The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1908-11-19
A SUMMARY OF FACTS
OF INTEREST ABOUT PUNTA GORDA
Information for the HOmeseeker, the In
weston and Those In search OF Health
Rest or Recreation.


formation made by people abroad
the following facts are given:
Punta Gorda is on the Charlotte
Harbor Division of the Atlantic
Coast Line X. r. 2oS miles south of
Jacksonville, 30 miles east of south
from Tampa on the south side OF
Charlotte Harbor, rs miles from rs
mouth, Boca Grande, Its popula-
ton by the State census OF 1905 was
1900, OF whom about 900 are black
people.
There are Methodist, Baptist, Epis-
copalian and Presbyterian churches
with regular services for white peo-
pie, and Methodist and Baptist
churches for NEGROES. A public high
school for white children employs six
teachers and has an enrolment of 27s
pupils. An excellent private school
for primaries Is also well maintain
ed. The negroes have a good public
school, with one teacher and about
IS pupils.
The ad yalorem tax rate Is IS mills
on the dollar to which 8 mills should
be added for b-district school tax.
The total school tax, by the way, Is
III mills on each dollars worth OF
property, viz: county tax, 7 mills,
State, mill, sub-district QocaD 8
mills--which shows how literally the
public schols are supported. People
pay this school tax without murmur-
ing. Exclusive OF The town TAX proper
and the local (3-mill school tax, the
total state and county rate is rs I-2
mills, making grand total tor all
purposes OF 43 liz mills. But prop
erty is assessed at one-third It's
value; hence, on correct valuation
the total tax rate would be less than
IS mills.
The town contains substantial
bank, ali excellent telephone system
with connections all over the neigh
boring counties; postofiice, telegraph
and express Offices; several private
boarding houses, two hotels; oienty
of grocery dry-goods, drug and 9TH
or stores to supply all the demands
of the trade; machine, wagon and
boat shops; ice factory bottling |
works, cigar factory livery stables,
newspaper and job printing office,
bakery restaurants, town hall
flourishing lodges Of Masons, Wood
men and Red Men, three lawyers,
two physicians, three dentists, sew
eral real estate men, etc, etc.
The chief industry is fishing, in
which six wholesale firms with 800
or more men are engaged. Capital
invested in this business is estimated
at $4,000 and the annual shipments
Of fish on ice amount &c 6,5oo,ooo
pounds. The bulk of these are null
Jet, but many pompano, Spanish
mackerel, bass, trout sheep-head,
snapper and other fine food fish are
shipped The oyster business is small.
Next to fishing, the cultivation of
fancy pineapples engages most at
tention, as the profits of this in
dustry often reach $500 an acre and
in several instances have gone as
high as $4,000 Der acre. 1t requires
$500 to properly prepare and plant
an acre in pineapples, but, after this,
5000 a year would cover the cost
of cultivation. The plants bear in
twelve to eighteen months after
planting and continue to bear an
nually thereafter without replanting
for FIVE or six years.
Very profitable and easy crops to
raise are sweet potatoes and sugar
cane, which pay $3.50 to $500 an acre.
Sugar-cane needs to be planted only
once in three to FIVE years. Ii
Oranges, grapefruit, lemons and
lines are successfully grown; so are
some other fruits of lesser note.
Grapes grow naturally. All kinds of
vegetables yield profitable crops.
Prices of town lots and OF lands
out of town vary so greatly that II
is impracticable to give quotations;
but almost any one who does not ex-
pect to find in a new and sparsely ,
settled country like this, the improve
ments and conveniences of Ohio and ,,
Massachusetts,, can find here some
thing to suit him in price and char
acter, whether he wishes improved.or
unimproved property.
The town government consists OF
a mayor, marshal, five aldermen, clerk I
and assessor, treasurer, collector. The :
streets are paved and so are miles of ,
public roads leading into town. We
have more cement sidewalks than any
other town of the same size in the
State.
The location is one OF incompatible
health to which the salt breezes
from the bay contribute. Malaria is
no epidemic has ever visit
ed the town; pneumonia has never
here; even colds are rare.
People who have visited the Sa- =
moan and Hawaiian Islands say that
their climate is duplicated here. In :,
deed, we do not hesitate to say that !,
this climate is the most delightful all !,
climate in America. !,
In winter, the temperature never goes n
below rs degrees and II rarely .
reaches as low as sc, the average for Q
December, January and February be- 8
ing 63. In summer, it never goes
above 90 degrees, the average for I
June. Iuly and August, being "a. 1t G