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.
