Paradise Found

In an era where a $200,000 home is considered "entry level," it's difficult to talk about housing bargains with a straight face. But Jacksonville-one of the most desirable relocation areas in the nation-remains a bastion of affordability, relatively speaking.

According to the most recent National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index, 52.9 percent of homes sold in the greater Jacksonville area are affordable for families earning the region's median household income.

That makes Jacksonville the 91st-most affordable market of 199 surveyed nationwide. But in Florida, where prices have soared, Jacksonville remains by far the most affordable major market, ahead of Tampa, where 42.1 percent of the homes sold are affordable for families earning the median household income. Orlando has dropped to 31.8 percent, and Miami to 11.6 percent.

That's one reason why so many Californians are moving to Northeast Florida. According to data compiled by the IRS, more people moved to Jacksonville from San Diego County than from any other county in the nation between 2003 and 2004. Other locales from which newcomers are arriving in record numbers include New York, New Jersey and the South Florida counties of Broward and Miami-Dade.

Just look at the numbers. The median price of a resale home in California was $542,720 in June, while the median price of a resale home in New York was $279,000. While South Florida's prices haven't quite reached those lofty levels, they still make Jacksonville's $213,500 median price housing seem like a bargain in comparison.

First, there's water. Almost everybody wants to live on or near water. Consequently, waterfront property is one of the few investments accurately described as a no-brainer. After all, as the timeless real estate adage goes, "They ain't making any more of it."

Jacksonville has plenty. Blessed with beautiful, uncrowded beaches, as well as the mighty St. Johns River and the Intracoastal Waterway, you can't drive far in Northeast Florida without running into shimmering bodies of water. Compared to many parts of the country, it's an embarrassment of riches.

Second, there's the area's natural beauty. It's all around. Visit the Guana River Marsh Aquatic Preserve for sunset over the marshes and estuaries of the Tolomato and Guana Rivers. Spend an afternoon exploring the Black Creek/Ravines Conservation Area. Head over to the Jacksonville Beach Pier and scan the horizon for a pod of Northern right whales, which winter off the coast.

Finally, there's the livability factor. The Jacksonville area boasts most of the cultural and recreational perks found in glitzier (and more expensive) Florida cities. And Jacksonville can claim another distinction-it's on a prestigious list of the Top 5 most livable large cities in the country, and one of the Top 25 arts destinations.

But with so many new neighborhoods and new homes added to a healthy existing stock of resale homes, where should a newcomer begin searching for a home on the First Coast?

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.

Clay County at a glance

LAND AREA: 601 square miles
PERSONS PER SQUARE MILE (2000): 234.3
POPULATION (2001 ESTIMATE): 147,542
POPULATION INCREASE, 1990-2000: 32.9%
COLLEGE GRADUATES: 20.1%
MEAN TRAVEL TIME TO WORK: 33.5 minutes
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $48,854
FACTIOD: In the early part of the 19th century, pirates sailing the St. Johns River often stopped at Green Cove Springs to refill their casks with fresh water. The spring they frequented, which still bubbles behind today's city hall, provides water for the municipal swimming pool.

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

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

The last remnants of those orange groves died off after severe freezes in the mid-1980s, and were quickly replaced by new homes and businesses. OakLeaf Plantation is northeast Florida's fastest-growing community, with 1,063 new home starts annually.

Growth is sweeping the entire county. The population more than doubled from 1970 to 1980, then grew another 33 percent between 1990 and 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Clay's population now tops 170,000, making it the 26th largest county in Florida. Growth is expected to continue, in part because of remaining undeveloped land.

In fact, Clay remains one of the most sparsely populated urban counties in Florida, with about 262 residents per square mile versus a statewide average of 315.6.

While new Clay County residents are coming from all over the country, a surprising number hail from Northeast Florida. In fact, between 2003 and 2004, about 6,500 people moved to Clay County from neighboring Jacksonville" target="_blank">Duval County. About 4,100 people moved to Duval from Clay. Around 60% of the county's residents commute to work in Jacksonville" target="_blank">Duval County.

