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Neighborhood was better than I expected. I grew up in a tough city area and this was much nicer. I spoke to the neighbors and the worst thing they could say about the neighborhood was that one guy likes to speed and they are worried about the kids. Keep in mind that you were looking at an area that has $50k single family homes. Upscale can't be expected. You might be better off looking at condos. (BTW This one needed a bit of work)
I also looked at Bonita which was my first choice. Downtown was in this same range but pretty shabby. Area with the "state" streets was a better, a small step above SCP but also more empty homes. People actually seem to live in SCP.
Cape Coral can be great but what's the point of even bringing it up since they need to commute to Naples.
Estero is nice but is also prob the most stable area from what I saw, keeping prices slightly higher. If you can get something a sf home in that price range grab it. I looked at one that still had all the dead ladies stuff in it. Ouch.
South Naples is in this price point but has some very sketchy areas. Golden Gate Estates might be an option. A few miles closer to Naples but not a ton.
San Carlos Park has always been odd in that you could live in a very quiet area and then one day someone moves into the neighborhood and sets up a crackhouse. Or the house next to you sells and 15 people move in. It has almost always been that way, too. Some streets have always been pretty bad, like Miami, or fairly bad, like Constitution. Some neighborhoods have been quieter than others but almost all of them have had ups and downs.
Estero is mostly nice. If I were to quibble about any area it would be Leuttich Lane. That area is bad. The rest of the community is good. Someone on the forum loves to run down Estero and talk up Bonita but the truth is there is a very large area that is bad in Bonita. Rosemary and the older areas of Bonita can be bad. Some areas off of Bonita Beach Road can be bad. In the end, I think there is far more bad in Bonita than good. And the state streets? No. Check out New York Street.
In Bonita and Estero, though, you can generally tell what is good or not so good. SCP can be deceiving. It's not the equivalent of a bad neighborhood in a big city. Hardly. But it's not luxury living in paradise, either. It's still a few steps up from Lehigh, Pine Manor and Harlem Heights but the economy has not been kind to The Park. And crime is up. There was even that murder at the Hess on Alico and a rash of car break-ins and the like. Here's hoping that a lot of nice folks move in. That would be great and it could happen. But to say there is no crime in SCP is very irresponsible.
Florida Gulf Coast University is considered to be in Estero.
Gulf Coast Town Center is on the other side of I-75, just like FGCU. It is not considered part of San Carlos Park which is WEST of I-75.
And even if there was a nice shopping center right in the middle of the park - which there isn't - it wouldn't change the fact that the area has gone from white trash/middle class to straight downhill. The crash has not been kind to the park.
Never heard of crime in the park? That's an egregious, well, you know what.
There are two bars in the park. Both are dumps and frequented by the locals. It's just not a very nice area.
Cape Coral is much nicer. Anyone complaining about having to pay a toll - you can go through North Fort Myers if need be - has issues. I've always felt that way. No offense but I've always found that anyone that said they wouldn't live in Cape Coral because of the toll was usually better off in the park or Lehigh. Locals will know exactly what I mean.
Nope, FGCU and Gulf Coast Town Center Mall are not in Estero! Look at their addresses below.
Florida Gulf Coast University
10501 FGCU Blvd, South
Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565
Gulf Coast Town Center Mall
9903 Gulf Coast Main Street, Ft. Myers, Florida 33913
What do you mean if there was a nice shopping center mall right in the middle of the park?? You can walk to the Gulf Coast town! lol On the other side of the I-75?? haha 2 minutes away??? lol I've never heard of any bar in San Carlos other than Sushi Bar and Louis Bar at the Gulf Coast Town Center, which is where the locals go. San Carlos and Estero are extremely close to each other.
