Neighborhoods of Jacksonville, Florida

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As the largest city in land area in the contiguous United States, Jacksonville is divided both formally and informally into a few large sections. Though most residents divide the city into Northside, Southside, Westside, and—increasingly over the past decade, Arlington—Jacksonville’s official website divides the city into six major sections:^[1]

• Greater Arlington, more commonly known to Jacksonville denizens simply as Arlington, is situated east and south of the St. Johns River and north of Beach Blvd.
• North Jacksonville is officially designated by the city website as everything north of the St. Johns & Trout Rivers and east of US 1. Much of this area is known by Jacksonville residents as the Northside, though much of what is called "Northside" does not fall within these boundaries, and much of what falls within these boundaries has not been traditionally known as "Northside".
• Northwest Jacksonville is located north of Interstate 10, south of the Trout River and surrounds the downtown section. The parts of this area between US Highway 1 and the Trout and St. John's River is usually considered part of either the "Northside" or, alternately, Downtown. Much of this section is actually rural land, not easily classified as part of any section.
• Southeast Jacksonville, almost universally known as Southside, refers to everything east of the St. Johns River and south of Beach Blvd.
• Southwest Jacksonville makes up most of what is known in Jacksonville as the Westside, though parts of Northwest Jacksonville also are considered part of the "Westside". It consists of everything west of the St. Johns River and south of Interstate 10.
• The Urban Core, most of which is commonly known as Downtown, includes the south & north banks of the narrowest part of the St. Johns River east from the Fuller Warren Bridge and extending roughly 4 miles north and east.

With the rapid growth in the eastern part of Duval County, the Intracoastal/Beaches/Ponte Vedra area is viewed by many as a major section as well, but is not generally included in a Jacksonville list since they lie outside of the Jacksonville city limits. There is also a distinct part of the city known as "Eastside" which those unfamiliar with Jacksonville's overall geography sometimes mistakenly regard as one of the major divisions of town, rather than the localized neighborhood which it is.

Today, what distinguishes a "section" of Jacksonville from a "neighborhood" is primarily a matter of size and divisibility. However, definitions are imprecise, and sometimes not universally agreed upon.^[2]

Each of these sections not only encompasses a large area, but also, each is divided into many neighborhoods. Each of these neighborhoods, in turn, has its own identity.

Each of these sections is divided into many neighborhoods. Some of these neighborhoods, such as Mandarin and LaVilla, had existed previously as independent towns or villages, prior to consolidation, and have their own histories.

Contents 1 Sections 1.1 North Jacksonville 1.1.1 Dinsmore 1.1.2 Garden City 1.1.3 Durkeeville 1.1.4 Oceanway 1.1.5 San Mateo 1.2 Greater Arlington 1.2.1 Sandalwood 1.3 Southeast Jacksonville 1.3.1 Bayard 1.3.2 Baymeadows 1.3.3 Lakewood 1.3.4 Mandarin 1.3.5 San Marco 1.3.6 Sunbeam 1.4 Southwest Jacksonville 1.4.1 Argyle 1.4.2 Avondale 1.4.3 Cedar Hills 1.4.4 Confederate Point 1.4.5 Lake Shore 1.4.6 Marietta 1.4.7 Normandy 1.4.8 Ortega 1.4.9 Paxon 1.4.10 Riverside 1.5 Northwest Jacksonville 1.5.1 Panama Park 1.5.1.1 North Shore 1.6 Urban core 1.6.1 LaVilla 1.6.2 Southside 1.6.3 Springfield 2 References 3 External links

[edit] Sections

[edit] North Jacksonville

Neighborhoods include Biscayne, Biscayne Terrace, Black Hammock Island, Blount Island, Brown Island, College Park, Copper Hill, Dinsmore, Durkeville, Duval, Eagle Bend, East Point, Forrest Trails, Fort George Island, Garden City, Hart Estates, Highlands, Hollyford, Imeson Park, Jax North Estates, Jamestown, Little Marsh Hill, New Berlin, North New Berlin, North Lake, Oceanway, Pecan, Pumpkin, San Mateo, The Cape, Turtle Creek and Yellow Bluff.

The Northside has been home to many famous individuals and has also produced many well known Jacksonville political figures. Former Jacksonville Mayor Jake Godbold and US Representative Corrine Brown call the Northside home. The late Bob Hayes was also a product of Jacksonville's Northside.

Most prominent among Northside schools is Stanton College Preparatory School. Stanton, which offers an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, has been consistently ranked among the top high schools in the nation by the US News and World Report.

