Naples, Florida

Naples, Florida
Historic town center of Naples at the intersection of 12th Avenue South and 3rd Street South
Seal
Location in Collier County and the state of Florida
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Collier
Settled	6 November 1886
Incorporated (town)	1925
Incorporated (city)	25 May 1949
Government
- Type	Council-Manager
- Mayor	Bill Barnett
- City Manager	A. William Moss
Area[1]
- City	14.4 sq mi (37.3 km2)
- Land	12.03 sq mi (31.1 km2)
- Water	2.38 sq mi (6.2 km2)  16.53%
Elevation	3 ft (1 m)
Population (1 July 2007)[2]
- City	21,653
- Density	1,744.3/sq mi (673.5/km2)
- Metro	314,649
- Demonym	Neapolitan
	Census Bureau estimate
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	34101-34105
Area code(s)	239
FIPS code	12-47625[3]
GNIS feature ID	0287528[4]
Website	http://www.naplesgov.com

Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of 1 July 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 21,653.^[2] Naples is a principal city of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated total population of 315,839 on 1 July 2007.^[5] Although Naples is officially the county seat of Collier County,^[6] the courthouse is located east of the city in unincorporated East Naples.^[7]

History

Naples was founded during the late 1880s by former Confederate general and Kentucky U.S. Senator John Stuart Williams and his partner, Louisville businessman Walter N. Haldeman, the publisher of the Louisville Courier-Journal. Throughout the 1870s 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".

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 20,976 people, 10,803 households, and 6,568 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,744.3/mi² (673.2/km²). There were 16,956 housing units at an average density of 1,410.0/mi² (544.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 62.50% White, 14.6% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 2.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22.2% of the population.

There were 10,803 households out of which 10.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.92 and the average family size was 2.38.

In the city the population was spread out with 10.9% under the age of 18, 2.3% from 18 to 24, 14.5% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 42.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 61 years. For every 100 females there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $71,553, and the median income for a family was $102,262. Males had a median income of $86,092 versus $30,948 for females. The per capita income for the city was $61,141. About 3.1% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The economy of Naples is largely based on tourism. Along with Marco Island and the Everglades, the city makes up the popular vacation area known as the Paradise Coast. Fortune 1000 company Health Management Associates is located just north of the city limits. The area is also home to technology company INgage Networks and medical equipment manufacturer Arthrex. In 2009 it was ranked as one of the 10 pricey cities worth its high cost.^[8]

Geography

Naples is located at ^[9] 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 14.4 square miles (37 km²), of which 12.03 square miles (31 km²) is land and 2.38 square miles (6 km²) is water(16.53%).

Education

Naples schools are part of the District School Board of Collier County.

Elementary schools serving Naples include:^[10]

• Golden Terrace (Golden Gate)
• Big Cypress (Golden Gate)
• Lely (East Naples)
• Avalon (East Naples)
• Calusa Park (East Naples)
• Saint Ann's Catholic Middle School (Naples)
• Royal Palm Academy
• First Baptist Academy
• Community School of Naples
• Naples Christian Academy
• Lake Park (Naples)
• Sea Gate (Naples)
• Shadowlawn (unincorporated area)
• Golden Gate (Golden Gate)
• Vineyards (North Naples)
• Manatee (Naples)
• Park Shore (Naples)
• Naples Park (North Naples)
• Naples Adventist Christian School
• Oakridge (North Naples)
• Seacrest Country Day School

The middle schools in Naples are Royal Palm Academy, First Baptist Academy, Community School of Naples, Naples Christian Academy, Gulfview Middle School, Golden Gate Middle School, Manatee Middle School, East Naples Middle School, Oakridge Middle School, Pine Ridge Middle School and North Naples Middle School.

The high schools in Naples are: Community School of Naples, Barron Collier High School, Naples High School, Gulf Coast High School, Saint John Neumann High School, First Baptist Academy High School, Lely High School, Golden Gate High School and Palmetto Ridge High School.

