Naples

Celebrate the story of one of southwest Florida's most renowned beach resorts. Founded as a place where "e;invalids can escape the chilling blasts of winter,"e; the distant paradise known as Naples was accessible only by boat during its tenuous beginning in 1885. By 1890, the new town boasted a pier, the Naples Hotel-and little else. With train service arriving in Naples in 1927 and the opening of the Tamiami Trail a year later, the once-remote resort was finally open to development, but the Depression turned the dreamed-of boom into a bust until after World War II. The picture-perfect beaches and warm winter climate were soon "e;rediscovered,"e; and by the time Hurricane Donna stormed ashore on September 10, 1960 and nearly destroyed the town once hailed as the "e;Summerland in Wintertime,"e; Naples was the fastest-growing city in Collier County.