Advise on Naples vs Jacksonville (Miami, Tampa: sex offender, crime, hotels)

[Kuota]

By LewLew "Jacksonville has a population of .82M or roughtly 795,000
Naples has a population of 22,000 "

A valid point but nevertheless the crime rates are much higher in one city than another. Changes in crime rates have been driven by higher density populations than smaller cities. Over half of the violent crimes in the US occurred in cities with a population of 100,000 or more. Large cities have a greater incident of drug-related and gang-related killings than smaller cities like Naples.
Conversely, intimate homicides (spouses, ex-spouses, boyfriends, and girlfriends) made up a larger percentage of murders in rural areas than in suburban or urban areas. You have a greater chance of becoming a victim in a large urban city than a smaller city.
Source: FBI, Supplementary Homicide Reports, 1976-2005.

So if you are having difficulty, marital problems with your significant other stay away from rural areas.........A difficult choice for a family with small children to consider. A big city or small city?? Many pro's and con's for both.

[TANaples]

Jacksonville doesn't have suburbs? Naples is not the place for young families. As my 30 year old daughter says, "I look in car windows and all I see are OLD people. "Where are all the young people who grew up here?" They probably moved to Jacksonville or other large cities.

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by TANaples

Jacksonville doesn't have suburbs? Naples is not the place for young families. As my 30 year old daughter says, "I look in car windows and all I see are OLD people. "Where are all the young people who grew up here?" They probably moved to Jacksonville or other large cities.

Jacksonville has the youngest per capita median age in the state. Their median age in 2007 was 23 years old.
I also get what the other poster said about crime; however you aren't living in the part of the city where the crime is concentrated. I was merely saying that you can't compare small cities to large metro areas on a whole. You have to break it down to respectively sized areas. In Jacksonville, most don't live on the immediate northwest side where all the crime is. Most live in Mandarin, St Augustine, Southside, Avondale, Orange Park, San Marco none of which have close to the crime rate Naples has. You choose a small area located in the larger metro area.
I lived in Chicago for years and never had a problem. However, the crime rate the way you view it would have assumed I would. Many of my friends raise there children there, and the kids still play in the road, in the yards with no parents etc. Nothing has happened. Can't say that for Ft Myers, Naples and the surrounding areas. I also grew up in Cleveland, but the crime rate in my burb was .001 percent of the national crime average. I was less than 3 miles from the inner city of Cleveland where crime is everywhere.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by RMD3819

You could live anywhere in Naples with that budget, except Port Royal and parts of Pelican Bay.

I don't know if this link will work, but here are some real bargains!

[URL]http://www.naplesarea.com/home-search-results.asp[/URL]

I wouldn't say a person can live anywhere, but there certainly are a lot of choices, although it depends on one's desires like square footage, land, amenities, location, etc. For example, I doubt if there is a home in Quail West or Collier's Reserve for that price.

[justNancy]

Sorry. I just checked my link and it doesn't work any more. I was only having fun. It was a list of homes in Naples from around $14 to $20 million.

[fireb52]

I am doing a lot of reading and research on Naples/Ft Myers area because I retire next year and have an interest in living in that area. My wife is an RN and will be looking for jobs in that area as well.
Thanks to everyone who have contributed to this post because the helped. I will be relocating from CT. I don't mind driving a few miles to shopping and entertainment but I do prefer to be away from the crime and such. (I know crime is everywhere ) However, I plan on visiting to get a feel of the area so suggestions and comments are much appreciated.
Thanks again everyone.

[capenewfs]

We just moved to Naples this past summer and we looked at Sarasota, Tampa and Miami. I would choose Naples all over again because we wanted to have a place for our family and friends to visit that was most likely to have warm weather when they came to visit. My parents had a winter home in Stuart Florida and when we came down from New England to visit, we still had to wear jackets on February break.
Also, in Naples, we found that the more we get out of town, the happier we are. The traffic is rotten like everywhere else in Florida but their is still open space like Corkscrew Sanctuary.
We also like being a day trip away from Miami. We would not want to live there but enjoy activities like Art Basel and the Mango Festival. The population in Naples is changing, but it seems like it is more mid western people and Boston ( because the Sox play in FT Myers for spring training ) and the New Yorkers still go to the east coast. Naples is laid out in a grid so it is easy to find your way around. The saddest part about Naples is seeing the elderly, I feel badly when I think that somewhere this crowd has a family with grandchildren and they are here playing golf and not engaged in reality. If I had to move to Florida though, I would still choose Naples.

[Blackthorns]

"Naples is not culturally diverse" did I read that correct? If you're wealthy I suppose not, on the other hand if ones budget is low then I would say yes Naples is diverse.

[justcollectingdust]

Originally Posted by capenewfs

We just moved to Naples this past summer and we looked at Sarasota, Tampa and Miami. I would choose Naples all over again because we wanted to have a place for our family and friends to visit that was most likely to have warm weather when they came to visit. My parents had a winter home in Stuart Florida and when we came down from New England to visit, we still had to wear jackets on February break.
Also, in Naples, we found that the more we get out of town, the happier we are. The traffic is rotten like everywhere else in Florida but their is still open space like Corkscrew Sanctuary.
We also like being a day trip away from Miami. We would not want to live there but enjoy activities like Art Basel and the Mango Festival. The population in Naples is changing, but it seems like it is more mid western people and Boston ( because the Sox play in FT Myers for spring training ) and the New Yorkers still go to the east coast. Naples is laid out in a grid so it is easy to find your way around. The saddest part about Naples is seeing the elderly, sometimes it reminds me of how horses are put out to pasture but that is all of Florida. I feel badly when I think that somewhere this crowd has a family with grandchildren and they are here playing golf and not engaged in reality. If I had to move to Florida though, I would still choose Naples.

I can't believe you said that! You really need to take a good look at yourself and your thought process.
Yes, reread it!

[Thundarr457]

Naples is basically a wealthy retirement enclave with very expensive housing, not the greatest healthcare (Cleveland Clinic closed its hospital there in 2006 after opening it in 2001), beautiful beaches, low crime, OK schools, high per capita sex offenders, not much nightlife, no airport except Ft Myers which has more seasonal flights, large percentage of snowbirds who clog city in peak season and a median age of 64. Comparing it to Jacksonville with a median age of 35.4, some of the best schools in Florida, beautiful beaches, higher crime only in certain areas, lots of nightlife, more stable population count, excellent healthcare including the Mayo Clinic and soon to be open MD Anderson Cancer Hospital, much cheaper housing, way better shopping, St Johns Town Center and the Avenues dwarf anything in or within an hour of Naples (the closest is Sarasota's new mall or the East Coast) plus a new Ikea, more diverse population, more seasonal Winter with lower temps than Naples but cooler summers, less chance of a hurricane, closer to Orlando, and you can live in a really nice community without spending upwards of 500K. If you are a wealthy retiree who lives only part of the year in Naples, then the healthcare is not as much an issue or the oppressively hot summers, than Naples is an attractive option.