Naples and kids

[Sweetbottoms]

Originally Posted by Happiness-is-close

It isn't that young people hate Naples, it is that Naples hates young people. Every activity in this county caters to retirees and for many things, particularly home buying, young people are not even allowed.

Naples has decided what it wants to be and it isn't for families or young professionals. If you are young, gay, and professional, it is utter hell.

You people moving here with kids better be ready for the onslaught of depression they will experience here when they age into this retiree town as adults.

There was actually an article i read not too long ago and on how Naples retirees and builders have purposely pushed out a lot of families and first time home buyers by making HOA's so difficult and catered and by over saturating the county with 55+ only communities. Its hard to see the downside for many when they're the ones that these types of places (county) cater to. There's way more opportunity when everything wants you and your age group. Look whats going on in Bonita (or Estero I can't remember) with them fighting putting up the school. All the younger people they've interviewed talk about how much its needed. They then cut to all these old people in the neighborhood next to it and they all talk about how they don't want to be bothered with the noise of the kids and the traffic and the football games. The contrast here is very obvious. We just got back from Charlotte and it was all young people and families. We hit around Port Charlotte for gas and the first thing my husband says is " there isn't one person under 60 at this gas station" Naples is even worse than that

[Happiness-is-close]

When I was a kid, our subdivision changed to 60 and up only. The families that lived there were grandfathered in, but after that the old people in the neighborhood hated all the kids and made every complaint they could against us, month after month. This is just one example of what Naples does to families. Our sub division was far from the only one.

[Sweetbottoms]

Originally Posted by Happiness-is-close

When I was a kid, our subdivision changed to 60 and up only. The families that lived there were grandfathered in, but after that the old people in the neighborhood hated all the kids and made every complaint they could against us, month after month. This is just one example of what Naples does to families. Our sub division was far from the only one.

One of the Lely divisions in Naples doesn't even let them play outside in their drive way without an adult. It's part of the HOA terms. I got a note on my door telling me my daughter was not permitted to draw with chalk on the street nor could I keep her little tricycle on the porch because it wa still considered a "bike". I'm on a countdown to leave the state and it can't come soon enough .

[Sandsam]

I think the key is to live in a development that embraces families. I own a home in Naples (long story but many of you know) and it is in a family-friendly neighborhood. For those just moving to Naples with kids, there are certainly developments to avoid. A good question for a real estate agent is - how many bus stops are in the neighborhood? You can't ask a real estate agent for the demographics, but if there's only one stop for 460 houses, you know there aren't an abundance of children.