Hodges University (formerly International College) offers Associate, Bachelor and Graduate degrees,^[11] and is located northeast of the city with a second campus in Fort Myers, about 30 miles north of Naples. Ave Maria University, the first Catholic university established in the U.S. since 1963, is located northeast of the city.^[12] Florida Gulf Coast University is located just outside of Estero, which is between the cities of Bonita Springs and Fort Myers to the north. Naples is also the new home of Ave Maria School of Law. The law school was originally located in Ann Arbor, Michigan from its inception until May 2009. In August 2009, classes will begin at the new campus in Vineyards.

With over 800 alumni living in Naples, the Ohio State University once established the nation's biggest alumni club in the early 2000s (outside of Columbus, Ohio). This is most likely due in large part to the overwhelming amount of midwesterners who have relocated (snowbirds) to Naples.^[13]

Healthcare

The region is served by the NCH Healthcare System, which currently has 681 beds between two hospitals, and Physician's Regional Health Care System which has two hospitals and currently 201 beds and is owned by Health Management Associates, headquartered in Naples, Florida.

CHS Healthcare CHS Healthcare is a private, not-for-profit “safety net” health care provider with 12 health care facilities located throughout Naples and Collier County and the award winning Ronald McDonald Care Mobile Program. CHS Healthcare provides basic primary and preventative medical and dental health care services. In calendar year 2007, CHS provided services to over 45,000 individuals in Collier County (65% are Children) for a total of nearly 186,000 patient visits.

Area attractions

Naples is home to several major land reserves, including the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, and Picayune Strand State Forest. The Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is known not only for its 11,000 acres (45 km²) of landscape and wildlife, but for a two and a half mile length boardwalk winding through the sanctuary.^[14] The Naples area is also home to the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens, which dates back to 1919.^[15]

The city is served by the Naples Municipal Airport. Yellow Air Taxi also provides service to Key West, Florida. Southwest Florida International Airport, in South Fort Myers, Florida, handles the vast majority of commercial air traffic in and out of the region, with over 8 million passengers in 2007.^[16]

Downtown Naples is home to The Naples Players, The Gulfshore Playhouse, and 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. The Village on Venetian Bay is an upscale open-air shopping district on the Gulf coast. Located directly off of Tamiami Trail are the Waterside Shops, an upscale open-air center home to such high-end retailers as Saks Fifth Avenue, Gucci, Tiffany & Co., and Lacoste. A two-story Barnes and Noble is located on site as well. Near downtown on Naples Bay and the Gordon River is the shopping district Tin City. This open-air shopping center specializes in antiques and handmade local novelties. Also near downtown is Big Cypress Market Place^[17] with over 100 diverse vendors. Naples hosts The Oliver Group Champions Cup of the Outback Champions Tennis Series each year. Naples is also the home to swamp buggy races, held three times each year at the Florida Sports Park. For more information on Tourism and Accomodations visit naples.com

Tourism is a main industry for the City of Naples. Notable resorts and hotels within the city limits include the Hampton Inn Naples I-75, the Ritz-Carlton, the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club, La Playa Beach and Golf Resort, the Naples Grande Beach Resort and Club (which will join The Waldorf-Astoria Collection in the fall of 2008.^[18]), the Inn on Fifth and the Edgewater Beach Hotel and Club.

Performing arts and culture

Naples is home to The Naples Players, Philharmonic Center for the Arts, Philharmonic Orchestra and Theatre Zone Equity Theatre Company.^[19]

Beaches, parks and recreation areas

The beach on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico is more than 10 miles long, and is noted for its cleanliness and pristine white sand. In 2005, Naples was voted the best beach in America by the Travel Channel.^[20]

Naples beaches include: Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Clam Pass Beach Park, Naples Municipal Beach & Fishing Pier (Naples Pier), Vanderbilt Beach, North Gulfshore Boulevard Beach, Lowdermilk Beach Park.

The Naples Fishing Pier is one of the area's better-known landmarks

With more than 80 championship golf courses in the Naples area, Naples is the self-titled "Golf Capital of the World", claiming to have more holes per capita than any other community.

