Naples celebrates the story of one of southwest Florida's most renowned beach resorts, from its tenuous beginning in 1885 through the tumultuous year of 1960, when Hurricane Donna nearly destroyed the town once hailed as the "Summerland in Wintertime." Founded as a place where "invalids can escape the chilling blasts of winter," the distant paradise was accessible only by boat, and 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 in 1928, 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 "rediscovered," and by the time Hurricane Donna stormed ashore on September 10, 1960, Naples was the fastest-growing city in Collier County.

Shares animals, activities, and landmarks from A to Z about Naples, Florida.

Completely revised by Twin Lights Publishers in 2006, this book of photographs captures glorious Naples, Florida and outlying neighborhoods. Tourists and seasonal residents flock to Naples for its beauty, serenity, cultural activities and sense of community. Images of elegant beaches with pristine blue waters and fiery sunsets provide a backdrop to a variety of performing and visual arts venues, exciting outdoor sports for all ages, and wildlife that is unique to Southern Florida.

While it may be hundreds of years younger than its Italian namesake, Naples, Florida, has an exciting history all its own! Naples was not much more than a bend in the road in the 1940s, but by 1950, its beautiful beaches and balmy weather had been rediscovered, and development and tourism became the city's lifeblood. Although Hurricane Donna struck Naples in 1960, the building boom continued, and by the late 1970s, few undeveloped areas remained, culminating in 1972 for the development of a new gulf-front luxury community called Pelican Bay. More than 200 images offer insight into this rarely chronicled period of Naples' history, including seldom-seen historic photographs from the archives of the Naples Daily News (formerly the Collier County News) and vintage postcards from the collection of Nina Heald Webber.

Naples, Florida, is known internationally for its stunning beaches, cosmopolitan ambience, and captivating architecture. Originally settled in the late nineteenth century, the seaside resort town is blessed with abundant historical architecture. One of the Sunshine State’s first "planned communities," the city is consistently recognized as one of the top growth areas in the United States. As a result, the original beach homes, most built between 1895 and 1950, are today threatened by land development and new construction.