Jacksonville: Where Florida Begins

Call Jacksonville whatever you like-just don't call it sleepy. Last year marked the fifth consecutive year that single-family building permits set a record for the region. And this year kicked off with Super Bowl XXIX, which showcased the River City to an international audience.

Oops. Did we say "River City?" That's not what we call ourselves anymore. Nor do we refer to ourselves as "The Bold New City of the South." Both of those monikers have given way to "Jacksonville, Where Florida Begins," the tagline of a branding campaign funded by the city and originated by the Dalton Agency, a local marketing company whose other clients include the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The campaign is the first to position Jacksonville geographically as the entry point to the state. That's because Dalton's research indicated that most outsiders were generally aware that Jacksonville was in Florida somewhere-they just didn't know exactly where.

Still, they're managing to find it, according to the Northeast Florida Builders Association. In 2004 the Jacksonville MSA, which consists of Duval, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties, notched 13,636 single-family building permits compared to 12,784 in 2003. For perspective, that number is almost double the 6,955 permits issued as recently as 1997.

Bryan Lendry, president of Brylen Homes and 2005 president of NEFBA, cited the area's diverse economy, low interest rates and increasing home values as reasons behind the continuing boom.

"We expected 2004 to be special," says Lendry. "And we're gearing up for another big housing year in 2005, although we don't expect to be building at quite the same breakneck pace."

And that might not be a bad thing for buyers, who can expect quicker delivery of their new homes and perhaps an easing of pricing pressure as the market becomes more competitive.

Jacksonville housing is already a bargain compared to other Florida markets. As locals already know, the region has most of the same cultural and recreational perks found in glitzier destinations as well as a discernable changing of the seasons and a heaping helping of Southern hospitality.

For example, Coldwell Banker's annual Home Price Comparison Index shows that a home costing $250,000 in Jacksonville would cost $701,000 in Miami, $330,000 in Naples and $265,000 in Tampa.

And housing isn't the only thing that's affordable in Jacksonville. According to ACCRA, a nonprofit research group formerly known as the American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association, the region's Cost of Living Index is 91, or 9 points below the national average of 100.

Ft. Lauderdale (121), Orlando (99) and Tampa/St. Petersburg (95) notched higher scored on ACCRA's most recent survey, which compiles statistics on the cost of housing, transportation, food, healthcare and more in 300 markets nationwide.

So where should a newcomer look? Jacksonville Homebuyer can help. Following is a neighborhood-by-neighborhood primer, in which you'll find everything from new master-planned developments to charming historic neighborhoods.

Undoubtedly, there's a home just right for you and your family "Where Florida Begins."

CLAY COUNTY

In 1803, when Zephaniah Kingsley purchased 1,880 acres on the western shore of the St. Johns, the property was lush with laurel trees. The wealthy land baron and slave trader dubbed his plantation Laurel Grove.

By the late 1870s, the tract had been redeveloped as a resort community and renamed Orange Park for the abundance of citrus groves that surrounded it. During its brief heyday as a tourist destination, such luminaries as Ulysses S. Grant, Buffalo Bill Cody and Sitting Bull stayed in luxurious hotels and enjoyed the scent of orange blossoms wafting through open windows.

Today, however, you'd be hard pressed to find any orange groves in this bustling Jacksonville" target="_blank">Clay County municipality, which has emerged as a popular suburb dotted with dozens of subdivisions and hundreds of businesses. More than half the residents of Orange Park work in Jacksonville, according to the Jacksonville" target="_blank">Clay County Economic Development Council.

And more are coming. Jacksonville" target="_blank">Clay County's population more than doubled from 1970 to 1980, then grew another 33 percent between 1990 and 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That pace is expected to continue, in part because there's still undeveloped land here. In fact, Clay remains one of the most sparsely populated counties in Florida, with about 234 residents per square mile versus a statewide average of 296.

Orange Park's residential development first gathered momentum in the early 1920s, when Caleb Johnson, president of the Colgate Palmolive Company, built Villa Mira Rio, a $500,000 estate on the banks of the river. Other millionaires followed Johnson's lead, as did less ostentatious families who were attracted by the community's natural beauty and its convenient location.

Vestiges of that era remain in Orange Park's small commercial historic district at the east end of Kingsley Avenue, where a few vintage buildings stand around what was once a watering trough and hitching post that served as the community's unofficial gathering spot.

A scattering of gracefully aging residential showplaces can be seen along River Road, while Johnson's Mediterranean-style mansion survives as Club Continental, one of Northeast Florida's most popular special event destinations.

Otherwise, Orange Park is a thoroughly modern place, where amenity-rich, master-planned communities attract hordes of buyers. For example, Eagle Harbor, a huge mixed-use development that boasts a Disneyesque waterpark, ranked as the sixth-busiest development in the region last year, with 209 housing starts.

Residential development along the U.S. Hwy. 17-Hwy. 220 corridor is also moving forward with projects such as Fleming Island Plantation, which notched 218 starts last year and will contain 2,000 homes at buildout.

And in the northeast corner of the county, OakLeaf Plantation will ultimately contain more than 11,000 homes. In fact, it was the region's second-busiest development last year-Julington Creek in St. Johns County was the first-with 581 starts.

Additional mixed-use developments containing at least 11,000 homes have been approved for 20,000 acres straddling Brannan Field Road, which extends from Blanding Boulevard in Middleburg through the Argyle area to I-10.