[edit] Dinsmore

Dinsmore is one of several small towns that formerly existed far outside of Jacksonville’s city limits, and were absorbed through consolidation. Still quite rural at heart, Dinsmore has the look and feel of a “one-road town”, that road being Old Kings Road. Though Dinsmore remained quite small for thirty years after becoming part of Jacksonville, new subdivisions are being built on the northwestern edge of Dinsmore, with the population of the area looking to more than double in less than a decade.

[edit] Garden City

Like its neighbor to the west, Dinsmore, Garden City was also once a town of its own, as evidenced by the many churches and businesses that still bear “Garden City” in their title. But Garden City is closer to the main body of Jacksonville, and as such, it no longer has Dinsmore’s rural “feel”. The main road through Dinsmore, Dunn Ave., has exploded with growth since the mid 1990s, and is becoming the center of professional businesses (such as medical establishments, lawyers, learning centers) for the Northside.

[edit] Durkeeville

A small, historic neighborhood located in the urban core, Durkeeville can be defined by its historical district boundaries (Kings Rd on the south, 13th St. on the north, Whitner St. on the west, and I-95 on the east). Though small, Durkeeville looms large in Jacksonville and even African American history. Durkeeville was home to the Jacksonville Red Caps, a team that was part of the Negro Leagues of professional baseball. The ball park in which the Red Caps played, J. P. Small Ballpark, is still preserved in excellent condition, and is used by local leagues.

[edit] Oceanway

Oceanway is located just north of San Mateo. Once an area of small farms and isolated houses, since the 1980s, Oceanway has grown dramatically with the addition of numerous residential neighborhoods, which was further encouraged by the building of First Coast High School in 1990, and several other schools for lower grades. Oceanway's growth has been cultural as well as economic. As recently as the 1980s, Oceanway was still regarded as typifying perhaps the epitome of racism in Jacksonville; twenty years ago a trailer only blocks from the new high school housed the self-proclaimed leader of Jacksonville's Ku Klux Klan. But with growth has come the influx of a more educated, more economically successful, and ethnically diverse population. Oceanway and the bordering neighborhoods of New Berlin and Yellow Bluff are now amongst the fastest growing areas of the city, and would literally be unrecognizable to someone who "came home" today after a twenty-year absence.

[edit] San Mateo

San Mateo is a small neighborhood, bounded on the south by the Broward River, on the west by Main St., and on the north and east by Eastport Rd. Over the past 30 years, San Mateo has been one of the more unchanging area within Jacksonville. Relatively isolated, with no heavy-use roads passing through and a limited number of access streets, San Mateans take great pride in their neighborhood and its school, San Mateo Elementary, which is an Academic and Academically Gifted magnet school. Most homes were built in the late 1960s, though in recent years skyrocketing real estate values have caused a few small homes lying on both Baisden Rd. and along the Broward River to be demolished and replaced by much larger homes.

[edit] Greater Arlington

Arlington is home to the first European settlement in North America, Fort Caroline, now a State Park, founded by French Huguenots in 1562. Another historical fact about Arlington is that, at one time, it included a home for newly freed slaves from Kingsley Plantation. In 1955, a controversial bridge, known to locals as the "Bridge to Nowhere", was built across the St. Johns River heading east of Downtown Jacksonville. Yet within ten years of the completion of the Mathews Bridge, Arlington became the most populous portion of Southside, and by consolidation, over 50% of Jacksonville residents who called the Southside "home" were denizens of Arlington. Much of Arlington's initial growth was attributed to people moving from the older Paxon area on the Westside, which was becoming industrialized. For thirty years, Arlington was roughly bounded by Southside Blvd. on the east, the Arlington Expressway on the south, and the St. Johns River on the west and north. To the east of this area lay little but woods and wetlands, all the way to the intracoastal waterway. However, in the 1980s, two trends began to change this definition. First of all, growth exploded along Atlantic Blvd., with the wooded areas falling to development. Secondly, Arlington, which had been a moderately prestigious area to live during the 1960s, began to acquire a reputation as a neighborhood in slow decline. Realtors, wishing to best market these new areas of the Southside, coined the rather logical term, "East Arlington", or "Greater Arlington". However, those terms failed to become universally recognized. Arlington is also home to Jacksonville University.