I agree that Estero is a better option than San Carlos, but not Cape Coral. I like San Carlos due to it's location, not neighborhood. Cape Coral is secluded, a lot of empty houses due to foreclosures, traffic sucks during rush hour. You were talking about crackhouses right?? There are way more crackhouses in Cape Coral than in San Carlos! lol Cape Coral is just boring. Cape Coral is the place people go to die lol It's nice to raise a family in Cape Coral though....Low key, a lot of new houses, most of the houses built in the past 7 years. It's just not a good place for young people due to it's location. If you live in Cape Coral you will find yourself driving to Fort Myers and Naples all the time. Driving to Naples will be a nightmare!
Denials parkway is nicer than San Carlos Parkway. You might want to check it out. Estero is nicer than San Carlos. Bonita is nice along the us-41 stretch, at Bonita Bay area. It depends on how much money you have. Bonita is closer to Naples, if that's where you work.
Last edited by traveldude; 04-13-2011 at 02:58 AM..
I didn't say Gulf Coast Town Center is in Estero. It is certainly not in San Carlos Park, either.
My guess is you are not too familiar with the area.
To walk from my old house to The Gulf Town Center would take me about 90 minutes.
If you've never heard of San Carlos Lounge - The Scrounge Lounge! - or The Country Club - formerly Two Joe's and there is nothing "clubby" about it! - then you cannot know much about The Park.
If I had to raise my child in The Park now, or Cape Coral, I am going to Cape Coral.
Since these people are going to be working in Naples, then of course they should look into Estero or Bonita. That's common sense.
And it is Daniels Parkway, not Denials.
How long did you live with your parents in Fort Myers and where?
Quote:
Originally Posted by traveldude
Nope, FGCU and Gulf Coast Town Center Mall are not in Estero! Look at their addresses below.
Florida Gulf Coast University
10501 FGCU Blvd, South
Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565
Gulf Coast Town Center Mall
9903 Gulf Coast Main Street, Ft. Myers, Florida 33913
What do you mean if there was a nice shopping center mall right in the middle of the park?? You can walk to the Gulf Coast town! lol On the other side of the I-75?? haha 2 minutes away??? lol I've never heard of any bar in San Carlos other than Sushi Bar and Louis Bar at the Gulf Coast Town Center, which is where the locals go. San Carlos and Estero are extremely close to each other.
I agree that Estero is a better option than San Carlos, but not Cape Coral. I like San Carlos due to it's location, not neighborhood. Cape Coral is secluded, a lot of empty houses due to foreclosures, traffic sucks during rush hour. You were talking about crackhouses right?? There are way more crackhouses in Cape Coral than in San Carlos! lol Cape Coral is just boring. Cape Coral is the place people go to die lol It's nice to raise a family in Cape Coral though....Low key, a lot of new houses, most of the houses built in the past 7 years. It's just not a good place for young people due to it's location. If you live in Cape Coral you will find yourself driving to Fort Myers and Naples all the time. Driving to Naples will be a nightmare!
Denials parkway is nicer than San Carlos Parkway. You might want to check it out. Estero is nicer than San Carlos. Bonita is nice along the us-41 stretch, at Bonita Bay area. It depends on how much money you have. Bonita is closer to Naples, if that's where you work.
I didn't say Gulf Coast Town Center is in Estero. It is certainly not in San Carlos Park, either.
My guess is you are not too familiar with the area.
To walk from my old house to The Gulf Town Center would take me about 90 minutes.
If you've never heard of San Carlos Lounge - The Scrounge Lounge! - or The Country Club - formerly Two Joe's and there is nothing "clubby" about it! - then you cannot know much about The Park.
If I had to raise my child in The Park now, or Cape Coral, I am going to Cape Coral.
Since these people are going to be working in Naples, then of course they should look into Estero or Bonita. That's common sense.
And it is Daniels Parkway, not Denials.
How long did you live with your parents in Fort Myers and where?
If you live off of Alico rd you can definitely walk or ride your bike to the town center, unless Alico rd is not considered part of San Carlos Park. I used to see teenagers riding their bikes from San Carlos to the town center. It's always a short drive. Those bars you're talking about are not popular. Sushi bar, louie bar, Ultra Nightclub are the most popular ones among the young people living in San Carlos. At least that's where my friend would go.
