Naples Island

Naples Island is a neighborhood in Long Beach, California. The entire neighborhood actually spans a couple of islands in Alamitos Bay. Naples consists of three islands that are divided by canals and then open out into the bay. Many of the streets have Italian names in honor of the Italian City of Naples. There is also a fountain on the largest island, which is a popular meeting place and an honor to Naples, Italy.

In 1903 Arthur Parson built Naples Island using the marshy Bixby Slough and artificial Alamitos Bay, which is filled with water from San Gabriel River. The designs of the island were done by Mayberry and Parker. The canals and gondolas were designed by Abbot Kinney. Parson's owned a land company, which is how he was able to build the islands up as a neighborhood. The 1933 Long Beach Earthquake did some damage, but people rebuilt. The gondolas are still in existence, offering romantic canal trips of Naples. Several places offer Gondola Getaway options, and it is one of the eight places in the US that offer Gondola Rides. At Christmas there is a Christmas Boat Parade, with boats decorated and moving through the canal.