Englewood : Florida

Englewood is a small town on the Gulf coast of Florida, just south of Venice and west of Port Charlotte. The town is very popular with retirees (average age is 62) and snowbirds, some of whom come from England and Europe. Although the population is 18,000 it swells to several times that in the winter. Englewood Beach (previously known as Chadwick Beach) is one of four beaches here. Rotonda West and Placida are 2 smaller communities just to the south. All are located on Manasota Key, a barrier island on southwest Florida's coastline. Just below this Key is Gasparilla Island (Boca Grande) is an extremely affluent resort and charming community off the beaten path. These communities are considered Port Charlotte on tax records but are quite different. The long road to these areas from Port Charlotte leaves many to never explore this area.

There are two State Parks including Stump Pass Beach State park and miles of fishing along Lemon Bay and the Charlotte Harbor Estuary. There are many professional golf courses as well as tennis and all the water sports. The many parks offer a chance to relax and excellent bird watching opportunities. Photos courtesy of Rich Phillips.

Englewood is an old time Florida town and low key beach town. Homes are inexpensive. Nearby Gasparilla Island is a beautiful place. The Englewood Sports Complex has very extensive community facilities.

There is not as much going on in Englewood as in neighboring places like Venice or Fort Myers, and the average age of the population is quite high at 67 years.

As a resort you will find restaurants in different resort locations. Festivals include the annual Spring Arts Festival and the Cruzin' on Dearborn, a classic car show. The Elsie Quirk Public Library is a vital resource with its Monday night movie nights, interlibrary loan, public computers and of course, free wi-fi. The Lemon Bay Playhouse is the community theater, while the Englewood Art Center has galleries, classes, workshops, and lectures.  The Arts Alliance of Lemon Bay has shows. Nearby Venice and Sarasota have all of the culture you could want.