Nanci Theoret
Real estate experts note that Naples and Collier County have long enjoyed an upper-crust cachet. Wealthy Southerners from Kentucky and Tennessee can be credited with putting Naples on the map. Walter Haldeman, who owned the Louisville Courier Journal, discovered the charms of the area and purchased large tracts of land here in the 1890s; his former editor Henry Watterson stayed in Naples' historic Palm Cottage long before winning the Pulitzer Prize; and Memphis millionaire Barron Gift Collier built the Tamiami Trail in the 1920s to link Naples to Tampa and Miami.
Flash forward to the 1980s when the completion of I-75 and a new international airport in Fort Myers made Naples and Collier County easily accessible to winter-weary Midwesterners, wealthy dot-com pioneers, celebrities and others of means. Today Naples is one of the most sought-after destinations for a second home, prompting the rapid appreciation in home prices of recent years. Naples' median sales price of $495,500 for existing homes this past fall was the highest of the state's 20 metropolitan statistical areas.
BONITA SPRINGS
Bonita Shores
Bounded by Bonita Beach Road to the north, West Avenue to the west, Vanderbilt Drive to the east and Audubon Country Club to the south.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005: Three single-family homes.
Price range: $430,000-$599,900.
What you get for $430,000: Two-bedroom, two-bath 1970s home with 1,245 square feet and a private pool.
What you get for $599,900: Three-bedroom, two-bath home, nearly 1,400 square feet, built in 1974.
Retired Midwesterners defined 1950s Bonita Shores, which still boasts that decade's small two-bedroom homes. But families with children have slowly taken over this working-class community west of U.S. 41, with an easy bike ride to the beach. Today mid-20th-century homes mix with newer Mediterranean architecture. With its homeowners association, Neighborhood Watch program and community clubhouse, Bonita Shores is one of those rare Florida communities-a place where you're likely to know your neighbors. West of West Avenue, Hickory Shores offers waterfront homes along Hickory Bay and finger streets jutting into the water. Buyers, of course, pay for the proximity to the bay.
Barefoot Beach
Bounded by Bonita Beach Road to the north, the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Barefoot Beach Preserve to the south and Little Hickory Bay to the east.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005: 18 single-family homes and villas.
Price range $1,798,000-$6,995,000.
What you get for $1,798,000: Four-bedroom, four-bath canal-front home in Southport on the Bay, private dock and pool, 3,500 square feet.
What you get for $6,995,000: Four-bedroom, three-bath beachfront home on oversized lot, built in 1989, with 4,725 square feet, a private pool and private walkway to the beach.
The modest cottages that once personified the sleepy Barefoot Beach area have given way to towering three- and four-story Mediterranean- and Florida-style homes and a string of upscale villa and condo buildings with community associations, pools and gardens. Offering bay- and beachfront properties, Barefoot Beach is also home to a 342-acre state preserve where the public can enjoy the beach and view gopher tortoises, bottle-nosed dolphins and endangered sea turtles. Barefoot Beach becomes a gated community when the park closes
at dusk.
EVERGLADES CITY
S.R. 29 south from U.S. 41, within Everglades National Park.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
About 14 single-family and mobile homes and 45 resort condos and cabins.
Price range, single-family
$319,000-$1.5 million.
What you get for $319,000
Two-bedroom, one-bath stilt home on Copeland Avenue with an open deck.
What you get for $1.5 million
Two-bedroom, two-bath Riverside Drive waterfront home with garage workshop, fishpond with waterfall and screened porch overlooking the Barron River.
Price range, condo
$265,000-$590,000.
What you get for $265,000
Full-size one-bedroom, one-bath cabin with large lanai and boat ramp in Glades Haven Resort & Marina.
What you get for $590,000
Three-bedroom, pre-construction-priced condo with 1,600 square feet in The Estuary at Everglades City.
The former county seat, Everglades City has managed to escape most of the urban trappings of its neighbors to the north. Residents-mainly commercial fishermen, stone crabbers and relocated urbanites-pride themselves on what you won't find there: traffic lights, shopping malls, golf courses or high-rises. Measuring just four blocks wide and less than two miles long, Everglades City maintains a rural small-town flavor.
Building restrictions keep homes to just three stories, and a smattering of original buildings date back to the days of Barron Collier. Everglades City is also home to one of Florida's few remaining K-12 schools. And thanks to its location within the Ten Thousand Islands, it's a magnet for serious boaters and anglers. You'll find sportsmen's condos and cabins, along with developments in even more secluded locations on Plantation Island and the 150-acre Chokoloskee Island. E.C. and its surrounding locales are among the few places in Collier County with vacant properties for sale.
GOLDEN GATE CITY
Bounded by Green Boulevard to the north, Santa Barbara Boulevard to the west, S.R. 951 to the east and the main Golden Gate Canal to the south.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
93 single-family homes, three condos.
