bank of Punta Gorda (also known as Old Merchants Bank of Punta Gorda)
Punta Gorda Atlantic Coast Line Depot
Punta Gorda Ice Plant
Punta Gorda Residential District
Punta Gorda Woman’s Club
Villa Bianca

Geography

Punta Gorda is located at 26°54′57″N 82°2′52″W (26.915907, -82.047820)[11]. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.48 square miles (48 km2). 14.16 square miles (37 km2) of it is land and 4.31 square miles (11 km2) of it (23.32%) is water.
[edit] Area

Punta Gorda is composed of the area south of Charlotte Harbor though some areas north of the harbor, including Deep Creek and Harbour Heights, are generally considered suburbs of Punta Gorda and have Punta Gorda addresses.
[edit] Education

Punta Gorda is home to five public schools operated by Charlotte County Public Schools. They are: Charlotte High School, Punta Gorda Middle School, Sallie Jones Elementary School, East Elementary School and the Baker Pre-K Center.

Also located in Punta Gorda is the Charlotte County campus of Edison State College, which has four campuses in southwest Florida.[12]

Punta Gorda Real Estate

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Additional links for Punta Gorda can be found here: http://www.ci.punta-gorda.fl.us/gov/otherlinks.html