Intracoastal West Neighborhood

Just west of the Beaches and east of the city, the Intracoastal Waterway area is one of the more unique places in Jacksonville, and unlike any other in Northeast Florida.

Looking out over the lush, golden marshes, exotic wildlife and tranquil waters, of the area known as the Intracoastal West, you will see why it is one of the more comfortable and serene places which so many people call home.

The Intracoastal area residents enjoy a cooler climate, as well as beautiful sunrises that break over the Atlantic Ocean just a few miles east and sunrises that bounce off of the golden foliage of the winding marshes of the Intracoastal Waterway. The area is surrounded by rapidly growing parts of Jacksonville including developments such as Queen's Harbour Yacht & Country Club, Pablo Bay, Highland Glen and Bentwater Place which are near San Pablo Road and Queen's Harbour, Butler and Atlantic boulevards.

The neighborhoods in and around the Intracoastal area range from moderate homes starting at $175,000 to gated country-club communities with homes up to $2 million and more. The area offers quite a variety of housing options including apartments, condominiums, townhomes and houses. Some of the more extravagant developments include Bentwater Place with homes from $150,000 to $199,000, Pablo Bay which offers homes ranging from $200,000 to $299,000, and Highland Glen, which offers home from $300,000 and higher.

Easy access to just about anywhere in Jacksonville is another perk to the area. Just west of the Intracoastal is plenty of shopping, restaurants, schools and entertainment to suit the needs of many. Those who have a love for water sports have easy access to the Intracoastal for boating, kayaking, canoeing, fishing and a short drive to surf in the Atlantic Ocean.

For those looking for the close-knit community life with a touch of nature at your doorstep, the Intracoastal West area is right for you. Yet another one of Northeast Florida's secrets, this area is a unique place to call home.

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Intracoastal West

Housing Information:

Average home price: $148,017
No. of households: 27,368
2003 Population: 72,215
2008 projected population: 82,975
Percent change: 13.0%
Household disposable income: $50,437
Homes range from moderate $175,000 homes to the gated and more illustrious ones that run around $2 million and more.

Schools:

Duval County Board of Education, (904) 390-2000
Elementary: Alimacani, Abess Park, Chets Creek, Neptune Beach, San Pablo
Middle: Kernan, Duncan Fletcher
High: Sandalwood, Duncan Fletcher

Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department:
Phone: (904) 630-0529
Fire Station 1: 12701 Old St. Augustine Road
Fire Station 2: 1141 Atlantic Blvd.


Jacksonville Sheriff's Office:
Phone: (904) 630-0500
Nearest substation: 7100 Powers Ave., (904) 828-5463

Source: Average home value based on Scarborough self-evaluation. All other data from Demographics USA.

Source: The Times-Union

Southside Neighborhood

The great thing about the Southside is that it's much more than just a neighborhood. Maybe a better term for it would be a location. However, do not be fooled about this location. There is plenty of activity and diversity lining the streets of the Southside in Jacksonville.

Actually, the Southside has a number of neighborhoods within it ranging from north of Butler Boulevard, south of Atlantic Boulevard, east of University Boulevard and west of St. Johns Bluff Road. Lying within the borders of the area are a number of restaurants, residential areas, golf courses, schools and everything else to keep one busy. The prime location of this area allows easy access to most of Jacksonville's attractions, and is only a short drive from Interstate 95, which leads downtown or to St. Augustine. Also, the easy access to the St. Johns River provides plenty of good fishing and water activity for those who love the outdoors.

The people of Southside represent all ages. Young adults, age 25 to 34, account for 27 percent of the population, while people age 65 and older account for 20 percent. One of the main attractions for young people to the Southside is the University of North Florida and Florida Community College of Jacksonville South Campus. UNF, one of Florida's most rapidly growing public universities, enrolled almost 14,000 students in 2003 and FCCJ has nearly 24,000 students in its four-campus system.

The Southside also has a vast amount of retailers. Just within the Southside area there are two malls -- The Avenues and Regency Square -- as well as a vast amount of strip malls and restaurants in between. Basically, if someone needs something they can find it on the Southside.

Homes in the Southside start at $70,000 and reach more than $1 million. And, if a home is out of the question, the area offers an abundance of reasonably priced townhomes, condominiums and apartment complex choices. Within the many neighborhoods are several public and private elementary, middle and high schools.

Southside offers the best of Jacksonville through easy access to all major locations and boasts great neighborhoods, shopping centers, restaurants and schools. Southside is a great neighborhood for all.

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Southside

Average home price: $131,054
No. of households: 12,981
2003 Population: 31,422
2008 projected population: 32,711
Percent change: 3.9%
Household disposable income: $37,370

Source: Average home value based on Scarborough self-evaluation. All other data from Demographics USA.

Duval County Fire Department:
Phone: (904) 630-0529
Fire Station 1: 9200 Hogan Road
Fire Station 2: 8275 Western Way

Jacksonville Sheriffs Office:
Phone: (904) 630-0500
Nearest substation: 7100 Powers Ave. (904) 828-5463

Schools:
Duval County Board of Education, (904) 390-2000
Elementary: Chets Creek, Twin Lakes Academy, Windy Hill, Southside Estates, Kernan Trail
Middle: Twin Lakes Academy, Kernan, Southside
High: Sandalwood

Housing Information:

Southside offers condominiums, apartments and houses. Homes in the Southside area range from $70,000 to $1 million.