Price range, single-family
$259,900-$439,000.
What you get for $259,900
Two-bedroom, one-bath home with 1,040 square feet and a den.
What you get for $439,000
Three-bedroom, two-bath home with 1,920 square feet; one of only 50 built on Lake Sapphire.
Price range, condo
$325,000-$369,900.
What you get for $325,000
Two-bedroom, one-bath attached duplex with 1,550 square feet.
What you get for $369,900
Two-bedroom, two-bath attached duplex, built in 2004, 1,100 square feet.
Like its more affordable Lee County cousin, Lehigh Acres, Golden Gate City is experiencing an influx of buyers from Miami and other South Florida cities, all eager to swap big-city comforts for a more affordable, less-taxing lifestyle. Although not an official city, Golden Gate has all the conveniences of a full-fledged municipality-library, fire and police services, and a satellite office for the Collier County Tax Collector-sprinkled among national chain and local mom-and-pop grocery stores and restaurants. You'll also find some canal- and lakefront homes.
GOLDEN GATE ESTATES
Stretching from just west of I-75 at Pine Ridge Road north to Immokalee Road, east to DeSoto Boulevard and south past I-75 as it becomes Alligator Alley.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
524 single-family homes.
Price range
$259,000-$9.95 million.
What you get for $259,000
Three-bedroom, one-bath home with 985 square feet and palm-lined driveway.
What you get for $9.95 million
Six-bedroom, six-bath gated estate with 15,000 square feet of living space, on 20 acres.
Golden Gate Estates' 43,000-plus acres make it Collier's largest neighborhood, incorporating some gated communities closer to Naples. The Estates, as it's known by locals, has a history similar to many of its neighbors: swampland tamed into canal-front lots. Many of the area's original five-acre lots have been subdivided multiple times, resulting in 1.25-acre tracts. New restrictions prevent existing five-acre lots from being divided more than once. These large tracts attract equestrians, families with young children and those who want a little elbow room. As a general rule, property farther from Naples proper is less expensive.
IMMOKALEE
Toward the northeast corner of Collier County.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005 None.
Home to an Indian reservation, a casino and an airport, Immokalee was settled in 1873 by hunters, trappers, cattlemen and traders. Today, it's a town of 20,000 year-round residents and numbers of seasonal migrants who work in nearby fields and live in trailer parks and tenant housing. But a new future for Immokalee is emerging, aided by Ave Maria University, the first new Catholic university to be built in the United States in 40 years. Scheduled to open its doors just 10 miles away from the town this year, the 5,025-acre site will include a full-fledged town with 11,000 homes.
IMMOKALEE ROAD RESIDENTIAL
From U.S. 41 east to Immokalee.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
143 single-family homes, 85 condos.
Price range, single-family
$389,900-$12 million.
What you get for $389,900
Three-bedroom, two-bath starter home in ungated Willoughby Acres, 1,770 square feet, large back yard.
What you get for $12 million
Home & Condo's 1995 Dream Home, "Inverlocky" was named for the famous Scottish castle because of its appointments and size-11,160 square feet, six bedrooms, eight baths on a two-acre site in Quail West Golf & Country Club.
Price range, condo
$239,000-$795,000.
What you get for $239,000
A 1,135-square-foot home with two bedrooms, two baths, located in Cocohatchee Manor, overlooking the Cocohatchee River.
What you get for $795,000
Second-floor condo in Grande Reserve in The Strand, two bedrooms, three baths, 2,400 square feet, golf and water views.
Old meets new in this emerging growth corridor. Pockets of '70s-era nongated residential neighborhoods with large lots and tree-lined streets are sprinkled among ultra-upscale (Collier's Reserve, Quail West and TwinEagles) and more family-oriented and affordable (Indigo Lakes, Ibis Cove, Saturnia Lakes and Pebblebrooke) gated communities. A widening project has been a harbinger for the eastern stretch of the road, bringing with it a renewed interest in living well east of I-75-one that's now accommodated by new shopping centers and grocery chains.
ISLES OF CAPRI
Off Isle of Capri Road and Capri Boulevard-the last right before the bridge to Marco Island-in the southeastern portion of Collier County.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
Two single-family homes, eight condos.
Prices, single-family
$499,000 and $750,000.
What you get for $499,000
A two-bedroom, two-bath home, with 1,100 square feet, built in 1973.
What you get for $750,000
Three-bedroom, two-bath home in need of some repairs, 2,000 square feet with estuary views, ideal for boater or angler.
Price range, condo
$624,900-$1,029,000.
What you get for $624,900
Furnished two-bedroom, three-bath mid-rise unit in La Peninsula with mirrored walls, fireplace, wet bar and whirlpool tub.
