Best neighborhood in Naples for 50 year olds? (Sarasota, Country Club: low income, fit in)

[Adream]

We'll be investigating Naples real estate to buy a small home or villa to use as a second home.

Anyone know of a friendly neighborhood where the residents tend to be in their 40's and 50's and enjoy having fun? We'll be looking for age 50+ intramural sports too.

We looked at Naples real estate a few years ago ~ one realtor took us to some developments where the residents were the ages of our parents, and beyond. One building smelled like corned beef & cabbage and mothballs.

We eventually bought a condo in what looked like a beautiful neighborhood, but I'm sad to say the neighbors were far from friendly. Although we smiled and said hello, very few responded in kind. However, we DID hear alot about the HOA rules by the association's Vice-president, as he so often loved to remind us. (Big. F'-n. Deal.)

The gorgeous pool area wasn't much fun either, unless you love listening to "and then he/said..." neighborhood gossip. After a year of that, we sold the place.

We're not into the over 55 "active adult" communities. A nice age mix with a friendly vibe would be fantastic. We're looking to do it smarter this time.

Thank you for your help!

[RMD3819]

Do you have school age children?

What is your housing budget?

How far from the beach (do you care?)?

[Adream]

Originally Posted by RMD3819

Do you have school age children?

What is your housing budget?

How far from the beach (do you care?)?

1. No school age children - all in college & beyond. This will be mainly for us!

2. Housing budget will be around $250 to $300K. Judging by the current real estate market, and where it looks to be headed in a year or two (which coincides with our timeline), we should be able to find what we need around that number. This price range ought to work, as we have no desire to buy a large house to maintain. Been there, done that!

3. Within a 15 minute drive to the beach, especially Vanderbilt. We're not interested in driving from the hinterlands (like Fiddler's Creek), but don't require an oceanfront either.

Our primary interest right now is to locate neighborhoods known for it's friendly people, in what might be a relatively younger and/or mixed demographic. Being the youngsters in a geriatric neighborhood just doesn't fit into the plan. ---Thanks again!

[Adream]

To follow up my own question ~ ~ ~
Given our criteria: would it be make sense to also check out Estero, Bonita or Sarasota?

[RMD3819]

You have considerably narrowed your options for a family friendly area within 15 minutes of the beach.

A couple of broad points:
-Naples is, first and foremost, a wealthy retirement and tourist community.
-The closer to the beach you are, the more expensive the housing and the greater concentration of snowbirds and retirees-and less families.
-Keep in mind fifteen minutes to the beach access instead of just fifteen minutes to the beach in general. If you are firm on that timing that will pretty much restrict you to areas west of US41. It will be very easy to eat up fifteen minutes travel time during in-season traffic.

All that said, you should look at Naples Park. It fits all your criteria.

Bonita and Estero-these are worth a look. They have cheaper housing than Naples. Sarasota I know nothing about.

[mytimenow]

Foxfire, Glen Eagle, Countryside, Kings Lake, Lakewood, Berkshire -- older neighborhoods with a mix of populations, young and old, and closer to beaches, all should have a good selection in your price range. I mention these older developments as they tend to have fewer rules and regulations than the newer developments. These are all East Naples, south of Vanderbilt. Going north, check out some of the newer developments on Livingston Rd, the portion between Radio and Pine Ridge. Check out the areas around Orange Blossom -- seems to be a nice mix of all ages. Again, these are all south of Vanderbilt. Previous poster mentioned Naples Park, probably would be a great place for you.

Just a note: You are going to have a difficult time avoiding HOAs whether you purchase a condo or a single family home anywhere in Southwest Florida, read documents carefully PRIOR to committing to purchase to see if you can live with whatever their restrictions are.

[RMD3819]

Those are all good suggestions, but they are all outside the fifteen minute limit for the beach (unless you are going at 3AM).

If you aren't firm on that fifteen minute thing those are all decent communities. In general, the condos in there will be full of snowbirds and retirees. The single family homes tend to have the families.

[Adream]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

[Nancy Jaynes]

Glen Eagle Golf & Country Club is a great community, only 4 miles from Olde Naples and beach and is within the 15 minutes of the beaches. It is a private, Gated community with a great mix of all ages. Full Clubhouse amenities for great value. Restaurant with dining inside and outside, Bar & Happy hour every day. Exercise gym and includes great classes (pilates,yoga,pool aerobics, muscle conditioning, etc.) with great instructors. Billiards. Cards of all different types. Library. Pool. Full Golf Pro Shop and Putting green. Lit tennis courts (and Spike the tennis pro often gives free lessons inseason). Men, women, and couple leagues for Golf and Tennis round robins. Wed Kareoke, special meals, trivia, etc. etc. Many planned events. Fun and friendly people. All conveniences are only minutes out the front or back gate.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by Adream

We looked at Naples real estate a few years ago ~ one realtor took us to some developments where the residents were the ages of our parents, and beyond. One building smelled like corned beef & cabbage and mothballs.

I'm not sure where you looked at a property that smelled like moth balls. Was it on top of a dry cleaner? I'm currently living in an over 55 condo community and many of my neighbors are in their 80s and 90s, but there are no unusual odors. Maybe the real estate agent showed you a room in a nursing home by mistake.

Although there are many low income people in Naples, the majority of the retirees are very well-to-do and often dine out. Naples is not a big "early bird special" city like many of the places on the east coast where people line up at 4:00. If you looked at a building where you could smell cooking in the halls, then it probably wasn't in one of the finer communities. The way a building smells is usually indicative of its construction and maintenance. Most condos I've been in have separate entrances anyway.

Originally Posted by Adream

The gorgeous pool area wasn't much fun either, unless you love listening to "and then he/said..." neighborhood gossip. After a year of that, we sold the place.

You sold a property because people gossiped around the pool? Interesting. If you actually believe that the age or income of the residents has anything to do with idle gossip, you probably don't watch a lot of TV. Big Brother anyone? Desperate housewives? We live in an age of reality shows and stories about lost boys in balloons. By the way, I never see any seniors on Jerry Springer.

When you move into any neighborhood, there's no way of knowing if your neighbors will be friendly and invite you over for a cup of coffee. Unless everyone is expected to complete a Match(dot)com application, there's no guarantee you won't live next door to someone who stays home all day and watches his ant farms. I'm in my 50s and very friendly, but I prefer not to get too personal with my neighbors.

There are plenty of churches, synagogues and community activities in Naples and the surrounding towns. There are gyms, colleges, and numerous meet-up groups. If you like to golf, you can join a country club. If you like boating, you can join a yacht club. If you like to bowl, you can probably join a bowling team. If you like to read, there are book clubs. There are groups for people who love animals, people who like to garden and people who enjoy dining out.

I've lived in many different places and never expected my neighbors to provide my entertainment or fulfill my social life. By the way, after writing all of this, your description of unfriendly neighbors is pretty common. People are not warm & fuzzy in Naples.