Jacksonville" target="_blank">Clay County's highly rated school system is a major selling point for Orange Park, as is the community's location near Naval Air Station Jacksonville and its plethora of retail and entertainment outlets, including the sprawling Orange Park Mall and the Orange Park Kennel Club, a 5,100-seat greyhound racing mecca.

Other Jacksonville" target="_blank">Clay County communities include Green Cove Springs, Keystone Heights, Middleburg and Penney Farms, which department store magnate J.C. Penney founded in 1926 as a retirement home for ministers and their wives.

Despite frantic development, much of Jacksonville" target="_blank">Clay County remains rural, with Gold Head Branch State Park, Kingsley Beach, Strickland's Landing, Jennings Forest and Black Creek/Ravines Conservation Area offering camping, hiking, fishing and hunting.

DUVAL COUNTY

ARLINGTON/INTRACOASTAL WEST

Arlington is home to Jacksonville University and some of Northeast Florida's most precious environmental and historical landmarks. It's also a center for commerce, encompassing Regency Square Mall and vast expanses of shopping centers, restaurants and office buildings. Downtown is just a 10-minute drive over the Matthews Bridge, and the Beaches are just 20 minutes away via Atlantic Boulevard.

Roughly 50 square miles in area, Arlington is a melting pot of some 80 distinctive neighborhoods, containing everything from modest, ranch-style homes to spectacular riverfront mansions.

Although much of Arlington was developed in the 1950s and 1960s, its history goes back much farther. French explorer Jean Ribault came ashore here in 1562, preparing the way for a second French expedition to start a colony called La Caroline two years later. The centerpiece of the settlement was an earth and wood fort built on the bank of the St. Johns, which was then called the River of May.

The Spanish, led by Pedro Menendez de Aviles, later routed the French and captured Fort Caroline. Remains of the fort and the meadow on which it stood were swallowed when the river was dredged. But in 1964 a replica of the triangular structure was built, and stands today in the 680-acre Fort Caroline National Memorial.

The preserve also contains a replica of a stone column erected by Ribault upon his arrival. The monument stands atop a topographic anomaly called St. Johns Bluff, which is actually the shoreline of a barrier island that dates to an era when the ocean covered most of what is now coastal Florida. From the bluff, visitors can enjoy a breathtaking view of the river and of the large Heckscher Estates homes on its northern shore.

Arlington was also central to Jacksonville's brief heyday as a film capital in the 1920s. At the urging of an organization called Old Arlington Inc., the city voted this year to purchase and preserve four of five buildings that make up the Norman Film Studios complex on Arlington Road. During the 1920s, producer Richard E. Norman made silent films here starring African-American actors.

Homes in Arlington range in price from just under $100,000 to well over $1 million along the water, but the typical price is in the low- to mid-$200s. Young families are increasingly calling Arlington home, with nearly half the residents between 18 and 25 years of age and another quarter between 35 and 44 years of age.

Much of Arlington's growth is occurring in the area informally known as Intracoastal West, once a no-man's-land where the Intracoastal Waterway marks the traditional dividing line between Jacksonville proper and its coastal communities. There, new multifamily projects are springing up everywhere there's vacant land.

Several of the most intriguing are in Harbortown, an emerging mixed-use development off Atlantic Boulevard. Harbortown, which will also feature retail shops and a 150-slip marina, broke ground last summer. Centex's MiraVista, a condominium project, and Julian LeCraw & Company's Watersedge, a townhome project, are already hot sellers.

Real estate agents say Harbortown buyers include primary home buyers, second home buyers and investors. Many are boaters; the development sits on one of the last parcels of land in Jacksonville" target="_blank">Duval County offering direct Intracoastal access.

Another major player is Vestcor, which has acquired property along the Intracoastal just south of Butler Boulevard for development of Marina San Pablo, a $100 million condo and marina project. The 113-unit project and marina will be built in phases, and plans call for two buildings of 57 and 56 units.

Although most closer-in Arlington property has been built out, there's considerable buzz about a new project, Kendall Town Center, developed by G.L. National, part of Jacksonville-based Gate Petroleum Company.

The 300-acre office, residential and retail center is planned north of Regency Square Mall and south of Merrill Road, bordered by Monument Road, Florida 9A and the Southside Connector. Developers say the project will take at least six years to complete.

A road project that will have a major impact on Arlington is completion of the final, nine-mile leg of the Wonderwood Connector, which runs through the heart of Arlington and joins Monument Road with Florida 9A. Because of funding delays, construction may not begin until year's end with a completion date no earlier than 2008.

THE BEACHES

Mayport, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach are contiguous coastal cities known for their lively pubs and good restaurants. Increasingly these low-key communities are attracting affluent homebuyers who are charmed by their laid-back ambience and unpretentious atmosphere.

The Beaches are certainly tied to Jacksonville by geography, but they have steadfastly sought to maintain separate identities. When Jacksonville and Jacksonville" target="_blank">Duval County adopted a consolidated government in 1968, Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach and Neptune Beach insisted on retaining their own municipal charters and their own elected officials.

Starting from the north, here's a look these once-remote cities, which were settled by rugged pioneers, and which still attract people looking for something a bit out of the ordinary.

Mayport, at the mouth of the St. Johns, retains a gritty rough-and-tumble charm and is home to commercial fishing and shrimping operations as well as the huge Mayport Naval Station.

Locals enjoy traveling to Mayport via ferryboat, which departs from facilities on Hecksher Drive at the southernmost tip of Ft. George Island. The main attractions: dining at decrepit but delightful seafood eateries such as Singleton's, a local landmark, or chugging beers at any number of colorful drinking establishments along A1A, also called Mayport Road. Gambling cruises also depart from Mayport daily, and charter boats are available for deep-sea fishing excursions.