What you get for $1,029,000
A 2,090-square-foot three-bedroom, three-bath La Peninsula condo with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, large lanai with views of the Gulf. Fully furnished.
Isles of Capri is a charming chain of four islands that you access by a two-lane road that overlooks 600 acres of surrounding mangroves. Connected by land bridges, the islands were created in the mid-1950s by Tennessean Leland L. "Doc" Loach. Three have been set aside for residential; the fourth has restaurants, full-service marinas, a yacht club, vacation and annual rentals, and a general store. Colorful street names like Pago Pago, Kon Tiki and Jamaica remind travelers they're island hopping-even if they can't always see the water.
MARCO ISLAND
The northernmost and largest of the Ten Thousand Islands, bounded by the Gulf of Mexico and the Marco River.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
308 single-family homes, 242 condos and timeshares.
Price range, single-family
$445,000-$12,900,000.
What you get for $445,000
A "valueless" house with three bedrooms, two baths and 1,635 square feet.
What you get for $12.9 million
The award-winning six-bedroom, 10-bath Villa Venezia, featuring authentic Italian architecture, fountains, extensive artwork and antiques, deep-water Gulf access and more than 14,000 square feet.
Price range, condo
$174,900-$12.9 million.
What you get for $174,900
A second-floor unit with one bedroom, one bath and 450 square feet located in the center-of-town Coquina Gardens complex.
What you get for $12.9 million
A grand penthouse in the new Belize high-rise with five bedrooms, eight baths, 13,525 square feet, six terraces, Gulf views and beachfront cabana with bathroom.
It's really no secret that Marco Islanders like to keep to themselves. If anything, they consider nearby Naples merely an amenity of their 24-square-mile island. But there's not much need to travel to the mainland. Marco Island has its own shops, medical facilities and weekend entertainment, a portion of it courtesy of Stan's Idle Hour in Goodland, where entrepreneurs and businessmen mingle with fishing folk each Sunday afternoon.
Marco has many personalities: turn-of-the-century charm in Old Marco, where late-1800s structures built by homesteader Capt. W.D. "Bill" Collier still stand; a more cosmopolitan presence along Collier Boulevard with its high-rise towers mingling with beachfront resort hotels; and grand estates built on the remnants of towering shell mounds built by the Calusa Indians, which place these homes 50 feet above sea level.
Sixty percent of Marco's homes are on the water-the Marco River, the Gulf, canals and the surrounding bays and estuaries-and water is the main attraction. Water brought brothers Elliott, Robert and Frank Mackle here in the 1960s. Their Deltona Corp. devised an island city of more than 12,000 home sites, 125 miles of paved roads, 90 miles of navigable canals, retail and hotels, schools, churches and medical facilities, even a Gulf beach.
Goodland
A rounded peninsula on southeastern Marco Island surrounded by Goodland Bay, Coon Key Pass and Gullivan Bay.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
Four single-family homes, four condos.
Price range, single-family
$279,900-$2.9 million.
What you get for $279,900
A one-bedroom, one-bath mobile home sits on this lot, one of the largest and highest inland lots in Goodland.
What you get for $2.9 million
A 1,450-square-foot two-bedroom, one-bath home on a .75-acre lot on Coon Key Pass, with panoramic views of protected mangrove islands and the Gulf.
Price range, condos
$699,000-$800,000.
What you get for $699,000
A three-bedroom, two-bath unit in a Key West-style building in the new Calusa Island Village, with bay and canal views, 1,710 square feet, 34-foot boat dock and direct Gulf access.
What you get for $800,000
A Calusa Island Village condo with three bedrooms, three baths, 2,255 square feet, 34-foot boat dock and direct Gulf access.
Before completion of the Jolly Bridge, a still-visible swing bridge near Goodland was the official entry onto Marco Island. Goodland was sparsely inhabited until 1949, when Barron Collier moved squatters and their homes from Marco proper to Goodland. The town retains an Old Florida commercial-fishing atmosphere-one that attracts weekend revelry at Stan's with its live music and cheap pitchers of beer. Nearby, there's an old store that's now a museum plastered with Calusa artifacts, mounted fish, old tools and fishing gear; T-shirts are stapled to the ceiling. The building's old movie screen and projector serve as a reminder of its storied past. A sign of the times in Goodland: The fishing hamlet's first planned community, Calusa Island Village, is now under construction.
NAPLES
Airport-Pulling Road Residential
From Immokalee Road to Tamiami Trail East.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
76 single-family homes, 166 condos.
Price range, single-family
$450,000-$8.9 million.
What you get for $450,000
A 1,700-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath home with 12-foot vaulted ceilings in Emerald Lakes.
What you get for $8.9 million
Five-bedroom, six-bath estate with curved floor-to-ceiling mitered windows, home theater, dual-sided fireplace and plasma TV in The Estates at Bay Colony. Golf membership included.
