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I agree that Naples is boring. Most of the people are rich retirees so that is what the entertainment is geared towards. There are no dance clubs that would interest young people. Its an enclave for wealthy people that are looking for a safe place to enjoy their golden years. A lot of entertainment is in the clubhouses in their gated communities. As the joke goes "Sarasota is for old people and their parents live in Naples" 40-50% of the population is over 65 and the median age is 64. What do you expect? If there was a need for activities for young people you would have them but there aren't. The median age in Miami is 39.2, Sarasota 45.2, Tampa 34.5, Fort Myers 37.6, Jacksonville 35.4. There is nothing wrong with Naples its just a boring place which suits a lot of people. From Wikipedia "Naples is one of the wealthiest cities in the United States, with the sixth highest per capita income in America, and the second highest proportion of millionaires". Don't forget "Naples is the Golf Capital of the World, claiming to have more holes per capita than any other community". No billboards, no commercial airport. my wife and I stayed in a hotel right near the runway (Naples Bay Resort) and I was concerned about the constant noise of planes flying overhead. I think we heard 3 in 3 days and they were private jets. This is paradise for a lot of people but comparing it to any large city in terms of nightlife just doesn't compute.
Old Naples (i.e. The city itself) has a median age over 60. The median age in Collier County (which includes North Naples) is around 46 with 38% between 20-54. Much younger.
Agree that if you are looking for dance clubs there are better cities, but go to Mercato on Saturday evenings...a lot of young people out there.
With the exception of '89/'90, I have lived in Naples since 1987. I moved here from Long Island for a job at the ripe old age of 22, left when another job moved me elsewhere, then came back again when my job moved me to MIA.
Overall, I like the area (or I wouldn't have stayed here for the better part of 30 years).
Like anywhere else, it has pros and cons. MarkJames is spot on with what he's saying re: the demographics.
Naples is not just a retirement haven anymore, like it was when I moved here in '87. I noticed it starting to change a bit in the mid '90's, and it really changed in the early to mid 2000s. Lots of growing pains in those years as the infrastructure (roads, schools etc.) tried to keep pace with the population growth. I kinda preferred it in the pre boom years.
There are LOTS of middle aged families here, and the demographic is trending younger every year. It has gotten relatively expensive for FL, but still nothing like a major metro area up in the northeast.
The great:
The weather between late October and early April is second to none. Just perfect.
Proximity to some of the best areas for water related activities in the world. If you're into boating, fishing, kayaking etc., the Naples area is hard to beat. The SCUBA diving could be better, but you're less than 1.5 hours away from the east coast, and a little further than that to the Keys if you're into it.
Golf and tennis are big, and there are lots of places to play if you're into that stuff.
There are a couple of great beaches here too, and access for residents is free for most of them.
The good:
Naples is a very safe area overall. Police presence is very prominent, and the response time is very quick, unless you're way out in the boonies.
Bicycling is pretty good here. They've added a lot of bike lanes to the major roads in recent years, as well as many MUPs. The downside is the car drivers.
Shopping etc. This is an area that has vastly improved since I've moved here. The first few years we lived here, we made the trek up to the Edison Mall if we needed anything, because there was very little choice in the Coastland Center. When our daughter was born, we had to go to Ft Myers for baby furniture, clothes, carriages etc, because there was little choice in Naples. I would've given my left arm for Amazon Prime back in those days. Heck, I'd do it now if I had to!
Dining choices are also vastly improved as well. LOTS of choices, and many good to great ones.
The bad:
The weather in the summer is horrible. Hot and humid Every. Single. Day from mid April to late October with no respite. The daily thunderstorms from mid July to late Sept are an extra bonus.
Forget going out to dinner during "season".
Most neighborhoods are run by HOAs.
Naples is a bit remote if you have to leave on a regular basis. There are not a lot of road choices in or out of here, and unless you are going to Ft Lauderdale, Tampa, Immokalee, Miami or somewhere in between, there are no direct routes anywhere, and most of the roads are 2 lanes. Because of this, the main arteries are heavily used and traffic can be a bear, especially in season.
Driving:
While driving in Naples is not like sitting on the LIE during rush hour, if you're sober and paying attention, driving here is like playing Pole Position (the old Atari racing game) and quite frustrating.
