Editing Port Charlotte, Florida (section)

==History==
The [[Calusa]] originally settled around the Port Charlotte area.<ref name="The Calusa: The Shell Indians">{{cite web
| url = http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/calusa/calusa1.htm
| title = The Calusa: "The Shell Indians"
| access-date = 2010-09-22
| publisher = University of South Florida
}}</ref> In 1819, Florida was ceded by the Spanish and became a U.S. territory, and in 1845 Florida became the 27th state. For the first 100 years of statehood, the area around Port Charlotte was mostly undeveloped. Maps of the area at the turn of the 20th century show that most of the roads and railroads leading into southwest Florida had bypassed the Port Charlotte area.<ref name="Charlotte County Maps">{{cite web
| url = http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/maps/pages/10700/f10791/f10791.htm
| title = Charlotte County Maps
| access-date = 2010-09-22
| publisher = University of South Florida
}}</ref><ref name="DeSoto County Maps">{{cite web
| url = http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/maps/galleries/County/Desoto/index.php
| title = DeSoto County Maps
| access-date = 2010-09-22
| publisher = University of South Florida
}}</ref> Aside from some cattle ranches and small farming, the area was mostly uninhabited. This would change when the post-World War II boom opened people's eyes to the possibility of developing land in Florida.
[[File:Charley Landfall.gif|thumb|right|Charley making [[Landfall (meteorology)|landfall]] ]]
In the 1950s, the now defunct [[General Development Corporation]] led by the Mackle brothers decided to take advantage of the Florida land boom and developed land primarily on both of Florida's coastlines. Among the areas they planned and developed was the Port Charlotte area. Ultimately, Port Charlotte became the most populous community in Charlotte County, although like most GDC developments, Port Charlotte remained an [[Unincorporated area|unincorporated community]].

Port Charlotte was severely impacted by [[Hurricane Charley]] on August 13, 2004. The hurricane, predicted to hit [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]] as a Category 2 hurricane, took a last-minute right hand turn and intensified into a [[Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale#Category 4|Category 4]] storm as it made landfall near [[Charlotte Harbor (estuary)|Charlotte Harbor]] and caused severe damage in the city of [[Punta Gorda, Florida|Punta Gorda]] and in the Port Charlotte area.<ref name="Final USGS Report on Hurricane Charley">{{cite web
| url = http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/prodabs/meyers/hurricane%20charley-ddnwrc%20final2rpt.pdf
| title = Final USGS Report on Hurricane Charley
| access-date = 2010-09-22
| publisher = USGS
}}</ref> The storm's {{convert|145|mph}} maximum sustained winds destroyed almost half of the homes in the county and caused heavy ecological damage to sensitive wetlands in the area.<ref name="Final USGS Report on Hurricane Charley"/><ref name="Hurricane Charley may be gone, but it's no mere memory here">{{cite web
| url = http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-charley-punta-gorda-081309,0,1725968.story
| title = Hurricane Charley may be gone, but it's no mere memory here
| access-date = 2010-09-22
| publisher = The Orlando Sentinel
}}</ref>

Just over 18 years later, Port Charlotte was once again severely impacted by a major hurricane, this time [[Hurricane Ian]] on September 28, 2022. Ian made landfall as a Category 4 storm in [[Cayo Costa State Park]] before moving north-east into Charlotte Harbor, with south-eastern Port Charlotte going through the eye of the storm.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Borresen |first=Jennifer |last2=Carlie |first2=Procell |date=2023-01-09 |title=Ian's deadly path: A visual look at how the hurricane devastated Florida region by region |work=[[USA Today]] |url=https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/graphics/2023/01/09/hurricane-ian-destruction-in-florida/10938513002/ |access-date=2023-07-28}}</ref> Ian caused severe damage to Port Charlotte, mostly wind-related, and to the rest of the surrounding area.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sochoki |first=Trevor |date=2022-10-01 |title=Port Charlotte picks up pieces after Hurricane Ian |work=[[WFLA-TV]] |url=https://www.wfla.com/news/sarasota-county/port-charlotte-picks-up-pieces-after-hurricane-ian/ |access-date=2023-07-28}}</ref> Maximum sustained winds of {{Convert|115|mph|km/h}} and a wind gust of {{Convert|132|mph|km/h}} were reported by a private weather station in Port Charlotte.<ref name="0928 23:00">{{cite web |last1=Bucci |last2=Zelinsky |first2=D. |title=Hurricane IAN Tropical Cyclone Update |url=https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2022/al09/al092022.update.09282257.shtml? |access-date=2023-07-28 |website=nhc.noaa.gov}}</ref>