Moving to naples florida, would love advice!! (Miami, Country Club: living, restaurants)

[Emily3021]

Any opinions on TGM Malibu Lakes, TGM Bermuda Island or La Costa?

[Sweetbottoms]

Originally Posted by Emily3021

Any opinions on TGM Malibu Lakes, TGM Bermuda Island or La Costa?

Malibu lakes is nice I think theynare kind of expensive .. They're by Amberton
Bermuda island also a touch expensive once again good local.. La costa will nickel and dime u they charge extra for being upstairs or downstairs for pets and I think washer and dryer.. So I'd stay away

[Sweetbottoms]

I thought u might be interested in this link in our paper today as it pertains to you. Collier county teachers are some of the lowest or at least on their way to being the lowest paid in the country.. Collier School District: Teacher raises on hold indefinitely » Naples Daily News

[RMD3819]

And this......100 Collier school district positions to be cut due to budget crunch » Naples Daily News

[Sweetbottoms]

another article today.. Sorry if we are flooding you with negative too but I guess you should go into this eye wide open!

Collier Schools releases details of position, budget cuts » Naples Daily News

[travellight27]

Hi....I did not read the other responses because I did not want my response to be influenced by other's opinions. I grew up in a small southern town and by accident went off to live and work for most of my 20's in Europe. I am well traveled and I only see that as value to this question as I might view things a bit differently than others.

I found Naples by accident and fell in love with the beautiful beach. Previously I had spent 3 years on the southern coast of Spain and my balcony overlooked the sea. I was spoiled. I came back to the US in my twenties not knowing "my spot" or my destination. I circled literally the US 4 times looking at everywhere for a place to live where I felt good about it. I went to California, Colorado, Virginia, New Orleans, Minnesota...just name it, I went there. I kept coming back to Naples and finally decided it was "my spot". Got a job and later a better job, met a guy, had kids, raised them, made a career and all in all, it has been a wonderful place "for me". It has it's pro's. For me when I came here after many years in Europe, great beaches which are priceless, good weather for the most part, clean air and water, low crime, low taxes...these are all valuable assets.

It did have some "cons". Way too many older people than me (although damn if I'm not now one of them). Some of them were so damn grumpy it made you wonder..what the hell? You're retired, got no place to go, got all day to do what the hell you want and you're still in a hurry if you're not first in line?. And so...I realized that yes, the down side was many people were older than me. Is that good or bad. You make your choices. The older people also contributed to a healthy economy. Do you want to raise your children in a higher crime zone with a gzillion fun, hip things to do with action 24/7?....or would you rather slow it down, enjoy the simple pleasures of life, the beach, the sun, clean air, etc....It' s all about choices. One sets priorities.

I set mine. I loved it here. I had two children here that went to "horrors"....a public school, Naples High and had a great education. If they had gone to the local, unaffordable for me, private school they would have missed out on some things. My daughter became a professional ball player , which was her passion. The private school and academia of it would have ignored her.

You have to decide what values are important to you. Barron Collier is no better no worse than Naples High. They each have pros and cons and I'm very happy mine were at NHS. Some people are not capable of entertaining themselves, so perhaps they might get bored anywhere. I'm not saying it is the right place for you, but you do need to weight the pros and cons. Would you rather live in a fast paced, crime ridden, polluted, cramped noisy city or a smaller town with good restaurants, clean air, more than their fair share of grumpy old farts, but an excellent beach and tropical fruits and flowers?

And all in all...our taxes are WAY lower than most states. One does have to weigh in on hurricanes....but there is no zone in USA where there is not a threat from one or the other natural force of nature, so choose your poison. Would you rather go up against a hurricane, a tornado, an earthquake, blinding ice storms or etc.? If there was a paradise than had been discovered, I'd be there.

[Sweetbottoms]

Originally Posted by Kephael91

Long time lurker, first time poster. I've lived in North Naples for a little over 16 years and I'm roughly your age Emily. Many of the above posters are retirees so the negatives of this area do not affect them. Basically, the people are rude, the traffic is a nightmare, and there are no jobs. The jobs that do exist pay horribly and cost of living is rather high. I'd highly recommend staying out of apartment complexes here, they all have their problems because they're full of renters. The gates don't keep anyone out, you will find crime in almost all communities whether they are gated or not. The apartment complexes are just where the criminals themselves reside.

You mention you are concerned about your safety, I go to school full time but work at a major retailer for the job experience. I can't tell you how many mentally unsound individuals are on the prowl down here in SWFL, many couldn't make it up North so they came down here as the weather was nicer. Between snowbirds with anger problems (I once witnessed a couple of senior citizens get out of two mercedes and start duking it out in the middle of a busy road) to numerous people on who knows what (I get into arguments with people on a daily basis at work, mainly rude snowbirds - I've seen quite a few heated ones over the dumbest things) this area isn't all that safe. It's made me decide to get my CCW license and carry a firearm where I can.