Even off season in light traffic, try getting on I-75 north and setting your cruise control AT the speed limit. You will be disengaging it within a minute or 2 when you catch up with the rolling road block like they're standing still, blocking all of the lanes at well under the speed limit, for no reason. Rinse and repeat until you get to your destination. Off season, you can usually go 10 or 20 miles on Alligator Alley before having to disengage, but during season, you'll be hard pressed to maintain the limit for more than a few minutes. It's quite aggravating.
Here are a few basic rules for driving in FL:
Everyone else has the right of way, all the time.
The only time to drive fast is in parking lots or until you catch up with another car, at which point, you're to pace him in his blind spot.
If the speed limit is 50 and not a construction zone, drive 35-40 next to other cars going 35-40. DO NOT PASS!
If the speed limit is 35 AND it's a construction zone, go 50 mph plus, tailgating anyone going slower. On multi lane roads, the pacing rule applies, so be sure to slow to the same speed as the car you just caught up with and stay in the blind spot.
The left lane is for pacing (not passing) as is the middle lane.
The 1/4 mile long acceleration lane on the interstate isn't. Be sure to drive at 35 until the merge, and then stop. This is the safest way to merge into 60 mph traffic.
The 1/4 mile long deceleration lane exiting the interstate isn't either. Be sure to slow to 45 while still ON the interstate when exiting.
Everyone is in a hurry, unless/until they're in front of you.
Red lights are for texting.
There are no blind spots.
Driving in packs like you're in a parade is far safer than spreading out, especially in heavy rain or fog.
When the light turns green, sit there until it turns yellow. The folks behind you want to keep texting, so it's OK if they miss the green light a few times.
Car accidents and fender benders are a daily fact of life in Naples, especially during what my daughter calls "Geriatric Bumper Car Season". I am seriously considering retiring and opening a body shop, as it would be a gold mine, and I wouldn't have the 360 mile roundtrip commute anymore. And it isn't just the elderly. Texting has made it so even teenagers drive like they're 105.
Pretty much every year, at least one of our cars is getting, waiting for or at least needs body work, mostly due to parking lot accidents. There is no more relaxing way to spend a few beautiful FL days than driving to and from a body shop getting estimates, dropping it off, then picking it up because someone can't be bothered to look before pulling out of a spot, or stop at a stop sign etc.
The carnage is not limited to parking lots though. I used to drive a 20 foot long, red and white pickup truck, and it was sideswiped 3 times in a 10 year period by people who "didn't see" it (because they weren't looking when changing lanes, and I was stuck next to them due to the driving in the pack rule).
My wife has permanent neck injuries as a result of 2 accidents, both of which happened while she was sitting stopped at red lights on Pine Ridge Rd.. The first one was caused by a loaded dumptruck running a red light on Pine Ridge Rd/Logan, going 70+ MPH. He broadsided a car making a left onto Pine Ridge, (the driver of which apparently didn't understand the FL right of way rules), pushed it sideways across the intersection, crossed the median, and then hit my wife, and 2 other cars before ramming the first one into a tree on the opposite side of the road. It seriously injured the driver that was broadsided (she was pronounced dead on the scene, only to be found, miraculously, alive several HOURS later) and totaled our minivan. He would've injured or killed our 8 year old son if my wife hadn't seen it coming and moved as far out of the way as she could. The dumptruck/SUV combination crushed the rear of our minivan, and missed my son's seat by 18 inches. Her second major accident was again, on Pine Ridge Rd., sitting at the light at Livingston when she was rear ended by a texter.
Air travel is a pain around here too. RSW is an awesome airport, but the service is spotty and ever changing.
This is a huge difference from when I moved here. There used to be a fair amount of commercial service out of NAPLES airport when I moved here. You could get to most major FL cities, several times per day on several different airlines (I worked for one of them) out of there. This petered out in the late '90's, and now there is NO service out of Naples, and you can't get to to many FL cities out of RSW. The only business doing anything in the Naples airport terminal are the rental car companies, which I frequent often (I'll be droppoing off a car there tomorrow), because there is little to no intra Florida service out of APF or RSW anymore, and I commute to MCO.
Even longer haul stuff is spotty, and just because you can get there today, doesn't mean you can get there next week. Maybe the week after. For the most part, if you need to get somewhere out of RSW, you have to connect in a hub city. For the occasional traveler, it's probably fine, but if you travel regularly, you either get used to it, drive to FLL/MIA, or move.