Price range, condos
$219,000-$2.85 million.
What you get for $219,000
A one-bedroom, one-bath condo in Pelican Marsh's St. Croix complex, 765 square feet, remodeled with new cabinetry and granite countertops.
What you get for $2.85 million
A three-bedroom, four-bath penthouse above treetops in L'ermitage in Grey Oaks, 4,615 square feet, golf and lake views, exercise room and poolside cabana.
Gated communities (Pelican Marsh, Tiburón, Grey Oaks, Estuary, Bear's Paw Country Club) are sprinkled among shopping centers, restaurants and car dealerships as Airport-Pulling Road stretches south from Immokalee Road before assuming a more industrial and commercial personality south of Golden Gate Parkway close to the Naples Airport. Nongated neighborhoods lie off side-roads such as Poinciana Drive, Radio Road and Estey Avenue. Tall Pines, a neighborhood of 120 single-family homes, is tucked behind Barron Collier High School north of the Airport-Pulling-Pine Ridge intersection.
Aqualane Shores
Between Port Royal to the south, 14th Avenue South to the north, Gulf Shore Boulevard South to the west and Naples Bay to the east.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
28 single-family homes, one condo.
Price range, single-family
$2.19 million-$6.95 million.
What you get for $2.19 million
A two-bedroom, two-bath home with 1,220 square feet on a "rarely available" large corner lot, one block from the beach.
What you get for $6.95 million
A six-bedroom, nine-bath Mediterranean home with 6,450 square feet, faux finishing, hand-
painted murals and mosaics, and keystone throughout.
Price, condo
$925,000.
What you get for $925,000
A two-bedroom, two-bath home with 1,100 square feet, deeded boat dock and direct Gulf access in Aqualane Manor.
Prized for its blocks-from-the-beach location and within walking distance of Naples' Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South, the 300-acre Aqualane Shores was divided into 350 home sites by Forrest Walker & Sons in the late 1950s. Those first lots were priced around $2,500 at just $100 down and $50 a month. The neighborhood boasts deep-water access, mature landscaping and older homes that buyers often renovate or replace.
Livingston Road Residential
Extending north from Immokalee Road to
Bonita Beach Road.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
69 single-family homes, 67 condos in mostly gated communities.
Price range, single-family
$574,900-$7.2 million.
What you get for $574,900
A 1,730-square-foot three-bedroom, two-bath home in Carlton Lakes, with new tile, heated pool on a corner lakefront lot.
What you get for $7.2 million
A five-bedroom, six-bath home in Mediterra with 7,470 square feet.
Price range, condos
$337,000-$3,035,000.
What you get for $337,000
A two-bedroom, two-bath condo in Wyndemere's Courtside Commons complex, with 1,230 square feet, lake views, two master suites, Florida room and wood-burning fireplace.
What you get for $3,035,000
A five-bedroom, six-bath attached villa home on Tuscany Reserve's island of piazza homes, 4,345 square feet overlooking a lake.
Gated communities afford the only opportunity to live along the northern section of Livingston Road, an undeveloped area just five years ago. Livingston Road now links Naples and Bonita Springs; and thanks to a recently completed extension, it offers a six-lane, low-traffic corridor to areas south of Naples. Communities on the northern stretch are hot properties: Delasol sold out before construction and Vasari, a relative newcomer, has also sold out. Multimillion-dollar homes are found in Mediterra and Tuscany Reserve, the latter with manmade rolling hills, orchards and its own island.
Livingston Woods
North and east of the intersection of Livingston and Pine Ridge roads.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
Six single-family homes.
Price range, single-family
$875,000-$5.8 million.
What you get for $875,000
A three-bedroom, two-bath newer home (built in 1999) on 2.27 acres. Remodel or build a new home and use existing building as a guesthouse.
What you get for $5.8 million
A Palladio-inspired Venetian estate with six bedrooms, nine baths, 6,380 square feet, reflecting gardens and a 3,900-square-foot guesthouse. Hand-laid mosaic pool with spa and waterfall.
Close to The Community School, Barron Collier High School, shopping and restaurants, Livingston Woods is being discovered by families who like the extra-large home sites of an in-town location. A handful of narrow, two-lane streets stretch east from Livingston Road to the interstate, offering two-acre-plus-sized lots with Mediterranean and Old Florida homes, long driveways and large back yards.
Old Naples
Bounded by the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club's golf course to the north, Ninth Street South (a.k.a. U.S. 41 or Tamiami Trail North) to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the west and 14th Avenue South to the south.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
50 single-family homes, about 75 condos and timeshares.
Price range, single-family
$1,075,000-$9.5 million.
What you get for $1,075,000
A two-bedroom, three-bath bungalow, built in 1950, with just 780 square feet. Within walking distance to the beach, Cambier Park, tennis courts, art center and city dock.
