Paradise Found

Duval County at a glance

LAND AREA: 774 square miles
PERSONS PER SQUARE MILE (2000): 1,006
POPULATION (2001 ESTIMATE): 792,434
POPULATION INCREASE, 1999-2000: 15.7%
COLLEGE GRADUATES: 21.9%
MEAN TRAVEL TIME TO WORK (MINUTES): 25.2
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $40,703
FACTOID: The City of Jacksonville and Duval County adopted a consolidated government in 1968 following a grassroots campaign led by civic leaders outraged over corruption and inefficiency. The effort was later dubbed "The Quiet Revolution."

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 Mathews Bridge, and the Beaches are just 20 minutes away via Atlantic Boulevard.

Although much of Arlington was developed in the 1950s and '60s, its history goes back much further. 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 banks 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.

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 bought and is attempting to restore four of five buildings that made 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.

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 townhome and retail center is under way north of Regency Square Mall and south of Merrill Road, bordered by Monument Road, Florida 9A and the Southside Connector. The project's anchor, a Super WalMart, is already up and running.

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 land is available.

Intracoastal West residents are just a short drive from employment centers, but the main attraction for homebuyers appears to be adjacency to the Intracoastal Waterway, easy access to the ocean and expansive marsh views.

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 ambiance and unpretentious atmosphere.

The Beaches are certainly tied to Jacksonville by geography, but they have steadfastly sought to maintain separate identities. When Jacksonville and 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 at these once-remote cities, which were settled by rugged pioneers and 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 Fort 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 at the mouth of the river made navigation tricky for ships. 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 enter the channel safely 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-packing houses 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.

There's also plenty of natural splendor for tourists. Just south of the Naval Station is the 450-acre Kathryn Abbey Hanna 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. So news that Mayport Naval Station was spared in the most recent round of base closure announcements-in fact, the facility will actually gain military and civilian jobs-had local merchants breathing a collective sigh of relief.

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 1910 opening 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. 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.

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 on 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 $250,000. 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 ambiance and 25-cent billiard tables. (See "Hemingway Drank Here" on page 50.)

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

In 1998 a Mediterranean-style city hall was built, and four parks were acquired in 2000: 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 wooden 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 Café, which hosts live performances ranging from Dickey Betts to Blues Traveler to Willie Nelson; and Sneakers Sports Grille, a 12,000-square-foot state-of-the-art sports bar boasting six 38-foot wide-screen and five plasma televisions.

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 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 February 2005, 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.

The international exposure provided a boost, but downtown was already on the rise. 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.

Alltel Stadium has undergone more than $59 million in improvements while the red-brick, Triple-A-eligible Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville 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 federal courthouse at Hemming Plaza and a new replacement for the circa-1950s public library. Also in the works: a renovation and expansion of The Jacksonville Landing, a struggling riverfront entertainment and retail complex originally opened in 1987.

Developer Tony Sleiman plans to update the exterior, build a 120-slip marina and ultimately add a 25-story tower with retail space, offices and condominiums. Sleiman, who had been leasing the land beneath the complex, struck an agreement to buy it from the city.

Mayor John Peyton 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 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.

Perhaps the most publicized downtown development is a proposed 45-acre mixed-use complex on the site of the old Jacksonville Shipyards. In May, following squabbles with the original developer, the Jacksonville City Council voted to turn the Shipyards project over to Jacksonville-based LandMar Group.

Over a period of years, LandMar will transform the vacant property into a $450 million complex of condos, townhomes, offices, shops and hotels. Although final plans have not been released, the property could contain up to 662 residences, 100,000 square feet of commercial space, 1 million square feet of office space, 350 hotel rooms and one marina slip.

Says LandMar Chief Executive Officer Ed Burr: "This project will lead us to greatness as a city."

A number of historic downtown buildings are also being rehabbed and converted to residential use.

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 and 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 new homes priced from the $250s to the $750s. Along bustling San Jose Boulevard can be found virtually every kind of restaurant and retail outlet.

