Losing small Town Charm in News (Miami, Cape Coral: real estate, school, quality of life)

[DestinationNaples]

In the words of Joni Mitchell. “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot”. That being said, I love it here. As previously stated, different strokes for different folks.

[Sweetbottoms]

Originally Posted by JPrzybylski07

I’m only 34 and only lived in Naples from 2015-2022 but if you grew up in Naples in the 70’s and 80’s then the Naples of today must be an absolute **** hole compared to what it was. Back then I believe there were beautiful sand dunes in North Naples. Many more trees on the eastern fringes and orange groves as well. The traffic was almost non existent, water quality better, etc etc etc.

My father used to take us in his jeep to 4 wheel the sand dunes where Connor Park now sits. Pine Ridge road was a u-pick farm on the corner Ross is now. You used to be able to pull your car right up onto Vandi beach and it would be empty and filled with shells. And entire shelf of shells that would kill your feet to walk over just to get to the water. My grandmother bought a house on 97th on the 500 block for 30k cash in 1983. Almost bought the lot next to her for 5k. Missed opportunity. That house sold in the mid 2000's, untouched and un-upgraded, only a 2/1 for nearly 1 million. My father had bought a lot in a "new and upcoming" neighborhood called San Carlos Park. We would have to 4 wheel out to the lot cause it was all trees and mud. On Friday nights people in Naples Park would go down to the empty lot where Walmart sits and they had a track built for RC cars. We'd watch the RC race cars then walk over to the drive in movie theater that still stood in Naples Park. Forget the street it was on now.

My childhood house is gone in Four Seasons and an eyesore mansion now sits on the lot. Occupied 1/2 the year. There's nothing there for me anymore. The Naples I loved is long gone, things change but Naples was taken over by corporate and investor greed. We used to joke it would be the next Miami and everyone would say "there's no way, it'll never be that".. its well on its way though

[JPrzybylski07]

Originally Posted by Sweetbottoms

My father used to take us in his jeep to 4 wheel the sand dunes where Connor Park now sits. Pine Ridge road was a u-pick farm on the corner Ross is now. You used to be able to pull your car right up onto Vandi beach and it would be empty and filled with shells. And entire shelf of shells that would kill your feet to walk over just to get to the water. My grandmother bought a house on 97th on the 500 block for 30k cash in 1983. Almost bought the lot next to her for 5k. Missed opportunity. That house sold in the mid 2000's, untouched and un-upgraded, only a 2/1 for nearly 1 million. My father had bought a lot in a "new and upcoming" neighborhood called San Carlos Park. We would have to 4 wheel out to the lot cause it was all trees and mud. On Friday nights people in Naples Park would go down to the empty lot where Walmart sits and they had a track built for RC cars. We'd watch the RC race cars then walk over to the drive in movie theater that still stood in Naples Park. Forget the street it was on now.

My childhood house is gone in Four Seasons and an eyesore mansion now sits on the lot. Occupied 1/2 the year. There's nothing there for me anymore. The Naples I loved is long gone, things change but Naples was taken over by corporate and investor greed. We used to joke it would be the next Miami and everyone would say "there's no way, it'll never be that".. its well on its way though

I’m in AZ now, for a reason. Surrounded by numerous National Forest that can never be developed! The ocean is great but the red tide on the west coast of FL in 2023 will be horrendous so can’t enjoy that. Already an early year heatwave will have the Caribbean and Gulf at 90 degrees by May just in time for 6 months of hurricane season! I will be back to Florida and it will always have a place in my heart, just not a place I can spend years after years anymore. Maybe central Florida around some rolling hills with plenty of Oak Trees for shade on a few acres one day, but for now my heart is out West. Should be a beautiful spring with the record snowfall all over, including Utah, Northern AZ and even CA.

[movin1]

When I lived in Naples (2013-2018), I talked to lots of folks who had lived there a long time. They said the weather had changed drastically, they used to be able to have windows open in their homes in many months of the year, but that wasn't possible any more due to higher temperatures and dew points that start earlier in spring and continue into late fall. Even "winter" temps are too high now to not use air conditioning. I remember one year I was swimming in my pool on Christmas and New Years Day, it was 90 degrees (but at least it wasn't humid, lol).

[Sweetbottoms]

Originally Posted by movin1

When I lived in Naples (2013-2018), I talked to lots of folks who had lived there a long time. They said the weather had changed drastically, they used to be able to have windows open in their homes in many months of the year, but that wasn't possible any more due to higher temperatures and dew points that start earlier in spring and continue into late fall. Even "winter" temps are too high now to not use air conditioning. I remember one year I was swimming in my pool on Christmas and New Years Day, it was 90 degrees (but at least it wasn't humid, lol).

I can remember a frost every year at one point. Have photos of myself and my siblings thats packed off in some storage unit, all of us standing in the grass frozen over. at our house in Four Seasons. We used to say it was an even 6 for summer 6 for windows open weather. Now I'd say its 10/2. Maybe even 12 months of a.c some years.

[Tripower455]

Originally Posted by movin1

When I lived in Naples (2013-2018), I talked to lots of folks who had lived there a long time. They said the weather had changed drastically, they used to be able to have windows open in their homes in many months of the year, but that wasn't possible any more due to higher temperatures and dew points that start earlier in spring and continue into late fall. Even "winter" temps are too high now to not use air conditioning. I remember one year I was swimming in my pool on Christmas and New Years Day, it was 90 degrees (but at least it wasn't humid, lol).

100's of square miles of concrete and macadam where woods and foliage used to be will do that.

It was noticeably warmer year round in the last decade or so I lived down there.

[movin1]

Originally Posted by Sweetbottoms

I can remember a frost every year at one point. Have photos of myself and my siblings thats packed off in some storage unit, all of us standing in the grass frozen over. at our house in Four Seasons. We used to say it was an even 6 for summer 6 for windows open weather. Now I'd say its 10/2. Maybe even 12 months of a.c some years.

That's what I heard from long term residents and experienced a change for the worse year after year in the five years I lived there. The first two years didn't seem nearly as bad as the next three.

[JPrzybylski07]

Red tide will be horrendous this year as I’ve been saying. Once Ian hit I knew 2023 was going to be bad. Will be 2018 on steroids. Too many golf courses polluting, too many people need the perfect fertilized lawn, and too many broken septic tanks. Make no mistake the golf courses are the main culprit. Paradise has been paved over and polluted, coupled with the much longer summers than decades ago, definitely not paradise no more. Still nice, still really nice many months a year but if you can’t even enjoy the ocean what’s the point?

[hardluk1]

Well said !

[Tripower455]

Originally Posted by JPrzybylski07

Red tide will be horrendous this year as I’ve been saying. Once Ian hit I knew 2023 was going to be bad. Will be 2018 on steroids. Too many golf courses polluting, too many people need the perfect fertilized lawn, and too many broken septic tanks. Make no mistake the golf courses are the main culprit. Paradise has been paved over and polluted, coupled with the much longer summers than decades ago, definitely not paradise no more. Still nice, still really nice many months a year but if you can’t even enjoy the ocean what’s the point?

Red tide was yet another con on our pro/con list when we were deciding whether or not to punch out of Collier.

We saw more blooms in the last few years we were there than the previous 30 or so combined. That severely curtailed our local kayaking and beach going, of which we did a lot.

Like the traffic, we figured that it was only gonna get worse, before it gets worse, as long as they continued to build and pour fertilizer and chemicals into the water, which of course they have.