What you get for $9.5 million
A four-bedroom, eight-bath, Victorian-inspired "Painted Lady" on "Mansion Row," with 6,800 square feet and private pool, one-half block from Gulf.
Price range, condos
$289,000-$3,895,000.
What you get for $289,000
A starter condo with one bedroom, one bath, 675 square feet, in Park Terrace.
What you get for $3,895,000
Four-bedroom, five-bath attached villa in the Olde Naples Seaport, with 5,345 square feet and 3,000-square-foot sky deck with spa, summer kitchen and bay views.
Naples' most historic neighborhood, Old Naples is a neighborly sort of place where drivers stop in the street to greet neighbors. Its close-to-everything location places beachcombing, parks, theaters, art galleries, shopping and gourmet dining within walking distance. A two-square-mile grid stretches 10 blocks to Naples Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and the scenic Naples Pier, built in 1888 and a popular spot for fishing and sunsets.
Avenues run east and west, streets north and south and include the shopping centers of Third Street South and Fifth Avenue South. Marinas and boat clubs provide landlocked homeowners the opportunity to become boat owners while enjoying the charm of a small-town setting. Homes include old beach cottages, 1950s ranch homes and new mansions.
Adjoining Gulf Shore Boulevard South, which runs north from Doctors Pass and south to Port Royal, is a tourist's paradise with beach accesses nestled among the old cottages and multimillion-dollar mansions, hidden behind majestic palm trees, towering hedges and tropical landscaping. Featured on HGTV's Dream Drives, Gulf Shore Boulevard is home to the 1895 Palm Cottage, the vacation home of Henry Watterson, one-time editor of the Louisville Courier-Journal. More recent residents include celebrities, entrepreneurs and others from the rich-and-famous set.
Port Royal
Bounded by Lantern Lane to the north, the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Gordon Pass to the south and Naples Bay to the east.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
30 single-family homes.
Price range
$2,995,000-$17.5 million.
What you get for $2,995,000
A 1984 home on an interior lot with four bedrooms, five baths, a resurfaced pool and spa, just under 3,800 square feet.
What you get for $17.5 million
A 9,700-square-foot Galleon Drive home on a one-acre landscaped lot on the bay, with four bedrooms, eight baths and an enclosed garden with pool, spa, waterfall and outdoor kitchen.
Developer John Glen Sample's fascination with the 17th-century Jamaican city and its pirate inhabitants inspired the colorful names of many of Port Royal's 550 waterfront addresses-Rum Row, Spyglass Lane and Galleon Drive. Sample, who made his fortune with the advertising agency that developed the radio soap opera, financed and developed Port Royal, converting swamplands, hammocks and beachfront into one of the country's most coveted neighborhoods.
You'll find manmade peninsulas, coves and bays, and homes for the rich (including many captains of industry) and occasionally the famous. Port Royal is revered for its deep-water yacht basin, bridgeless access to the Gulf and Ten Thousand Islands, and its eclectic mix of Mediterranean mansions and cottages tucked behind the tall hedges and landscaping of an old tropical neighborhood.
South Central Naples
South of Golden Gate Parkway, east of Airport-Pulling Road, north of Rattlesnake Hammock Road and west of Collier Boulevard.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
284 single-family homes, 388 condos.
Price range, single-family
$245,000-$3.9 million.
What you get for $245,000
A three-bedroom, two-bath home in Leawood Lakes, built in 2005, overlooking a preserve and offering 1,000 square feet.
What you get for $3.9 million
A three-bedroom, five-bath home in the gated Homes of Islandia community, with koi pond, lots of sliding glass doors and a calming glassed walkway to the master bath.
Price range, condo
$129,900-$895,000.
What you get for $129,900
A 470-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bath attached condo in Farret Apartments, fully tiled, full kitchen, dishwasher and tiled lanai.
What you get for $895,000
A furnished Key West-style coach home with three bedrooms, three baths, 2,530 square feet, crown molding and built-ins.
Older gated communities and '60s-era golf courses have been joined by new development. On Collier Boulevard, Super Wal-Mart and Home Depot have risen alongside newer gated communities. Older communities such as Kings Gate, Berkshire Lakes and Queens Park are beloved for their mature landscaping, streetlights, sidewalks and larger lots. You're likely to find more listings priced under $550,000 here than anywhere else with a Naples-area address.
South Naples
South of Rattlesnake Hammock Road, west of S.R. 951, south to Everglades City and east of Royal Harbor, including neighborhoods on both sides of Isle of Capri Road (Collier Boulevard/951 south of U.S. 41).
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
194 single-family homes, 107 condos.
Price range, single-family
$250,000-$2.3 million.
What you get for $250,000
A 1998 two-bedroom, two-bath teardown home on a tropical wooded lot five minutes from Naples Bay.
