General Info
With a population of 375,752 as of 2020, Collier County is located in southwest Florida. The county seat, East Naples, has been home to the county offices since 1962, when they were relocated from Everglades City. Interestingly, archaeological findings at Platt Island in the Big Cypress National Preserve reveal that human settlement in the area dates back over 2000 years. When European explorers arrived, the Calusa people had already established a substantial presence in the region. The county’s origins can be traced back to 1923, when it was carved out of Lee County. Its namesake, Barron Collier, was a prominent figure in New York City’s advertising and real estate circles, who later made his mark in Southwest Florida as a major landowner. Collier agreed to construct the Tamiami Trail in exchange for the state legislature’s favor, which ultimately led to the creation of a county bearing his name.
