LOCAL INFO

Neighborhoods Of Jacksonville, FL

The Beaches

The beaches stretch from Atlantic Beach to the North and run down to Ponte Vedra Beach and St. Augustine Beach to the South. You’ll see a variety of home styles at the beach from older beach bungalows built in the 30’s and 40’s to the elegant and extravagant oceanfront homes in Ponte Vedra.


Since the land is very valuable at the beach; the closer you get to the ocean, the price of the house goes up considerably. There are several condominiums in the beaches communities. Most allow for 6 month to yearlong tenants. There are a few properties that allow for shorter term leasing.


You’ll also find some great places to eat and small gift shops and clothing boutiques. There are also some oceanfront hotels along the beach as well as higher end resorts too. Mayport is just North of Atlantic Beach and is home to Naval Station Mayport.

1156 Ponte Vedra Blvd. — Ponte Vedra Beach, FL — Eileen & James McVeigh

Nocatee

Nocatee is a development just west of Ponte Vedra Beach that spans over 14,000 acres. It is the New Town concept where it is it’s own taxing district and has residential, commercial and office space.


Homes here are priced from $300,000 to over a million. Just about any type of home you could imagine from over 55 retirement by Del Webb, to small traditional homes within walking distance to the grocery store and dining, to large single family homes in gated communities.


Nocatee will keep almost half of the land in it’s natural condition and has biking and jogging trails as well as Kayak and canoe launching areas, dog parks, public schools and just about anything else you can think of including a zip line.

Downtown Jacksonville

Downtown Jacksonville, Florida is divided up into the North Bank and the South Bank. The South Bank has lots of office buildings, and recently has added several high rise, modern condominiums.


Moving south, there is an area called San Marco. This area is very popular with young professionals working downtown, because they can also enjoy an area where they can walk to restaurants and stores, as well as be close to work.


On the North Bank there are also several office buildings, high rise condos that overlook the St. Johns River, hotels, and TIAA Bank Field which is home to the Jacksonville Jaguars.


There's one more neighborhood on the Northbank that is getting a lot of traction; that is Springfield. This neighborhood has homes that were built in the early 1900s and we have seen a great resurgence in this area. Homes that were in ruins have been restored while others have been torn down but rebuilt to the architectural standards of the day. Large wrap around porches are in high demand and are celebrated with the annual "Porchfest" festival.

Northside

This area has seen most of its development since the building of the Dames Point Bridge that was completed in 1989. The Northside is the home to the Jacksonville International Airport, JAXPORT Cruise Terminal, the Jacksonville Zoo,  Anheuser Busch Brewery and the Port of Jacksonville.


As land is becoming more scarce in Jacksonville, the homebuilders have turned to the Northside. Land here is less expensive than the Beaches and Southside making homes more affordable. There has been a great number of new homes built here in the last 5 years.

Southside

The Southside runs west from the Beaches to the St. Johns River. Here you’ll find the major Shopping Centers like the St. Johns Town Center and the Avenues Mall. There are also several golf courses like Deerwood, DeerCreek, Jacksonville Golf & Country Club, Glen Kernan and Pablo Creek.


Modest homes and condominiums to large estates are found here, as well as some large homes and mansions along the river.  Just across the Intracoastal Waterway is the Mayo Clinic. Started in Rochester, Jacksonville was one of the first satellites of this incredible research and teaching hospital.  Also on the Southside is the University of North Florida.


There are many beautiful areas near the St. Johns River. Most of the homes here are more spread out and it’s not unusual to find acreage. There are also some new developments and residential communities here too.

Arlington

This area is just north of Atlantic Boulevard, is west of the beaches and bordered by the St. Johns River. Some people refer to this area as Ft. Caroline because that is where the historic area is.


You’ll find some older, modest Florida homes and you’ll also see some large houses on the River. This area is close to downtown and the Northside, so people who work in those two areas find this a great place to live.

Schools

The Greater Jacksonville area is made up of Duval County, St. Johns County and Clay County. Each county has their own public school system. St. Johns County boasts some of the highest test scores in the State. Both Duval county and Clay counties have schools that rank tops in the country as well.


I refer my clients to the Northeast Florida Educational Guide. This publication has a breakdown of each school district, along with test scores for each school. Not only are the public schools included, but also the private schools and parochial schools. I can’t think of a more comprehensive publication to go to for questions regarding the schools.


My kids have gone through the public schools here in St Johns County; so that is what I know best. But I have also helped families do school tours of public schools in Clay & Duval County as well as private and parochial schools. Helping set up a school tour is part of the process of relocating your family to our area.



You can find some excellent information on the county school websites. Each has a school locator. So if you type in an address you will be able to tell which school your child is zoned for. There are also calendars with school start dates and school holidays as well as what is required to register your child for school.

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