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Old 10-23-2007, 02:42 PM
 
Location: MO Ozarkian in NE Hoosierana
4,682 posts, read 12,035,352 times
Reputation: 6992

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A buddy is entertaining a potential job offer to Naples. No dependents or spouse. Starting pay is ~$50k. In glancing through the various threads/posts here, seems that most are quite negative, w/ main concerns regarding the quite high expenses and the immigrants/Hispanics that are changing the face of the area. Can a person enjoy themselves in that area, w/ that salary? Is there a particular area w/in Naples metro region that is safe and relatively affordable in that type of salary? Maybe rental/apartment for a few months, to get a better feel for the area - any suggestions there? BTW, the employment opportunity is near the intersection of I-75 and FL951. Thanks much! Main benefit to him regarding that area is the beaches...

FWIW, here are some of the random quotes from other posts/threads regarding Naples [apologies to the OP's of these comments, as I did a 'hit and run' grabbing what could that seemed most pertinent]...

Quote:
According to Money magazine, 18% of the population of Naples are millionaires. You will be either rubbing elbows with the millionaires or serving them...

I just moved from Naples in June, and I would never live in Naples again, that is for people with MONEY, or if you live in East Naples... section 8. I am not one bit impressed with Naples. Not long ago back in March or so, there was a Naples selectman on tv who said in front of the camera... "naples is a good town, we need better people moving here, we don't need people driving around in Ford Escorts and Buick Skylarks". Made a lot of people mad. Who does he think he is? If you move there, buy a Bently, Mercedes, AstonMartin, because a BMW, Audi, Corvette, is a poor mans car in Naples. Talk about a conceited city. If I were to go anywhere in Southwest Florida... Cape Coral... Pretty normal people live there(you can find them occasionally).

Naples is expensive, boring, ugly, crowded, just not what it's all cracked up to be. The Realtor that posted is obviously painting you a beautiful picture.

Collier County is starting to get a lot of illegal aliens. Palm Beach County is having the problem to a much lesser extent, and Broward not really at all (Which is surprising, us bordering on Dade and all).

The crime is not really bad at all (its actually fairly safe and about at the same level as Boca, maybe a little worse than Parkland), but there certainly are a lot of drugs around, as the younger population does not really have anything better to do.

Actually, Collier has always had a large illegal immigrant population due to the farms in Immokalee. BUT, they were in Immok, pretty much exclusively, with the only exception I can think of being Garguilio or whatever it is off of extreme east 41 headed toward Miami.

But over the years the illegals have become very brazen, not really caring if anyone saw them and knew they were illegal. So they've moved into the rural areas of Naples (Golden Gate Estates being a prime example) and very recently into the incorporated city as well. They live 2 and 3 families to a small 2 or 3 bedroom house. They drink heavily, play music very loudly, have junk cars and beer cans covering their yard. Now, this obviously is a generalization as I'm sure there are some hard working illegals out there that actually take pride in where they live. But for the most part, any area that's been inhabited by large numbers of them have gone to hell quickly. Naples Manor started getting bad in the 80s while I was in high school. I went to Lely so we drove through that mess every day. Then in the 90s they started to clean it up, but by the late 90s it was even worse than 10 years earlier. We were constantly responding to calls of drug sales, prostitution, shots fired in the area, domestic violence, rape, etc.

When people do searches for Naples you get info on the upper class incorporated areas, usually strictly in the city on the beach. They are gorgeous areas and available for sale or rent, should you have an extra $5k a month to drop, before your condo fees.

Naples has gorgeous beaches. They are quite frequently voted in the top 10 nation wide. The downtown area has done an excellent job at renovations and such. There are some wonderful boutique type hotels down there within walking distance of the beaches and stores with $30 pairs of socks to sell, should that be your thing. But short of visiting for the beaches and upscale shopping and dining, Naples has really become a waste. Short of being an illegal picking tomatoes or a multi-millionaire, you really just don't belong there anymore. It's a shame. It was once an incredible little sleepy fishing village. So sad that that is gone forever.

Naples proper as well as north Naples are both some of the most beautiful places in all of America. No where else will you find such clean streets, sidewalks, and beaches. The people are some of the friendliest around. And don't complain about us snowbirds, because if it wasn't for our money, your houses would never increase in value. Nor would you have many jobs in the service sector as well.

I'm sick of folks bashing Naples as some immigrant laden town. Don't believe their BS and go down to a city of paradise and see for yourself what it's like.

Naples is now for the haves and the have nots. There is no room in the middle. The have nots can live here collecting welfare, foodstamps and live 3 families per household. This would be the hispanics, illegal or not. Simple fact.