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 riverbank. Other millionaires followed, as did less ostentatious families attracted by the community's natural beauty and 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 still stand along River Road, while Johnson's Mediterranean-style mansion survives as Club Continental, a popular special-event destination.

The region's past is celebrated each year through Carrie Clarke Day, sponsored by the city and run by the Historical Society of Orange Park and the Orange Park Garden Club's Founders Circle. Clarke and husband William were Orange Park pioneers, and their circa-1914 home is now a centerpiece of popular Clarke House Park.

Otherwise, Orange Park is a thoroughly modern place, where amenity-rich, master-planned communities attract hordes of buyers. Public recreational facilities include Project Playground, a skateboard park, numerous boat docks and marinas, a nine-mile jogging/biking trail and a 1.5-mile concrete river walk.

Residential development is particularly intense around Fleming Island in northeast Clay County. Indeed, planners expect the Fleming Island area, home to the Eagle Harbor, Fleming Island Plantation and Pace Island communities, to experience the highest growth rate in the county-about 24 percent-between 2005 and 2010. But even that torrid pace represents a slowdown from the 40 percent spurt that occurred between 2000 and 2005.

The Doctor's Inlet area is also exploding, with 22 percent growth expected over the next five years. And mixed-use developments containing at least 11,000 homes are being built on 20,000 acres straddling Brannan Field Road, from Blanding Boulevard in Middleburg through the Argyle area to I-10.

Key selling points in the county include its highly rated school system, the presence of Naval Air Station Jacksonville and a plethora of retail and entertainment outlets, including the sprawling Orange Park Mall, Orange Park Kennel Club for greyhound racing and the Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts.

Other 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. "Green Cove", as natives call it, is home to Magnolia Point Golf and Country Club, zoned for 1,000 residents. Civilization is creeping westward, with two huge multi-use developments planned for the area between Green Cove Springs and Middleburg.

Much of Clay County still remains rural, however, with Gold Head Branch State Park, Kingsley Beach, Jennings Forest and Black Creek/Ravines Conservation Area offering camping, hiking, fishing and hunting.

What's new in Clay County

Centex Homes is readying models at Jennings Point at OakLeaf Plantation, a condominium community that features a variety of low down-payment options. Jennings Point offers six contemporary floorplans ranging in size from 788 to 1,150 square feet. All exterior maintenance is included in the homeowners' association fees, and prices start at $119,990.. Also at OakLeaf Plantation, Morrison Homes has debuted a new townhome model at Briar Oaks, a gated townhome community..

Mercedes Homes has begun Phase II in Spencer Plantation, a popular master-planned community. The company will build 52 homes in the new section, all priced from the mid-$200s. .

During a recent HabiJax "Blitz Build" project at McNair Park, Ryland Homes built a new home in four-and-a-half days for a single mother and her child. Ryland volunteers joined volunteers from 20 of the company's vendors and suppliers to build the 1,200-square-foot home, which features three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Ryland workers also contributed money to help the owner buy a lawn mower and furniture. .

Drees Homes has broken ground at Rolling Meadows, a new community in Macclenny where the company will offer six new floorplans ranging in size from 1,562 to 2,504 square feet. A model dubbed The St. John is currently under construction. With more than 2,500 square feet of living space, The St. John features three bedrooms, three full-bathrooms, a bonus room, a rear covered porch and a unique three-car tandem garage. Prices in Rolling Meadows will start from the $190s.

Jacksonville" target="_blank">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: 25.2 minutes
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $40,703
FACTOID: The City of Jacksonville and Jacksonville" target="_blank">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 numerous shopping centers, restaurants and office buildings. Downtown is just a short drive over the Mathews Bridge, and the Beaches only 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 landed here in 1562, preparing the way for a second French expedition and colony called La Caroline two years later. The centerpiece of the settlement was an earth-and-wood fort built alongside the St. Johns, then called the River of May.

