Punta Gorda Linear Park | |
---|---|
Length | 1 mi (1.6 km) |
Location | Punta Gorda, Florida, United States |
Use | Cycling, Walking, Hiking, Jogging |
Season | Year round |
Surface | Asphalt |
Right of way | Florida Southern/Atlantic Coast Line Railroad |
The Punta Gorda Linear Park is a mile-long rail trail in Punta Gorda, Florida. It runs from Cross Street (US 41) near Helen Avenue southeast though a residential neighborhood to Fishermen's Village. Despite its short length, it connects to the Harborwalk at Fishermen's Village, which runs an additional two and a half miles northeast along the Peace River. It also connects to Punta Gorda's Shared-Use Path along Shreve Street. [1]
The Punta Gorda Linear Park runs along a former Florida Southern/Atlantic Coast Line Railroad right of way. First built in 1886, this railroad line was the Florida Southern's southernmost trackage (the rail line is still in service east of US 41 and is now operated by Seminole Gulf Railway). It was the terminus of the rail line until 1904 when it was extended to Fort Myers. [2] The rail line provided service to the historic Long Dock in Charlotte Harbor (located near the site of the Isles Yacht Club) from 1886 to 1897. Some of the line was reactivated in 1928 to serve the Maud Street City Dock (which is the dock that Fishermen's Village resides on) up until the early 1970s. [3]
Zolfo Springs is a town in Hardee County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,827 at the 2010 census, up from 1,641 at the 2000 census.
U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Highway that spans in the southeastern United States. It runs close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its length, with the exception of the portion between Punta Gorda and Jacksonville, Florida, and the portion from Fredericksburg to Winchester, Virginia, both of which follow a more inland route. Major metropolitan areas served along US 17's route include the Punta Gorda, Greater Orlando, and Jacksonville metropolitan areas in Florida, the Brunswick and Savannah metropolitan areas in Georgia, the Charleston and Myrtle Beach metropolitan areas in South Carolina, the Cape Fear and New Bern metropolitan areas in North Carolina, and the Hampton Roads and Winchester metropolitan areas in Virginia.
The South Florida Railroad was a railroad from Sanford, Florida, to Tampa, Florida, becoming part of the Plant System in 1893 and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. It served as the southernmost segment of the Atlantic Coast Line's main line. The line remains in service today and is now part of the Central Florida Rail Corridor in the Orlando metro area. The rest of the line remains under the ownership of CSX Transportation as part of their A Line.
The Seminole Gulf Railway is a short line freight and passenger excursion railroad headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida, that operates two former CSX Transportation railroad lines in Southwest Florida. The company's Fort Myers Division, which was previously the southernmost segment of CSX's Fort Myers Subdivision, runs from Arcadia south to North Naples via Punta Gorda, Fort Myers, Estero, and Bonita Springs. The company's other line, the Sarasota Division, runs from Oneco south through Sarasota. Seminole Gulf acquired the lines in November 1987 and operates its own equipment. The company's first train departed Fort Myers on November 14, 1987.
The Henry Hudson Trail is a rail trail in western and northern Monmouth County, New Jersey. The trail is named for Henry Hudson, who explored the harbor at Atlantic Highlands and the Raritan Bayshore coastline in the early 1600s. The trail is not near the Hudson River.
The OC&E Woods Line State Trail is a rail trail in Klamath and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is Oregon's longest state park. The trail follows the old OC&E and Weyerhaeuser railroads from Klamath Falls to Thompson Reservoir. Along its 105-mile (169 km) length it passes through the communities of Olene, Sprague River, Dairy, Beatty, and Bly.
Withlacoochee State Trail is a 46-mile (74 km) long paved, multi-use, non-motorized rail trail in Florida located in Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties. It follows along the Withlacoochee River and passes through the Withlacoochee State Forest. It is the longest paved rail trail in Florida.
