Punta Gorda, Florida Guarantees Good Health

The City of Punta Gorda recovered fully enough after Hurricane Charley in the 2000s that it became a member of the Top 10 Best Places to Retire in Florida at the end of that decade and stayed on the list!

This city with a harbor is one of the healthiest places in Florida to retire. With a population of about 18,000 people, it provides small town life and outdoor living near the bigger cities of Sarasota and Tampa. Water activities are very popular.

Further Hurricane Readiness procedures were put into place for the future after Hurricane Charley, and although Florida is likely to be visited by additional hurricanes, this fact does not cause many people to move away to another state.

Good news is that US News and World Report recently chose Punta Gorda as one of the Healthiest Cities to Retire In around the USA.

The city's name means "Fat Point" and it lies on a wide point of land that extends into a natural harbor, Charlotte Harbor in Charlotte County.

Each December, the city and Chamber of Commerce hold an evening Lighted Boat Parade. Month Trolley car tours of the city are also provided with an hour-long cruise after the land-side tour. A Wine and Jazz Festival is well attended in February of the year near Valentine's Day.

The city has set into motion an ongoing plan of development that includes preservation of period architecture and the recovered wall murals located around downtown on the walls of some of the buildings. The waterfront district is well developed and features museums and city parks as well as restaurants, shops, entertainment, and a variety of services..

Gallery Walk is sponsored on 3rd Thursdays by the Downtown Merchants Association and features entertainment and refreshments as visitors and residents leisurely browse the shops and street vendors. Walking maps are provided. Additional activities are sponsored for the other Thurdays of each month,

Fisherman's Village

This is a combination waterfront mall and boating marina. Shops, upscale dining, sight-seeing cruises, boat rentals, and even jet skiiing are available.

• Punta Gorda Historic Mural Society
• Punta Gorda's Waterfront Mall, Yacht Basin and Marina in Punta Gorda, Florida

  Waterfront vacation destination located in Punta Gorda, Florida. Fishermen's Village has everything for you to enjoy your stay including shopping, dining, boating, and furnished luxury villas.

In 1928, the cross-Florida highway between Naples and Miami that is Tamiami Trail was a huge achievement among engineers and construction companies. Today, it tales travelers to a number of towns and interesting museums like the Muscle Car City Museum in Punta Gorda (Please see video below).

This highway cuts through The Everglades after passing through fascinating places like Ten Thousand Islands.

Through the Punta Gorda Area, the highway is accompanies by a bike-hike trail that runs parallel to it.

National artist Peter Wolf Toth carved the head of Calostimucu for the City of Punta Gorda from the trunk of a dead monkey pod tree in three months.

Mr. Toth planned to carve Native Americans for all 50 states. Calostimucu, the 10th work in the US States series, features a man on one side and a woman on the other. Overhead of the couple is a dream of American Buffalo and the Bald Eagle.

The trail of statues is entited Trail of Whispering Giants and its mission, in part, is to counter the horrors of the Trail of Tears of the 1830s. Toth immigrated into the USA from Hungary and lived in Ohio, where he learned about Native Americans. As he traveled to California, he was further inspired to create a trail of tall statues across the United States in honor of peoples that underwent numerous atrocities.

The trail of statues is entitled Trail of Whispering Giants and its mission, in part, is to counter the horrors of the Trail of Tears of the 1830s.

Toth immigrated into the USA from Hungary and lived in Ohio, where he learned about Native Americans. As he traveled to California, he was further inspired to create a trail of tall statues across the United States in honor of peoples that underwent numerous atrocities.

In addition to its rating as a great place to retire in Florida, Punta Gorda is prominent in its focus on health and wellness at all ages.

Wellness Centers

• The Punta Gorda Club - Includes tennis and a spinal health program besides several others.

Fitness Groups

• Dragon Boaters and Charlotte Harbor Paddlers - this is largely a 55+ group, men and women, that trains in rowing large dragon boats at least three times a week. They compete in the yearly Dragon Boat Festival.
• People of all ages gather in several of the city parks for hiking programs.

Medical Centers and Hospitals

• Charlotte Regional Medical Center
• Deep Creek Rehab and Nursing Center
• Harborside Surgery Center
• Life Care Center of Punta Gorda
• Punta Gorda Hospital

Increasing numbers of retirees continue to work after retirement and some retirees move to Florida with family members that want to work.Punta Gorda is a good place to work and stay healthy.

Fortunately, many jobs are listed in this area and Punta Gorda in within easy access to highway I-75 for commuting. It is also just 100 miles south of Tampa and is part of the nearby Sarasota Labor Market if job seekers are willing to commute.

Consistently, 5,500 - 8,000 jobs are listed year around in the Punta Gorda Area.

The highest demand occupations are in healthcare and mirror those of nearby Naples FL:

Most Frequently Needed Workers Can Find Work As:

1. Dentists and Dental Assistants
2. Physical and Occupational Therapists
3. Registered Nurses (RNs) - Good place for higher-paid Travel Nurses.
4. Retail and Dining Managers and Assistant Managers
5. Physical Therapist Assistants
6. Team Members in Food Service.
7. Physicians and Nurse Practitioners (NPs)
8. Coding Specialists - Healthcare
9. Retail Salespersons
10. Pharmacy Technicians

1. Lee Memorial Health System
2. Fawcett Memorial Hospital
3. Supplemental Health System
4. Winn-Dixie Grocery Stores and Retail
5. Perkins Restaurants/Sunshine Restaurants
6. Charlotte Regional Medical Center - County regional hospital
7. CVS Health/Pharmacy
8. Dollar General/Family Dollar
9. R.e. Garrison Trucking
10. Gentiva Health Services
11. Pizza Hut, McDonald's, Domino's
12. Brookdale Senior Living
13. Bank of America
14. Rush Trucking
15. Temporary Employment Agencies

• Charlotte Tech Center - Port Charlotte
• Edison State College: 8099 College Pkwy, Fort Myers FL 33919
• Florida Gulf Coast University - Fort Myers, with a campus in Punta Gorda
• Impac University: 900 West Marion Avenue; Punta Gorda FL 33950

The following retirement communities have consistently received favorable comments around the Internet:

• Charlotte Harbor Health Care: 4000 Kings Hwy, Port Charlotte FL 33980
• Sandhill Gardens: 24949 Sandhill Blvd, Punta Gorda FL 33983
• South Port Square: 23023 Westchester Blvd, Port Charlotte FL 33980
• Sterling House of Punta Gorda
• Windmill Village Mobile Homes

Temperatures generally hit the mid-90s in the summer and remain in the 60s during the winter in this more tropical part of Florida, so outdoor activities in the water and on the beaches are almost always available all year.

Six city parks and a state park on Don Pedro Island are very popular. Along with an EPA rating that makes Punta Gorda's Charlotte County air the highest quality in the state, all of these activities lead to a higher level of health among residents, including retires.

n addition to golf, tennis, walking and eco-tours in the area, fishing is a tremendously big activity. In the Gulf of Mexico, you can fish for grouper, mackerel, snapper, or tarpon. Within the inland waterways, trout and sheepshead have been easy to catch. If you take a charter boat for fishing, a fishing license may not be required by law. Local fishing tournaments are held throughout the year by the Lemon Bay Rotary Club.

The refurbished Downtown District features nightlife, entertainment and dining as well as cultural pursuits like art galleries and theater.