I have lived in Naples for over 30 years and the change is night and day. I have lived in my home for over 15 years in the estates. We chose this area because we liked the country and the quiet at the time. It is no longer like that. mexicans moved in next to us and the quiet is gone. They drink tons of beer, spy on me and my dh and my children when we are outside. The are loud all the time. People come and go consistantly. They have adopted farm animals that make noise day and night. My kids can not play outside because I do not want them gaucked at. This is to just name a few. We have called the police, but quess what? They do nothing because big mouth momma next door plays the racial card. I have never ever said anything racial or impliyed ever. I have many friends who are hispanic. The fact is that naples has been taked over by the hispanic community. It is everywhere you go. I am not takinging about the well educated living a decent life. I am talking about the uneducated will not bother to speak english, and have 5 or more children type. Like I said, I am not racial even though it may sound like that. What I am sicked by what has come to naples weither it is white, black, hispanic, green or purple. The fact is I can no longer enjoy my home. So at some point I will be another one of those who has left good ole Naples.

Naples is a very beautiful area with beautiful beaches. It has also changed overall though. With all the expanding roads, now a very lovely (cough) overpass, The high rise office buildings. Yep, Naples is a peach - NOT! Sure all towns change. It is not the town I moved to 30 years ago, and wanted to move to. You want it you can have it. As far as money people here and choosing to spend it here. If Naples continues on the path it is on, this will change. As far as growth, well don't believe everything you read. I know plenty of people who have been laid off their construction jobs they have had for years. Why? Because there is no work. Anything you see now is all old permitting. Nothing new. I know this because I live in the real world of Naples. Not the, "I live in Pelican Bay", come here for 6 months out of the year and go to the "tennis school". Give me a break! Well I am sick of Naples. I have lived here and have put up with enough bull long enough to have the right to bash it. Period!

I find it quite interesting that the people defending Naples are the 'visitors' or the ones that live in a very affluent gated community that shelters them from the reality of what the rest of Naples is like. And yet the ones telling you how bad it's become, regardless of clean streets and gorgeous beaches are the ones that have lived there for a very long time and seen the changes for themselves first hand. Yep, if I could live in Pelican Bay or Bonita Bay (though BB is technically Lee County) or Naples Cay or Quail West for a few months of the year I might consider it. But as a full time middle-class resident, I'd never recommend it to anyone.

Yes- take Naples off your list. It is really a beautiful, clean, manicured town with lots of dinning, and shopping- but you won't want to be here during season. Everything is so crowded(restaurants, shops, roads) that you will avoid leaving home. Also- I find that the snowbirds(most very wealthy) are very rude-it's all about them. If you are wealthy then you might like it. I was born and raised in Naples and my husband and I are looking to get out of here. Large numbers of illegal immigrants. Are you fluent in spanish? Go to walmart supercenter and you will feel like you have crossed the border. So if you are very wealthy and can afford to live in the elite areas of town, then you may only run into mexicans when they are manicuring your lawn, if you are middle class, you will have trouble finding an affordable place to live. It's really quite sad. Off season is pretty nice as crowds go-if you don't mind several months of sweltering heat and threat of hurricanes. Good luck.

People...specifically it depends on your income and your status to be perfectly honest with you. I am a middle class mother of 2(11 and 20) and mys on always finds things to do now that he is out and about on his own but my 11 yr old is always bored but I must say it isnt for lack of things for her to do it is for lack of wanting to pay over 1000 for 6 wks of day camp for example and there are lots of parks for them to play in and all that but the programs that they run are very expensive and public trans although it is available is not something I am willing to put my daughter on to go to one of them while I work etc.

The area itself is very nice but it for sure is for the affluent. I have living in NY, NH and MA all my 45 yrs except for the 3 yrs here and I have never seen so many rude ignorant and downright nasty people in all my life(and not they are not all transplants..I dare say they are the friendly of the lot) people here just think they have the right to be snobs, treat people as servants or less than. I cant wait to leave...It is a land of paradise if you visit but if you live here you better have DEEP pockets...A basic house is 300K plus and the taxes and homoenwers alone will run you 10K a year right now..Collier especially is very expensive to live. I do love the beaches etc but I just cant justify living her anymore. I am going to GA where it is more family friendly, diverse and kid friendly as well as a place I can own a home and actually afford it and have money left over for every day life as well as things for my daughter to do. I cant do that here...And sad to say I dont think anyone of normal means can...Sad but true..Naples is going back to a RICH town and no one under 100K a year is going to even be able to breath here let alone live...

