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Naples Collier County
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Old 01-30-2011, 04:01 PM
 
3 posts, read 5,829 times
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Background: Wife and I both grew up in Missouri and are still in Missouri after 26 years. She is a teacher, I am getting my masters in criminal justice. We LOVE LOVE the beach and the warm and HOT weather! We are from the country, but like city living, but NO MORE than 100,000 people!!! We are a young married couple, but living with the retired population does not bother us! We have no kids, and needing to try something new before we settle down to start a family.

If you could PLEASE give us advice or suggestions about Naples or any other beach city along either coast of FL that you think would fit us from the description above, we both would appreciate it!

I am writing this after about 2 years of looking at posts on citydata and now making an account myself. so i think i have learned a few things and want to say them. we do NOT have kids, so i do not care about school systems (even though she is a teacher). i guess that is the big one, come to think about it! haha just several posts are about good schools and bad school and families. we are a married couple w/ no kids who like to relax but have drinks as well!

so questions: Does naples have a good downtown area w/ bars? restuarants? shops? We live in Columbia, MO, home of the TIGERS and Columbia has a GREAT and safe downtown....does naples??

What months are the tourist hot times? Are the beaches clean? What is the population of naples? (cause who knows when citydata has revised there stats) What are some cheap but fun hometown attractions? or the expensive ones too.

Thank you for your help! If you read this and you do not have experience in Naples but another beach city you think we would like PLEASE tell us. No bigger than 100,000, but no smaller than 20,000 for job prospects and the fact we dont want to live in the same size of town we grew up in (about 2000 people)

THANK YOU!!! talk to someone soon!
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Old 01-30-2011, 06:24 PM
 
8 posts, read 21,745 times
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We love living here. We have been here full time for 3 years now, coming from Ohio. I don't know about Missouri but Ohio had cloudy day after cloudy day. Today was a BEAUTIFUL day, warm sun about 74 degrees low humidity, great day to lay out by the pool or go to the beach. I feel very safe here, downtown is nice, not alot for young people like you, however there is a very nice area growing called Mercato on the north side of town that has a couple of bars, Blue Martini and I forget the name of the other ones, when our 20 something kids were here at Christmas we took them there and had a wonderful time! There is something to do here EVERY weekend, this weekend it ranged from a mullet fesival and swamp buggy race to an art festival and boat show, take your pick. I do not regret one minute moving here. Yes people are friendly, most people here are on vacation or have a seasonal home, why wouldn't you be in a good mood?
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Old 01-31-2011, 05:11 AM
 
Location: Olde Naples
256 posts, read 745,625 times
Reputation: 103
Naples offers you a slice of Paradise. I can't say it any better than that. There's no other place like it.

Beth
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Old 01-31-2011, 01:42 PM
 
592 posts, read 1,814,381 times
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It's safe, beaches are very nice and, yes, they are clean. As far as things to do, as others have and will say, there is plenty to do here BUT from what you've written, I wonder if you shouldn't also look into an area more like Sarasota, Tampa or St. Petersburg for a bit more action than you'll find here. Hot spots for young people are not something Naples is known for and the town itself is quite upscale and not particularly quaint and the restaurants are very pricey. It may or may not be what a young couple is looking for. As is always advised in threads like you've started, VISIT PLACES YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN FIRST! No one else can know what you really have in mind, even though you've given a very detailed description. And, again, as is always advised, once you think you've found your paradise, RENT BEFORE YOU BUY!

I just say these things for your own good. Best of luck and have fun when you do your move. By the way, I think you've chosen an excellent time in your life, when you're first starting out, to make a big move like you're planning.
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Old 01-31-2011, 08:25 PM
 
3 posts, read 5,829 times
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keep things coming guys...THANK YOU!!!

the activities sound fun and ecspecially things each weekend is cool! we are beach people, so the beach will be eventful enough, but always great to have options!!

