On the heels of Spring Break – where many of you were off in sun drenched lands – we thought it’d be a great time to start up our City Guides series again and to kick it off with a spot in sunny Florida!
Some Background Stats:
Population: 20,537
Unemployment Rate: 5.5%
Cost of living index: 180.9/100
Major industries: Tourism, healthcare, construction, professional, scientific, and technical services, real estate and rental leasing, education, finance and insurance
Climate: Winter— ~53-76 degrees, Summer— ~73-91 degrees
Professional Sports (for all of Florida): Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning
Closing Time: 2 AM
Best known for: Gorgeous beaches with clear water and white sands and many celebrities (Donald Trump, Tom Cruise) have houses here
Best Dish: Seafood and anything involving citrus!
Why We Chose It:
During a time when finding a job can be difficult for post-grads, I thought that I would choose a city with ample job opportunity! Naples has been projected to have the fastest growth rate among the 200 largest metro areas with an annual rate of 4.1% through 2016, according to Moody’s Analytics. Furthermore, considering how most of us at Bucknell will have dealt with less than warm temperature for four years, I was tempted to research a city that offers such nice weather! Naples offers a vast variety of options for beaches, such as Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Clam Pass Beach Park, Naples Municipal Beach and Fishing Pier, Vanderbilt Beach, North Gulfshore Boulevard Beach, and Lowdermilk Beach Park. Also, taking into consideration a large majority of Bucknellians enjoy golfing, I figured that I should highlight the “Golf Capital of the World.” There are multiple golf clubs such as Naples Grande Golf Club, the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club, Quail Run Golf Club, Club Pelican Bay Golf Course, Hole in the Wall Golf Course, and Royal Poinciana Golf Club! Finally, I selected Naples, because I found its proud dedication to green buildings and green businesses very awesome as well!
Why You’ll Love It:
I know that after graduating, I crave a change in scenery. What better way than to leave a land-locked state for one that has the freshest seafood? One place to definitely check out is Citrus Seafood Restaurant! The Lobster Mango Avocado Salad and the Cabio Fish are notable meals to try! Moreover, there are many ways to entertain yourself on your off days. Between water recreational sports, the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, the Everglades National Park, Big Cyprus National Preserve, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, and Picayune Strand State Forest, you will never be bored. Having these outdoorsy options will serve as a lovely break from the office! If these activities did not convince you, downtown Naples is home the 5th Avenue South and 3rd Street South shopping districts, which feature a variety of antique shops. Gallery Row is a concentration among the numerous art galleries spread throughout the downtown area. The Village on Venetian Bay too offers an upscale open-air shopping district on the Gulf coast. Naples has a big performing arts scene as well. Naples is home to the Naples Players, Opera Naples, the Naples Philharmonic, and the Baker Museum.
In terms of age demographics, while Naples, Florida is sometimes associated with an older age group, there are quite a few colleges and universities nearby, such as Florida Gulf Coast University, Edison State College, and Hodges University, which ensures that there will be people around your age as well!
Not ready to leave Bucknell? We didn’t think so!
Check out the Alumni App to find out more about the 212 alumni in the area. We found several alumni in the Naples area on LinkedIn. Many of the alumni work for Fidelity Investments, ThoughtWorks, Level 3 Communications, Davidson Engineering, Inc. ; working in Entrepreneurship, Business Development, Media and Communication, Real Estate, Education, Engineering, Accounting, and IT.
This post was written and researched by Sophie Hattery ’16.
Our city guides were started in an effort to highlight various cities across the U.S. to help you discover and learn about a city you may not have considered but could make a great spot for your first job or internship. See past city guides