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there is nothing Ironic about it. I know that Naples is geared towards the wealthy and all but let's be realistic traffic is bad just about every where, we most likely not half as bad as other cities miami,westpalm etc. As far as people rude and nasty that I personally feel is an exaggeration. Over all I think it's a great city with TONS to do, good schools( that issue wth NaplesHigh was in accurate and correction was later on WINK)
Continued...
I just feel that some folks portray this city to be awful and bizarre and a place were they would not raise there children... I find that to be untrue but that's just my opnion no one is ever Nasty to me. Yes, there are alot of elderly people but they are not all nasty people. And yes I do agree if you don't have a decent job(that pays well) or are wealthy this might not be the city for you.
Over all I think it's a great city with TONS to do, good schools( that issue wth NaplesHigh was in accurate and correction was later on WINK)
You know I am happy that you like living here and I do not think that you should let people on an internet board change your opinion, we all like different things BUT, please do not let anyone pull the wool over your eyes about the schools, NOT GOOD. I know you have not lived anywhere else but let me tell you, there are A LOT of places with much better schools. I work in the schools here so I do have some first hand experience.
Are there places here where your child can get a good education? Sure. Are all children certain to be uneducated if they live here, no. But, no one is calling Collier County schools good, it is not the way it is.
Sometimes it is the only to find out if it is for you or not.
There is one poster on this forum who is a troll. Because of that, I refrain from saying too much.
I lived in N Naples as well. It was *the* most family-oriented community I could find. However, compared to what I was used to, it was not a *community*. It was isolation behind gates. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Then again, I had to pay $400 a month for the maintenance of this beautiful community.
We can all only compare our experience of living there, to what else we do know and have experienced. I have lived and worked in MASS, CA, NY and NJ. Naples was not for me, nor would it ever be no matter how much I made or what age I was. But that is only because of my personal preferences and what is important to me in my life.
I looked at buying a house versus renting. As you all know too well, there is not only the price of the home, but the taxes, the insurance, and the maintenance fees (in some communities). When I looked at the private schools in the area, they were very expensive. But that is not what kept me from thinking about having my son enrolled in one of those private schools. I visted those schools, hung out just to observe. IMO, the kids who attended were at the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of *financial class* if you will. I did not want my son to go to school in a climate where money was not a concern. I just didn't think it was the *real world* and prefer him to grow up in a pure middle-class neighborhood where kids still babysit, ride their bikes all over town, and experiences the value of lifelong friendships. Naples was such a transient community. The folks we met were either on their way in or their way out. (Also, as far as my son riding his bike, he could not go far because we were surrounded by highways every which way.
I would say that living there and vacationing there are two completely different experiences. As many vacations as you take... would still not give you the feel of actually living there. If your heart is set on moving, then just do it.
Finally, I will also say that I did meet folks who had moved there from other parts of FL. Those folks were, quite frankly, bored to death. I do not have any experience of living in other parts of Florida so I cannot comment. Naples, is unquestionably gorgeous, no doubt. To each his own.
I never thought I would say this, but after my summer experience, I would much prefer to be cold than hot. At least in the cold you can bundle up, go outside and get some fresh air. In the heat, again at least for me, there was nothing to do except stay in AC.
My boyfriend spent most of his childhood in Naples and was very happy to move up to Boston, MA and live with me three years ago. He lamented the lack of culture down there. And in the last three years, we've been back down to Naples for several wedding and family gatherings. There is a lot of construction going on. So every time we visit, more homes, more shopping centers and a lot more traffic to deal with. Yuck.
I have friends that moved from Wellesley to Boca Raton at the insistence of the wife. Big mistake. And their kids hated the schools down there. Plus it's so bloody hot in the summer, that they all come up and live with their NJ relatives instead.
I don't get how many Florida people will buy a beautiful house within a gated community and then knock it down and build a bigger house on top of it. It's as if they don't want to have a yard. And every house has a swimming pool, but I never see anyone swimming in them. lol
lol- bcs the heat in summer, and bugs- are AWFUL esp if you are from Northeast!!. In my life I never endured such horrible heat- and never will again
I moved to Florida after experiencing the fifth blizzard of the season, back in 1996.
Now, bring on the cold. The more snow the better.
