Town file
Naples, Florida
Naples, Florida (Collier County, Florida) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 729, "The Explosive Enigma Murders" (27 August 2026). Naples sits on the Gulf of Mexico in Collier County, south-west Florida, about two hours from Miami and two and a half hours from Tampa.
- Town
- Naples
- County
- Collier County
- State
- Florida
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 729
- Approximate location
- 26.150, -81.795
Episode 729 / 27 August 2026 / 187 min / full
The Explosive Enigma Murders
"We're going to Naples, Florida, in Collier County, area code 239, in south-western Florida." about 0:05:12
The case: Murder of Margaret and Scott Benson (July 9, 1985); Murder of Stephen Benson (July 3, 2015). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2026
- Population
- 19,187
- Median age
- 66.3
- Median household income
- $125,306
- Median home value
- $1,045,900
- Two-bedroom rent
- 1,890 bucks
- Cost of living
- $137
- Religious
- 35%
- Property crime
- about the average
- Violent crime
- ▼ less than half
History, in brief
- Founded in 1886 by a former Confederate general named John Stuart Williams, who was also a U.S. senator from Kentucky. about 0:06:57
- Williams's partner was the man who published the Louisville Courier Journal; in the 1870s and 1880s magazines and newspapers ran stories about the area's mild climate and abundant fish and likened it to Italy. about 0:07:05
- The name Naples caught on when promoters described the bay as surpassing the bay in Naples, Italy. about 0:07:47
- In 1888 there were approximately 80 people living there; then a pier opened, then a hotel. about 0:07:59
The reviews read out
5 stars
"Naples is one of those cities where once you explore everything in it, it either gets boring or it gets even more fun to live in."about 0:08:09
3 stars
"An upscale city on the Gulf of Mexico known for white sand beaches, luxury living and being the golf capital of the world with over 80 courses; a haven for high-end shopping and dining along 5th Avenue South and Third Street South, and a gateway to the Everglades and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, with the historic Naples Pier."about 0:08:28
3 stars
"It can be pretty calm in the quiet parts and the beaches can be amazing, but there are many rude people who think they are entitled to do whatever they want."about 0:09:28
1 star
"Don't like it at all: too many young people on drugs, a county that lets puppy mill dogs be sold, no good jobs that pay enough, horrendous traffic, people who act like they are better than others, and a town that is waterlogged and mouldy."about 0:09:44
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Fruitville, Florida91 miles
- Davie, Florida94 miles
- Sarasota, Florida94 miles
- Wellington, Florida101 miles
- Alturas, Florida117 miles
- Tequesta, Florida118 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.