Naples

Powder white sandy beaches hug the Gulf of Mexico in Naples Florida, home to picture perfect golf courses, world-class shopping and a rich cultural venue. Naples was once considered the sleepier side of Florida until affluent families discovered this jewel decades ago. New master planned communities continue to spring up with stunning new homes in Naples FL, along with exciting urban shopping complexes such as the Mercato. Sunsets on the Gulf of Mexico at the end of the day, will steal your breath away by their ever-changing orange and pink colors.

Naples has been named one of the best Florida beach towns because of its white sugar sand beaches and the lively Fifth Avenue within walking distance of the beach. Once a secret retirement hotspot, one of the best Florida beach towns has become a fascinating city of diversity. Folks of all ages from all the around world, now call Naples home bringing with them an international flare and culture. The Naples Philharmonic and Naples Art Museum are ready to keep up with the demand by hosting over 400 events annually in addition to events at local art galleries and outdoor concert venues. In downtown, Third Street and Fifth Avenue mirror Palm Beaches’ Worth Avenue, streets lined with high end boutiques and expensive outdoor cafes tantalizing shoppers. Tin City is another hotspot, where you’ll find pastel colored gift shops and Caribbean-style waterfront dining.

While shopping in Naples is excellent, it has much more than bling. It’s a nature lover’s paradise bordering Everglades National Park, Rookery Bay, Ten Thousand Islands, and the prettiest beaches in Florida. Unspoiled islands and mangroves are intriguing habitats to explore by a slow moving kayak, sanctuaries where you’ll find bird wildlife, manatees and an occasional alligator. The backcountry is where serious anglers congregate at sunrise and sunset.

The Ritz-Carlton, Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club and Waldorf Astoria Naples are high end beach resorts catering to vacation travelers. Like Palm Beach, Naples offers residents privacy and exclusivity. Meticulosity maintained neighborhoods with new homes in Naples FL and expensive estates can be found behind elaborate gated entrances. Affordable homes in less decadent neighborhoods are also available. Let us know if you'd like to receive a Florida relocation guide to help you.

The most popular neighborhoods to find Naples FL real estate include:

• OLD NAPLES - Tin City is Old Naples landmark found at the Golden River Bridge just before you approach downtown and Naples beaches. Colorful low-rise Mediterranean-style buildings with deepwater boat slips line the bay, a great place to find Naples waterfront condominiums. As you you travel further west, you’ll reach Fifth Avenue where historic Naples homes are within walking distance of the beach. The average home prices in Old Naples are in the mid $700k’s.  

• NAPLES - Just north of Old Naples, you’ll find a large number of gated communities such as Grey Oaks and Pelican Marsh. Pelican Bay is where you’ll find high-rise beach condominiums and maintenance free townhomes. Windstar on Naples Bay is a protected deepwater marina community with a great golf course. Home prices vary, depending on the type of home and location you choose.

• NORTH NAPLES - When people think of North Naples they think of the trendy Mercato or stunning Miromar Lake in Estero. Mercato offers urban-style condominiums above its retail complex. Miromar Lakes homes center around two large blue green inland lakes. Home prices at The Strada at Mercato start at $599K. Miromar Lakes homes prices average $563K. 

• MARCO ISLAND - This small vacation island is known for beachfront condominiums and deepwater homes. Marco Island home prices average $535K or $300K for condominiums.

If you’re searching for where to retire in Florida, here's more reasons to consider living in Naples:

ARTS AND CULTURE

As one of the best Florida beach towns on the west coast, Naples is where you’ll find big city art and culture. The Naples Philharmonic and Naples Art Museum host over 400 events annually bringing in world-class entertainment and award winning art to the region. The von Liebig Art Center hosts rotating exhibitions along with offering art classes at one of their six studios. Naples has six art festivals: Art in the Park, Downtown Naples Festival of the Arts, Mercato Fine Arts Festival, Naples National Art Festival, Downtown Naples New Year’s Weekend Art Fair, and Naples Fine Art & Craft Festival. The Naples Performing Arts Center is a musical theater centered around music, drama and dance. The Naples Philharmonic Orchestra is recognized as one of the top orchestras in the United States.