Definitly have plans of visiting a few places!!! and definitly be renting! Thanks for the info that restaurants might be pricey considering the crowd. makes sense, but did not think about that!!

Tampa i believe will be too big for us...what about Sarasota??? Anyone or should i just write in that forum. THANK YOU ALL!!
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Old 02-01-2011, 05:26 PM
 
592 posts, read 1,814,381 times
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From what I can see on C-D a lot of people seem to love Sarasota. And, my husband's cousin lives in a very nice suburb between Tampa and St. Pete, Safety Harbor, and she drives an hour to hang out in Sarasota quite often.

(By the way, I shouldn't mislead you, we do have all the chain restaurants here in Naples, too.)
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Old 02-02-2011, 07:56 AM
 
4 posts, read 8,186 times
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Southwest Florida is fantastic...everything from the Airport which is one of the easiest to travel to and from to the places to go to to the beaches of Naples, Bonita Beach, Lovers Key, Fort Myers Beach (more commercial but a fun place to relax and people watch), Sanibel Island, and Captiva. Restuarants are abundant..3rd St and 5th Ave in Naples offer everything from economical to upscale and some of the "trendiest" places (Tommy Bahama), Mercato area has many options, Coconut Point is a great place in Estero, Fort Myers has some fantastic places too including the popular and quaint riverfront district. We are "younger" too for the area, a couple with no children and we greatly enjoy trying new restaurants and activities and love it in Southwest Florida. Also, you did not mention hobbies...but the boating in Southwest Florida is exceptional and golf course choices are plentiful. I am a tennis player and most communities offer nice courts. The really nice communities have extensive programs with well respected pros.

Last edited by buyfloridadeals; 02-02-2011 at 09:10 AM.. Reason: remove link
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Old 02-03-2011, 06:51 AM
 
Location: Full time in the RV
3,418 posts, read 7,789,284 times
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The school system is hiring://www.city-data.com/forum/naple...-teachers.html

The population of the City of Naples is way under 100,000 but the general Naples area is about 350,000, more in the winter.

The downtown is nice but small and safe. It is geared for the wealthy snowbirds and tourists. It is a ghost town in the summer. There are tons of shopping and restaurants, though most are not downtown. Almost all of Naples is safe.

Keep in mind that, as a young couple, you will be in the minority here. Naples is a wealthy retirement community run by wealthy retirees. The economy and political machine reflect this. You won't see the support for activities/kids/young adults amenities that you would in a community that has more of that population.

That said, you can certainly be happy here. It all comes down to realistic expectations.
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Old 02-09-2011, 05:43 PM
 
Location: Bentonville, AR
1,134 posts, read 3,190,909 times
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I lived in Naples for 3 years. I think some are forgetting that you are comparing nightlife in Naples to Columbia, not St Louis or KC. Yes I know that Columbia is a college town. But there isn't any reason you need to move to Sarasota because of anything lacking in Naples. Most of what you want that isn't found in Naples can be found in Ft Myers or Cape Coral. Plus you are just a little over an hour away from Ft Laudedale. Naples is a nice place to live. Sometimes I regret leaving.
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Old 02-09-2011, 10:52 PM
 
Location: The Conterminous United States
22,584 posts, read 54,285,430 times
Reputation: 13615
Columbia's unemployment rate is 6.2. That's DARN GOOD in this economy. Naples is 11.5. Sarasota's is 11.6.

Unless you have a very good job offer in writing I would stay where you are. This is not the economic climate to be spreading your wings and trying something new. You could end up in a very bad situation.

We see that a lot. People come from an area that isn't so bad and they assume the rest of the country is the same. SwFlorida is great for retirees, vacationers, wealthy second-home folks, not so much for service people - and cops and teachers are service people in Naples. I wonder how much different the rents and home are, too. SwFlorida has come down a lot but Naples is still pretty high.

You say you've read a lot on city-data but I don't know, you need to do some more research, I think.
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