Mayport was originally known as Hazard because the large, dangerous sandbar created where the river spilled into the sea made navigation for large ships tricky. By the 1830s, it was a bustling little village in which most of the residents were employed by a sawmill.

By the 1870s, Mayport had become a popular getaway for Jacksonvillians, many of whom built cottages along the ocean. In the 1880s, construction of two huge jetties allowed ships to safely enter the channel and boosted Jacksonville's stature as a port city.

In 1899, Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway bought the defunct Jacksonville & Atlantic Railway, which ran from the Arlington area to Jacksonville Beach. Flagler, the legendary developer, then extended a northward line to Mayport, making all the Beaches communities more accessible.

In 1914, an heiress named Elizabeth Stark bought acreage around Ribault Bay and built an elaborate estate called Wonderwood-by-the-Sea, where several silent movies, including a handful starring Laurel and Hardy, were made during Jacksonville's filmmaking years. The U.S. Navy purchased the Wonderwood property during World War II.

Today, the only historic buildings in Mayport are the Old St. Johns Lighthouse, a 145-year-old tower listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the nearby wood-frame Mayport Presbyterian Church. The eight-block downtown consists mainly of shabby seafood packinghouses and a handful of funky restaurants.

Mayport proper, however, may be getting a facelift. Five years ago, the City of Jacksonville and the City of Atlantic Beach joined forces to form the Mayport Waterfront Partnership, a multi-agency board seeking to revitalize the downtown area. Roads have been paved, sewer lines laid and a proposal is pending to install sidewalks and period lighting in the historic district.

"We don't want Mayport to lose any of its charm," says Ed Lukacovic, a senior planner with the City of Jacksonville. "We want to maintain its character, but also improve it as a venue for ecotourism."

Certainly there's plenty of natural splendor for tourists to see. Just south of the Naval Station is the 450-acre Kathryn Abby Hannah Park, which boasts 1.5 miles of beachfront, 300 campsites and 60 acres of stocked freshwater fishing lakes. And the Poles of Mayport, named for a dividing line of pilings that separate the Naval Station from the park, is renowned as the region's best surfing spot.

But Mayport is still heavily dependent on the Navy, and news that the USS John F. Kennedy may be retired in 2006 has caused local merchants to worry about the economic drain caused by the departure of thousands of sailors.

In contrast to its working-class neighbor to the north, Atlantic Beach began as a lavish playground for the wealthy.

In 1899, when his rail line was complete, Flagler began to develop the area as a resort community, the centerpiece of which was the fabulous Continental Hotel. The hotel, completed in 1901, was at the time one of the largest wooden buildings in the South: 447 feet long and 47 feet wide, with 186 rooms.

But the community's resort heyday was short-lived; the Continental burned to the ground in 1919. By then, Atlantic Beach was attracting year-round residents, thanks in large part to the opening in 1910 of Atlantic Boulevard, which connected the Arlington area to the coastal communities.

Today, Atlantic Beach's tree-lined streets are primarily residential, with funky old beach cottages next to sprawling new mansions. Non-beachfront residents can access the sand and surf from many well-placed, well-maintained dune crossings.

Of course, there's plenty of action in Atlantic Beach if you're so inclined. The area of Atlantic Boulevard between Third Street and the ocean, recently refurbished and dubbed Town Center, boasts some of Northeast Florida's liveliest nightspots. Among the most popular is Ragtime Tap Room and Brewery, Jacksonville's oldest brew pub, known for such foamy concoctions as Dolphin's Breath Lager, Red Brick Ale and A. Strange Stout.

The city, which stretches only 25 blocks north to south, also offers community events such as the annual Dancin' in the Streets festival in May, a Christmas festival and family campouts in the city park. The Atlantic Beach Experimental Theater, housed in the Bull Recreational Area, stages 10 productions each year.

Spunky Neptune Beach, the smallest of the Beaches communities, was originally part of Jacksonville Beach. It was incorporated as a separate entity following a 1931 "tax revolt" by residents who felt they were receiving short shrift when it came to services such as street paving, fire and police protection and garbage collection.

Although it's difficult today for a casual visitor to distinguish between the two communities, Neptune Beach has its own historical commission, operating under the auspices of the city and charged with the task of preserving historical items and obtaining oral histories from longtime local residents.

As Beaches property values increase, Neptune Beach remains a place where diligent shoppers can still find a fixer-upper for around $100,000. Renters, who take up residence in garage flats and duplexes, also have plenty of affordable options.

Neptune Beach has at least one genuine landmark: Pete's Bar, a friendly hole-in-the-wall that was mentioned in the John Grisham bestseller The Brethren. Pete's, established in 1933, is said to be the oldest continuously operating tavern in Northeast Florida, and attracts a loyal clientele with its everybody-knows-your-name ambience and its 25-cent billiard tables.

The largest, oldest and southernmost Beaches community is Jacksonville Beach, which was first known as Ruby, named for the daughter of a pioneering family that settled the area in the 1880s.

Jacksonville Beach has long offered an escape for harried inlanders, first with resort hotels such as the 350-room Murray Hall in the 1890s and later with an amusement park featuring a wooden roller coaster. The city earned international recognition in 1922 when Lt. Jimmy Doolittle broke the transcontinental speed record by flying from Jacksonville Beach to San Diego in less than 24 hours.

But the community really started to grow in 1949 when Beach Boulevard was opened, supplying a second, more southerly route from Jacksonville to the coastal communities.