As far as Sex Offenders....You have to keep in mind that those stats (alarming as they are) are also based on a teen who has a relationship wtih a teen and the parent or parents brought charges even though it was a consentual relationship or a parent going thru a divorce charges the dad with letting a kid watch a movie that she deems inapproriate and charges are filed and or a number of other factors other than the "typical" sex offender charges. I have lived in many places and having an 11yr old I am always aware of what and who are around and so is she. I have never felt threaten or anything for my child other than the normal parent dont do this and that etc...I feel safe in Naples. Now Ft Myers that is another story...Alot of crime and murders drive bys etc...Not saying Naples doesnt have its share they do but I have never been afraid to live here or to raise my daugher here. I just taught my daughter early on and gave her a cell phone and tools to use and hope and pray everyday that she listens to them and uses what she must if ever a situation comes at hand. Sad to say I dont care where you live they are everywhere and that is not going to change until the laws do. I remember things when i was a kid but never like this and sad to say its not getting any better...

It is very expensive, as there's basically no lower income housing. Everything is gated communities and waterfront condos. Expect either a long commute, or hope that River Reach (the only "working class" sort of apartments in the town) has openings.

I am in shock at the number of people bashing Naples. And for someone to go on a website after living in any city for only 4 months to complain is even more ridiculous. I moved here from Michigan three years ago. Doesn't matter if I were from Ohio, Indiana, ILL. or Wiscon. The economy, enviroment, housing, jobs... you name it, it's all depressing. I came from a suburb of Detroit where every single person, neighbor or relative is unemployed. Housing is at a history low. It is cloudy 300 days a year. The weather stinks about 9 months a year. Talk about nothing to do? there is NOTHING to do. Unless you count the Casino's, but then you would have to drive into the inner city. Talk about crime, sex offenders, drugs. Someone mentioned that Naples wasn't kid friendly. What does that mean? I have two children. We rent jet ski's, boats, go to the water park year round. Drive to Miami for the day or drive to Disney and stay over night. They can play outside 12 months of the year, heck they can swim in our pool year round. Can't do any of those things in the mid west. I read that someone said Naples was unfriendly? What? are you kidding? I have yet to finish a meal in any restaurant in Naples that someone hasn't interupted my family and said "hi, where are you from" We laugh all the time at how any Starbucks I go into, everyone knows everybody. The staff knows their clients drinks by heart. I have made more friends in 3 years than in the 30 something I lived up in the frozen tundra, where no one came out of their homes from November 1st until the first thaw in April. Let's talk traffic..... its mild to normal April till Thanksgiving. Then busy for a month or two and Nuts in Jan. and Feb. So the price to pay for year round beauty, incredible weather, non stop sunshine, JOBS, access to the ocean, is 60 days of heavy traffic? Give me a break. One last comment, did I read somewhere that someone was complaining of bugs??? Spend a July in Northern Michigan, you may want to re-think that comment. People, Mayberry doesn't exist! You need to find the right enviroment for you and what makes you happy. But I found MY paradise in Naples. All I was expecting was more sunshine than the north, a good job, a clean town, and some new friends. My mission was accomplished and I am proud to call Naples my new home. Home is what you make of it. If you are not happy, maybe you need to look at your expectations a little more.

We're not the ones who suddenly moved down there on a whim with dreams of palmtrees and sand find we can't afford it and then move and complain about Naples. .Many of us had or have been there for 20+ years. Yes USED to be able to afford it. It was cheap and beautiful at one time. We've delt with a WHOLE lot more than people who have lived there for 5 years and rave about the place. We've lived through way more hurricanes, developments, buildups, construction and just destruction of the place we once loved. I'm sure many of the people here can't remember when Naples had farms where major intersections now are, or drive in theaters in naples park, or RC car races where walmart now is in naples park. Those were wonderful things that people would do as a community in Naples.. People genuinly liked each other and knew each other. It make us angry that the northerners (wherever that may be from) came in, thought it was "such paradise" that they just HAD to change it to make it like they had up north so it could be a true Northerners southern paradise if that makes sense. Live there for another 15 years min. and then tell me how wonderful it is when its looks like Miami with the gangs and crimes to go with it.. Its well on its way anyways.

Naples is extremely wealthy! It is also beauiful and tons of golf courses, although I am not sure how many are public or private I am sure there is alot of both. However traffic is horrible especially in season! We go to Naples every year (I used to live there and my mom still does) Have you been to visit yet? You will definitly want to check it out.
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Old 10-23-2007, 03:03 PM
 
Location: Sunny Naples Florida :)
1,451 posts, read 2,479,746 times
Reputation: 513
My husband made a bit more than $50k.. not much.. we had to rent at the time we couldn't afford to buy and by the end before we left rent was so high we had to get a roomate... We both hated Naples.. I knew it was the end for me when I went to mcdonalds to order a meal and wanted just a single extra burger and the woman couldn't understand that I was trying to order mor one cause she no speaky english good.. I went to Target durning christmas and evidently they hire people who don't speak English PERIOD.. I asked where something was from two ladies stocking the shelves.. They shrugged their shoulder and flat out said no habla engles. NONE. That is just amazing to me. HOW did they even get hired? Everyones moving out.. jobs suck, they're low pay, no season change, too much traffic and building.. roads constantly under construction, crime is going up up and away , snobs everywhere. Good luck living on 50K.. its gonna be hard, your like section 8...The apts are either too much or they don't rent to someone who makes too much.. Imagine that.. We tried to rent some nice apts , well we thought were nice before we left and becasue we made over 30k COMBINED we were over the limit to rent.. MANY places were like that, in the end we had to get a roomate and get a really expensive apt.

