AND SO IT WAS…AND NOW IT IS!

Naples, Florida has a wonderful and rich history. Prior to its discovery, the only people to traipse the white sand beaches were the Caloosa Indians. It was basically discovered and first settled in the 1860s by Roger Gordon and Joseph Wiggins, (two passes that open from the Bay to the Gulf remain named after them.) Later in the 1870s and throughout the 1890s, northern magazines touted the area’s “mild climate” and the fact that it’s Bay surpassed that of Naples, Italy…hence the name Naples caught on. And as Naples caught on through promotion and advertising, it amuses me to think that beachfront lots rose in price to $125. Today that same lot can go for as high as $20,000,000.

Soon it became a winter retreat for many celebrities, Greta Garbo, Hedi Lamarr, Rose Cleveland, Gary Cooper, Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone, just to name a few. Interestingly that tradition remains alive and well as it’s not hard spotting celebrities during the high season months of winter, while traversing 5^th Avenue or hanging out at the Ritz-Carlton. (It has been long rumored, but oddly never verified that Steven Spielberg owns a home in the prestigious Port Royal.)

Over the years names like Walter N. Haldeman and Barron G. Collier, as well as many others, helped forge what Naples is today. Despite the real estate hard times that we are experiencing today, Naples remains a world-class destination and always will be. We truly live in Paradise!