Welcome to the Immokalee Eastern Chamber! Our chamber serves the communities of Immokalee, the town of Ave Maria, and Golden Gate City, and Golden Gate Estates.
Just 51 miles northeast of Naples, Florida, Immokalee was originally settled by the Calusa people. It was inhabited by the Seminole centuries later, after they moved down from northern Florida. Immokalee is in northern Collier County along Florida State Road 29.
Initially the settlement was known as Gopher Ridge by the Seminole and Miccosukee nations. Immokalee means “your home” in the Miccosukee language. The first permanent settlement was founded in 1872. In 1921, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad extended its Haines City Branch south to Immokalee. The railroad was removed in 1989.
Agriculture is still a primary industry for Immokalee, but it is also home to the nationally-recognized Seminole Casino and Hotel. Immokalee is becoming one of the most up and coming places for residents and business owners.
Ave Maria, Florida is an unincorporated community that was founded in 2005 by Ave Maria Development Company, a partnership consisting of the Barron Collier Companies and the Ave Maria Foundation led by Roman Catholic philanthropist Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino’s Pizza. Monaghan served as chancellor of Ave Maria University until February 2011.
The development of the town was made possible when the Florida legislature created the Ave Maria Stewardship Community District, a limited local government whose purpose is to provide community infrastructure, including community development systems, facilities, services, projects, and improvements. In 2015-16, it was ranked the 40th top-selling master planned community in the United States, out of 230 such communities tracked. It earned the “Community of the Year” for seven consecutive years (2015-2021). In 2020, it broke its previous record for new home sales – selling 507 new homes during the year and ranking 38th on the list of Top Master Planned Communities in the USA. In January 2021, 77 new homes were sold in Ave Maria – an all-time monthly sales record for the town.
Along with its residential popularity, many entrepreneurs have looked to Ave Maria as a home base location for their businesses, as well as developed collaborations with neighboring communities, such as Immokalee and Golden Gate City and Golden Gate Estates.
Golden Gate is a community and census-designated place (CDP) in Collier County, Florida, United States. Golden Gate’s boundaries coincide with a 2 by 2 miles (3.2 by 3.2 km) square of significantly higher density development than surrounding areas. The population was 23,961 as recorded in the 2010 census. It is part of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Golden Gate City and Golden Gate Estates is home to many working, middle-class families and businesses, and is just ripe for any entrepreneur looking to call this area home. The Immokalee Eastern Chamber of Commerce is focused on this area for membership growth and entrepreneurial encouragement.