Single, 30 years old, female-move to Naples (Tampa, Golden Gate: to rent, crime, job market)

[chesneyfan1]

Hey everyone,

So I am from the suburbs South of Boston...I was born and raised here..have done my fair share of traveling. I returned from spending 18 months volunteering abroad in Honduras 2 years ago, and the job market is STILL horrible, so I still have not been able to secure a full-time long term position.

I am looking for a change- mostly new scenery, warmer weather, and a more laidback lifestyle. I have a friend who can get me a job in the restaurant industry...and although that's not what my long term goal is (as I'm college educated), it is still more than what i am doing here.

Some people have told me that Naples is not a great place to live if you are my age and single. Is it true that it's mostly older people and there aren't a lot of young people around? I get along with all ages, but I obviously want to move somewhere where I will be able to find people in my own age bracket to go out for dinner/drinks with, go to the beach with, etc.

I already have a place to live and someone willing to help me adjust to life down there. Does anyone have any advice for me? Would it be a bad move for me to move to this area? i have also thought of tampa as I know a lot of people in that area as well, but I would rather live in a quieter area and drive the 2 hours on the weekends if I want to party or go out in the city.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
-Erin

[Snort]

Naples is a nice town. Like much of Florida, tons of old folks cruising the roads at a lightning 15 mph. As long as you have some help there, give it a go. If you've ever waited tables though, you know it's not an easy job.

[Beth Mone`]

Hi Erin

Naples is a good place to live. The hardest thing here is finding a good paying job, but that's true anywhere.

We tell people that Naples is a beautiful relatively quiet place compared to the East coast or the big cities.

You're absolutely right in your 2 hour rule. If you draw a radius of 120 miles around Naples, you'll find all the party places on it's circumference.

I wish you well, this is an incredible place to live, but like all places, it's what you make of it.

Good Luck

Beth

[Squiffynole]

I lived in Naples for 10 years and ended up moving since there were so few people with my interests. I found two classes of people: very rich people that golf and shop all day and then the rest who work service sector jobs and struggle to get by. The beaches, water and winter temperatures are wonderful but if you are not rich or do not love to explore the outdoors the place is pretty limited.

[chesneyfan1]

Thanks for the info, everyone! I am an outdoorsy person for sure. Love the beach, camping, running, hiking, etc. I want to live outside of the city, but within a couple of hours of all the good nightlife. I like to live a quiet life for the most part, but enjoy some excitement from time to time.

I would have a job lined up at the local Starbucks and I have tons of waitressing and bartending experience. I actually like the restaurant industry. I have a college degree, but I am content with doing that for the time being. Considering getting a Masters at the local university too. Heard it's a good one.

[CDusr]

There are alot of retail shops it appears. Service type. Some main blvds. The traffic appears to get really bad in season because of the road layout. The high costs is also an important factor, particularly housing. Meaning coordinating your travel and housing costs should be planned well ahead if you can. Do your homework. If you are single may want to rent a room w/ utilities. This will help w/ costs, but give you time to make changes if necessary. It's really just like a lot of suburbia imo, (malls, stores, etc).... Tho the palm trees are nice and the stucco housing looks better than the vinyl sided stuff you will see in other places. Really nice weather in winter. Certainly there is a beach, not sure about camping, hiking etc...

I agree w/ the reference to an extreme income division. This combination of jobs availability and high costs appears to have created some really rough areas that most people appear to avoid and kind of ignore their existence. There is a link for crime reports you want to use to check out. It is floating around somewhere. Golden Gate City and Naples Manor seem to be bigger areas to avoid or check out thoroughly. Certainly more older people in Naples than other places in US. Did you check out the stats on city-data? They are useful in giving a general idea about the area.

Ft. Myers area seems to have more available job-wise and affordable housing. Can't really say much about night-life of either. Good Luck.

Oh I will also mention that part of the extreme contrasts I see isn't just income, but the transient nature of the place. Like many transient places, it suffers from what looks like a disconnect or disinterest. Can be a bit hard to verbalize. However, if you have been to transient areas, I think you will notice what I am referring to. JMO on that. This seems to not only come from the income issue, but the transient one. At least some locals appear to feel ignored by local govt choices.

[RMD3819]

My kid is a few years younger than you, grew up here, and can't wait to get out.

That said, they key here is you have a job. Can you survive on that job?

Your restaurant experience is nice but it won't help if there are no jobs. Right now, especially off season, there are none. About a year ago my kid was unemployed. She searched for months and months for any job. She has experience in restaurant and retail. She finally landed a part time job in neither of those fields. It is that bad.

The fact remains, like it or not, Naples is a wealthy retirement community run by wealthy retirees. The economy and political machine reflect this. There are not many people your age here. My kid complains there is only one club to go to.

I would stick with Tampa. The metro area is huge and has everything from farmland rural to urban ghetto. You would have more choices and more folks your age there.

I went to USF there and loved Tampa. Although it was a long time ago, the difference between the two places is night and day. Naples is a retirement area. Tampa is also, but has a whole lot of everything else.

What does your contact in Naples think about your situation?

[npz]

Originally Posted by Squiffynole

I lived in Naples for 10 years and ended up moving since there were so few people with my interests. I found two classes of people: very rich people that golf and shop all day and then the rest who work service sector jobs and struggle to get by. The beaches, water and winter temperatures are wonderful but if you are not rich or do not love to explore the outdoors the place is pretty limited.

Hmm.... I am not a very rich person who golfs and shops all day and I don't work a service sector job and struggle to get by, but I do live in Naples.

There are more than two classes that live in Naples. We are not all retired or old.

It has been said many times before on different threads, Naples is what you make of it. Personally, I moved from a very large city to live in Naples, and I love it. I am never bored, never short of things to do. I know a lot of people of every age and in every profession.

It is very dangerous to make sweeping generalisations. At the end of the day, some people absolutely love Naples and love living here (or have moved and miss living here), regardless of age or profession, and some people can't wait to leave Naples or have already left and love telling everyone how little Naples has to offer.

Erin, I wish you the very best of luck in whatever you decide. However, make your own decisions based on what is best for you and you alone. Come check out Naples and decide for yourself whether it suits you!!

[cicilyb]

I have to agree with NPZ. Good advice. People post way to many generalizations about the area.

[Beth Mone`]

I agree with you ciclyb and with NPZ too. It isn't for everyone, but those of us who are able to make it here love it. Like NPZ said, often times it's the ones who couldn't and left that are the most critical.

Beth