The Spanish, led by Pedro Men?dez de Avil?, later routed the French and captured Fort Caroline. Remains of the triangular fort and the meadow on which it stood were swallowed when the river was dredged. But in 1964 a replica 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. 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 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 $150,000 to well over $1 million along the water, with typical prices in the mid-$200s. More and more young families are calling Arlington home, with nearly half the residents between 18 and 25 years of age and another quarter between 35 and 44.

Although most closer-in Arlington property is built out, there are some big projects under way. Kendall Town Center, for example, is a mixed-use development at 9A and Southside Boulevard. Multifamily housing and a Wal-Mart Supercenter have been open for a year. Other big-box stores are coming, along with boutiques, office space and hotels.

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 beaches.

There, new multifamily projects are springing up wherever 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 beaches and Intracoastal Waterway, easy water access to the ocean and expansive marsh views. Multiple single family and condominium options are available here.

THE BEACHES

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

"The Beaches," as locals refer to the area, although tied to Jacksonville by geography, have steadfastly sought to maintain separate identities. When Jacksonville and Jacksonville" target="_blank">Duval County adopted a consolidated government in 1968, the three beaches cities insisted on retaining their own municipal governments.

Starting from the north, here's a look at these once-remote cities settled by rugged pioneers, which still attract people seeking a casual, coastal lifestyle.

Unincorporated 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 there via ferryboat, which travels between Mayport and Hecksher Drive at the southernmost tip of Fort George Island.

The main attractions: dining at rustic seafood eateries such as Singleton's, a local landmark; buying fresh seafood just off the boat; or chugging beers at the colorful drinking establishments along Mayport Road. Gambling cruises also depart from Mayport daily, with charter boats 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. By the 1830s, it was a bustling little village in which most residents were employed by a sawmill. In the 1870s

Mayport was 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, boosting 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 Arlington to Jacksonville Beach. Flagler, the legendary developer, then extended a northward line to Mayport, making all the Beaches communities more accessible. That tradition continues today with the $110-million Wonderwood Expressway, connecting Mayport to Arlington.

In 1914, heiress Elizabeth Stark bought acreage around Ribault Bay and built an elaborate estate called Wonderwood-by-the-Sea. Several silent movies, including a handful starring Laurel and Hardy, were made there during Jacksonville's filmmaking years. The U.S. Navy purchased the 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, is getting a facelift. The Mayport Waterfront Partnership is a bi-city, multi-agency task force created to revitalize the village. Through it, roads were paved, sewer lines laid and a proposal is pending to install sidewalks and period lighting. Vestcor recently released plans for extensive redevelopment of the village into waterfront commercial and residential condominiums.

There's also plenty of natural splendor. Just south of the Naval Station is the 450-acre Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park, which boasts one and a half miles of beachfront, 300 campsites and 60 acres of stocked freshwater fishing lakes. The Poles of Mayport, named for the pilings that separate the Naval Station from the park, is renowned as the region's best surfing spot.

In contrast to its working-class neighbor to the north, Atlantic Beach began as a lavish playground for the wealthy. In 1899, his rail line 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. But 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, connecting Arlington to the Beaches.

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.

There's also plenty of action in Atlantic Beach. The Town Center area of Atlantic Boulevard between Third Street and the ocean, refurbished in the late 1990s, boasts some of Northeast Florida's liveliest nightspots. Among the most popular is Ragtime Tavern Seafood & Grille, Jacksonville's oldest brew pub. A little farther west, residents enjoy two Irish pubs-Fly's Tie and Culhane's-the Atlantic Theatres Comedy Club, and dining options ranging from The Tree Steak House to Po'Boy's Creole Caf?

Spunky Neptune Beach, 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 city services.

As Beaches property values increase, Neptune Beach remains a place where diligent shoppers can still find a fixer-upper for around $300,000. Renters, taking up residence in garage flats and duplexes, also have plenty of options.

Neptune Beach's most notable landmark is perhaps Pete's Bar, a friendly hole-in-the-wall mentioned in the John Grisham bestseller, The Brethren. Pete's, established in 1933, is 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. The Town Center area is also home to popular hangouts such as Slider's, Sun Dog Diner and Caribbee Key as well as a mixture of quaint shops and professional office buildings.

