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Naples.

THEN.

NOW. "We must tell girls their voices are important."
~Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

by Karen Coney Coplin
hirty years ago, this month, 1994, anniversary with spring training in Fort Myers this year. Kudos to
I moved to Naples. As with any type of both, with cheers to their devoted fans.
T anniversary, it's timely to reflect back on Thirty years ago, most of the streets in Old Naples did not yet
what was and take stock of today. have "traffic calming" devices such as the circles which are now
Then, it was a sleepy town by anyone's routinely found throughout downtown.
standards, but it did have the Naples I'll never forget one letter to the editor who wrote that Central
Philharmonic, now Artis-Naples. Avenue had become a raceway, pleading for people to slow down.
I was relocating from Palm Beach County, Still another letter writer mourned the passage of the Central Ave.
a much more heavily populated region, yet, the area was just of old, stating that it struck him as the Naples equivalent of the
establishing its own performing Arts Center at that time. Avenue des Champs-Élysées. That's no longer the case with many
th
Here in Naples, we were ahead of the curve due to the driving planters established west of 8 Street, where a traffic circle has also
force of the late Myra Janco Daniels. Naples welcomed "The Phil" been installed for many years.
in 1989 to its inaugural season in its present location. At this time, the library on Central Avenue was also the main
No doubt this was a driving factor in putting Pelican Bay on the branch, but this title was transferred to Orange Blossom Drive.
map as a destination residential community. Still, there is no denying the appeal of the architecture of Central
Prior to that, there were performances at Naples High School Ave. library. I don't know about you, but I'm overdue for a visit!
and other unexpected sites including Marco Island locations. In the 1990s, the Naples Airport had numerous commercial
As a pet lover then (and now), with two dogs and one cat, it airlines, and like any small airport, it was so easy to check in, plus,
was not easy to find a new place to call home sweet home. It was free parking! Of course this was well before September 11, so the
a real delight to discover Bent Pines Villas located in a convenient protocols were much more relaxed but I do remember arriving
setting in the center of town, surrounded by lush gardens. Even at the airport 15 minutes before a flight...no problem. And the
today, it remains true to its roots as a community welcoming pets of luggage carousel pickup was outside.
different kinds including larger sized dogs. USAir (later Airways) might have connected you to Tampa or
Prices then: $105,000 for a two bedroom + den/2 BA townhome Miami, then off to your final destination. I remember Delta and
style condo. United had service, too. Those were the days.
Prices now: there have been several sales over $600,000 and A few months ago I wrote about the avenues in Old Naples,
there is a current listing at 1281 Solana Road, offered for $575,000. which end at the beach with park benches serving as memorials for
Pelican Bay properties, of course, have experienced even more people who once enjoyed so many different things about visiting
noteworthy appreciation. the Gulf of Mexico.
For instance, the Bay Villas community is also pet friendly and Of course, those benches were lost to the sea because of the
very close to Artis-Naples. While there were no sales posted in storm surge from Hurricane Ian.
1994, sales in 1998 were in the $200,000 range. A sale early this For nostalgia and history's sake it would be nice if these were
year was $1,850,000. replaced, especially, if possible, with plaques or markers similar to
1994 was notable for another reason, as there was a baseball those previously in place.
strike and no World Series. Now -and then- the Minnesota Twins Maybe news of that will develop in 2024.
and also the Boston Red Sox have spring training in the City of Change is always constant. If you have a particular memory
th
Palms, north of Naples. This is actually the 34 season for the Twins to add from those days of long ago, I'd love to hear!
coming to Lee County & the Red Sox are celebrating their silver
If you want to be part of lifting others up and celebrating the awards recipients next month, I'd love to hear from you and meet you, too.
Email Karen with your article ideas concerning Life in Naples (especially as to local charities and their activities): Napleskcc@gmail.com.
Follow her on Instagram for more vignettes about Life in Naples: @naplesbythenumbers

46 Life in Naples | April 2024