[WOLDE SEMAYAT]

I got a job offer in a place called Immokalee. Any idea how it is there and the housing situation and the general life. Will be grateful for any information.

[TANaples]

It's in northern collier county near the border with lee county. Pretty much it is migrant farm area. The seminole casino is there, along with the reservation. I don't know if you have a family, but the schools in that area are Title 1 which means the population is needy, non english speaking, and transient (migrant). North Naples, still part of collier, is a much better area. Specifically, not much farther north of Immokalee Road. You could probably also live in Lee County too working there. However, I don't know much about that area of Lee. There are a number of developments in this area, which wouldn't be too much of a drive. Some are more expensive than others. The schools are better also in North Naples. It just depends on your situation and what you are looking for.

[FLBob]

I worked in Immokalee about 10 years ago. The main industry is agricultural packing houses. Lots of truck traffic, bringing crops from the fields and the packed vegetables off to the stores.
There is a cultural mix, which I enjoyed.
Most housing was modest.
I commuted from Naples. Everyone who could afford to commuted to Immokalee.

[WOLDE SEMAYAT]

What are the average house rentals in this area and how difficult is it to get a decent place to live? I do have three kids- 1st and 8th grades so school info is also helpful. Info on population demographics is also appreciated. thanks.

[TriMT7]

I think you might want to look into commuting into Immokolee from somewhere else. I know that the big migrant population causes problems for schools. The migrants are usually/often indigenous Central Americans who don't alwys even speak Spanish, so it's difficult for teachers.

[WOLDE SEMAYAT]

Thanks TriMT7. Maybe Fort Myers or Naples ? Dont know anything about either of them too.

[RMD3819]

All the above posters are correct. There is a small middle class area of Immokalee. Schools consistently have poor scores and a low graduation rate. A few years ago their were fifty girls in the teen parenting program in the high school. That was more than all of the other high schools combined.

Housing-there are some brand new developments that are very nice located around migrant housing. Other than this, it will be near impossible to find anything decent. Nearly everything else for rent is migrant housing.

Demographics: http://www.city-data.com/city/Immokalee-Florida.html

A new area called Ave maria is being developed just outside of Immokalee. This area is beautiful and would be a very easy commute. The eastern part of Golden Gate Estates would be OK. Lehigh is about 20-25 miles away and has some bad areas. Fort Myers is even further. North Naples is about 30 miles west. Although a straight shot, the gas costs would be bad, although many people make this commute.

Where will you be working?

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by WOLDE SEMAYAT

I got a job offer in a place called Immokalee. Any idea how it is there and the housing situation and the general life. Will be grateful for any information.

You basically have two choices...

Commute from Naples on the west coast, or commute from Weston on the east coast. Both cost around the same to live and have that well manicured look yet do have completely different vibes. I think your commute would be about the same from each side (since you could be taking a highway from the east side versus local roads), except for the fact that you wouldn't have to pay a toll from Naples. Naples is great if you are looking for someplace sleepy and relaxing, and Weston serves as one of the very outer choice commuter suburbs of Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, so you exchange more to do for more hustle and bustle (not so much in Weston proper which might actually be sleepier than Naples, but the area in general). You get all off the positive and negative of living in a major metropolitan area, and on the Naples side you get all of the positive and negative of living in a smallish resort/retirement town. Pick your poison.

If you are looking for the coveted "good school district", you will pay somewhere around 300k for a 1800 square foot home (100% of Weston would meet this criteria). If you are looking for a more hopping area for singles, then your east coast commute just got longer. If you are a married, childless couple and you aren't too picky, then there are areas in Naples that are cheaper.

[ChrisA70]

I would live where Mr. Compelled is, in Weston, FL. There is more to do over there. You can check both out though.

[TANaples]

Originally Posted by RMD3819

All the above posters are correct. There is a small middle class area of Immokalee. Schools consistently have poor scores and a low graduation rate. A few years ago their were fifty girls in the teen parenting program in the high school. That was more than all of the other high schools combined.

Housing-there are some brand new developments that are very nice located around migrant housing. Other than this, it will be near impossible to find anything decent. Nearly everything else for rent is migrant housing.

Demographics: http://www.city-data.com/city/Immokalee-Florida.html

A new area called Ave maria is being developed just outside of Immokalee. This area is beautiful and would be a very easy commute. The eastern part of Golden Gate Estates would be OK. Lehigh is about 20-25 miles away and has some bad areas. Fort Myers is even further. North Naples is about 30 miles west. Although a straight shot, the gas costs would be bad, although many people make this commute.

Where will you be working?

The Immokalee schools are exactly what we have said. North Naples is a different animal. In fact, the North Naples schools are rated better than any other part of Naples. North Naples is also the most family oriented of the whole city.

Ave Maria was developed to be a self contained christian community, specifically catholic. I believe they are kinda getting away from that strict idea to attract people to buy there. They will have various developments within the community at different price ranges. Personally, when I looked into it, I thought they were expensive. They are supposedly going to have their own elementary school, besides the university. When I do not know. I also don't know far along with completion they are.

I heard of a development called Orange Tree in that area. I believe they are Toll Bros. homes. I saw some listed a while ago at under $250,000 for a 3 bedroom single family.

There are many choices. It just depends what they are looking for.