What you get for $2.3 million
A 4,415-square-foot home in Lely Resort's Classics Plantation, with four bedrooms, four baths, custom millwork, detailed ceilings and large lanai.
Price range, condos
$229,000-$785,000.
What you get for $229,000
A 900-square-foot condo in a low-rise building in Lely, offering two bedrooms and two baths.
What you get for $785,000
Three-bedroom, two-bath villa home in Borghese Villas at Hammock Bay with
2,015 square foot, private pool, granite countertops, volume ceilings and preserve and golf views.
A diverse region, South Central Naples includes Lely (old and new), the lower-income Naples Manor and the increasingly wealthy corridor of Isle of Capri Road. Gated communities like Fiddler's Creek, Hammock Bay and the new Treviso Bay are bordered by the 25,000-acre Rookery Bay Estuarine Preserve.
Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) Residential
Bounded by 111th Avenue North to the north, extending south to S.R. 951 (Collier Boulevard) and including blocks east and west along the Tamiami Trail.
As development radiated outward from Old Naples, neighborhoods began to take shape north along U.S. 41. Others started popping up east of 41. Many buyers are full-time residents who enjoy the ambiance of Old Naples without its higher home prices. In addition to sometimes subtle age and price differences among these areas (the farther north and east, the less expensive the homes), some neighborhoods have voluntary homeowners associations, including deeded beach access. The Tamiami Trail Residential area includes the following neighborhoods:
Bayfront
At the crossroads of U.S. 41 and Goodlette-Frank Road.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
13 condos.
Price range
$689,000-$1.5 million.
What you get for $689,000
A two-bedroom, two-bath home with 1,225 square feet on high floor with sunset view from dining room.
What you get for $1.5 million
Pre-construction condo with three bedrooms, four baths, 2,525 square feet, the largest in Bayfront with 10-foot ceilings, crown molding and marble countertops.
Residents of Bayfront live above some of Naples' finest restaurants, boutiques and art galleries. Painted in rich Mediterranean hues, this condominium community offers four floors of luxury residences. Old Naples, Fifth Avenue South and Tin City are within walking distance-via a walkway under the Gordon River Bridge. Residents-only amenities include a heated pool, clubhouse, fitness center, tennis courts, on-site boat slips and preferred rates at area golf courses.
Coquina Sands, The Moorings,
Park Shore
Most real estate offices combine these three neighborhoods, which stretch north from the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club to Pelican Bay, with the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. 41 as western and eastern boundaries.
On the Market
Properties for sale in Coquina Sands, winter 2005
Nine single-family homes, nine condos.
Price range, single-family
$989,000-$4,595,000.
What you get for $989,000
A 1,580-square-foot three-bedroom, two-bath home that was built in 1965 and needs some work.
What you get for $4,595,000
A new five-bedroom, five-bath home on a golf course, with 7,400 square feet.
Price range, condos
$485,000-$2,895,000.
What you get for $485,000
Less than 1,000 square feet, two-bedroom, two-bath condo in Calusa Club, close to Lowdermilk Park.
What you get for $2,895,000
Three bedrooms, three baths on fifth floor in Via Delfino, with 3,955 square feet, terraces, directly on the beach.
Coquina Sands, the smallest of the three areas and directly north of the Naples Beach Hotel's golf course, has winding streets lined with ficus, banyan and palm trees. The closest to the Fifth Avenue shopping district, Coquina Sands was established by Milton Link in the 1960s and offers homes with waterfront views-along Hurricane Bay, Compass Cove, Outer Doctors Bay and Moorings Bay-and vistas of Moorings Country Club.
On the Market
Properties for sale in The Moorings,
winter 2005
52 single-family homes, 48 condos.
Price range, single-family
$992,000-$6.25 million.
What you get for $992,000
Two bedrooms, two baths in a 1,185-square-foot home built in 1968; buy for lot.
What you get for $6.25 million
A new two-story luxury home with five bedrooms, eight baths, 6,210 square feet, limestone and marble flooring, wet bar with 50-inch plasma TV and lanai with summer kitchen and harbor views.
Price range, condos
$140,000-$4,655,000.
What you get for $140,000
Fully furnished condo/motel low-rise unit with one bedroom, one bath, 280 square feet in Gulfcoast Inn of Naples.
What you get for $4,655,000
Four bedrooms, four baths and 4,040 square feet in the Sancerre high-rise built in 2003.
Naples' largest subdivision, with more than 4,000 residents, 960 acres and 840 homes, condos and apartments, The Moorings begins north of Orchid Drive. Older 1970s homes hearken back to the neighborhood's beginnings; homes with views to Venetian Village are its future.
On the Market
Properties in Park Shore, winter 2005
34 single-family homes, 116 condos.