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

Jacksonville Beach has long offered an escape for harried inlanders, first with resort hotels like 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, flying from Jacksonville Beach to San Diego in under 24 hours.

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

In 1998, a Mediterranean-style city hall was built. Four parks were acquired in 2000: Latham Plaza, with the Sea Walk Pavilion, South Beach Park and a site for a new 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. For a living view of the area's history, visit the new Beaches Historical Society museum.

Once a mecca for rowdy festivals, Jacksonville Beach gentrified city leaders have scaled back such events. For example, the huge Fiesta Playera, a celebration of Latin music and culture, moved to Jacksonville's Metropolitan Park, while the Opening of the Beaches and Beaches Festival Weekend were considerably downsized. Springing the Blues, a three-day music festival held each April, has remained and is considered the city's signature event.

Even without big events, nightspots are busy. Among the hot destinations: the Ocean Club, a noisy disco; upscale restaurants like Eleven South, Max's and Buona Sera; Sneakers Sports Grille, a 12,000-square-foot state-of-the-art sports bar; and two Irish pubs: Lynch's, smoker-friendly with live music; and Fionn MacCool's, built in Ireland and shipped here for re-assembly.

The Beaches 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.

DOWNTOWN JACKSONVILLE

On May 3, 1901, a family living in a shanty at the edge of downtown Jacksonville began to prepare lunch. 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 destroyed 2,368 buildings-most of downtown-and left 10,000 people homeless.

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

In the decades that followed, Jacksonville has been characterized in turns as a resort destination, movie capital, golf mecca, manufacturing center, progressive business center and, as of 2005, 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, over 100 eateries of every type imaginable and numerous galleries, museums and theaters.

Alltel Stadium underwent over $59 million in improvements for the Super Bowl, while the red-brick, AAA-eligible Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville replaced 45-year-old Wolfson Park. Completing the sports & entertainment complex is Veterans Memorial Arena, host to major concerts and sporting events. Visitors to this area also enjoy the Jacksonville Historical Society's headquarters at Old St. Andrews Church, and the recently-restored Merrill House next door.

Additional downtown projects in recent years have included a federal courthouse at Hemming Plaza, completed in 2002, and a replacement for the 1965-vintage public library, completed in 2005. Also in the works: renovation and expansion of The Jacksonville Landing, the riverfront entertainment and retail complex originally opened in 1987 and as of July, site of the city's newest hot spot, Club Paris.

Mayor John Peyton reiterated the city's commitment to a more vibrant downtown, stating that the city needs 8,000 to 10,000 housing units in the area. So far, over 2,000 condominiums and rental apartments have come online, and about 4,600 more are proposed.

As of today, the number of residents in downtown proper is just 1,500. But 25 percent of those relocated within the past two years, according to Angela Mack, director of marketing at Downtown Vision, a business improvement and advocacy organization.

"We're becoming a residential community," says Mack, who hopes downtown can reach a critical mass of 10,000 residents within nine years. As downtown's population grows, amenities are returning. New restaurants and night clubs with varied themes, a weekly farmer's market in Hemming Plaza, First Wednesday ArtWalk and frequent events at cultural venues are among the draws for the mostly-young professional types moving into the area.

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

Among the most publicized downtown developments is a proposed 45-acre mixed-use complex on the site of the old Jacksonville Shipyards. After squabbles with the original developer, the Jacksonville City Council turned the Shipyards project over to Jacksonville-based LandMar Group.

LandMar will transform the vacant property into a master-planned complex of condominiums, town homes, offices, hotels and public spaces. Plans to include retail space were recently nixed.

The city's Design Review Committee recently approved several new projects which, if built, would further alter the Jacksonville skyline. The projects include the second phase of Berkman Plaza, a 23-story tower next to the Shipyards, and the St. James Hotel and Residences, a 64-story condominium and hotel tower near Alltel Stadium. If completed as planned, the St. James Hotel and Residences would be the city's tallest building.

