While not incorporated, Port Charlotte and the adjoining area known as Murdock are the most heavily populated areas of the county and, without question, the commercial hub. With Tamiami Trail running through its core, Port Charlotte is home to several shopping malls, featuring all of the major national retailers and dozens of restaurants.
Surrounding all of this hustle and bustle is a vast sprawling residential community that covers almost half of the county. To the east and north, neighborhoods give way to farms and vast rural stretches, while to the west, neat residential plots surrender themselves to the lowlands that grace the edge of the swampy environmentally rich coastline. To the south is Charlotte Harbor and there, visitors will discover a significant boating community, dotted with power craft and sailboats, all poised and ready for a day on the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, much of the area is dotted with lakes, ponds and streams that provide another type of water sport and an entirely different style of fishing.