Naples is also within 30 minutes of the Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox spring training facilities. The teams are based in the area through the winter and are an important attraction. During the summer months, the Fort Myers Miracle, the single-A team of the Minnesota Twins play at the Fort Myers Sports Complex, while the Boston Red Sox play at City of Palms Park in Downtown Fort Myers. In December 2009, Florida Governor Charlie Crist met with Chicago Cubs president Crane Kenney, chairman Tom Ricketts and other team officials about possibly moving the Cubs' spring training and minor league facilities from Mesa, Arizona to Naples.^[21]

Points of interest

• Venetian Village - ParkShore Area of Naples Florida
• Keewaydin Club
• The Naples Players
• Naples Botanical Garden
• Theatre Zone Equity Theatre Company
• Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens^[22]
• Naples Pier
• The Conservancy of Southwest Florida^[23]
• The Teddy Bear Museum of Naples (now closed)
• Palm Cottage^[24]
• Fifth Avenue South (Downtown Naples)
• Historic Third Street South (Downtown Naples)
• Coastland Mall
• The Mercato (North Naples on corner of US 41 and Vanderbilt Beach Rd)
• Vanderbilt Beach
• Waterside Shops
• Naples Depot - Lionel Train Museum ^[25]

Notable residents

Naples is community with a large population of second home owners, many of whom are affluent and may own several homes. There is large transient population that lives there during the winter months. The names listed below are people who own homes in Naples or are known to live in Naples. Some are full-time residents and others may be only part time residents or simply home owners who visit periodically.

• Buzz Aldrin - American astronaut, author
• Barry Alvarez - Former Head Football Coach at the University of Wisconsin ^[26]
• Bill Bain - consultant
• Robert Bergenheim - Founder of the Boston Business Journal^[27]
• Larry Bird - former American NBA basketball player.^[28]
• Neal Boortz – radio host, commentator, lawyer, and best-selling author.
• Ben Bova - Author, over 100 science fiction and non-fiction books
• Mary Carillo - Former professional tennis player and sportscaster
• Conlan Carter – airline pilot and former television and film actor; formerly resided in Naples
• Robin Cook (novelist), American author
• Sean Cullen- current Tight End at the University of New Hampshire Wildcats College Football Team
• Mike Ditka – former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach.^[29]
• Keith Eloi - Professional NFL Player
• Janet Evanovich, American author
• Bill Gates - Founder of Microsoft
• Dick Gephardt - Former Majority Leader of the US House of Representatives (Pelican Bay)
• Mitch Holleman – American child actor who is most notable for his portrayal of Jake Hart on the TV sitcom Reba.
• Don Healy - Former American football, NFL player.
• Alex Lifeson - Guitarist for Canadian rock band Rush
• Robert Ludlum (deceased) – American author of twenty-one thriller novels
• Mark Mangino- Former Head Football coach at University of Kansas, male model
• April Masini - TV and film executive, author and relationship advice columnist.
• Rocco Mediate, professional golfer ^[30]
• Wally Phillips – former Chicago radio personality (deceased)^[31]
• Bob Seger – American rock and roll singer-songwriter and musician.
• Judith Sheindlin – better known to the public as Judge Judy, is an American author and television personality (Pelican Bay)
• Suzanne Stokes - Playboy Playmate, February 2000 Centerfold - Born in Naples
• Peter Thomas – American narrator of television programs
• Donald Trump - real estate developer
• Dave Wannstedt – current head coach of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers football team
• Donald E. Washkewicz- CEO of Parker Hannifin

References

External links

• Local government
• City of Naples Government
• Collier County Government

• Cultural and other attractions
• Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts
• Naples Players Community Theatre
• Theatre Zone Equity Theatre Company
• Naples Botanical Garden
• Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens
• Naples Daily News - Newspaper of Record

Municipalities and communities of Collier County, Florida County seat: Naples Cities Everglades | Marco Island | Naples CDPs Chokoloskee | Golden Gate | Goodland | Immokalee | Lely | Lely Resort | Naples Manor | Naples Park | Orangetree | Pelican Bay | Pine Ridge | Plantation Island | Vineyards Unincorporated communities Carnestown | Copeland | East Naples | Jerome | Miles City | Ochopee