Moving here?  Maybe we can help! 

Below is a brief summary of our area and surrounding towns so that you can make good choices regarding where you want to look for a home.  It will save you time!  Guaranteed!
As a preface, let me say that our area is, of course, Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda, North Port, Englewood, and Venice.  We do not sell real estate but we've lived in these areas for many years.  Every area has a unique personality but in all of them you'll find very friendly and mostly easy-going mid-westerners.
Boaters:  Do you own a boat?  Wish to buy a boat?  Want to fish from your backyard?   Then we need to narrow this field down.  If you have a sailboat, you may want to consider the area near the Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club, Punta Gorda Isles in Punta Gorda, or Cape Haze in the little town of Englewood.   You need deep water and you will have difficulty finding this in some of the other areas.

If you will have a pontoon or fishing boat that only needs about 3 feet of water, consider Port Charlotte on either side of Edgewater.  It's less expensive than Englewood because Port Charlotte is on Charlotte Harbor, not on the Intracoastal waterway.  This area is great because it is half-way between fresh water fishing up the Peace River and salt water fishing in the harbor and bays.  Travel out to the intracoastal and Gulf of Mexico is about 40 minutes. 

If you have a cruiser, you can find about anything you want anywhere.  But keep in mind that the Peace River has many shallow areas so you need to stay between the markers. 

If you are a restaurant hopper, then Englewood is your town.  The waterways take you to 10 or 12 different restaurants.   Although Charlotte Harbor has 3 or 4 restaurants you can visit by water, only 2 are easy to access by boat. 
Golfers . . . Not a boater?  Golf your game?  Well, then Port Charlotte and Sarasota have the best courses.  Sarasota is a very trendy, upscale area with a wonderful downtown area.  The prices in Sarasota are higher than those in Port Charlotte.  There are plenty of great courses everywhere, including Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda, that will fit your lifestyle!
Just want to be a snowbird?  People who fly down in the winter months and return home in the late spring?  Typically a snowbird will  arrive around October 15th and depart around April 10th.  Don't know why they leave us all behind!  Some say its due to tax time; others just miss family.  Whatever the reason, a 2nd home may just be the answer.

There are lots of small homes (1000 to 2000 sq. ft.) with either 2 or 3 bedrooms and 1 or 2 car garages.  Some are even less than $60,000 (2 bedrooms with a carport.)  You can even find a real steal on a canal.  Those, you would find in Port Charlotte off Edgewater.  Come on down!

Moving here permanently?  We'd love to have you!  There are many nice homes all over our area.  By the way, we have some very good Realtors who will gladly show you around even if you are just getting your feet wet!  If you like deed-restricted areas due to the consistent quality they provide, you might want to consider Burnt Store Isles in Punta Gorda and Punta Gorda Isles.    Even if you don't own a boat, their yacht clubs provide a nice social network.  These developments have sidewalks and good lighting so you can walk until your heart's content. 

The downtown area of Punta Gorda is very quaint with many shops, restaurants and pubs.  With its charming brick streets, street lights and murals, you won't want to miss it!  There is a nice area of older, charming homes adjacent to the downtown area off Marion you will want to look at too!

If you are more comfortable in a more rural atmosphere, there are lots of great homes all over Charlotte County for you.
Just want to tinker in the yard, grow some fruit trees and a vegetable garden, visit friends, go shopping and grill out?  Then you can live most anywhere! 

I should say something about Venice.  This area has a quaint downtown area as well.  It is close to I-75 so if you need to travel, this would be a good bet.  They also have a nice beach well-known for its shark's teeth.  No, not more sharks!  Just lots of old teeth!

Cape Coral is where people move who want or need to live near Fort Myers, Sanibel and still need to live near I-75.  Nice area as well!

Let's not forget North Port.  It's not on the water but it is well-known for its Warm Mineral Springs natural attraction.  It is also convenient to I-75 and it has a very large variety of home styles and churches of all faiths.

Englewood is known for its beautiful Beach on Manasota Key.  We call it the Englewood beach.  To get there, take Beach Road from the downtown Englewood area.  Travel to the interstate, I-75, takes about 25 minutes.  Unfortunately Englewood doesn't have any malls or theaters, just a laid-back friendly waterfront little town. 

Port Charlotte has the movie theaters, wonderful shopping mall, many franchise restaurants, just as many local restaurants, lots of pubs, is on the water, and 10 minutes from I-75.  Charlotte Harbor is a small section of Port Charlotte located on Port Charlotte's south end next to the Peace River bridge.   This is where we are and we love it!  Walk over the bridge to Punta Gorda, walk down the road along the water through the county park, launch your boat at any of the many boat ramps, take off to places far far away if you wish or just putter away in your own backyard. 
You just can't beat Port Charlotte!