In 1998, a Mediterranean-style city hall was built and in 2000 four parks were acquired: Latham Plaza with the Sea Walk Pavilion, South Beach Park and a site for a new county pier between Fourth and Fifth avenues. Hurricane Floyd wrecked the old wood pier in 1999, but its 1,300-foot-long replacement is made of concrete.

Jacksonville Beach is also known for its annual festivals, including Fiesta Playara, a celebration of Latin music and culture; Springing the Blues; Cajun Crawfish Festival; The Beaches Festival; Moonlight Movies; and the Key West Conch Festival.

Nightlife options abound. Among the hot spots: the Ocean Club, a noisy disco; the Freebird Cafe, which hosts live performances ranging from Dickey Betts and Blues Traveler to Vasser Clements and Willie Nelson; and Sneakers Sports Grille, a 12,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art sports bar boasting six 38-foot-wide screens and five plasma televisions surrounding the bar.

Cultural offerings include the Beaches Fine Arts Series at St. Paul's-By-The-Sea Episcopal Church and theatrical productions by Players-By-The-Sea, which moved into a new performance space off Beach Boulevard last year.

The lively lifestyle has helped fuel a condominium boom. Five multifamily developments have been built in the past two years, four are under construction and at least 20 others are on the drawing board. That's remarkable considering that no new complexes were built in Jacksonville Beach between 1987 and 2002. Now, they can't be built fast enough to keep pace with demand.

DOWNTOWN JACKSONVILLE

On May 3, 1901, a family living in a shanty at the edge of downtown Jacksonville began to prepare a midday meal. An errant cinder leapt from the chimney of the stove and floated west, landing on a pile of moss in the yard of a mattress factory at Davis and Beaver streets.

That spark began a cataclysm that would remake this rough-and-tumble port city into a modern metropolis. The Great Fire of 1901, as it would come to be known, destroyed 2,368 buildings-most of downtown-and left 10,000 people homeless.

Then, no sooner had the smoke cleared than a new Jacksonville quite rose, quite literally, from the ashes. Within five years, 1,500 new buildings had gone up, including several designed by nationally recognized architects energized at the prospect of helping to rebuild a major city.

In the decades that followed, Jacksonville has, in turns, been characterized as a resort destination, a movie capital, a golf mecca, a manufacturing center, a progressive business center and, as of this February, a Super Bowl city.

The world got a good look at downtown Jacksonville during Super Bowl XXXIX, when the Main Street Bridge was closed to traffic and recast as a promenade for events along the St. Johns River and docked cruise ships provided lodging for visitors.

Also during the big game, vacant tracts along both sides of the river were transformed into entertainment centers, including the NFL Experience interactive theme park on the Northbank near Alltel Stadium. It all looked grand on television, and the city received high marks for its organization and hospitality.

But will the hoopla bring lasting change? Although it's too early to tell what the long-term impact will be, it's clear that downtown was a region on the rise well before the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles came to town.

In addition to 5.6 miles of water frontage, Jacksonville's urban core boasts 256 acres of parks and public spaces, at least 90 eateries of every type imaginable and numerous galleries, museums and theaters.

To prep for the Super Bowl, Alltel Stadium underwent more than $59 million in improvements while the red brick, Triple-A-eligible Jacksonville Baseball Grounds has replaced 45-year-old Wolfson Park. And construction was completed in 2003 on Veteran's Memorial Arena, which plays host to major concerts and sporting events.

Additional downtown projects include a $268 million federal courthouse at Hemming Plaza and a $95 million replacement for the circa-1950s public library. Also in the works: a $250 million renovation and expansion of The Jacksonville Landing, a struggling riverfront entertainment and retail complex originally opened in 1987.

Developer Tony Sleiman, who purchased The Landing two years ago, plans to update the exterior, build a 120-slip marina and ultimately add a 25-story tower with retail space, offices and condominiums. Although Sleiman has encountered the inevitable disputes with city officials over financial incentives and the project's scope, he remains optimistic.

So does Mayor John Peyton, who recently reiterated the city's commitment to a more vibrant downtown when he told a women's business group he believes the city needs 8,000 to 10,000 housing units in the area. So far, more than 2,000 condominiums and rental apartments have come online, both in new buildings and renovated structures.

As of today, the number of residents in downtown proper is just 1,200. But 25 percent of those city dwellers relocated within the past two years, according to Lyn Briggs, director of marketing at Downtown Vision, a business improvement and advocacy organization.

"We're becoming a residential community," says Briggs, who hopes downtown can reach a critical mass of 10,000 residents within nine years.

Briggs' group defines downtown using the following boundaries. On the Northbank, the boundaries are State Street to the north, A. Philip Randolph Avenue to the east, the St. Johns to the south and I-95 to McCoy's Creek on the west. On the Southbank, the boundaries are the St. Johns to the north, Prudential Drive to the south, the Fuller Warren Bridge to the west and the Southside Generating Station to the east.

Among the big downtown residential projects already completed is the 22-story, 206-unit Plaza Condominiums at Berkman Plaza and Marina, located on the Northbank.

Another major Northbank initiative, a 45-acre mixed-use residential, retail and office complex on the site of the old Jacksonville Shipyards, has, like The Landing, been plagued with problems and delays.

The original developer, TriLegacy Group, tangled with city officials over the expenditure of city incentive money. As a result, Jacksonville-based LandMar Group has taken over and expects to jump-start the stalled project.

Hassles aside, local leaders have little doubt that this unique swath will ultimately be the jewel of what former Mayor John Delaney dubbed "the billion-dollar mile," referring to riverfront acreage connecting Alltel Stadium and Metropolitan Park.

