Bonita Shores Naples, Florida - 15 Homes for Sale - NoSnowNaples

West of Vanderbilt Drive, south of Bonita Beach Road, on the cusp of the line between Lee and Collier Counties...is a corner of Southwest Florida with some of the nicest homes and the friendliest residents to be found. Some call Bonita Shores the perfect location – right near the main thoroughfares that open the way to Fort Myers, Bonita Springs proper and Naples, the region’s gems – yet far enough away to be considered an peaceful retreat. Others just call it home.

Quite literally on the shores of Little Hickory Bay and several lesser bays and waterways, Bonita Shores started out as a community for retirees many years ago. Today the area attracts a variety of full-time residents including many young families. The Gulf of Mexico beaches are so close it is little wonder why this area is so coveted. In fact, in the past few years there has been a very low residential turnover. When homes or lots do become available, they are quickly scooped up.

All the natural amenities of Southwest Florida are at your doorstep in Bonita Shores. The beach, just a couple of miles away is unmatched in beauty and a hot spot for the regional past time of “shelling”, boasting both quality and variety. Numerous waterways provide opportunities to enjoy boating and fishing. Nature preserves dot the area and are perfect for hiking and bird watching; and of course, there is the climate itself, which lends perfectly to the active outdoor lifestyle

The Bonita Shores Club

In 1953, Forrest Walker developed Little Hickory and Bonita Shores, which is a north Collier County subdivision, just off Bonita Beach Road, and encompasses from 1st Street to 9th Street and from Vanderbilt Drive to Hickory Bay.

Back then, it was considered out in the wilderness, and far away from the then-county seat, Everglades City. Bonita Shores also did not consider itself part of the original Bonita Springs, which was located four miles northeast of the community. What is now Vanderbilt Drive was known as East Avenue, and ended at 9th Street in Bonita Shores. To reach the Shores subdivision, one traveled Old US 41 or sometimes called Tamiami Trail, turned west on Bonita Beach Road at the dog track, and drove the four miles to our location. Bonita Beach Road continued west to the Gulf, then north to the northern end of Hickory Island. The causeway to Ft Myers Beach was not built until the mid-1960's. Because of its remote location at the time, residents formed the association to make sure deed restrictions and other niceties remained enforced.

The club, officially named Bonita Shores & Little Hickory Shores Improvement Association, Inc., started in 1956, three years after construction began in the community. It incorporated as a non-profit in April 1960. The property that the Bonita Shores Club sits on was deeded to the association and the clubhouse construction was completed in same year, just in time for Hurricane Donna.

What is today a storage garage was a fire station back in 1967 with one fire truck. Fire control and the property the garage sits on today was given to the fire district that same year. The "fire house" was returned to the association by the fire district in 1992.

The clubhouse began as a single room structure. An addition was added to the west side of the building in 1980. In October of 1982, a large 24' x 24' addition was added to the north side of the building, completing the clubhouse as we know it today. In 1983, the three rooms were named Collier, Hickory and Bonita.

In the last fifty years, the Bonita Shores Club has hosted many happy gatherings: Easter egg hunts, wedding receptions, anniversary parties, community pot-luck dinners, art fairs, yard sales, exercise classes, tax seminars, bridge games, and of course, the traditional Monday night bingo games. It continues to be a hub of community involvement, and source of pride for our community.

In the early days of the association, focus centered on community improvement, such as paving the neighborhood's roads, water and sewer improvements, and creating what we treasure today as a rare jewel of a community and neighborhood.

As Bonita Shores approaches the half-century mark, life in the neighborhood has changed, but the vibrant community spirit remains. The shuffle board courts are no longer used much anymore, but line dancing and yoga classes have taken root. School-aged kids ride bikes on the streets along with retired folks. Over the years, Bonita Shores has been transformed from a sleepy retirement community to one of the best non-gated residential communities in the Bonita Springs area. The infusion of younger families who get involved in our community assures that the Bonita Shores Club will see a 100th birthday one day.