The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1908-12-17
A SUMMARY OF FACTS
OF INTEREST ABOUT PUNTA GORDA
Information for the HOmeseeker, the In
weston and Those In search Of Health
Hest or Recreation.

Punta Gorda is on the Charlotte
Harbor Division of the Atlantic
Coast Line h. r.. 2os miles south OF
Jacksonville, 90 miles east OF south
from Tampa on the south side OF
Charlotte Harbor, IS miles from rs
mouth, Boca Grande. Its popula-
ton by the State census OF 1905 was
1900, OF whom about 800 arc black
people
There are Methodist, Baptist, Epis-
copalian and Presbyterian churches
with regular services for white peo-
plei and Methodist and Baptist
churches for NEGROES A public high
school for white children employs six
teachers and has an enrolment OF a2S
pupils. An excellent private school
for primaries is also well maintain
cd. The negroes have a goYd public
school, with one teacher and about
IS pupils.
The adj valorem tax rate is IS mills
on the dollar, to which 5 mills should
be added for sub-district school tax.
The total school tax, by the way, IS
III mills on each dollars worth OF
property, viz; county tax, Z mills,
State, mill, sub-district QocaD 8
mills--which shows how literally the
public schools are supported. People
pay this school tax without murmurr
ing. Exclusive OF The town tax proper
and the local (3-milD school tax, the
total state and county rate is rs ~
mills, making a grand total for all
purposes of 43 la mills. But prop
erty is assessed at one-third its
value; hence, Of correct valuation
the total tax rate would be less than
rs mills.
The town contains substantial
bank, an excellent telephone system
with connections all over the neigh
boring counties; postoiiice, telegraph
and express Offices; several private
boarding houses, two hotels; olenty
of grocery, dry-goods, drug and 9TH
or stores toe 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;
Aourishing 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 to 0,5oo,ooo
pounds. The bulk OF these are null.
let, but many pompano, Spanish
mackerel, bass, trout, shecp-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 per acre. 1t requires
$500 to properly prepare and plant
an acre in pineapples, but, after this,
$500 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.
needs to be planted only
once in three to five years.
Oranges, grapefruit, lemons and
lines are successfully grown; so are
some other fruits of lesser note.
Grapes grow naturally. All kinds Of
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
lcter, whether he wishes improved.or
property. /,
The town government consists of (
/ mayor, marshal, five aldermen, clerk
and assessor, treasurer, collector. The
streets are paved and so are miles OF
public roads leading into town. We I
rave 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 !
rom. the bay contribute. Malaria is
Unknown; no epidemic has ever visit
ID the town; pneumonia has never
appeared here; even colds are rare.
People who have visited the Sa-
moan and Hawaiian Islands say that
heir climate is duplicated here. In
Iced, we do not hesitate to say that
his climate is the most delightful all
climate in America. 8
m winter, the temperature never goes I
Yellow IS degrees and il rarely
caches as low as 60, the average for
December, January and February be-
ng O.. In summer, II never goes q
lbove 90 degrees, the average for E
une, July and August, being g. II a
5 easy to sleep at any hour OF the {
lay or night, summer or winter. In
Iced, the nights in summer are often
"A =