I do many "staycations" on Naples...very beautiful, very tranquil, and the complete opposite of the Miami lifestyle. Mostly retired folks there though, like retired doctors, lawyers, ceos...people with money. So they take care of their community. I wouldnt mind living there at all...seems like a great, quiet place to raise children. I agree with the earlier posts- rent for 6 months so you have more time to scope the area and decide on a permanent location. At the end of the day, you know yourself best and once you familiarize yourself with Naples you can get a better feel for what area in Naples suits your lifestyle better.

Good luck with the move- Im sure you'll LOVE the weather change- you cant beat our winters here, it rarely gets colder than 60 degrees here. And if it gets colder than 60 degrees, then it wont last more than 2 days :)

Mers, interesting comment. Tall Pines and Pinewoods (neither are gated communities by the way, if that matters) are both pretty nice, but essentially two of the least upscale developments in the area and both quite a bit older -- mostly from the 70s or early 80s than many of the other ones. No problem with that -- if that's what one is looking for, but I honestly think there are much more desirable and certainly more upscale developments with even better "bargains" presently.

No one, but no one should ever even seriously consider buying here though until they have stayed a while and the idea of having a good realtor is really a must, I'd say. This is especially true in these days of thousands of foreclosures and other issues which may drastically affect not only property value that you can't assess on your own, but may also have a major impact on things like homeowner fees (if a third of the properties in an association are in default then the listed fees mean nothing -- expect the non-default ones to pay for all the defauted ones). You need a good realtor to assess those types of things.

What I failed to explain about renting a year instead of six months is that a 6 month lease starting in January is likely to be as much or close to as much as a 12 month lease starting at the same time, since the second half of that 12 months is all the slower time of year.

Apparently, they are older, established family oriented neighborhoods, not full of part time residence or snow birds. They are where buyers purchase to establish roots and get to know their neigbors.

Mers, yes, that kind of describes it. Although I'm not sure that I'd say people who buy in many other areas AREN'T purchasing to establish roots or to get to know their neighbors. And I'd be hard pressed to say that the owners in Pinewoods or Tall Pines are any younger overall than most other areas or more family oriented. All the people I did work for in both areas were definitely snow birds and retirees. But both are all single family homes and no condos if that's an important feature.

And I might also add that Palm River, Four Seasons, and Naples Park might be even better examples of North Naples neighborhoods where people buy to establish roots and get to know their neighbors -- the same is true of the even older Lake Park, right down near central Naples, where there is a "rebirth" of buying, tearing down, or upgrading slightly older homes.

One thing that many people like about Naples is the cultural opportunities. I've heard good things about the arts in Naples, including an excellent local performing arts organization.

Does anybody know if that's still accurate info?

Yes, they have the Philharmonic-which they call "The Phil", which shares a very nice, new building with their art museum.

The Phil is hardly "an excellent local performing arts organization".

I'm an active member of The Naples Players, which was recently determined to be "one of the top ten community theatres in the US". We're right downtown on Fifth Avenue South in our wonderful Sugden Community Theatre with two theatres inside presenting a full year round season of sold out productions.

Yes the Phil sometimes brings in package bus and truck versions of Broadway shows. (Note the snarkiness here) They've never been voted Naples Daily News "reader's choice" for performing arts in Naples. The Naples Players have -- pretty much every year.

Oh, the Phil!

NeoPatrick, do you remember when the French conductor, about six years ago, stopped the orchestra performance and berated the audience for talking out loud during the music?

According to legend, several people turned to their partners and said, "What's he talking about, dear?"

Hi, coincidentally, I am an occupational therapist and our family might be moving to the Naples area this summer. We are from New York. I am also looking for schools for my children who are a bit older than yours. I've put inquiries out to Saint John Neumann High School. I'm just curious how it is working out for you. I've been a stay at home and am just returning to my profession. I am becoming certified as a lymphedema therapist and am hoping to find employment in the Naples area. Hope to hear from you.