Just a few considerations.......
Last edited by Tripower455; 09-28-2015 at 10:15 AM..
^^^ Rack It! A fookin classic!
Well written, good opins and even handed...should be a sticky and required reading for everyone that is perusing the Naples board, whether vacationing, seasonal or considering a full time move, imo.
LOL.. Thanks MD. Sorry it was so long. I am sitting in a hotel bored outa my gourd.
Oh, and as for "boring", I guess that depends on what you like to do. I've never been a nightlife kind of guy.
I was engaged when I moved down here (we're still married!) but even back in the '80's, friends my age didn't seem to have any issues getting girlfriends etc.
I can't recall any time that I would say I was bored in Naples, but I have a lot of hobbies and can always find something to do, in fact, I am usually behind on several of them at once.
Hobbies are one of the many reasons I refuse to live in an HOA btw. I figure that the HOA SWAT team would roll up on their golf carts when the second (of 4) rolling tool boxes came off the moving truck. They'd arrest me when RC airplanes showed up. They'd shoot me on sight when they saw the guitars and amps, not to mention the '60's muscle car.
Tripower, how to you find the quality of healthcare in Naples?
Fortunately, we don't get sick too often, but the times we've needed it, it's been fine. My son had a staph infection about 8 years ago, and we have no complaints with how he was treated at NCH.
I don't have a regular GP anymore. It got too hard to get an appointment to see him when all I needed were antibiotics. I couldn't wait the week or 10 days until the next appointment, so I started using the walk in on Immokalee Rd. They've been great for the few things I've needed them for.
I dont understand why ppl take offense when Naples is called boring.
I mean, it's not untrue...
And so what if it is boring? Some people LOVE that about Naples. It's not always a bad thing, but let's call a spade and spade.... your average young person (18 to 35) will not find Naples to be a happening place economically, socially, spiritually, etc. It's a small town.... with not a lot of options outside of that little downtown area and the beaches.
I dont understand why ppl take offense when Naples is called boring.
I mean, it's not untrue...
And so what if it is boring? Some people LOVE that about Naples. It's not always a bad thing, but let's call a spade and spade.... your average young person (18 to 35) will not find Naples to be a happening place economically, socially, spiritually, etc. It's a small town.... with not a lot of options outside of that little downtown area and the beaches.
You make an incredibly subjective point. If that 18-35 year old grew up in New York then Naples would appear to be dead. However, if that same person grew up in the Midwest or in a small town then I don't see how Naples would be necessarily considered boring, unless you are only looking at Old Naples and the club scene and not including everything from Fort Myers to Marco.
The question is - what would you consider not boring by comparison? Tampa/St. Pete? Miami?
You make an incredibly subjective point. If that 18-35 year old grew up in New York then Naples would appear to be dead. However, if that same person grew up in the Midwest or in a small town then I don't see how Naples would be necessarily considered boring, unless you are only looking at Old Naples and the club scene and not including everything from Fort Myers to Marco.
The question is - what would you consider not boring by comparison? Tampa/St. Pete? Miami?
Why would a kid from small town mid-west want to come to naples?For educational pursuits? ha! to further their career? lol.... for a young, vibrant nightlife and social scene? don't think so.
Naples is nice for retiring baby boomers.... Naples does not have to be exciting. it's certainly not a place to come to further your career or come meet other young, career oriented people looking for alternative lifestyles, bicycle culture, progressive politics, arts scene, etc... No one comes to Naples for that. People come to Naples to live a "laid back" life before you're about to drop dead.
Yes, Tampa St. Pete/Tampa would be more exciting, Miami of course, orlando...etc.
Why would a kid from small town mid-west want to come to naples?For educational pursuits? ha! to further their career? lol.... for a young, vibrant nightlife and social scene? don't think so.
Naples is nice for retiring baby boomers.... Naples does not have to be exciting. it's certainly not a place to come to further your career or come meet other young, career oriented people looking for alternative lifestyles, bicycle culture, progressive politics, arts scene, etc... No one comes to Naples for that. People come to Naples to live a "laid back" life before you're about to drop dead.
Yes, Tampa St. Pete/Tampa would be more exciting, Miami of course, orlando...etc.
Again, you're generalizing. Not everyone has your Naples experience. I certainly don't, and I know people who have come to Naples to further their career. From the Midwest of all places.
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