NORTHSIDE

The Northside has been described as Duval County's last frontier for development. Its 850 square miles boast 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. Consquently, the Northside's population is expected to grow by 33 percent over the next 10 years, following a 23 percent gain between 1990 and 2000. Thus the Northside will eclipse the Southside as Jacksonville's fastest-growing sector.

Is the region ready for such a massive influx? In fact, officials have been expecting it. Two years ago, 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 is the River City Marketplace, a $300 million project now under way at I-95 and Duval Road. The first phase, expected to open early next year, will boast a Wal-Mart Supercenter and a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. The 465-acre site will also encompass multifamily homes, a hotel and hundreds of thousands of square feet of retail and light industrial space.

Industrial relocation is also driving population growth. For example, The Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. is building a $200 million terminal on 158 acres at Dames Point. Mitsui officials and city representatives estimate 1,800 new jobs-at an average salary of $45,000-will be created by the project, which is slated to open in 2008.

ORTEGA

Ortega, tucked south of downtown Jacksonville on the Westbank, is a 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 once 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. The 1920s Ortega River Bridge is one of the oldest functioning drawbridges in the state.

As of last summer, the neighborhood known as "Old Ortega" is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The designation came about as a result of efforts by the Ortega Preservation Society, which commissioned an architectural survey of the area.

RIVERSIDE/AVONDALE

For a neighborhood steeped in history, Riverside/Avondale is bustling with activity.

Posh new condominium and townhome projects are taking shape along the St. Johns River, 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 book, Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage.

In fact, Riverside was started after 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, at first boasted primarily Mediterranean-style homes influenced by architect Addison Mizner.

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.

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, comprised 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.

Other neighborhood retail areas include St. Johns Avenue in Avondale, the intersection of Park and King streets in Riverside and the intersection of Edgewood Avenue and Post Street in Murray Hill. Riverside/Avondale is also home to several public parks and St. Vincent's Medical Center.

WHATS NEW in Duval County

Watson Custom Homes is building a model and several spec homes in the new Dawson's Creek community on the Westside, where homes will be priced from the $350s and will range in size from 2,316 to 3,857 square feet. .

ICI Homes has opened three models in the new Tidewater community on the Northside. The Stonebridge has 3,211 square feet and four bedrooms; the Ashley has 2,100 square feet and three bedrooms; and the two-story Charleston, a new design debuting in Tidewater, has 3,005 square feet and four bedrooms. Homes will be priced from the $390s to the $600s. .

Harbour View LLC is preselling large town homes planned for a parcel just off Atlantic Boulevard adjacent to Queen's Harbour Yacht and Country Club. The Harbour View community is offering 20 luxurious, three-story town homes with at least 2,700 square feet each. Preconstruction prices start in the $530s. .

Beazer Homes is offering "terrace homes" at Summerlin at Bartram Park. The homes range in size from 1,800 square feet with two bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms to 2,100 square feet with three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. Prices start in the low $200s. .

Condominium development continues to boom in and around downtown Jacksonville. On the Southbank, the 37-story Peninsula at St. Johns Center, developed by American Land Ventures, has nearly sold out. The spectacular Riverview tower anchors the $150 million St. Johns Center complex, which will also include a luxury apartment complex and an office building. .

Also on the Southbank, South Shore Partners, in partnership with Hines Corp., is working on plans for a mixed-use development near the Aetna building on Prudential Drive. The yet-unnamed project will encompass 550 residential units and 65,000 square feet of retail space. .

An assortment of historic commercial buildings in downtown are being converted to residential use, including the Luther Rice Seminary (now Home Street Lofts) and the Barnett Bank building (now The Barnett). .

In the historic Riverside/Avondale neighborhood, buyers have been reserving units since last May in Midland Development Group's 90-unit town home and loft project called The Residences at 1661 Riverside. .

In resurgent Springfield, Jacksonville's oldest residential neighborhood, SRG Homes & Neighborhoods is building historically correct homes on 150 mostly contiguous lots. .

Also in Springfield, The Cesery Companies are planning an $8 million retail and condominium complex called The Lofts at Third & Main.