The area itself also lacks infrastructure, basically there are no roads. It takes me 20 minutes to go 8 miles to work and it isn't the season. During the season this commute takes me 30 minutes and it's bumper to bump traffic with some 90 year old going 20 under the speed limit. Driving here is absolutely infuriating.

You will find the wealthy and the working poor here, there are very few in between. Many people your age here are not educated but work in the service industry. There are not many professionals here, everyone with money either works in healthcare or is retired.

Do NOT come to Naples without a job offer, you will wind up having to move back to New York unless you don't mind getting paid peanuts at a retail establishment (and having to deal with horrible snowbirds). Now, if you do get a teaching position that is another story, but please don't come here without a job offer. The county has serious budget problems and don't hire much anymore. If you come without a job it will only cause you problems and cost you money. This area was ground zero for the housing bubble, the economy blew up down here. Things may not be great in upstate New York but down here they are much worse.

wow nice post... i can tell you criminals do not lurk in ALL the apt complexes we've given her the good ones. You must be a crap driver I live 4 miles from my job and I've timed it out to 12 mins exactly with lights. My husband lives about 14 miles (one way) from work and it takes him roughly 20 mins to get to work. Even in season he leaves the same time in season as off season. So maybe you're the prob on the road. How are any of these issues not the same issues people deal with all over the country in every town in america?

[fargoc]

Originally Posted by Sweetbottoms

wow nice post... i can tell you criminals do not lurk in ALL the apt complexes we've given her the good ones. You must be a crap driver I live 4 miles from my job and I've timed it out to 12 mins exactly with lights. My husband lives about 14 miles (one way) from work and it takes him roughly 20 mins to get to work. Even in season he leaves the same time in season as off season. So maybe you're the prob on the road. How are any of these issues not the same issues people deal with all over the country in every town in america?

He lost me with "It's made me decide to get my CCW license and carry a firearm where I can." LOL in North Naples....really? Really? Now I feel foolish for driving a scooter to the beach, dressing in shorts and a t-shirt. I should be much more battle ready in Naples. The only thing I carry are my flip flops on the beach, but think of the possibilities....

[Tripower455]

The roads around here have gotten a lot better than they used to be (more lanes, a few more options depending on where you're going), which alleviates some of the pain caused by the morons "aiming" on them.

It's hard to describe what goes on here as driving, since driving requires a basic knowledge of physics, situational awareness, common courtesy and rules of the road, hence the term "aiming".

The recession, which has reduced the population somewhat, has helped this situation a bit too.

I (often) drive in different parts of the country, and have never seen more consistently poor driving than I have in FL, SW FL in particular. It's my #1 pet peeve living here.

It used to be mainly the elderly making it dangerous for everyone around them, but the cell phone, especially texting (!) has become the "great equalizer", causing even young folks to "drive" like they're 110.

After 25 years of driving here, I've come to the conclusion that most SW FL residents could save money on their cars if they were available without:

Accelerator pedals
Turn Signals
Mirrors
Windows
Dimmer switch (not needed when the high beams are on all the time)
Cruise Control

These expensive, yet seemingly useless items could be replaced with bumpers on the SIDE of the car, so when you sideswipe the moron who's been riding in your blind spot (Is it still a blind spot when you haven't even bothered to look?) when changing lanes without notice or even looking, it will minimize body damage. This will save money on the inevitable repairs and raised insurance premiums.

[Kephael91]

I see a moderator has removed my post, I wonder if she's a real estate agent.

Originally Posted by Sweetbottoms

wow nice post... i can tell you criminals do not lurk in ALL the apt complexes we've given her the good ones. You must be a crap driver I live 4 miles from my job and I've timed it out to 12 mins exactly with lights. My husband lives about 14 miles (one way) from work and it takes him roughly 20 mins to get to work. Even in season he leaves the same time in season as off season. So maybe you're the prob on the road. How are any of these issues not the same issues people deal with all over the country in every town in america?

Maybe if you live in the estates. I live west of 41, having to fight traffic on 41 isn't fun. Even google maps estimates it should take me 18 minutes to get to work.

Originally Posted by fargoc

He lost me with "It's made me decide to get my CCW license and carry a firearm where I can." LOL in North Naples....really? Really? Now I feel foolish for driving a scooter to the beach, dressing in shorts and a t-shirt. I should be much more battle ready in Naples. The only thing I carry are my flip flops on the beach, but think of the possibilities....

If you had to deal with many of the real locals you wouldn't feel that way. It looks like you're a retiree, spend some time with the East Naples crew and see how fun it is.