Source: The Times-Union

Beauclerc Neighborhoods

Straddling the eastern bank of the St. Johns River at one of its widest points and nestled between Mandarin, San Jose and Baymeadows, lies Beauclerc, an idyllic, tree-lined neighborhood conveniently located with easy access to greater Jacksonville.

Sections of the neighborhood have developed an overhanging canopy effect, with the branches of trees on opposite sides of the roadway interlocking high above, providing a shaded pathway for residents to drive and walk under.

Beauclerc homes have proven to be a great investment. Values tend to be greater than those of Jacksonville as a whole, with the average home price at $157,870.

The area's larger lots translate into homes with more floor space and bigger yards, some encompassing more than half an acre. Though many homes date from the 1970s, most homeowners steadily have updated interiors, giving most properties a modern touch with few renovations needed.

Home styles range from traditional to contemporary to Colonial, the variety of architecture stemming from the many different builders who constructed homes through the years. Many houses feature brick construction. Homeowners' well-manicured lawns and flower gardens full of color, nicely complement the area's abundant trees.

With a multitude of stores and dining establishments within easy driving access, Beauclerc is centrally located for residents' shopping needs. Beauclerc's proximity to Interstate 295 allows residents easy access to many other parts of the city.

The St. Johns River marks the neighborhood's border, and is convenient for recreational boating and watersports.

A number of marinas dot the area, including the Epping Forest Yacht Club, one-half mile north of the neighborhood. The club's centerpiece is a beautiful Spanish Renaissance-style mansion, originally built by a duPont family heir in 1927.

Home buyers with children are attracted to the quality and proximity of local schools. Beauclerc also is home to The Bolles School San Jose campus. The private school, founded in 1933, serves grades 9 through 12. The area also boasts a YMCA and several public parks.

Beauclerc attracts a nice mixture of older and younger homeowners, is culturally diverse and gives residents a sense of place hard to find in other areas of the city. For buyers looking for a home in neighborhood with a nice, traditional, homey feel, Beauclerc is the perfect place.

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Housing Information:

Average home price: $157,870
No. of households: 8,723
2003 population: 20,648
2008 projected population: 21,480
Percent change: 3.9%
Household disposable income: $37,872
Source: Average home value based on Scarborough self-evaluation
All other data from Demographics USA 2003

Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department: (904) 630-0529
Substation, 2948 Delor Drive
Substation, 8275 Western Way

Jacksonville Sheriff's Office: (904) 630-0500
Substation, 7100 Powers Ave., (904) 828-5463

Duval County Schools: (904) 390-2000
Elementary: Beauclerc, Crown Point, Mandarin Oaks, San Jose
Middle: Alfred I. duPont, Mandarin
High: Samuel W. Wolfson

Nearby Hospitals:
Specialty Hospital Jacksonville
4901 Richard St.
(904) 737-3120

St. Luke's Hospital
4201 Belfort Road
(904) 296-3700

Baptist Medical Center
800 Prudential Drive
(904) 202-2000

Source: The Times-Union

Julington Creek, Switzerland and Fruit Cove Neighborhood

Northwest St. Johns County, which includes Fruit Cove, Switzerland and Orangedale, is experiencing real estate boom, while retaining much of the area's rural charm. Bordered by the St. Johns and Duval county lines to the north, the St. Johns River to the west, County Road 208 to the south and Interstate 95 to the east, the northwest sector has grown more than 55 percent in the past 10 years.

Julington Creek Plantation, which is a subdivision encompassing 4,119 acres and more than 12 distinctive neighborhoods, is among the top 10 master-planned communities in Florida. The community offers recreational facilities and a large selection of homes ranging in price from the $130,000s to over $1 million.

The St. Johns County School District is the highest-rated school district in Northeast Florida. The Fruit Cove School, an $18 million school, has opened as a kindergarten through eighth grade facility.

The county also opened a $12 million, 700-student Durbin Creek Elementary School on Race Track Road last year. Julington Creek provides boating access to the St. Johns River. That will be alleviated with the completion of the new Goodby's Lake Boat Ramp.

Construction on Twin Creeks subdivision, located in northeast St. Johns County just south of Durbin Creek, is expected to begin in 2005. The community will have 5,000 residences (2,000 single-family and 3,000 multi-family) on 3,000 acres and will include 900,000 square feet of office and commercial space and 2 million square feet of light industrial space.

Businesses and shopping centers have moved in or are being planned in the area, the county has built a $1.2 million annex in Fruit Cove, and the new Baptist Medical Center South opened in February 2005

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Julington Creek, Switzerland and Fruit Cove

Average home price: $236,022
No. of households: 7,049
2003 population: 21,701
2008 projected population: 27,711
Percent change: 21.7 percent
Household disposable income: $73,270
Source: Average home value based on Scarborough self-evaluation
All other data from Demographics USA 2003

Schools: St. Johns County Board of Education, (904) 819-7500
Elementary: Cunningham Creek, Fruit Cove, Julington Creek
Middle: Fruit Cove, Switzerland Point
High: Bartram Trail

St. Johns County Fire and Rescue:
Phone: (904) 823-2526
Fire/rescue station: 1120 Sheffield Road, Switzerland
10001 Cartwheel Bay Ave., Sampson

St. Johns Sheriffs Office:
Phone: (904) 824-8304
Field office: 725 Flora Branch Road, Julington Creek
Website

Source: The Times-Union