general and Kentucky U.S. Senator John Stuart Williams and his partner, Louisville businessman Walter N. Haldeman, the publisher of the Louisville Courier-Journal. It had grown into a resort town by the turn of the century. The city got its name from developers who advertised it in the north as to have "a bay comparable to that of Naples (Italy)".

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,976 people, 10,803 households, and 6,568 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,744.3/sq mi (673.2/km² ). There were 16,956 housing units at an average density of 1,410.0/sq mi (544.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.50% White, 4.65% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 2.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.23% of the population.

There were 10,803 households out of which 10.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.92 and the average family size was 2.38.

In the city the population was spread out with 10.9% under the age of 18, 2.3% from 18 to 24, 14.5% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 42.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 61 years. For every 100 females there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $58,641, and the median income for a family was $117,040. Males had a median income of $86,092 versus $30,948 for females. The per capita income for the city was $61,141. About 3.1% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
The economy of Naples is largely based on tourism. Along with Marco Island and the Everglades, the city makes up the popular vacation area known as the Paradise Coast. Fortune 1000 company Health Management Associates is also headquartered in Naples.

Attractions
Naples is home to several major land reserves, including the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, and Picayune Strand State Forest. The Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is known not only for its 11,000 acres (45 km²) of landscape and wildlife, but for a two and a half mile length boardwalk winding through the sanctuary. The Naples area is also home to the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens, which dates back to 1919.

The city is served by the Naples Municipal Airport. Delta Air Lines flew Delta Connection flights out of the airport, but ceased doing so in the summer of 2007, citing financial and logistical problems. It still provides service to Key West, Florida, by Yellow Air Taxi. Southwest Florida International Airport, in South Fort Myers, Florida, handles the vast majority of commercial air traffic in and out of the region, which served 7.6 million passengers in 2006.

Naples is home to an estimated 250 Fortune 500 CEOs.

Downtown Naples is home to The Naples Players, and the 5th Avenue South and 3rd Street South shopping districts, which feature a variety of antique shops. Gallery Row, also downtown, is a concentration among the numerous art galleries spread throughout the downtown area. The Village on Venetian Bay is an upscale open-air shopping district on the Gulf coast. Located directly off of Tamiami Trail are the Waterside Shops, an upscale open-air center home to such high-end retailers as Saks Fifth Avenue, Gucci, Tiffany & Co., and Lacoste. A two-story Barnes and Noble is located on site as well. Near downtown on Naples Bay and the Gordon River is the shopping district Tin City. This open-air shopping center specializes in antiques and handmade local novelties. Naples is also the home to swamp buggy races, held three times each year at the Florida Sports Park.

The beach on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico is more than 10 miles long, and is noted for its cleanliness and pristine white sand. In 2005, Naples was voted the best beach in America by the Travel Channel.

With more than 80 championship golf courses in the Naples area, Naples is the self-titled "Golf Capital of the World", claiming to have more holes per capita than any other community.

Naples is also within 30 minutes of the Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox spring training facilities. The teams are based in the area through the winter and are an important attraction. During the summer months, the Fort Myers Miracle, the single-A team of the Minnesota Twins play at the Fort Myers Sports Complex, while the Boston Red Sox play at City-Of-Palms Park in Downtown Fort Myers.

Transportation
Southwest Florida is served by several major highways, including the Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) and the Interstate 75 freeway, both of which connect the area to Tampa to the north, and Fort Lauderdale/Miami to the east. Long-term cooperative infrastructure planning is coordinated by the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council (web site), and in heavily populated Lee County, the Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Greyhound Lines serves several locations in Southwest Florida, including Bradenton, Fort Myers, Naples, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda and Sarasota.

Southwest Florida International Airport, located in South Fort Myers, served over 7.6 million passengers in 2006 and offers non-stop flights to 3 cities in Europe and 2 in Canada, in addition to 36 domestic airports. The area's secondary airport, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, served 1.42 million passengers in 2006.

The Port of Manatee provides a full range of port services for commercial, industrial and cruise ship purposes.

Seminole Gulf Railway provides freight services throughout Southwest Florida.