I can deal with the elements. I can adjust to that.
Cranky people, people with more money than brains or culture, drug addicts, geriatric drug addicts, people that are yearning to hang their "Velvet Elvis," well, I can do without it.
I can survive a snow.
I can't deal with a hurricane, like Charley, or the electricity being out, or the cellphones not working, or my mom being terrified, or my employer insisting I come to work, even if their was a ban on the roads, with the National Guard at the intersections, and the traffic signals teared off by the wind.
Florida looked good in my rear-view mirror. Yes, it did.
My boyfriend spent most of his childhood in Naples and was very happy to move up to Boston, MA and live with me three years ago. He lamented the lack of culture down there. And in the last three years, we've been back down to Naples for several wedding and family gatherings. There is a lot of construction going on. So every time we visit, more homes, more shopping centers and a lot more traffic to deal with. Yuck.
I have friends that moved from Wellesley to Boca Raton at the insistence of the wife. Big mistake. And their kids hated the schools down there. Plus it's so bloody hot in the summer, that they all come up and live with their NJ relatives instead.
I don't get how many Florida people will buy a beautiful house within a gated community and then knock it down and build a bigger house on top of it. It's as if they don't want to have a yard. And every house has a swimming pool, but I never see anyone swimming in them. lol
We are having the opposite experience. We have been in Parkland and our in laws in Boca for 6 years. All our family is from NJ, PA, and MA. So far, 11 have moved down.
The kids love the beach, tennis, and the schools in Boca and Parkland are top notch. 2 families of our friends are over in Naples and love it. There daughter attends the new Sanchez-Casal Tennis academy in Naples.
3 more cousins are scheduled to move down in 6 months. We are all loving it and enjoy the fact that the family is slowly following us down and getting away from that awful cold and gray up there!
The last link is my best friend since childhood, we grew up together in NJ. He just bought a business with a branch down here and he and his wife and 3 kids are coming in a few months.
Florida is becoming a magnet for all our friends and family. Life is good! To each their own of course. Sounds like plenty of folks love that cold and snow up there. Go for it and enjoy because life is short, live where you like. For us, we say thanks every single day that we will never waste another precious moment living up north.
Sometimes it is the only to find out if it is for you or not.
There is one poster on this forum who is a troll. Because of that, I refrain from saying too much.
I lived in N Naples as well. It was *the* most family-oriented community I could find. However, compared to what I was used to, it was not a *community*. It was isolation behind gates. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Then again, I had to pay $400 a month for the maintenance of this beautiful community.
We can all only compare our experience of living there, to what else we do know and have experienced. I have lived and worked in MASS, CA, NY and NJ. Naples was not for me, nor would it ever be no matter how much I made or what age I was. But that is only because of my personal preferences and what is important to me in my life.
I looked at buying a house versus renting. As you all know too well, there is not only the price of the home, but the taxes, the insurance, and the maintenance fees (in some communities). When I looked at the private schools in the area, they were very expensive. But that is not what kept me from thinking about having my son enrolled in one of those private schools. I visted those schools, hung out just to observe. IMO, the kids who attended were at the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of *financial class* if you will. I did not want my son to go to school in a climate where money was not a concern. I just didn't think it was the *real world* and prefer him to grow up in a pure middle-class neighborhood where kids still babysit, ride their bikes all over town, and experiences the value of lifelong friendships. Naples was such a transient community. The folks we met were either on their way in or their way out. (Also, as far as my son riding his bike, he could not go far because we were surrounded by highways every which way.
I would say that living there and vacationing there are two completely different experiences. As many vacations as you take... would still not give you the feel of actually living there. If your heart is set on moving, then just do it.
Finally, I will also say that I did meet folks who had moved there from other parts of FL. Those folks were, quite frankly, bored to death. I do not have any experience of living in other parts of Florida so I cannot comment. Naples, is unquestionably gorgeous, no doubt. To each his own.
I never thought I would say this, but after my summer experience, I would much prefer to be cold than hot. At least in the cold you can bundle up, go outside and get some fresh air. In the heat, again at least for me, there was nothing to do except stay in AC.
