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Old 07-25-2015, 05:56 AM
 
14,394 posts, read 11,245,044 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tothehilt View Post
AM and Immokalee are a bit off the beaten path for my personal liking. Not much going on out there overall. Mostly housing. Not very much retail at all. Some have mentioned Golden Gate is highly affordable compared to Naples. Well there's a reason for that. My family and I call Golden Gate the "Naples Ghetto". Cell service (or lack of) out there is also a big problem.
Are you referring to GG city or estates?
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Old 10-03-2015, 09:10 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by markjames68 View Post
Are you referring to GG city or estates?
Really!
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Old 10-07-2015, 05:29 PM
 
214 posts, read 286,237 times
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The area between Ave Maria and Naples is slated for some significant development over the next 20 years but it will take a while. For now, Ave Maria is kind of "out there" on its own with limited shopping and dining. You are a solid 30-40 minute drive to the corner of 951 and Immokalee Rd., where you will find assorted restaurants, shopping, and services. Downtown Naples is another 30 minutes beyond that. So...if you are interested in buying a bit of "Naples" - Ave Maria is about an hour away from that. The nearest beach is Delnor Wiggins which would be about 45 minutes from Ave Maria.

I have read in local papers that Ave Maria has been classified - for now - as a unique entity that is NOT governed by a local government but by the developers, at least for now. My memory of the details is a little foggy but it's definitely something to look into. Examples I recall from the article were (1) permits for home modifications, etc. had to be approved - ultimately by a council of developers, not by a city council or zoning board or whatever, and (2) you are subject to things like muzak around model homes in your neighborhood with no recourse.

Some of the Ave Maria communities are 55+, so keep that in mind.

But - builders are putting up great homes there at lower prices than in Naples. Some are zero lot line arrangements - kind of "love thy neighbor" style of real estate.

If you regularly drive to Ft. Lauderdale, Ave Maria can position you very nicely to get on Alligator Alley - you're significantly east of Naples proper and the drive is shorter.

And yes, ATT service drops off after you cross Everglades Blvd.

Note that Golden Gate Estates and Golden Gate (City) are two very different areas with very different demographics. Many who live in the Estates love it and wouldn't trade it for the world.
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Old 10-09-2015, 06:56 AM
 
Location: New England
3,848 posts, read 7,962,204 times
Reputation: 6002
Why anyone would want to live there is beyond me. It's in the middle of nowhere, literally. The closest town is a migrant village riddled with crime and illegals. It's a 40 min drive just to a movie theater. You're extremely far from anything vital like hospitals, food stores etc. the road is one way in one way out and in season I'm sure a nightmare to get into town. It sits on drained swamps and the bugs, snakes, are rampant. There's a reason the prices are what they are . I remember at one time
(And possibly still) they were trying to dictate peoples sex lives/birth control choices out there due to the religious stronghold.
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Old 10-09-2015, 02:49 PM
 
Location: Full time in the RV
3,418 posts, read 7,789,284 times
Reputation: 3332
Quote:
Originally Posted by lynnc99 View Post
The area between Ave Maria and Naples is slated for some significant development over the next 20 years but it will take a while. For now, Ave Maria is kind of "out there" on its own with limited shopping and dining. You are a solid 30-40 minute drive to the corner of 951 and Immokalee Rd., where you will find assorted restaurants, shopping, and services. Downtown Naples is another 30 minutes beyond that. So...if you are interested in buying a bit of "Naples" - Ave Maria is about an hour away from that. The nearest beach is Delnor Wiggins which would be about 45 minutes from Ave Maria.

I have read in local papers that Ave Maria has been classified - for now - as a unique entity that is NOT governed by a local government but by the developers, at least for now. My memory of the details is a little foggy but it's definitely something to look into. Examples I recall from the article were (1) permits for home modifications, etc. had to be approved - ultimately by a council of developers, not by a city council or zoning board or whatever, and (2) you are subject to things like muzak around model homes in your neighborhood with no recourse.

Some of the Ave Maria communities are 55+, so keep that in mind.

But - builders are putting up great homes there at lower prices than in Naples. Some are zero lot line arrangements - kind of "love thy neighbor" style of real estate.

If you regularly drive to Ft. Lauderdale, Ave Maria can position you very nicely to get on Alligator Alley - you're significantly east of Naples proper and the drive is shorter.

And yes, ATT service drops off after you cross Everglades Blvd.

Note that Golden Gate Estates and Golden Gate (City) are two very different areas with very different demographics. Many who live in the Estates love it and wouldn't trade it for the world.
Ave Maria is a Community Development District similar to what Disney is. It basically has most of the powers of a city with zoning etc. When it was first starting up there were a lot of comparisons to the Disney structure.
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Old 10-09-2015, 02:56 PM
 
Location: Sugarmill Woods , FL
6,234 posts, read 8,442,558 times
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Inside the Isolated Catholic Town Built by the Founder of Domino's | WIRED
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Old 10-10-2015, 06:37 AM
 
Location: Naples, FL
351 posts, read 492,160 times
Reputation: 531
Interesting article. I've been to Ave Maria. I am surprised at the housing growth out there. It is truly in the middle of nowhere although the town itself is clean and the people friendly.
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Old 04-13-2016, 08:28 AM
 
87 posts, read 183,607 times
Reputation: 93
Default We certainly enjoyed our visit there.....if

If your looking for some peace and quiet, low traffic, friendly people, decent home prices, great golf, family morals, great church, you have found your home. I read the reports of Ave Maria being out in no where land and yes, that's true, but I loved the drive from Naples to Ave Maria. The drive is long enough and peaceful while enjoying your coffee and scenery. I'm a country boy (old man I should say) at heart and this is right down our alley. No trash laying around, everything is just CLEAN! Yes, it will be nice once there is some more retail, I just hope it's never a Walmart. We have enough problems with the one where we live, but that's another subject.
Bottom line, we would move there in a minute, once retired.
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Old 04-13-2016, 09:07 AM
 
87 posts, read 183,607 times
Reputation: 93
BTW.....here is one of the most recent articles concerning Ave Maria:
Ave Maria a bounce back success story
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Old 04-13-2016, 09:55 AM
 
121 posts, read 213,982 times
Reputation: 138
It turns out that Ave Maria was sprayed via airplane more than 30 times in 2015 for mosquitoes with pesticides. It appears they are on track to beat that record for 2016. Conversely, the most sprayed area of Golden Gate Estates was 13 times in 2015. Just something to be aware of when making a purchase decision. Some are ok with that which is fine, but I feel people deserve to know such information so they can make informed decisions.
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