Redevelopment is also underway in the Brooklyn neighborhood along newly-widened Riverside Avenue. Miles Development Partners has announced plans to build several mid-rise buildings containing 1,500 condominiums along with retail shops and restaurants. In addition, the city plans a large public park along the McCoy's Creek corridor and a Skyway station to serve the neighborhood.

Also on deck: the 35-story River Watch at City Centre Tower, which Kuhn Properties plans to build next to the SunTrust Tower near The Jacksonville Landing. Kuhn owns the block, which is bounded by Independence, Laura, Hogan and Bay streets, as well as the former Barnett Bank building.

In addition, some of downtown's most intriguing vintage buildings are being retrofitted as part of downtown's renaissance. The Laura Street Trio, at the corner of Laura and Forsyth streets, consists of buildings designed by renowned Prairie School architect Henry J. Klutho shortly following the Great Fire of 1901. The historically significant structures are being restored for use as condominiums, offices and retail space.

MANDARIN

When Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of the anti-slavery classic Uncle Tom's Cabin, settled rural Mandarin in the 1860s, she was attracted by the area's natural beauty and its suitability for growing citrus.

Stowe wouldn't recognize today's Mandarin, with some of Northeast Florida's most affluent riverfront developments and virtually every kind of business imaginable.

Stowe moved here from Litchfield, Conn. in 1866, purchasing the old Laurel Grove plantation, near present-day Orange Park. The plantation had once 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, 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 the book Palmetto-Leaves. This modest series of sketches, 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, Mandarin'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, still used for meetings and other functions, also displays artifacts of the region's original inhabitants, the Timucuan Indians.

The Society has a new facility at Walter Jones Historical Park, a lush riverfront park that includes the restored Jones family home as well as outbuildings like barns and storage sheds.

Also generally considered a 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, all types of restaurants and retail outlets can be found.

NORTHSIDE

The Northside has been described as Jacksonville" target="_blank">Duval County's last frontier for development. Its 850 square miles 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 in the past two years-spurred in part by plentiful, relatively affordable land and adjacency to Jacksonville International Airport. Consequently, 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. Three 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 is the River City Marketplace, a $300 million project now open at I-95 and Duval Road. Phase one boasts a Wal-Mart Supercenter and a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. The 465-acre site will also encompass multifamily homes, a hotel, retail and light-industrial space.

Industrial relocation is also driving population growth. Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines 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, 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 boasting 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 and stately oaks.

Ortega Village, a charming shopping district, boasts a drugstore with an old-fashioned soda fountain and the newly-popular Village Caf? The 1920s Ortega River Bridge is one of the oldest functioning drawbridges, as well as the busiest, in the state.

The neighborhood known as "Old Ortega" is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The designation came about after the Ortega Preservation Society 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 town home projects take shape along the St. Johns River, while architects and remodelers carefully restore some of the region's most beautiful old homes.

Riverside was founded 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. Designation of the area as a historic district in 1997 signaled the dawning of a new golden age for Riverside/Avondale, which first blossomed at the turn of the century when captains of industry built signature showplaces along the St. Johns.

Indeed, this three-mile swath of handsome homes, known as "The Row," was considered to be one of the most beautiful streets in the country. Only two of the stately homes survive, the rest demolished to make way for office buildings and apartments.

Riverside's first heyday lasted from about 1895 to 1929, when architects and builders sought to outdo one another with 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.

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

Shopping and dining in Riverside/Avondale is 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. Riverside Market Square opened in 2002 on the site of the demolished Riverside Hospital and brought the neighborhood a new Publix Supermarket, assorted restaurants and shops.

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, the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens and St. Vincent's Medical Center.

SAN MARCO

In the 1920s, developer Telfair Stockton and his family vacationed in Venice, Italy, 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, 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. The 1930s Art Deco fa?des of the San Marco Theater and 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. b.b.'s is famous for its obscenely proportioned desserts, while Bistro AIX and the Corner Brasserie serve Continental-inspired cuisine. Caf?Carmon offers casual outdoor dining, while more adventurous gourmands swear by Pom's Thai Bistro.

In the mid-1990s, 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.