Across the river on the Southbank, The Peninsula at St. Johns Center has begun presales. American Land Ventures, the project's developer, plans a 36-story tower that will be the tallest residential structure in Northeast Florida, at least temporarily. Retail and offices will take up the first nine stories, so every residential unit will offer expansive skyline and river views.

The Peninsula anchors the mixed-use St. Johns Center development, a $150 million project that will also include a luxury rental apartment complex called The Strand and an office building.

Not to be outdone, South Florida's Krook Douglas Development is seeking approval to build twin 48-story residential towers on either side of the Aetna building in the 800 block of Prudential Drive. The $10 million project, called Riverpointe, would include 550 residential units and 65,000 square feet of retail space.

Another Southbank landmark in the making is Riverplace Development's San Marco Place, a 21-story condominium project that would include 141 units. Ground was broken in January and presales are under way.

Older commercial buildings are also being rehabbed and converted to residential use. The former American Heritage Life Building, for example, was one of several skyscrapers built during the ill-fated Florida land boom of the 1920s. Now renovated and named for its address, 11 E. Forsyth, the historic structure contains 127 moderately priced rental apartments and lofts.

Near San Marco, the former Luther Rice Seminary building is now called Home Street Lofts, offering 12 luxury loft-style condominiums, while on West Adams Street the circa-1911 Lerner Building is being reborn as a mixed-use project with loft apartments as well as office and retail space.

Also on West Adams, the circa-1926 Carlington Hotel is being adapted for residential use, offering 100 rental apartments.

And just blocks away the former Barnett Bank building will be renovated to include 125 luxury loft apartments, a bank and a restaurant on the first floor. The project will be dubbed The Barnett, in honor of the now-extinct financial institution that was founded in Jacksonville.

Similar projects to watch this year include rehabs of the Marble Bank, Bisbee and Florida Life buildings at the corner of Laura and Forsyth streets.

The three historic structures have been bought by the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund, which plans to redevelop the Bisbee and Florida Life buildings for residential use and the Marble Bank, which later housed Florida National Bank, for commercial use.

And there's more. A yet unnamed mixed-use project is slated to rise on the 42-acre tract where downtown's Southside Generating Station once stood. Jacksonville-based St. Joe Towns and Communities will build the $40 million complex, which will encompass of 900 condominiums, retail space, restaurants and offices.

At the outskirts of downtown, new residential development is reinvigorating distressed areas.

"Our city is experiencing a rebirth of the historic downtown district," says Dave Crawford, a retired builder who bought a Plaza unit last year. "As a result, living down here has become an exciting proposition.

MANDARIN

When Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of the anti-slavery classic Uncle Tom's Cabin, settled rural Mandarin in the late 1870s, she was attracted by the area's natural beauty and its suitability for growing citrus.

Stowe certainly wouldn't recognize today's Mandarin, which contains some of Northeast Florida's most affluent riverfront developments as well as virtually every kind of business imaginable.

When the native of Litchfield, Conn., moved to Florida in 1866, she purchased the old Laurel Grove plantation near what is now Orange Park. Ironically, the plantation once had been owned by Zephaniah Kingsley, a land baron who made his fortune in the slave trade.

The following year, Stowe purchased 30 acres in Mandarin and built a large home overlooking the river. Assisted by other family members who followed, she became a small-scale citrus grower and established a school to educate former slaves.

Stowe later wrote about her life in Mandarin, which she termed "a tropical paradise," in a book called Palmetto-Leaves. This modest series of sketches, which was widely read in the North, did much to promote Florida's charms and encourage relocation. In fact, Palmetto-Leaves is considered to be among the first, and certainly the most literary, of Florida's ubiquitous promotional brochures.

Despite more than a century of uninterrupted growth, the community's history has not been forgotten. In 1997, the Mandarin Museum & Historical Society completed restoration of the Walter Jones Store and Post Office, a circa-1911 structure that once served as the community's focal point. The building, which is still used for meetings and other functions, also displays artifacts of the region's original inhabitants, the Timucuan Indians.

A new facility for the Mandarin Museum and Historical Society has been completed at the Walter Jones Historical Park, a lush riverfront park that includes the restored Jones family home as well as outbuildings such as barns and storage sheds.

Also generally considered to be part of Mandarin is Loretto, nestled between San Jose Boulevard to the west and Philips Highway to the east. The community, formed by the Diocese of St. Augustine following the Civil War, was clustered around a convent and a school where nuns educated both residents and freed slaves.

Today Loretto is the site of relatively affordable homes, many on cul-de-sacs, as well as parks and nature preserves. Along bustling San Jose Boulevard can be found virtually every kind of restaurant and retail outlet.

NORTHSIDE

The Northside has been described as Jacksonville" target="_blank">Duval County's last frontier for development. It's a huge, still sparsely populated expanse that boasts stunning scenery and such ecological wonders as Huguenot Memorial Park, Big Talbot and Little Talbot islands and the Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve.

Increasingly new subdivisions are cropping up-at least 80 projects in the past two years-spurred in part by plentiful, relatively affordable land and adjacency to Jacksonville International Airport.

As a result, the sprawling Northside, which comprises almost one-quarter of Jacksonville's 850-square-mile area, now rivals the Southside as the busiest sector for development, according to city records.

Responding this rapid growth, in 2003 the city completed a $500,000 study called the North Jacksonville Vision and Master Plan. The plan calls for development of seven village-center-style projects around which growth can cluster.