Nancy Lynne, once again thanks for your perspective. If I had to pick the ONE thing that I disliked most about living in Sarasota, it was the extreme "transient" quality of the place. Not only were there mostly part time retirees and tourists coming and going, and residents constantly moving because of the cost of the area, but the town was (and still is) CONSTANTLY knocking down buildings and shopping centers that weren't even that old and putting up bigger and newer (but not necessarily better), as well as decimating the tree canopy. There was absolutely no community feeling there at all. This is the single most important reason for us (and many others we know) which is what makes the place feel so "strange" to us.
While I know SW Florida is not a place we ever want to live because of our own personal preferences, there are certainly many who live there, find it beautiful and have a good life. It really is such a personal and subjective thing. Sometimes one doesn't know until they experience an area if it will be for them. There is always a honeymoon period when one moves to any new area, but when the novelty wears off, one may still be happy or realize the shortcomings they didn't see before.
I am grateful DH and I have found a couple special places that we love, and I know a lot of people would dislike the very things we love about our special place, but then that is what makes the world go round, and it's a good thing there are so many choices in this world.
You know I am happy that you like living here and I do not think that you should let people on an internet board change your opinion, we all like different things BUT, please do not let anyone pull the wool over your eyes about the schools, NOT GOOD. I know you have not lived anywhere else but let me tell you, there are A LOT of places with much better schools. I work in the schools here so I do have some first hand experience.
Are there places here where your child can get a good education? Sure. Are all children certain to be uneducated if they live here, no. But, no one is calling Collier County schools good, it is not the way it is.
Let's just put into perspective what makes a good school. Good teachers and administrators. I've said it a thousand times...Florida is never going to have competitive schools in all areas until Florida government start to pay teacher's wages that afford them the ability to live in areas such as Naples. If you were a teacher, and they said "you will make 35K-39K across the state of Florida...would you move to Naples? NO, you would move where that gave you a roof over your head". People need to start addressing the real problem...the wages in the state vs. the cost of living. The cost of living increased quickly b/c all the people who moved here from somewhere else. Now, all those people are complaining, but basically rooted the problems. Florida can not attract and retain the best educators if they can't afford to live here. Period!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for your input CJ. DIfferent strokes for different Folks I guess. We might not have the BEST school district in the nation but, we are by far not the worst. Nancy you mentioned you don't want your son growing up were money is not a concern because it is not the "Real World" and you rather have him group up in a middle class soceity. Well I 've got news for you! money is a concern for everyone the rich did not become rich by throwing there money away. It is very SAD that you think that anything besides MIDDLE CLASS is not REALITY. Keep teaching your son that and it might just be so for him. Life is what you make of it regardless of the cards you are dealt. Now, I do agree that perhaps if you are on a tight income Naples might NOT be the place for you and might not be the place for a lot of young families to start out not because it's AWFULL here but because it is expensive. Who ever moves here needs to be prepared for that. I don't mean to offend anyone. I have nothing more to say, we can go on talking
forver and probably never agree. Like I said before to say that this is a terrible place to raise children is a bit of a stretch, this isn't COMPTON.
I try not to get crazy about the 'obviousness' of some people's complaints after they move to Florida.
One poster who moved to extreme SW FL has told us that it was hot in the summer, private schools have wealthier kids in them, and a certain city is full of older people. No offense, but that is all very obvious and there was no bait and switch done by SW Florida.
That would be like me moving to Alaska and posting on the Alaska forum that I didn't like it because it was cold and the snow glare caused me headaches.
I try not to get crazy about the 'obviousness' of some people's complaints after they move to Florida.
One poster who moved to extreme SW FL has told us that it was hot in the summer, private schools have wealthier kids in them, and a certain city is full of older people.
No offense, but there was no bait and switch done by SW Florida. That would be like me moving to Alaska and posting on the Alaska forum that I didn'tlike it because it was cold and I couldn't find a Starbucks in my town.
Makes no sense to me, but whatever.
Well said. Same with those who post about not being able to find a high-paying corporate job. Guess no research was done on that either. I say that is like being a Wall Street trader and moving to Nebraska..then wondering why you can't find a good Wall Street type job. Like your style CJFlorida.
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At least in the cold you can bundle up, go outside and get some fresh air. In the heat, again at least for me, there was nothing to do except stay in AC.