Price range, single-family
$1.1 million-$6,295,000.
What you get for $1.1 million
Three-bedroom, two-bath home, built in 1979, with 1,925 square feet and pool. Live in as is, remodel or tear down.
What you get for $6,295,000
Five bedrooms, seven baths and 6,000 square feet in a waterfront home with oversized boat dock, fully equipped 38-foot Sea Ray Cruiser and long views of Venetian Bay.
Price range, condos
$265,000-$14.9 million.
What you get for $265,000
An 840-square-foot one-bedroom, two-bath condo in Park Shore Resort overlooking a lake and pool.
What you get for $14.9 million
Four-bedroom, seven-bath penthouse with 12,050 square feet, custom built-ins, mosaic inlays, cabana room with bamboo ceilings and 360-degree Gulf and bay views in the Regent high-rise.
Anchor Rode Drive serves as the dividing line between The Moorings and Park Shore, which extends north to Seagate Drive and west to include Gulf-front properties along Gulf Shore Boulevard North and bayfront settings that overlook Venetian, Inner Doctors, Outer Doctors and Moorings bays. The area's history can be traced to 1964, when developer Raymond L. Lutgert purchased 760 acres along a 1.25-mile stretch of Gulf-front beach. Lutgert's plan included development of Venetian Bay, a navigable body of water that separates the mainland portion of Park Shore, and a serpentine promenade that includes five beachside parks and four open-space commons. Condominiums joined the mix in 1970, when The Lutgert Cos. built its first, Colony Gardens, a combination of mid-rise apartments and townhouses with private docks. Venetian Villas, another Lutgert creation that placed villas over the water, was followed by the Village on Venetian Bay, offering upscale waterfront shops and restaurants in a classically styled Mediterranean theme. Some 40 years later, Lutgert's plan is coming full circle, with development of its final high-rise in Park Shore, the 65-unit Aria.
Lake Park
On the east side of U.S. 41 directly across from Coquina Sands.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
Eight single-family homes.
Price range
$629,500-$950,000.
What you get for $629,500
A 1960 home with two bedrooms, one bath, 1,600 square feet, large bright living room and tropically landscaped lot.
What you get for $950,000
A 2003-built home with three bedrooms, two baths, pool, wine refrigerator, built-in stereo system and 2,235 square feet.
Branches of mature trees create a tangled canopy of greenery above narrow two-lane streets-some with traffic-controlling turnabouts-in Lake Park, a neighborhood of '50s-era houses. Residents enjoy proximity to Old Naples, the Coastland Center shopping mall and Fleischmann Park.
Naples Cay
Between Outer Clam Bay to the north, Park Shore to the south, the Gulf to the west and a canal to the east.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
23 condos.
Price range
$1.1 million-$9.9 million.
What you get for $1.1 million
A two-bedroom, two-bath high-rise home with 1,305 square feet, den area and Gulf views in the Club at Naples Cay.
What you get for $9.9 million
An 11,700-square-foot high-rise unit in the Seasons at Naples Cay, with panoramic Gulf, bay and city views, 2,000 square feet of terraces and balconies, library, soundproofed home theater, wine cellar and fitness salon.
This mostly high-rise condo community enjoys 33 acres of preserves and the white-sand beach of Clam Bay. Within walking distance of the Philharmonic Center and Waterside Shops, the Cay is tucked in a neighborhood of mature trees just south of the Naples Grande Resort & Club.
Naples Park
Bounded on the south by 91st Avenue North, to the north by 111th Avenue North, to the east by U.S. 41 and to the west by Vanderbilt Drive.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
116 single-family homes.
Price range
$419,900-$1.8 million.
What you get for $419,900
A 1971 home with two bedrooms, two baths and 880 square feet in coveted 600 block.
What you get for $1.8 million
Two properties (a single-family home and a duplex) on four lots with three bedrooms, two baths and almost 4,000 square feet.
A 22-by-four-block neighborhood of 3,000 homes and 10,000 residents, Naples Park has evolved into a friendly
family community featuring older homes (1970s) and a growing number of newer ones. Residents like its proximity to the beach and other amenities-shopping, restaurants, a library and a public park with racquetball facilities, a jogging path and tennis. Boaters can garage their vessels and launch them at the nearby Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Recreation Area.
Pelican Bay
Bounded by Seagate Drive to the south, the Gulf of Mexico to the west, U.S. 41 to the east and Vanderbilt Beach Road to the north.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
33 homes, 156 condos.
Price range, single-family
$1,295,000-$16.65 million.
What you get for $1,295,000
A four-bedroom, three-bath Pelican Bay Woods home with vaulted ceilings, family room with fireplace and wet bar, a private pool and 3,170 square feet.
What you get for $16.65 million
A four-story beachfront estate in The Strand with four bedrooms, nine baths, almost 10,000 square feet, embassy-level security, soaring columns and graceful arches.