The first such center will be the River City Marketplace, now under way at I-95 and Duval Road. It is slated to include 900 residential units as well as a regional shopping and entertainment center.

Buyers also like the Northside's accessibility. Downtown is an easy drive via the Dames Point Bridge, which opened in 1989. Two major arteries, Florida 9-A and I-95, also run through the heart of the Northside. And the Florida department of Transportation has proposed some $229 million worth of additional Northside road projects, including a new east-west connector road.

But there's more to the Northside than convenience.

So much property abuts lakes and marshes that homebuyers enjoy spectacular views. The St. Johns takes an easterly turn at the Northside's southern boundary, but its tributaries, including the Trout River, wind through the Northside landscape.

And in the Black Hammock area, homebuyers can gaze across the Nassau Sound to all the way to Amelia Island.

ORTEGA

Ortega is Jacksonville's quintessential old-money enclave. The neighborhood is a peninsula that boasts stately old homes, a small retail district and two private clubs: the Florida Yacht Club and Timuquana Country Club.

How rich is Ortega? Worth magazine recently ranked it among the 50 wealthiest neighborhoods in the country.

Drive along the tree-lined streets and that lofty assessment seems reasonable. The lovely old homes feature an eclectic mixture of architectural styles and the neighborhood is dotted with parks, including Cortez Park, site of Ortega's annual Fall Festival. A charming shopping district, Ortega Village, boasts a drugstore with an old-fashioned soda fountain.

Another neighborhood claim to fame is the 1920s Ortega River Bridge, one of the oldest functioning drawbridges in the state.

RIVERSIDE/AVONDALE

For a neighborhood steeped in history, Riverside/Avondale is bustling with activity. Posh new condominium and town home projects are taking shape along the St. Johns while architects and remodelers are carefully restoring some of the region's most beautiful old homes.

And with the opening of the $8 million Riverside Market Square retail center in 2002, residents are now able to walk to a new Publix supermarket as well as to restaurants and shops. The project was built on the site of the demolished Riverside Hospital.

Designation of the area as a historic district six years ago signaled the dawning of a new golden age for Riverside/Avondale, which first blossomed at the turn of the century, when captains of industry began building signature showplaces along the St. Johns.

Indeed, this three-mile swath of handsome homes is described as "a laboratory for aspiring architects" by Wayne Wood in his indispensable book, Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage.

In fact, Riverside was started following the Civil War by Northern real estate speculators who sought to transform the vast plantation acreage overlooking the St. Johns into a neighborhood for the elite. By the turn of the century, Riverside Avenue was the city's most elegant residential street.

Its first heyday lasted from about 1895 to 1929, when architects and builders sought to outdo one another with ever more impressive Colonial Revival, Georgian, Queen Anne and Tudor residences. Even proponents of Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie School found expression in Riverside.

In 1920, a group of investors bought property immediately south of the neighborhood and subdivided it into 720 lots. Avondale, as the development was called, boasted 16 parks and an equally eclectic array of architectural styles.

Eventually, the two neighborhoods grew together and are now all but indistinguishable from one another. The Riverside/Avondale Preservation Group keeps careful watch over proposed new projects and renovations to make certain that the integrity of the increasingly popular area is maintained.

Although there's no land available for significant single-family home development, there are a handful of boutique multifamily projects either recently completed or under way.

VillaRiva, for example, is a 12-story, 66-unit luxury condominium development on Riverside Avenue offering every imaginable amenity. Construction is set to be completed in May, and the project is approaching sellout.

"Living in the historic district is a big allure," says developer Bryan Weber of Flagship Communities LLC. "But here, you can do that and enjoy a maintenance-free lifestyle and all the amenities you'd expect in a luxury condominium."

Also on Riverside Avenue, Jacksonville-based Midland Development Group is building The Residences at 1661 Riverside, a 90-unit town home and loft project that will include 12,800 square feet of retail space and a four-level parking garage. Although construction won't be completed until next year, buyers have been reserving units since last May.

Shopping and dining in Riverside/Avondale is also an adventure. The nearby Five Points retail district is one of the most eclectic in the Southeast, consisting of funky boutiques, ultra-hip nightspots and a musty, New York-style newsstand offering daily papers from around the world and a seemingly infinite assortment of magazines.

The neighborhood's appeal is reflected by escalating real estate prices. After several years of 6 percent to 8 percent appreciation, last year the average home price jumped 22 percent.

SAN MARCO

In the 1920s, developer Telfair Stockton and his family vacationed in Venice, where they visited the elegant Piazza San Marco. Fortunately for Northeast Floridians, Stockton was so enchanted by its quaint beauty that he sought to recreate it along the banks of the St. Johns.

Today, with its graceful homes and welcoming business district, San Marco is one of Jacksonville's neighborhood treasures.

When Stockton first began selling San Marco lots in 1925, he envisioned a community with a Mediterranean motif. That would have been a marked contrast to his successful Avondale project, which was notable for its array of housing styles.

But by the time San Marco began to blossom, public fascination with all things Mediterranean had faded. Although cigar magnates John Swisher and his son, Carl, built two magnificent Mediterranean Revival mansions side by side on River Road, others adopted Tudor, Georgian and Colonial styles.

Likewise in the business district, which had been dubbed San Marco Square despite its triangular shape, a variety of architectural styles emerged. For example, the 1930s Art Deco facade of the San Marco Theater and the neighboring Little Theater were decidedly avant-garde for the time.

