The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1908-09-24
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., 2o5 miles south of
Jacksonville so 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
1000, 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 FPS
pupils. An excellent private s:hool
Tor primaries is also we'll maintain
cd. The negroes have a good public
school, with one teacher and about
IS pupils
The ad valorem tax rate is IS mills
on the dollar, to which 8 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, 7 mills,
State, mill, sub-district QocaD 3
mills--which shows how literally the
public schools are supported, People
pay this school tax without murmur-
ing. Exclusive OF the town tax proper
and the local (3-milD school tax, the
total state and county rate IS rs l-2
mills, making a grand total tor al'
purposes of "a IL mills. But prop
erty is assessed at one-third ITS
value; hence, on a correct valuation
the total tax rate would be less than
IS mills.
The town contains a substantial
bank, an excellent telephone system
with connections all over the neigh
boring counties; postothce, telegraph
and express ofhces several private
boarding houses, two hotels; olenty
of grocery, dry-goods, drug and 9th
err stores to supply all the demands
OF the trade; mac hine, wagon ana
boat shops ice factory, bottllng
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 900
or more men are engaged. Capital
invested in this business is estimated
at $4,000 and the annual shipments
of fish on ice amount tc 100000
pounds. The bulk of these are null
let, 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 per acre, 1t requires
$1,000 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.
Sugar-cane 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
vegetables yield profitable crops.
Prices of town lots and OF lands
out of town vary so greatly that 1t
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
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
unknown; no epidemic has ever visit
ed the town; pneumonia has never
appeared 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
the-year-round climate in America.
In winter, the temperature never goes
below IS degrees and it rarely
reaches as low as SO, the average for
December, January and February be-
ing g. In summer, it never goes
above 90 degrees, the average for
June, July and August, being 81. 1t