Naples dates to 1886, and 4 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 44% of U.S. towns · #90 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of Naples was built recently: 0.7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. 4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 94 buildings. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1958 on, and the census since 1930.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Naples’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Naples is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns, #90 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Naples’ overall grade.
Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Naples’ 53.8 sits above most of its state (91% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 106 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B+. The pre-1940 share (±0.3 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1886.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Naples’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Before the period of European colonization, the indigenous Calusa lived in Florida (including the region of present-day Naples) for thousands of years, from Charlotte Harbor to Cape Sable. In 1513, Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León explored the region and encountered the Calusa, who resisted the first Spanish attempts to establish a colony in Florida. However, decades later, Florida was finally incorporated into the Spanish Empire. In the early 18th century, following slave raids from Muscogee and Yamasee raiders allied with European settlers in Carolina, the majority of the remaining Calusa moved south and east to escape the raids.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1886, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1930 counted 391 people here.
How does Naples rank for history?
Naples is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns, #90 of 638 in Florida. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Naples?
4 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Depot (listed 1974, the first), and 1 historic district, the Naples Historic District, with 94 contributing buildings. 106 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Naples?
0.7% of Naples’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1983.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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