Living on Marco Island with children

[tothehilt]

I'm a 29yr old Florida native who now lives in Naples and I have family that lives on Marco year round and I can tell you that there are young families that live on Marco, but it's very few. You would be much happier living in Naples with a family. Naples has the children's museum, water park and many more children's shops and kid friendly environments in general. Ignore those who tell you Naples is just full of old people. Well.... Here's the truth. Florida is full of old people. So let's get past that. There are many many young families in Naples including my own. As for the commute to Marco Island... The commute time to Marco Island during season (tourist season) is about 30-35 minutes. Non-season commute time to Marco is 15-20 minutes. I'm on the island at least 3-4 times a week. During season, Marco is insanely congested due to it's small size which makes it very hard to get around smoothly. I've posted this before, but I'll post it again.

After college I moved to Naples because my family was here, but why do I stay?

- Amazing weather (year round)
- Beautiful beaches (year round)
- Just a beautiful extremely well kept area. (roads, buildings, parks)
- Proximity to Tampa and Miami for concerts, sports and other special events.
- Proximity to Key West. (I'm in KW at least 3-4 times a year)
- Awesome boating & fishing. (year round, are you seeing a trend here?)
- Quantity and quality of great unique dining. (hardly any chains or fast food)
- Quantity and quality of high end retail. (Everything from Target to Gucci)
- Proximity to three great airports means you can fly anywhere! (RSW, TPA, MIA)

All in all this is a fantastic area and I welcome you and your family to SWFL!

[Happiness-is-close]

I was born on Marco and grew up in east naples. most of my friends in high school were all from Marco. Lely, our high school, pulled about 300-400 kids from the island. So yes, there were families on the island, at least as recently as 2006 when I moved away for college.

My concerns about raising children on Marco more revolve around that my friends from there that didn't escape after high school all seemed to fall into cyclones of misfortune down the road. There is currently (and for many years now) an opiate epidemic going on in the young adult population that lives on Marco. Several of my high school friends have passed away from overdosing.

I think the drug problem stems from a lack of meaningful jobs on the island. If your kids remain on Marco after they are done with school, they can pretty much only look forward to a life of serving fried food to to the populace and retires. That type of thing takes a toll on the mind.

That is what would defer me from raising kids there. I just don't think that type of isolation is a good thing for young people. BUT, if you put your kids on a good path where they can make themselves competitive in the 21st century, then I am sure they will look back on their Marco island memories very fondly. I know I certainly do.

Personally, Naples gets my vote, and the more north in naples the better. It sounds closer to your husbands work and there is so much more for your young family to do. Island paradises are just so much better to visit in my opinion.

[SJNE17]

Picking up an older thread here, but is this statement true?

I've read a lot of the Marco PD reports and it's typically traffic stops, drug possession (esp. pot), suspended licenses, and break-in's. Strangely enough the latter has a bunch of reports on boats being broken into and fishing gear/electronics being lifted.

[quote=Happiness-is-close;40548334 There is currently (and for many years now) an opiate epidemic going on in the young adult population that lives on Marco. [/quote]

[jo4razorbacks]

This thread is quite dated so I'm not certain if things are any different. We currently live in suburban Chicago but as my husband nears retirement we are planning to build w/in the year on our lot in Marco. However, contemplating a full-time move seems troublesome as we have an upcoming high school freshman & 7th grader. I cannot bear to live in Chicago much longer, being a southerner, I despise the winters, however, I find only bad news about the public schools. My upcoming freshman is an honor student & it seems our lot is zoned to Lely HS in Naples & I've found nothing but horrible reviews online. Any advise would be appreciated. Private schools are an option and realize the drive won't be ideal but the weather here is literally killing me.
Thank you in advance.

[RMD3819]

Originally Posted by jo4razorbacks

This thread is quite dated so I'm not certain if things are any different. We currently live in suburban Chicago but as my husband nears retirement we are planning to build w/in the year on our lot in Marco. However, contemplating a full-time move seems troublesome as we have an upcoming high school freshman & 7th grader. I cannot bear to live in Chicago much longer, being a southerner, I despise the winters, however, I find only bad news about the public schools. My upcoming freshman is an honor student & it seems our lot is zoned to Lely HS in Naples & I've found nothing but horrible reviews online. Any advise would be appreciated. Private schools are an option and realize the drive won't be ideal but the weather here is literally killing me.
Thank you in advance.

Seen this?
Marco Island Academy

[jo4razorbacks]

Originally Posted by RMD3819

Seen this?
Marco Island Academy

I did see that after I posted this and will check into how difficult it is to get in. Thank you.

[drkimberlyworth]

Originally Posted by aprilbutterfly

I have to disagree. I actually live on Marco with two children ages 7 and 9. We have lived here for three years and we love it. There are a lot of kids contrary to what most people will tell you. There is an elementary school and a middle school here and almost all of the students live here on the island. Personally we home school but have friends who go to the schools. Don't let people scare you away if you love Marco. My husband does most of his work in Naples and has no problem with the drive. In season there it takes longer to get anywhere but that applies just as much to Naples as it does to Marco. Feel free to PM me

Thank you for this post... can you direct me to homeschool groups in the area. We are thinking of moving to the area this fall

[aprilbutterfly]

We are members of Homeschoolers of Collier County (HOCC). There are a few other groups, too. If you google "homeschoolers collier county" you will come up with most of the options. HOCC is great because it creates a network of homeschoolers of all ages. The kids get a lot of opportunities to interact with kids of all ages and also with adults. There are a lot of good field trips and parties, too. You can participate in all of the activities, a few, or none. It's really up to you.

One thing I can't stand to hear from people about homeschooling is, "Are you worried about their socialization?" and I always answer with a resounding NO! In my opinion there is no more ridiculous question but I hear it all the time. We homeschool, we're not hermits