Yes, if i had kids i would choose Cape Coral over San Carlos. But as a single young person San Carlos/Estero/Bonita area is more attractive to me due to it's location. It's in between Naples and Fort Myers, so there's more options for entertainment.
Yes, i agree. Since they're going to be working in Naples, then they should look into Estero or Bonita.
You are really, really reaching. I would never, ever advise someone to walk from the houses off of Alico to Gulf Coast Town Center. Are you kidding? First of all, it's at least a 30 minute walk from the closest homes and it is far from safe.
The truth is you didn't know much about The Park when you gave advice. Just because you had a friend that lived there doesn't mean you really know much about it. Initially, you weren't even aware of the bars I was talking about. And yes, they are popular with the younger crowd.
The Park is a pretty large area. There are some decent houses there and my guess is your friend lived in one of the newer ones, just by what you are describing. But there are a lot of older homes and some areas in The Park are very iffy. If you think CC is worse than you have not seen all of The Park.
As a whole, it has never been looked upon as upscale but has been middle to lower class. I lived on Pineapple which was one of the better areas. But things have been going downhill in the park.
I'd suggest refraining from giving advice if you don't really know the area. Telling someone that they can walk from The Park to Gulf Coast Town Center is irresponsible, in my opinion.
You just moved to Seattle. I'm sure you would like accurate information.
Quote:
Originally Posted by traveldude
If you live off of Alico rd you can definitely walk or ride your bike to the town center, unless Alico rd is not considered part of San Carlos Park. I used to see teenagers riding their bikes from San Carlos to the town center. It's always a short drive. Those bars you're talking about are not popular. Sushi bar, louie bar, Ultra Nightclub are the most popular ones among the young people living in San Carlos. At least that's where my friend would go.
Yes, if i had kids i would choose Cape Coral over San Carlos. But as a single young person San Carlos/Estero/Bonita area is more attractive to me due to it's location. It's in between Naples and Fort Myers, so there's more options for entertainment.
Yes, i agree. Since they're going to be working in Naples, then they should look into Estero or Bonita.
I check the crime section in the news-press a bit and I don't see much of it taking place in San Carlos(none really that I can recall). I see a lot more in Bonita
I check the crime section in the news-press a bit and I don't see much of it taking place in San Carlos(none really that I can recall). I see a lot more in Bonita
Really?
Whenever someone says their area is not as bad as - insert known rough area here - they are already going down that slippery slope. My guess is people would want to move to San Carlos Park because they don't want it to be like the bad areas of Bonita. It's going downhill. Hopefully some nice people will continue to move in and turn it around.
By the way, murder was practically unheard of in The Park several years ago. I can think of three in the past few years just off the top of my head. There is probably more.
I am the OP of this thread. Thanks for all the information/comments. We did find a home in Bonita Springs, which is where we had hoped to be from the start. Moving next week!
I actually put a bid on the house on Dogwood. Did some deep research. All have the neighbors own their homes and have been there at least 2 years with some being there 10 -20 years. Not much police activity on the block. There was a house on Dogwood on the other side of Sanibel Road that was a bit of a problem (a string of Nuisance calls) but it is now empty and on the market. Actually a safer area than when I lived in downtown Savannah, old town Key West or half the neighborhoods in Boston. Guess it is all relative. I don't have a wife or kids, so it is a better choice for me than clc08. I liked this better than Old Bonita.
Hiknapster - We all understand that you don't like the San Carlos Park area as a whole. But it is easy to find crime being committed anywhere over the span of several years, especially in lower and middle class areas. Your favorite area seems to be Estero but a woman was just abducted from a quiet semi gated community that my mother lives in. Then 4 kids where found in her house a week later doing coke. And this is a very active community where people watch out for each other. Point is that crime can and does happen everywhere and in the economy of the last 4 years people are forced to do things they might not otherwise.
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That's an egregious, well, you know what. 
Found a home!