San Marco also encompasses some of Jacksonville's most popular eateries, including romantic Matthew's, the city's only four-star, four-diamond restaurant. Newcomer Daniel's is making a name for itself with tableside preparation of classic French dishes while b.b.'s lures sweet-toothed patrons with obscenely proportioned desserts. Cafe Carmon offers casual outdoor dining, and more adventurous diners swear by Pom's Thai Bistro, where sea bass in green curry sauce is a favorite.

Several years ago, San Marco merchants, private donors and the City of Jacksonville spent more than $200,000 on a new fountain flanked by carved lions for the small triangular park at the center of San Marco Square.

More recently, the city has begun major improvements to Hendricks Avenue, the somewhat less upscale commercial corridor that provides an entry point to San Marco Square from the west. Utility lines will be buried, historic lighting will be installed and trees will be planted. Likewise, the San Marco branch library has doubled in size.

SPRINGFIELD

Along Springfield's 12-block-long Main Street, artsy types dine and drink at the Boomtown Theater & Caf?while at the Epicurean Market enthusiastic crowds listen to live jazz.

Springfield, north of downtown's central business district, is emerging as the city's new arts hub as well as a residential neighborhood where the future is bright and home values are likely to rise as gentrification takes hold.

Still, few would have thought such revitalization was likely just a decade ago. This once prosperous expanse of 1,800 stately homes and its 22-block commercial district had become a slum, and there was little reason to believe that change was in the offing.

But Springfield through the years has been resilient.

Today, those who were savvy enough to buy before the comeback gained momentum have seen their properties double and triple in value. City government, private investors and individual homeowners, assisted by civic organizations such as the Springfield Preservation and Restoration Council, are ensuring Springfield's future by resurrecting its past.

Last year the city rebuilt Main Street between First and Fourth streets, installing a tree-filled median with antique-style streetlamps and brick crosswalks. Funding for the project was provided through the Better Jacksonville Plan, which voters approved in 2000 with a half-cent sales tax hike for infrastructure and other improvements.

Now, thanks to a $2.5 million allocation from the state Department of Transportation, the Main Street project will be continued through 12th Street. The work will likely take at least a year to complete, according to city officials, but when it's done the neighborhood's entire primary thoroughfare will have been transformed into a beautiful, landscaped boulevard.

Partly as a ripple effect of the Main Street project, 80,000 square feet of retail and condominium space are slated for construction on the southeast, northeast and northwest corners of Eighth and Pearl streets. And more new businesses are expected to move into now vacant Main Street storefronts as road improvements are completed.

On the residential side, private investors have spent some $20 million over the past year buying and renovating property in Springfield.

SRG Homes and Neighborhoods, for example, has bought 150 mostly contiguous lots on which they are building new but historically correct homes, many with double-deck front porches, columns and trim-work similar to the century-old homes next door or across the street.

This recent activity marks the latest and most hopeful chapter in Springfield's roller-coaster history.

First settled in the 1820s, the subdivision of Springfield was platted in 1882. But it came into its own following the Great Fire of 1901, which wiped out much of downtown Jacksonville but spared Springfield thanks to Hogan's Creek, which acted as a natural firebreak.

Many downtown dwellers who had been burned out of their homes sought to rebuild their lives in Springfield. And because many of the relocators were well to do, the homes they built reflected an array of architectural styles, including Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie School.

In fact, one of Springfield's most notable buildings is Main Street's Klutho Apartments, designed and built in 1913 by architect Henry J. Klutho, a Wright disciple. The building has been restored largely through the efforts of developer David Lee, whose one-year volunteer commitment to the project stretched into five years.

But beginning in the 1950s, Springfield, like other urban neighborhoods, fell victim to the growing popularity of suburbs. Neglected homes were purchased by slumlords, crime increased and blight set in.

"I think we have a critical mass of buyers now who are interested in living downtown," says Myrtice Craig of Prudential Network Realty. "They love these old homes and they love the atmosphere. They don't have preconceived ideas based on what Springfield has been. They see it for what it can be."

An opportune time to see Springfield at its most appealing is during the neighborhood's annual holiday home tour, during which horse-drawn carriages rumbled past restored homes.

Back in the 1980s, say organizers, police cars followed the carriages to offer protection to attendees. That such drastic measures are no longer thought necessary speaks volumes about how far Springfield has come.

SOUTHSIDE

Want to see a movie, grab dinner or go shopping? If so, you're likely to end up on the Southside.

The Cinemark Tinseltown, a mega-movie complex with huge screens and comfy, stadium-style seating, has established itself as one of the most popular draws in Northeast Florida, bringing crowds to Southside Boulevard to catch a flick and enjoy the nightlife.

And coming next year is The St. Johns Town Center, an open-air mall at Butler Boulevard and St. Johns Bluff Road. Ben Carter Properties of Atlanta and Simon Property Group of Indianapolis are developing the 1.5 million-square-foot shopping plaza, with the first phase set to open in March 2005.

Among the tenants will be Dillard's, Dick's Sporting Goods, The Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Maggiano's Little Italy, Sephora, Restoration Hardware, Old Navy, Staples, Urban Outfitters, J. Crew, Guess, Ann Taylor Loft, Sharper Image and Metropolitan Home.

Not surprisingly, this burgeoning where-the-action-is ambience has kicked the Southside's residential appeal up a notch, especially for younger people, many of whom work at nearby office parks. Among these buyers, condominiums are particularly hot, with multifamily offerings ranging from affordable apartment conversions to upscale, amenity-rich new construction.