Two years ago, the city began major improvements to Hendricks Avenue, the commercial corridor that provides an entry point to San Marco Square from the west. Utility lines are being buried, historic lighting installed, and trees planted. Completion is expected this December. Likewise, the San Marco branch library has doubled in size.

San Marco's proximity to downtown makes it popular for commuters, who can use the Kings Avenue Parking Garage and catch the Skyway into the city.

SPRINGFIELD

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

Along Springfield's 12-block Main Street, local trendsetters dine and drink at nosh at 9th & Main, while enthusiastic crowds listen to live jazz at Klutho's Jazz Bar in the Epicurean Market and Caf?

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 has been resilient. Today, those who were savvy enough to buy before the boom started have seen their properties double and triple in value.

In fact, according to the Springfield Preservation and Revitalization Council, more than one-third of the historic neighborhood's homes have now been renovated or restored.

City government, private investors and individual homeowners, assisted by civic organizations such as SPAR, are ensuring Springfield's future by resurrecting its past. Starting in 2002, 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. New homes under construction blend perfectly with the neighborhood's historic architectural styles.

This recent activity marks the 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 spared Springfield from destruction thanks to Hogan's Creek, which acted as a natural firebreak.

Many downtown dwellers who were burned out of their homes sought to rebuild their lives in Springfield. And because many of the re-locators were well-to-do, the homes they built reflected an array of architectural styles, including Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and 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 Frank Lloyd Wright disciple. The building was restored largely through the efforts of developer David Lee, whose one-year volunteer commitment to the project stretched into five years.

Unfortunately, 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 rumble past restored homes.

SOUTHSIDE

Want to see a movie, grab dinner or go shopping? If so, you're likely to end up on the Southside, which is generally considered to lie north of Philips Highway, south of Atlantic Boulevard, east of University Boulevard and west of St. Johns Bluff Road.

The Cinemark Tinseltown, a movie mega-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. Popular hot spots include an array of chain restaurants, Aromas cigar bar, and Fuseboxx for dining, cocktails and entertainment.

New on the Southside is The St. Johns Town Center, an open-air mall at J. Turner Butler Boulevard and St. Johns Bluff Road. Ben Carter Properties of Atlanta and Simon Property Group of Indianapolis developed the 1.5 million-square-foot plaza, which opened in 2005. Phase two of the project, slated to include two more department stores, is now underway. Among the tenants are 40 retailers new to the Jacksonville area.

Simon Property Group is also behind Southside's other regional mall, The Avenues, located on Philips Highway between I-95 and Southside Boulevard.

This burgeoning where-the-action-is ambiance has kicked the Southside's residential appeal up a notch, especially for younger Jacksonville newcomers working at nearby office parks. In fact, about 27 percent of Southside residents are between the ages of 25 and 34.

Among these buyers, condominiums are particularly popular, with multifamily offerings ranging from affordable apartment conversions to upscale, amenity-rich new construction. The nearby campuses of the University of North Florida and Florida Community College at Jacksonville are added draws.

But 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 over 30 years ago, or pick up a new home priced at $300,000 or higher in a more recently developed community.

The opening of both the new interchange connecting I-95 and I-295 with the Florida 9A beltway and the 9A stretch between Beach and Butler boulevards are helping to ease the Southside traffic situation. Traffic will flow even more smoothly when the 9A-Butler Boulevard exchange is completed in summer 2009.

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 and the communities of Marietta, Maxville and Whitehouse, the Westside includes one small incorporated city: Baldwin.

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

Another Westside treasure is the 509-acre Westside Regional Park, with a nature center, outdoor classrooms, picnic areas, biking trails and an elevated platform for viewing 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 Family Drive-In and Flea Market, is on Blanding Boulevard.

The Cecil Commerce Center, formerly Cecil Field Naval Air Station until decommissioning in 1999, is home to the state-of-the-art Jacksonville Equestrian Center and a growing number of companies in the aviation and transportation industries. The facility's 12,500-foot runway is a backup landing site for the space shuttle, and is second in length only to the shuttle's home strip at Kennedy Space Center.

