Ave Maria, FL

Ave Maria is a planned community founded in 2005, making it one of Florida's newest towns rather than a place with deep historical roots. The town was developed through a partnership between Barron Collier Companies and the Ave Maria Foundation, led by Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza. The community was designed from the ground up to incorporate Ave Maria University as its centerpiece, with the town built around principles of traditional neighborhood design and walkability.

The town square serves as the architectural and cultural heart of Ave Maria, featuring the distinctive Ave Maria parish church. This striking structure showcases dramatic steel arches and a 30-foot-tall marble carving of the Annunciation, serving as the community's most recognizable landmark. While Ave Maria lacks the historic districts and preserved buildings found in older Florida towns, its contemporary architecture and master-planned layout reflect early 21st-century approaches to community building and urban design.

Ave Maria is a master-planned community in Collier County, and like most places in this part of Southwest Florida, getting around relies almost entirely on a personal vehicle. Oil Well Road (County Road 858) is the primary corridor connecting Ave Maria to the broader region, linking residents to Immokalee to the east and to Collier Boulevard and Interstate 75 to the west. From there, Naples is roughly 30 miles away and the Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers is accessible in under an hour. The town itself is compact and walkable by design, with a pedestrian-friendly town square, sidewalks throughout the community, and golf cart paths that let residents run local errands without a car. Public transit and commuter rail are not available here, and no major bike-sharing programs serve the area, but the community's internal trail network makes cycling and walking practical for day-to-day life within Ave Maria's borders.

Ave Maria's planned community design weaves green space throughout the town, with numerous neighborhood parks, open lawns, and scenic water features built into its 5,000-acre landscape. Residents enjoy walking and biking along well-maintained trails that connect the community's parks and open areas. The broader Collier County region adds even more options, with Big Cypress National Preserve and Picayune Strand State Forest both within a short drive, offering expansive natural wetlands, hiking, and wildlife watching. Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge is also nearby, providing a rare glimpse into Southwest Florida's protected ecosystems and native wildlife.

Ave Maria is a master-planned community in Collier County built around Ave Maria University, giving the town a lively central square filled with shops, restaurants, and a striking parish church featuring a 30-foot marble carving of the Annunciation. Founded in 2005 and recognized as one of the fastest-growing communities in the country, it offers a walkable, small-town atmosphere within easy reach of Naples and the Southwest Florida coast.