Life in Naples w/ elementary school aged kids? (Fort Myers, Lee: Home Depot, neighborhoods)

[ncdel]

Hello! We are exploring a possible relo to Naples area and I am trying to get some more info about what life is like there for people in the vicinity of 40 with elementary school aged kids. I am curious about a few things:

1. How friendly/welcoming people in the North Naples and general area are to newcomers? I have lived in 6 states as an adult in various regions of the country (northeast, midwest & southeast) so I am used to moving & finding my way, etc, but have found that the welcoming nature of people, neighborhoods, areas has varied quite a bit.

2. If you go to the schools with the 'best' ratings (eg Pelican Marsh, Barron Collier, etc), how do those schools compare to well ranked schools in other states that have better overall school systems? I'd be particularly interested in hearing from anyone who might have relocated recently in this same situation. Where we currently live, our (public) elementary schools & high school are in the top 10 in our state. I realize this is not the case in Collier County but Florida is a larger state than where I live, and I'm just curious about HOW different it would really be...

3. Things to do w/ kids this age- we currently are able to access a lot of kid friendly activities like zoo, museums (a bunch of them), really nice public parks, professional sports, some indoor activities like skyzone (trampoline place), climbing places, gymnastics places, variety of pools, a community center/gym with great facilities, etc. Of course we do not have a beach nearby so that is a plus, nor year round outdoor activity (heat aside) so that would be nice for us. What do people in the Naples area do w/ kids in free time?

4. General culture of the area (sort of relates to #1) in terms of friendliness, welcoming, people talking to people in the supermarket type of thing, as well as political culture- I sense it is a conservative political culture based on some demographics, does this apply to young-ish families as well as the overall retiree population? Where are most of the non-retired people from (the ones who aren't native Floridians)?

Thanks! I already know about the cost of housing, heat in summer, influx of retirees in season and have read a lot of the comments on here regarding those things, so I'm just really trying to get a feel for daily life kinds of things. Appreciate any feedback!

[markjames68]

Hi, I'm in your situation and have been here for a year, so can share some thoughts, but of course it's just one perspective.

1) People are generally very welcoming. Having moved here from the NE people here are more outwardly friendly and will wave. There is a distinct full-time vs. seasonal difference. You might find when you go into shops, etc. and you're full-time that people will be a bit nicer as you're a true Naples "resident" rather than someone coming in for season. All of the shops and restaurants love the money that comes with the snowbirds, but they might not always love the snowbirds themselves

2) I came from a very good school system in NY and my kids are doing well (4th and 2nd grade). Both are in special ed programs but transitioning to mainstream. My experience with Collier County School District has been excellent. Note that in Florida districts are county-wide, so it may not be the same in Lee or other counties in Florida. One thing I find, and I don't know exactly why, is that the teachers here seem more engaged and willing to help rather than entitled and pushing problems onto the parents. But that's just my perspective.

3) I suggest you get a membership to the Naples Zoo (around $75 a year for a family membership for residents). Also get a free Collier County beach parking pass (again, free for residents). There are also the usual things like bowling, etc. that can be done inside when it gets hot. By the way, there are numerous great beaches to go to and aren't crowded out of season - if you go early in the morning and stay until 11 you'll find it's really pleasant even during the summer (and the water is really warm). I also have a pool and lanai, which is pretty common in Florida. This means you have year-round indoor/outdoor living as well as a pool that never closes. My pool maintenance costs via a service are well under $100 a month for weekly chemical/cleaning.

4) In North Naples within a short drive you have Publix, Trader Joe's, Target Superstore, Wal-Mart, Whole Foods, etc. All are excellent. I've found the friendliness and level of service better than in the NE. As to where the non-retirees are from, I think it's from all over. Many are corporate relocations as companies like Hertz have moved to the area, and others are just looking for a higher quality of life. Many that I've spoken with are from the Midwest, as the Atlantic coast seems to have more people from NY/NJ. This is a generalization though.

People are generally friendly, with the proviso that in season the traffic gets heavier and some of our visitors get a little impatient with things. Some visitors also have a sense of entitlement, but that's not the case with most full-timers. One other thing with the traffic and the elderly is that there seems to be a LOT more fender benders here. Like multiple ones every day, often due to an elderly driver that just pulled out into traffic without looking, or rear ending another driver. So drive carefully and defensively!

In season we tend to eat more at home because the restaurants fill up. In the summer you can pretty much walk up to any restaurant and get a table. I've found that if you use Opentable you can usually get a table with a few days advance booking in season. Just don't expect to turn up at your favorite restaurant and get a table, especially before 6pm between January and April.

The trick is to think of the seasons being reversed from up North. In the summer, it's hot, humid and you try and do more inside. In winter it's very pleasant out so you want to do more outside. There will be differences between what you're used to but I expect your kids will adapt pretty quickly.

[ncdel]

Thanks so much for this! I was actually curious about pool maintenance costs as we have never had one but would definitely be interested. We love dining out but we are used to having to make reservations ahead for the good restaurants so that is no big deal.(and we don't go out before 6 pm haha... Though I guess with the kids we do... having visited family in southern Florida in season many times I know how that works )
Is it normal or easy to get up to the fort Myers area for additional activities as well?

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by ncdel

Thanks so much for this! I was actually curious about pool maintenance costs as we have never had one but would definitely be interested. We love dining out but we are used to having to make reservations ahead for the good restaurants so that is no big deal.(and we don't go out before 6 pm haha... Though I guess with the kids we do... having visited family in southern Florida in season many times I know how that works )
Is it normal or easy to get up to the fort Myers area for additional activities as well?

Definitely get a pool, it's an easy way for kids to play and expend energy. The major plus is that with pool cages you don't get the pine needles and other gunk in your pool so it's easier to clean. I bought a pool robot that I'll throw in early in the morning and a couple of hours later the pool is clean.

If you are building new or adding a pool, spend the extra few thousand and get pool automation (with an indoor control panel), as well as auto-fill. I also went with a salt system instead of chlorine and it's much simpler to manage. I have NEVER had to do anything yet other than clean the pool because the pool company takes care of things.

One thing to get used to - millipedes. They are EVERYWHERE here, especially in the summer months. They'll end up in your pool, in your house, and everywhere. Harmless and not poisonous, but just beware. If you have a caged lanai area you'll probably also have a small lizard or two inside but they are useful as they eat other bugs.

Also, fire ants. Don't mess with them. I've found the Amdro bait you get at Home Depot works wonders, and within 5 minutes of dropping the bait they're carrying it into their nests and the whole thing is killed off in 48 hours.

Since we moved here we regularly see deer around our property as well - plenty of wildlife, both large and small.

As far as getting to Fort Myers, it's an easy drive up I-75, especially from North Naples.

[Who Dat]

Mark has provided some excellent answers. I would echo those sentiments.

The only thing I would encourage more of is outdoor activities. Our youngest two children are 15 and 9, they spend most of their time outside both at home and at organized activities. (soccer/baseball, etc.)

Warm weather lets us be outside year round.

*Naples has a new trampoline facility similar to skyzone, it's called Bounce. (link)