CLIMATE

At an elevation of 8 feet, the climate is warm to hot in the summers with over 250 sunny days. The average temperature December through February is 65 degrees. May through September, the average temperature ranges from the high 70’s to the mid 80's. Hurricanes are Naples biggest weather hazards.

LIFELONG LEARNING EXPERIENCES

Hodges University is home to the FPH Center for Lifelong Learning (CCL) which provides affordable continuing education to adults. Areas of study include anthropology, art, economics, the environment, health and wellness, history, music, religion, sociology, world travel and culture, writing and literature. Field trips, lectures and workshops enhance the fun experience.

The Philharmonic Center for the Arts offers more than 150 lifelong learning adult programs in music, dance, art, writing, theater, and design. The lifelong learning classes are designed to present education in ways that are fresh, fun, stimulating, enlightening and inspiring. Many of the classes feature hands-on instruction from world-renowned experts in their fields.

Florida Gulf Coast University has its own program named Renaissance Academy. Their lifelong learning program is geared towards adults, seniors and retirees. Among the Renaissance Academy's offerings are affordable, non-credit single lectures, short courses, day trips, computer classes, film series, life enrichment classes, writing workshops, travel abroad programs and other special events.

Naples Botanical Gardens offers lifelong learning classes in horticulture, photography and landscape architecture. There is so much more to learn in our Florida relocation guide.

MEDICAL AND HEALTH CARE

The NCH Health Care System is an award winning medical care system in Naples. Awards include Excellence in Cardiac Care, Coronary Intervention, and Women’s Health. Their facilities are five star rated in strokes, pulmonary care, prostatectomy, GI procedures and critical care. In addition to several walk-in clinics, their main locations are the Downtown Naples Hospital Campus on Seventh Street, a 420 bed facility and the North Naples Campus on Healthpark Boulevard, a 261 bed facility.

Physicians Regional Healthcare System is comprised of two Naples hospitals, Physicians Regional-Pine Ridge and Physicians Regional-Collier Boulevard, each with its own unique mark on the Southwest Florida landscape. Formerly Cleveland Clinic Florida, the Physicians Regional-Pine Ridge was purchased in May 2006 by Health Management Associates, Inc., a leading national operator of acute care hospitals. Physicians Regional-Collier Boulevard is Southwest Florida's newest hospital and Health Management's first de nova hospital.The opening of Physicians Regional-Collier Boulevard brought vital services like obstetrics and pediatrics to East Naples and Marco Island, and expanded healthcare choices for everyone in the region.

RECREATIONAL SPORTS

Take it fast or take it slow, life in Naples Florida revolves around the Gulf of Mexico and pristine Naples beaches. Every water toy imaginable is accessible. Build a sandcastle with the kids or collect sand dollars. Naples beaches have it all. Landlubbers can choose to play at more than a dozen award winning golf courses in Naples. Fun things to do in Naples include hiking wildlife refuges, an airboat ride in the Everglades or island hopping to discover deserted islands to sunbath.

Sports fans can watch the Boston Red Sox at JetBlue Park at Fenway South or Minnesota Twins at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers during spring training.

SHOPPING AND DINING

If you can’t find it in Naples, it probably doesn’t exist. Big box stores, shopping malls and outlet malls are plentiful in Naples. The more discriminating shoppers can find brand label shopping at Mercato or along Fifth Avenue in downtown. According to Yelp, there are more than 800 restaurants in the Naples area. From five star dining to barefoot lunches at a tiki bar, there is a menu for everyone. Best restaurants in Naples include USS Nemo, Citrus, Barbatella, and Bleu Provence.

The Old Naples Farmers Market is open year round on Saturdays at Third Street. Marco Island’s Farmers Market is open on Wednesday’s at Veterans Community Park November through May.

HOME AFFORDABILITY AND TAXES

Naples FL homes for sale average $706,000 and are located in Collier County. The estimated property tax millage rate is 11.61 per $1000. Visit our library to find help and to learn how to calculate property taxes in Naples Florida. If you're searching for where to retire in Florida, we find a number of neighborhoods of interest with boating marinas, beachfront condominiums, and golf amenities to find new homes in Naples FL.