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Naples and Marco Island are the crown jewel of Southwest Florida -- nestled on the sun drenched beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. Southwest Florida is known for world class shopping, dining and abundant, challenging golf courses. It is also, only steps away from island seclusion or the untamed tropical wilderness of The Everglades. Boasting one of the nation's best sandboxes and calmest seas, Naples makes a splash with water lovers and recreationists. Friendly parks beckon sports enthusiasts and picnickers with lovely green spaces and recreational facilities.
Naples is located at 26°9′11″N, 81°47′55″W (26.152941, -81.798510) on U.S. Highway 41 between Miami (to the east) and Fort Myers (to the north).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 37.3 km² (14.4 mi²). 31.2 km² (12.0 mi²) of it is land and 6.2 km² (2.4 mi²) of it (16.53%) is water.
Local History
Once, the only people to stroll Naples' seven miles of white, sandy beaches, were the Calusa Native Americans. The first settlers, Roger Gordon and Joe Wiggins, arrived in Naples in the late 1860's. A river and two inlets still bear their names.
Throughout the 1870's and '80's, magazine and newspaper stories telling of the area's mild climate and abundant fish and game likened it to the sunny Italian peninsula. The name Naples caught on when promoters described the bay as "surpassing the bay in Naples, Italy."
In 1887, a group of wealthy Kentuckians, led by Walter N. Haldeman, owner of the Louisville Courier-Journal, purchased virtually the entire town of Naples. One of the first improvements Haldeman and his Naples Company made was to build a pier 600 feet into the Gulf of Mexico. The pier's "T" shape allowed large ships to dock easily. Despite being destroyed and rebuilt three times, the pier remains today.
Naples quickly gained a reputation as a winter resort. Social life revolved around the Naples Hotel, which played host to celebrities such as Rose Cleveland, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, Greta Garbo, Hedy Lamarr, and Gary Cooper. As the population of the town of Naples went up, so did the price of property. The cost of a beachfront lot soon reached $125.
In 1911, Barron Collier, who had made his fortune in streetcar advertising, visited nearby Useppa Island. He was so taken with the area that he bought over a million acres (4,000 km²) of untouched swampland - including most of Naples. Collier believed that Florida's west coast could enjoy the same boom that the east coast was experiencing in the 1920's; but first it was necessary to bring in road and railroads.
Based on Collier's promise to help build the Tamiami Trail, in 1923 the state legislature created Collier County, of which Naples is the county seat. Collier spent more than $1 million of his own money to construct the Tamiami Trail, which opened in 1926 as the only paved highway linking the state's two largest cities at that time - Tampa and Miami.
Area attractions
North of Naples off Interstate 75 is the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Also nearby is the western entrance to the Everglades National Park. The area is also known for its subtropical climate and beaches.
Naples Zoo, formerly known as the Caribbean Gardens, has also been known at various times as Jungle Larry's African Safari.
Naples is part of the market for the Florida Everblades ECHL hockey team and Florida Firecats af2 arena football team, along with greater Fort Myers and Lee County.
The city is served by Naples Municipal Airport, whose only year-round commercial carrier is Delta Connection, which flies to Atlanta. Southwest Florida International Airport, in South Fort Myers, handles the vast majority of commercial air traffic in and out of the region.
Famous full or part-time residents include novelist Robin Cook, football coaches Mike Ditka and Don Shula, actress Jane Seymour, former professional basketball player Larry Bird, television personality 'Judge Judy', professional football player Edgerrin James, ACME baseball coach Brad Middendorf, chef Allison Joseph, film producer Steven Spielberg, singer and guitarist Nicole Joseph, figure skater Taylor Hamford, model Stephanie Carlozzi, golfer Greg Norman, panda researcher Emma McMahon, tennis player Jennifer Capriati, kid American Idol winner Melissa Acosta, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong and his fiancée Missy Lamb, and dancer Schaeffer McHenry. Naples is also home to an estimated 250 Fortune 500 CEOs.
Downtown Naples is home to the 5th Avenue South and 3rd Street South shopping districts, which feature a variety of antique shops. Gallery Row, also downtown, is a concentration among the numerous art galleries spread throughout the downtown area and all of Naples.
The Philharmonic Center of the Arts, located in North Naples, has played host to celebrities including Bill Cosby, and musical talents from across the globe. The Naples Players, The Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, The Philharmonic Center of Naples, Sugden Theater, and the other cultural attractions in Naples makes the area one of the highest regarded performing arts cities in the Southeast United States.
With more than 80 championship golf courses, Naples is the self-titled "Golf Capitol of the World", claiming to have more holes per capita than any other community.
Naples schools are part of the Collier County School District, which includes several of the state's top-ranked schools. Ave Maria University, the first Catholic university established in the U.S. in over 40 years, is located northeast of the city, while Florida Gulf Coast University is in Estero, located between the cities of Bonita Springs and Fort Myers to the north.
Other Points of interest
Naples Botanical Garden
The Pier
Sun-N-Fun Water Park
Marco Island
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