Rotonda West, Florida facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rotonda West, Florida Rotonda
Unincorporated community CDP
The residential development project that contains most of the town.
Location in Charlotte County and the state of Florida
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Charlotte
Area
• Unincorporated community CDP	11.54 sq mi (29.88 km2)
• Land	10.66 sq mi (27.60 km2)
• Water	0.88 sq mi (2.27 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Unincorporated community CDP	10,114
• Density	949.05/sq mi (366.42/km2)
• Urban	15,600
Time zone	Eastern Time
ZIP code	33947
Area code(s)	941
FIPS code	12-61937
Website	https://www.rotondawest.org

Rotonda West is a special community in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. It is a "planned community," meaning it was designed and built in a very organized way. In 2020, about 10,114 people lived there.

This community is part of the larger Punta Gorda, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. Rotonda West was created and named by a company called Cavanagh Communities Corporation, which bought the land in 1969.

The same company also planned another community called Rotonda East. This was meant to be in southern Martin County, Florida and northern Palm Beach County, Florida. However, that land was swampy. Because of new ideas about protecting wetlands, the project was stopped. The Army Corps of Engineers did not allow them to drain the swamps.

History of Rotonda West

The land where Rotonda West now stands was once a big cattle ranch. It was owned by brothers William and Alfred Vanderbilt. They bought the land in 1952 and sold a part of it in 1969.

The building of Rotonda West started in 1970. The way Rotonda West is designed looks like a wagon wheel. This design was inspired by temporary airfields used in Southern Florida during World War II. These airfields had a circular shape to help new pilots practice landing planes.

The circular design of Rotonda West was also inspired by Walt Disney's idea for a "City of Tomorrow" called EPCOT. Disney shared this idea in 1966.

In September 2022, Hurricane Ian hit this area, like many other parts of Florida.

Rotonda Neighborhood Layout

Rotonda West as seen from the International Space Station

The Rotonda community is divided into eight sections. In the very center is a hub called the Rotonda Community Park and Preserve. This central area is about one and a half miles around.

The hub has a playground, tennis courts, and a walking path. Most of this central area is kept natural. There is also a special area where people can pay to park their boats, trailers, and RVs. A water treatment plant is also located near the RV and boat parking.

The design of Rotonda West was considered very modern at the time. It was inspired by the "garden city movement" in town planning. This idea includes having green spaces and parks throughout the community.

Three main roads circle the community: Parade Circle, Rotonda Circle, and Boundary Boulevard. These roads are not fully connected all the way around. Rotonda Boulevard connects the inner circles to the outer ones. It also links the community to nearby areas.

Seven of the eight sections have names: Oakland Hills, Pebble Beach, Pinehurst, Broadmoor, Long Meadow, White Marsh, and Pine Valley. One section between Oakland Hills and Pine Valley was planned to be called Saint Andrews. However, it was not built because of efforts to protect the wetlands there.

Most sections have a golf course built right into the neighborhood. Oakland Hills, Pinehurst, Long Meadow, and Pine Valley have similar street layouts. Pebble Beach, Broadmoor, and White Marsh have streets that end in cul-de-sacs. There are five golf courses: Pinemoor, The Palms, The Hills, The Links, and the Long Marsh. The Long Marsh course has 27 holes and is part of the White Marsh and Pine Valley areas.

The Broadmoor neighborhood has twelve connected ponds for small boats. Other neighborhoods have shallow canals that link to other sections. These canals pass under bridges on Rotonda Boulevard and Rotonda Circle.

All the homes in Rotonda West are single-family houses, usually bungalows, with attached garages. There are no apartment buildings or shopping centers inside the main community.

Rotonda West covers about 11.5 square miles (29.9 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, but about 0.88 square miles (2.3 square kilometers) is water.

Celebrity Promotion

In 1972, the company that built Rotonda West, Cavanagh Communities Corporation, promoted land sales on a TV show. This show was called Superstars, a sports competition that aired in February 1973.

Later, a famous TV personality named Ed McMahon became a paid spokesperson for Rotonda West. He advertised the community at national events. He even became a Vice President at Cavanagh Corporation. Ed McMahon was given a house near a golf course in the Oakland Hills neighborhood. This house was used to host celebrities during the Superstars competitions.

Climate in Rotonda West

Rotonda West is located in southwest Florida on the Gulf Coast. This means the weather is usually quite mild. In the summer, temperatures often reach the low to mid-90s Fahrenheit (around 32-35 degrees Celsius). However, cool breezes from the Gulf of Mexico help to make it feel more comfortable. At night in the summer, temperatures usually drop to the low to mid-70s Fahrenheit (around 21-24 degrees Celsius).

In winter, it is very rare for the temperature to drop below freezing. Sometimes, there might be a light frost on the ground early in the morning. But this frost quickly melts after the sun rises. Winter temperatures usually average between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit (10-21 degrees Celsius). Summers have thunderstorms, while winters are generally dry.

Population Information

In 2010, there were 8,759 people living in Rotonda West. Most of the people living there were White (97.3%). About 1.9% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

The community has many older residents. In 2010, about 44.6% of the people were 65 years old or older. Only about 10.3% were under the age of 18. The average age was 62.9 years.

In 2017, the average income for a household in Rotonda West was about $47,586. For families, the average income was about $53,680.

Public Schools

Rotonda West is part of the Charlotte County Public Schools district. There are two schools located very close to Rotonda West:

• L.A. Ainger Middle School
• Vineland Elementary School

The high school near Rotonda West is Lemon Bay High School. All these schools are located just outside the community. Both L.A. Ainger Middle School and Vineland Elementary School have received high ratings from the state for many years in a row.

In Popular Culture

A famous baseball player named Reggie Jackson visited Rotonda in 1977 for a "Superstars" TV sports competition. During an interview, he made a joke about the community. He said, "I gotta take a Rotonda," when he needed to use the bathroom.

See also

In Spanish: Rotonda (Florida) para niños