Port Charlotte gets buzz as retiree haven

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PORT CHARLOTTE - Retirees looking for housing deals are finding them in Port Charlotte, whose reputation as a retirement bargain is once again growing on a national scale.



Where to Retire magazine is profiling Port Charlotte as a "low-cost haven" in its March/April issue.

"This is Florida coastal living at a bargain, with homes at considerably lower prices today than a couple of years ago," editor Mary Lu Abbott said in a news release.

Where to Retire is a national magazine based in Houston.

Aside from housing, the magazine pointed to other qualities of Port Charlotte that are important to retirees: 165 miles of man-made waterways, Charlotte Harbor and nature preserves, recreational activities, volunteering opportunities and a variety of shopping centers and cultural entertainment.

"You name it, we've got it. It's a neat place to retire," Gray said.

Magazine articles can create positive buzz. Last summer, Money magazine ranked Port Charlotte as the best place in the country to retire.