Last edited by Tarastomsgirl; 10-23-2007 at 03:12 PM..
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Old 10-23-2007, 03:28 PM
 
Location: The Conterminous United States
22,584 posts, read 54,151,084 times
Reputation: 13614
How old is your buddy?

Naples is, mostly, an enclave for snowbirds. Mean, cranky snowbirds.

It's not particularly interesting or fun.

Think bumper to bumper traffic with aggressive, senile people in Escalades. All the time. My hair's standing up on the back of my neck, just thinking about it.
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Old 10-23-2007, 03:34 PM
 
Location: Florida
2,209 posts, read 7,640,266 times
Reputation: 638
Yes, people with money are mean and bad. They didn't do anything to get that money, it just fell from the trees, those lucky OLD and mean people. People who don't have a pot to pee in are kind and good.
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Old 10-23-2007, 03:47 PM
 
Location: MO Ozarkian in NE Hoosierana
4,682 posts, read 12,035,352 times
Reputation: 6992
lol,, dying of laughter reading the two last posts, thanks!

He is mid-40's.

Now, just need to get so can find some of them cash trees... wonder if them poor people pee on them tho'? That's it! Fertilizer! The poor nice smucks don't have a pot to pee in, so have to go on the tree, and then them old and evidently wise people then pluck them dollars from the branches!
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Old 10-23-2007, 06:17 PM
 
3,842 posts, read 10,493,623 times
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If he's single with no respsonsibilities other than for himself, why not? As long as he knows what he is getting into. Most of the illegal alien problems can be found in Fort Myers though they do filter over into the Naples area for the residents do need their pools cleaned & landscaping done by someone they can pay cheaply as they head off to golf.

Majority of SWFL is filled with grumpy, cranky & bitter older people who are very close-minded. I assume most keep their lights OFF at Halloween dare a child knock on their door.

Right now, rent is not too bad due to the housing mess. Naples is still pricey & after taxes, he is not going to be banking much money. Groceries are pricey & his AC will be on 9 months out of the year so that could be pricey.

Other than that, it's Naples. Not none for its friendly, young atmosphere. Just the opposite. Hopefully he can find a few nice people to hang out with over time. The nice people are out there in SWFL it just make take him some time.

One word of advice: the I-75 trek b/w Fort Myers & Naples is nasty; best to use caution when traveling that route.
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Old 10-23-2007, 06:20 PM
 
Location: The Conterminous United States
22,584 posts, read 54,151,084 times
Reputation: 13614
I said that they were...

Quote:
Originally Posted by hiknapster View Post
Mean, cranky snowbirds.
I never said anything about money. In fact, most of the snowbirds are white trash, in Lee County.

In Naples, they are new money, which is still trash.

Bless their hearts.
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Old 10-23-2007, 06:23 PM
 
8,377 posts, read 30,843,536 times
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I knew any post involving Naples or Fort Myers would attract the hiknapster .

Have to agree about the new money part. I'm not gonna lie, SW FL seems like a strange place.

Which is worse in your opinions; SW FL or SE FL?
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Old 10-23-2007, 06:23 PM
 
3,842 posts, read 10,493,623 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hiknapster View Post
My hair's standing up on the back of my neck, just thinking about it.
And the snowbirds are starting to filter in; the mix of those who live here full time & the snowbirds...it makes me shudder or have a permanent glare on my face as that is what I see from 99% of the people in SWFL.

Hope you are getting some rain in TN, Hiknapster.
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Old 10-23-2007, 06:25 PM
 
3,842 posts, read 10,493,623 times
Reputation: 3206
Quote:
Originally Posted by hiknapster View Post
I never said anything about money. In fact, most of the snowbirds are white trash, in Lee County.

In Naples, they are new money, which is still trash.

Bless their hearts.
Oh, thank you for making me laugh (probably not your intention but still, made me laugh). We are in the final stretch of moving & packing & I needed a stress break.

I wish I'd taken pictures of things I saw in Charlotte, Lee, & Collier during the time we were here. No one is going to believe what I tell them.
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