The Punta Gorda Atlantic Coast Line Depot is a historic Atlantic Coast Line Railroad depot in Punta Gorda, Florida, United States. It is located at 1009 Taylor Road.
U.S. Route 17 (US 17) in Florida is a north–south United States Highway. It runs 317 miles (510 km) from the Punta Gorda, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area northeast to the Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan Area.
U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) in the state of Florida is a north–south United States Highway. It runs 479 miles (771 km) from Miami in South Florida northwest to the Georgia state line north of the Lake City area. Within the state, US 41 is paralleled by Interstate 75 (I-75) all the way from Miami to Georgia, and I-75 has largely supplanted US 41 as a major highway.
The Florida Southern Railway was a railroad that operated in Florida in the late 1800s. It was one of Florida's three notable narrow gauge railway when it was built along with the South Florida Railroad and the Orange Belt Railway. The Florida Southern was originally chartered to run from Lake City south through central Florida to Charlotte Harbor. However, with the influence of Henry B. Plant, it operated with two discontinuous segments that would be part of the Plant System, which would later become part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad.
Punta Gorda is a city located in Southwest Florida and is the county seat of Charlotte County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census the city had a population of 19,471. Punta Gorda is part of the Sarasota-Bradenton-Punta Gorda Combined Statistical Area.
The Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway is a historic railroad line that at its greatest extent serviced Gasparilla Island in Charlotte Harbor and a major shipping port that once operated there. The railroad's principal purpose was to transport phosphate mined along the Peace River and in the Bone Valley region of Central Florida to the port to be shipped. It also brought passengers to the island community of Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island, and is largely responsible for making Boca Grande the popular tourist destination it is today. Part of the line remains in service today between Mulberry and Arcadia, which is now owned and operated by CSX Transportation. Today, it makes up CSX's Achan Subdivision and part of their Brewster Subdivision.
The Legacy Trail is an 18.5-mile (29.8 km) multi-use recreational rail trail connecting Sarasota and Venice, Florida. It runs along a former portion of the Seminole Gulf Railway corridor. The trail runs from the Historic Venice Train Depot to Fruitville Road in Sarasota. The original segment of the trail from Venice to Palmer Ranch opened in 2008 and it was extended to central Sarasota in 2022.
The Barron Collier Bridge is a bridge in Charlotte County, Florida that crosses the Peace River connecting Punta Gorda, Florida and Port Charlotte, Florida. It is 45 feet tall and carries two northbound lanes of U.S. Route 41. The southbound lanes cross the river on the adjacent Gilchrist Bridge. It was named for Barron G. Collier, a wealthy Southwest Florida land owner and entrepreneur.
The Seaboard–All Florida Railway was a subsidiary of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad that oversaw two major extensions of the system in the early 1920s to southern Florida on each coast during the land boom. One line extended the Seaboard's tracks on the east coast from West Palm Beach down to Fort Lauderdale and Miami, while the other extension on the west coast extended the tracks from Fort Ogden south to Fort Myers and Naples, with branches from Fort Myers to LaBelle and Punta Rassa. These two extensions were heavily championed by Seaboard president S. Davies Warfield, and were constructed by Foley Brothers railroad contractors. Both extensions also allowed the Seaboard to better compete with the Florida East Coast Railway and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, who already served the lower east and west coasts of Florida respectively.
Harborwalk is a 2.4-mile (3.9 km) multi-use recreational trail located in Punta Gorda which runs along the Charlotte Harbor and the Peace River.
Fishermen's Village is a waterfront shopping, entertainment, and resort complex located along Charlotte Harbor in Punta Gorda, Florida. It includes over 30 shops and restaurants as well as a resort with 47 timeshare villas on the second floor. It also includes a full service marina. Live music and other forms of entertainment are also common at Fishermen's Village
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's Lakeland—Fort Myers Line was a rail line in Central and Southwest Florida. It was built incrementally in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Parts of the line are still active today.