I live in South Gulf Cove on the north side of the harbor, my wife is a real estate appraiser and currently the SGC area is #1 for permits being issued in the county. Just this past Sunday went to Harpoon Harry's for lunch, was did the complete round trip in 3 1/2 hours, and HH was so friggin busy we were in there for an hour and a half.

The thing I really like about SGC is we have a lagoon in our canal system right before you go out into the harbor, I use it for testing and tuning right from our own boat ramp, also if I decide I am going north I will use the ramp at Eldreds or Placida, then it's just a short drive north to Sarasota.

But today we are going to cabbage key which is south. If you have any questions give me a holler with my offices in Tampa and Ft Myers, I boat a pretty wide path and have lived here over 12 years full time. Vacationing for 20 before that.

Best of luck and enjoy the Holidays with whatever you decide.

We looked at Cape Coral watch out for a lot of special taxes and druiing the peak season lots of traffic to get you to a beach, as for Punta Gorda its nice but its off the main path, we ended up in Bonita Springs and we love the area close to the beaches, and other items. We bought a condo during the down time it has rebounded some but still lots of bargins just you need to take your time and learn the areas. Good Luck

We rented a house with a lift on a chanel in punta for a bout six months when i was their building the new walmart some years back. Really liked the area better than the cape for boating and living as I have also stayed in Cape coral also. Some one already mentioned the Harpon Harry complex also which was fun.

The one main thing about the Cape is it's centrally located, so you can go and see everything as far North as Punta Gorda and as far South as Marco Island in a hour boat or car ride, with Ft. Myers beach right next to you, that's what sold us.

But, there's lots of nice stuff up and down the Gulf Coast.

I lived in the Cape and loved it.

We were on the south west corner which put us bicycle distance from Pine Island which is a barrier island w/harbors, ramps and docks. The Main harbor on the south end, looks straight at I think,Captiva or North Captiva Island.
While living there, we were trailer boating and we launched from Pine Island and was no no idle zones between there and the Gulf.
Cayo Costa Island is a preserve and was our favorite destination. Due West of Pine Island. 9 miles of unspoiled, sugar white sand on the Gulf w/no one there.

I had friends in Punta Gorda but as others have said, it was more expensive than the Cape and out of my range.
Think, "supply and demand". That was my 1st choice.

Punta Gorda: way cool, small sea side town.

Cape Coral: HUGE, new (er), town w/tons of inventory but due to the crash, w/a struggling infrastructure..

They will be priced accordingly.

The Cape has been neck and neck w/us over here on the Treasure Coast (specifically Port Saint Lucie) for highest # of foreclosures and plunging value over the last 6 or so yrs.
For bang for the buck, the Cape is probably the best deal in Fla. Another bonus is there are probably 5 times more canal front homes in the Cape compared to PG.
You do have to be careful though as about 1/2 do not have Gulf access.

As to the boating....., I'd say it's nicer over there than here. The string of islands starting w/Fort Myers Beach and going north all the way to PG and Port Charlotte is some of the most beautiful boating there is. Gulf side or back water side.

I'd live there again in a heart beat.

Good Luck, Gary

What area of PG seems to be the "sweet spot" as far as flood insurance (close to open water, yet not to close to have higher rates). I like PG, as it is so close to the airport for easy in and outs. We spent some time with a good realtor in CC last March looking at some property, but did not pull the trigger as I could just not make it work (we were looking to rent it out to help cover costs). The flood insurance premium increases were a big part of that (at the time nobody really knew the impact). I'd sure love to spend the winters down there in 10 years or so!

It's going to depend on what the Elevation Certificate says (height above sea level, 100 year flood, high water, etc), and I can't think of what the range is off the top of my head...my dad and I were just talking about it too over Christmas.

When I lived there, I had a buddy that did too. Most of it is low.
My hand held GPS said 3' above in his back yard and 7' above for mine ;) We drove around with it one day and found the fire station in our area to be the highest at 11!

In contrast, we are at 22' here in Vero.

Tango, for a frame of reference, search hurricane Charlie in Punta Gorda. They were ground zero.
I was in the Cape and it hit us hard too but nothing close to PG. I was up there a day or two after and it looked like a war zone.
It was ugly.

I live in the cape and love it. Lots of cool eats and drinks. Close to a lot. I don't know of these special taxes previously mentioned and I'm a homeowner. We pay same taxes others do to my knowledge. Lol. My largest issue at times is no boats allowed parked in front of house. However that can be a good thing so people aren't junking up front yards. I have a 15-20 minute idle out if sailboat access canal then I'm in river and on plane. If you have more specific questions let me know.

CF 32- TRying to send you a private message, however, message indicated that your inbox is full and cannot accept messages until some old messages are cleared. Thanks. Steve -