in tribute to the Queen Charlotte Sophia, wife of King George III. Punta Gorda is the only incorporated city in Charlotte County.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 141,627 people, 63,864 households, and 44,130 families residing in the county. The population density was 204 people per square mile (79/km²). There were 79,758 housing units at an average density of 115 per square mile (44/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.58% White, 4.39% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. 3.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 92.3% spoke English, 3.0% Spanish and 1.1% French as their first language.

In 2005 the population was 88.8% non-Hispanic white, 5.3% African-American, 4.2% Latino and 1.1% Asian.

There were 63,864 households out of which 17.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.56.

In the county the population was spread out with 15.70% under the age of 18, 4.50% from 18 to 24, 18.80% from 25 to 44, 26.40% from 45 to 64, and 34.70% who are 65 years of age or older (making this the county with the highest percentage of people over 65 in Florida). The median age is 54 years. For every 100 females there were 91.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,379, and the median income for a family was $42,653. Males had a median income of $30,309 versus $22,273 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,806. About 5.30% of families and 8.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.00% of those under age 18 and 5.00% of those age 65 or over.

According to an October 2001 Census Brief of the 2000 Census, Charlotte County had the highest median age of any U.S. county with a population of more than 100,000 people at 54.3.

Economy
Tourism is a major economic driver in the area. In addition, many seasonal residents live in the area during the winter months, as temperatures in south Florida stay very moderate during that time of year.

Attractions
Beaches in the following locales:

• Bonita Beach
• Cape Romano
• Fort Myers Beach
• Longboat Key, offshore from Bradenton and Sarasota
• Marco Island, offshore from Naples
• Naples
• Sanibel and Captiva Islands, offshore from South Fort Myers (renowned for the quality of shells that wash ashore)
• Sarasota
• Siesta Key
• Ten Thousand Islands
• Venice (renowned for sharks' teeth that wash ashore)

Attractions including:

• Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation (where the Seminole nation operates a sizable casino)
• Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers
• Lake Okeechobee renowned for fishing and ecotourism.
• Naples Botanical Garden
• Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens
• Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota
• St. Armand's Circle in Sarasota

Transportation
Southwest Florida is served by several major highways, including the Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) and the Interstate 75 freeway, both of which connect the area to Tampa to the north, and Fort Lauderdale/Miami to the east. Long-term cooperative infrastructure planning is coordinated by the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council (web site), and in heavily populated Lee County, the Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Greyhound Lines serves several locations in Southwest Florida, including Bradenton, Fort Myers, Naples, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda and Sarasota.

Southwest Florida International Airport, located in South Fort Myers, served over 7.6 million passengers in 2006 and offers non-stop flights to 3 cities in Europe and 2 in Canada, in addition to 36 domestic airports. The area's secondary airport, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, served 1.42 million passengers in 2006.

The Port of Manatee provides a full range of port services for commercial, industrial and cruise ship purposes.

Seminole Gulf Railway provides freight services throughout Southwest Florida.