Sleiman Enterprises redeveloped the former St. Johns Theatre site near Avondale into a two-building retail center flanking both sides of St. Johns Avenue on the west side of Roosevelt Boulevard. The 40,000-square-foot project, called Roosevelt Plaza, features two restaurants, including Crispers, and several stores.

What's new in Jacksonville" target="_blank">Duval County

LandMar Group LLC has announced plans for the first building in The Shipyards, a 45-acre, mixed-use development located on the banks of the St. Johns River in downtown Jacksonville. It will be a tower encompassing 328 one-, two- and three-bedroom condomniums. Prices will range from the low $300s to $1 million-plus. Also downtown, Hines has tapped W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Company of Philadelphia, Mississippi, as general contractor for The St. John, a 51-story luxury condominium tower. .

Watson Custom Home Builders has begun sales in the new Gately Ridge community, located in the quaint fishing village of Mayport. .

Ryland Homes has opened three townhome models at Bartram Springs. The three- and four-bedroom homes, which feature one- and two-car garages, are priced from the $190s. .

A three-day grand opening event was held recently to kick off the first phase of The Villages of Westport. ICI Homes, Beazer Homes and American Home Builders have unveiled four new models for the 262-home community, along with plans for an 8,000-square-foot clubhouse. Home prices at the Villages of Westport will start from the high-$200s. .

Prudential Network Realty, in conjunction with Prudential Real Estate, has formed an exclusive marketing agreement with Yahoo Inc. to provide information about Northeast Florida real estate to Internet users worldwide. Meanwhile, Prudential Network Realty's Builder Sales & Marketing Division has been named exclusive sales agent for Hawthorne Highlands in Orange Park and The Preserve at San Jose on Jacksonville's Southside. Both communities are condominium conversions. .

The Pineapple Corporation is making the purchase of any semi-custom courtyard home in Palermo even more attractive with the introduction of BRAVO, a new program guaranteeing the best price for buyers in the first phase of its upscale, European-style community. .

Drees Homes has begun construction of a model home and several spec homes at Dunn Creek Pointe, a heavily wooded community on the Northside. Drees will build on 65 of the community's 129 homesites. Also at Dunn Creek Pointe, Engle Homes is introducing a new two-story design dubbed Onyx, with 3,007 square feet, five bedrooms and three bathrooms. Dunn Creek Pointe homes are priced starting in the low $200s. .

Floridian Lifestyles Realty has begun presales at Brookewood, a condominium community located on the Westside. Homes offer 1,570 square feet of living area and are priced from $164,900.

Flagler County at a glance

LAND AREA: 485 square miles
PERSONS PER SQUARE MILE (2000): 102.7
POPULATION (2001 ESTIMATE): 54,964
POPULATION INCREASE, 1990-2000: 73.6%
COLLEGE GRADUATES: 21.2%
MEAN TRAVEL TIME TO WORK: 25.9 minutes
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $40,214
FACTOID: In the early 1930s, both Charles Lindbergh and Amerlia Earhart landed airplanes at the Flagler Beach Airport.

For decades, even most Jacksonvillians regarded Flagler County significant only for its monolithic blue water tower at Palm Coast, a convenient milepost halfway to Disney World.

Today Flagler is the fastest-growing county in the nation on a percentage basis, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The raw numbers don't sound that impressive-6,309 new residents in 2004-but that's a 10.1 percent increase since 2003.

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

Visitors who leave the interstate and explore the real Flagler County will be 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.

But Palm Coast, 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, mostly retirees.

ITT, the tech conglomerate that had tried to create a bustling city in this once-remote stretch of coastal Florida, phased out its development division in the 1990s and sold its Flagler holdings.

Palm Coast became an incorporated city in 1999 and today is the population center of 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, just south of Palm Coast Parkway.

Developed by Palm Coast Holdings, it 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, a movie theater, a hotel and a nursing home.

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

Although Palm Coast is Flagler's fastest-growing, highest-profile city, three other municipalities lie within the county: Flagler Beach (p