Naples and the Southwest Florida Area
Southwest Florida's Collier and Lee Counties
If you are a second home buyer and are not familiar with the southwest Florida area, you are probably wondering about the differences between Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero and Ft. Myers. All have desirable second home and year round communities.
Naples is located in Collier County, while Bonita Springs, Estero and Ft. Myers are located in Lee County Florida. Property tax rates in Collier County are around 1.2% of a property's value, while Lee County is around 1.7%. There are two main reasons for the difference. Naples has higher home values, and the Naples area has a higher concentration of second home owners, which do not require additional schools, and other government services.
Collier County vs. Lee County Florida
| Collier County | Lee County | |
| Population, 2006 Est. | 315,000 | 571,344 |
| Housing Units | 188,000 | 341,150 |
| % Condos | 47% | 29% |
| Square Miles | 2,025 | 803 |
| Largest City | Naples | Cape Coral |
| Pop. of Largest City | 21,000 | 151,389 |
The source of the information is the US Census Bureau
All of northwestern Collier County is referred to as Naples. This is where most the population of Collier County resides, of which the actual city of Naples only takes up a small footprint. More on the City of Naples. The majority of Collier County's population lives within developments, and is not governed by any city jurisdiction. The majority of the population of Lee County lives within the cities of Ft. Myers and Cape Coral, and the unincorporated area of Lehigh Acres.
Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero and the Southwest Florida Area
As Naples became popular as a second home destination, housing demand grew and available western area land became more scarce. Developers then looked to more affordable and available sections of lands just north of Naples in the Bonita Springs and Estero area. This included highend developments such as the Bonita Bay, communities with golf courses, as well as affordable housing that would appeal to the local workforce.
There are several big difference between the Naples area, and Bonita Springs/Estero.
- Ease of Beach Access - Unlike most of Florida's beach communities, where you have to cross a bridge to find a beach, in Naples, just head west, northwest or south west and you have easy access to any number of the Naples area beaches. In Estero and Bonita Springs, you need to drive around Estero Bay either by heading south to the Bonita Beach Access or north to the Fort Myers Beach access. Some places in Estero will be a 45 minute drive to a beach access point.
- Dining and Shopping - In Naples, dining and shopping districts are scattered throughout the area. Depending on where you live within Naples, dinning and shopping options could be north, south, east and west of where you live. For Bonita and Estero, dining and shopping options exist mostly along the Tamiami Trail (highway 41), the main highway through the area, or along Interstate 75 exits.
- Highend Properties - Naples has a greater concentration of highend properties, both along the beach, as well as non-beach areas.
- Second Home Communities - Naples has a higher concentration of communities built to attract second home buyers.
- A Downtown - Naples has a downtown area that consists primarily of restaurants, bars, shops and services. This is an attractive destination spot for people in the area. There is no downtown as such in Bonita Springs or Estero.
All the above accounts for why property values in the Naples area are anywhere from 10% to 20% higher than comparable properties in Estero and Bonita Springs. Bonita Springs, Estero and Ft Myers has as nice, or nicer second home communities than Naples. If the above differences are not of value to a second home buyer, then the better deals could be in the Bonita Springs, Estero and Ft. Myers areas.