But the Southside also encompasses plenty of old and new single-family developments in a variety of price ranges. You can spend $1 million for a home in Deerwood Country Club, first developed 30 years ago, or you can pick up a new home from $300,000 and up in subdivisions such as Hampton Park and Edgewater at Deer Creek.

Aiding the Southside traffic situation will be the June opening of a new interchange connecting I-95 and I-295 with the Florida 9A beltway.

WESTSIDE

Perhaps Jacksonville's most affordable housing can be found on the Westside, a vast expanse that encompasses Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Herlong Airport as well as dozens of older subdivisions and shopping centers.

In addition to numerous neighborhoods, the Westside includes four small incorporated cities: Baldwin, Marietta, Maxville and Whitehouse.

Much of the land surrounding these cities remains rural, offering opportunities for hunting, boating and fishing. Baldwin, in fact, marks the terminus of the 14.5-mile Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail, which runs between Imeson Road and C.R. 121. The trail follows abandoned railroad lines and is frequented by cyclists, inline skaters, walkers and horeseback riders.

Another Westside treasure is 509-acre Westside Regional Park, with a nature center, outdoor classrooms, picnic areas, biking trails and an elevated platform from which to view the expansive wetlands.

Much of the commercial development is in the Wesconnett neighborhood, particularly along Blanding Boulevard, Timuquana Road and 103rd Street. The city's only remaining drive-in, Playtime Drive-Inn and Flea Market, is on Blanding Boulevard.

Some residents have complained that the Westside receives short shrift from the city when it comes to encouraging business growth, which they say disproportionately benefits the Southside. However, a new Sleiman Enterprises project may soften that view.

The company plans to redevelop the former St. Johns Theatre site near Avondale into a two-building retail center flanking both sides of St. Johns Avenue along Roosevelt Boulevard. The 40,000-square-foot project, called Roosevelt Plaza, will feature two restaurants and seven or eight stores.

More good news for the Westside: Under the Better Jacksonville Plan, Blanding Boulevard is being widened and improvements are slated for several area parks. In Ringhaver Park, for example, lighting has been installed at the ball fields and five soccer fields are planned. In the Lake Shore area, $2.9 million has been allocated to alleviate drainage problems.

Many established Westside neighborhoods, such as Jacksonville Heights, Cedar Hills and Confederate Point, were developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Resales here can often be found priced in the $70s and $80s, making them attractive locations for first-time buyers. New subdivisions are popping up as well, particularly in southwest Jacksonville along Argyle Forest Boulevard and Old Middleburg Road.

Another Westside hot spot should be the site of the former Cecil Field Naval Air Station, which was closed by the federal government in 1999. The 17,000-acre tract, now owned by the city and renamed Cecil Commerce Center, will undergo $120 million in infrastructure improvements and will be developed as an industrial park.

A $37 million equestrian center opened last March and an adjacent 1.2-million-square-foot regional shopping center is under construction.

FLAGLER COUNTY

For decades, even most Jacksonvillians regarded Jacksonville" target="_blank">Flagler County as significant only because of the monolithic blue water tower at Palm Coast, which served as a convenient milepost indicating that the journey to Disney World was roughly halfway complete.

Today, Jacksonville" target="_blank">Flagler County is the fastest growing county in Florida and the fifth fastest growing county in the nation on a percentage basis. From 1990 to 2002, the population soared by 98 percent, from 28,701 to 56,785.

And people are coming from everywhere, attracted by subtropical forests, freshwater lakes, unspoiled beaches and resort-like housing developments.

Indeed, visitors who leave the interstate and explore the real Jacksonville" target="_blank">Flagler County are invariably surprised to find upscale subdivisions along the Intracoastal, lavish condominium towers along the ocean and world-class golf courses designed to accentuate the area's natural splendor.

Quite a change for a place once regarded as little more than a handy pit stop for southbound tourists.

But Palm Coast, which was marketed heavily in the Northeast and Midwest, was an idea ahead of its time. By the early 1980s, there were only a few thousand residents, most of them retirees. By the mid-1990s, ITT had phased out its development division and sold its Flager holdings.

Today, Palm Coast, which became an incorporated city in 1999, is the population center of Jacksonville" target="_blank">Flagler County with some 44,568 residents. And because every city needs a clearly defined downtown, the City Council last year approved plans for a 1,550-acre project called Town Center at Palm Coast, located just south of Palm Coast Parkway.

Town Center, developed by Palm Coast Holdings, will ultimately contain 2,500 multifamily residential units, 1.4 million square feet of office space, 3.4 million square feet of commercial space, 640,000 square feet of institutional space as well as a movie theater, a hotel and a nursing home.

City Hall may also relocate to Town Center, where a nostalgic ambience will be enhanced by traditionally designed storefronts and horizontal street parking. Construction will be completed in three phases over the next 15 years.

Although Palm Coast is Flagler's fastest growing, most high-profile city, three other municipalities lie within the county: Flagler Beach (population 3,850), known for its 656-foot fishing pier and boardwalk; Bunnell (population 2,156), a sleepy inland city that serves as the unlikely county seat. Built in 1927, the Flagler Beach Pier still lures serious anglers who catch tarpon, snook, bluefish, whiting and snapper. Other local attractions include a Friday farmer's market, a wonderfully picturesque historical museum and such ecotourism treasures as Flagship Harbor Preserve and the Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area.

The Rogers tracts, which extend across a barrier island three miles south of Flagler Beach, is of particular interest because it's named in honor of a quirky, Florida-based folk singer who immortalized the state's colorful characters and turbulent history through his songs.

Well aware that its easygoing ambience is being challenged by growth, Flagler Beach leaders are looking ahead. Last