Price range, condos
$549,000-$11.5 million.
What you get for $549,000
A 1,520-square-foot two-bedroom, two-bath condo in the Willow Brook neighborhood, convenient to walking path and pool area.
What you get for $11.5 million
A 10,465-square-foot two-story penthouse in Windsor at Bay Colony with bay, city, Gulf and preserve views, five bedrooms, seven baths, hardwood and marble floors, two gas fireplaces and his-and-her bathrooms with steam showers and radiant-heat floors.
Once considered a little off the beaten
path, Pelican Bay is now flanked by luxurious resorts (the Ritz-Carlton, Naples, and the Naples Grande Resort & Club), commercial development and the expanding Waterside Shops. Patrons of the arts enjoy the proximity to the Naples Philharmonic Center and its accompanying Naples Art Museum. This sprawling community of 65 neighborhoods, some of them gated, features mature trees and a park-like setting.
Public streets boast garden apartments, villas, single-family homes and beachfront estates in The Strand at Bay Colony. Amenities include three miles of beachfront, 40 acres of designated parks and nature trails, and the Club at Pelican Bay, a country club offering 27 holes of golf and dining. Cap d'Antibes, the final high-rise planned for Pelican Bay, is currently under construction.
Pine Ridge
Across U.S. 41 from Pelican Bay, bordered by Pine Ridge Road, U.S. 41, and Goodlette-Frank and Vanderbilt Beach roads.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
27 single-family homes, three condos.
Price range, single-family
$1.1 million-$4.95 million.
What you get for $1.1 million
A 2,050-square-foot three-bedroom, three-bath home, built in 1961. One-year commitment to existing renter.
What you get for $4.95 million
A four-bedroom, seven-bath estate with 5,100 square feet, private pool, three-bedroom, three-bath guesthouse on 2.5 lakefront acres.
Price range, condo
$320,000-$359,000.
What you get for $320,000
A two-bedroom, two-bath condo in Emerald Woods low-rise, featuring 1,035 square feet, two lanais, extra storage.
What you get for $359,000
A two-bedroom, two-bath Summerplace condo, with 1,450 square feet and Florida room.
Pine trees, seven lakes and heavily wooded lots define this transitional '60s-era neighborhood, where buyers will find everything from older homes-some still occupied by the original owners-to newer and larger million-dollar homes. There's plenty of room for guesthouses, stables and horses in one of the only places south of Tampa to offer large home sites so close to the beach. A mixture of old and new is found along Trail Boulevard. Properties that border Goodlette-Frank Road are generally two acres and have agricultural zoning.
Royal Harbor
Bounded by Haldeman Creek to the south, Naples Bay to the west and Tamiami Trail to the north and east.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
25 single-family homes.
Price range, single-family
$1,695,000-$8,950,000.
What you get for $1,695,000
A two-bedroom, two-bath canal-front home, built in 1969 with remodeled kitchen, 1,800 square feet.
What you get for $8,950,000
An Old World custom home built in 2002 with four bedrooms, seven baths, 7,940 square feet of living space, a 40-foot infinity-edge pool, wraparound boat dock and views of Naples Bay.
Naples Bay separates Port Royal from Royal Harbor, a triangular neighborhood where all 419 single-family homes and home sites sit on water and have direct Gulf access.
It's a community of boating enthusiasts and a growing number of families who like Royal Harbor's proximity to Fifth Avenue and the beaches. Gone are the days of $8,000 lots. Even mid-'60s homes are going for a cool million dollars.
Vanderbilt Beach
Extending north along Gulfshore Drive from Vanderbilt Beach to Bluebill Avenue.
On the Market
Properties for sale, winter 2005
36 single-family homes, 46 condos.
Price range, single-family
$750,000-$9.5 million.
What you get for $750,000
A remodeled three-bedroom, two-bath villa, with new 400-square-foot sunroom, built-in bookcases, tray ceilings and 2,010 square feet.
What you get for $9.5 million
A six-year-old home with Gulf, bay and intersecting canal views, five bedrooms, six baths and a private pool.
Price range, condos
$319,000-$4.3 million.
What you get for $319,000
One bedroom, one bath, kitchenette and just 324 square feet in a studio apartment in Kings Crown Motel.
What you get for $4.3 million
A three-bedroom, four-bath condo in The Vanderbilt, offering 3,820 square feet, and bay and Gulf views.
Vanderbilt Beach includes single-family homes along canals, bays and the beach and Gulf-front high-rises. The mostly older high-rise condominiums with views of the Gulf and Sanibel Island are scattered among upscale resorts, boutique hotels, restaurants and marinas along Gulfshore Drive.
Sources: www.naplesarea.com, www.johnrwood.com, www.gladesrealty.com.