Residential neighborhoods included within the Arlington/East Arlington/Greater Arlington area include Alderman Park, Arlington, Arlington Hills, Arlington Manor, Arlingwood, Atlantic Blvd Estates, Atlantic Highlands, Beachwood, Beacon Hills, Charter Point, Clifton, Cobblestone, Colony Cove, East Arlington, Empire Point, Fara Ways Forrest, Fort Caroline, Gilmore, Girvin, Glynlea/Grove Park, Golden Glades/The Wood, Hidden Hills, Hogan, Holiday Harbors, Holiday Hill/Century, Holly Oaks, Lake Lucina, Love Grove/Riviera Ma, Mayport, Monterey, North Beach, Oak Haven, Park Ridge, Regency, St. Johns Bluff, St. Nicholas, Sandalwood, Southside Estates, Spring Glen, University Park, Woodland Acres, Woodmere, University Club, Floral Bluff, Chaseville, Newcastle, Mill Cove and Kendall Town.

[edit] Sandalwood

The Sandalwood neighborhood began developing in the spring of 1960, midway between downtown Jacksonville and the beaches, or about 6 miles from each, was advertised in 1960-61 as "On the Southside - halfway between business and pleasure!" The builder-developer, Pearce-Uible, was located at 3850 Beach Blvd.

The original neighborhood was bordered by the then two-lane Atlantic Boulevard on the north, a mile of palmetto and scrub on the south before reaching Beachwood neighborhood and Beach Boulevard, the western part of the neighborhood was bordered by the less than two-lane dirt road named St. John's Bluff, and the eastern border of the neighborhood was defined by a storm drainage ditch called the Sandalwood Canal. The original streets are named after mostly South Pacific islands and most of the streets are, from north to south, in alphabetical order. The original street names are Aloha Drive; Batavia Drive; Caledonia Drive; Delago Drive; Eniwetok Drive; Fiji Court; Hawaii Drive East; Hawaii Drive South; Indies Drive North; Indies Drive East; Indies Drive South; Java Drive; Kuralei Drive; Mindanao Drive (The main drag); Sandalwood Boulevard (Original main entrance road); Bahia Drive; Dulawan Drive; and Kusaie Drive.

The were eight original home styles named as follows: Aloha; Bahama; Bikini; Caledonia; Del ray; Java; Polynesian; and Waikiki. Free airplane rides over Sandalwood were offered during the grand opening. The entrance and sales office located on Sandalwood Boulevard boasted a winding, palm lined street, and adjacent play area for the children. Homes were priced from $11,400 to $16,000, with monthly payments as low as $67. The original Sandalwood consisted of approximately 500 homes. The first families purchased homes in May and June of 1960. Many of the first families were U.S. Navy families who were stationed at the Mayport base and others were employed by CSX railroad.

In the late 1970s, additional construction began at the southern border by the Sofranko Homes company, nearly doubling the size of the neighborhood. Most of the original early 1960's families have moved away over the years, but a handful of the original families are still left from the early 1960s.

[edit] Southeast Jacksonville

Neighborhoods include Arrowhead, Avenues, Bayard, Baymeadows, Baymeadows Center, Beach Haven, Beauclerc, Bowden, Brackridge, Briarwood, Craven, Deercreek, Deerwood, Deerwood Center, Del Rio, Englewood, Goodbys Creek, Greenfield Manor, Greenland, Isle of Palms, Julington Creek, Kilarney Shores, Lakewood, Loretto, Mandarin, Mandarin Station, Miramar, Montclair, Pickwick Park, Pine Forrest, Royal Lakes, San Jose, San Jose Forrest, San Marco, Sans Pareil, Sans Souci, Secret Cove, South Riverside, Southpoint, Southwood, Spring Park, Sunbeam, Tiger Hole and Windy Hill.

[edit] Bayard

Bayard has a rich history that antedates its inclusion in the municipality of Jacksonville. For more information, see Bayard.

[edit] Baymeadows

Baymeadows is a relatively affluent neighborhood centered around Baymeadows Road. It is situated south of Arlington (specifically, south of J. Turner Butler Boulevard) and east of Mandarin. A center for white-collar employment, it is home to many corporate office parks, upscale apartment complexes and residential developments, two private golf courses, several shopping centers and a large shopping mall.

[edit] Lakewood

Lakewood, which lies in the area where San Jose Blvd. and University Blvd intersect, is a residential area with houses built in the 1950s. It has several churches, two shopping centers, and a plethora of streets named after major private colleges, such as Clemson, Cornell, Fordham, and Emory.

[edit] Mandarin

Mandarin has a rich history that antedates its inclusion in the municipality of Jacksonville. For more information, see Mandarin.

[edit] San Marco

The area known as San Marco has a rich history, and, arguably, is one of the more cosmopolitan neighborhoods in Jacksonville. Originally a farm on the banks of the St. Johns River, the area now known as San Marco was called Oklahoma. One of the most prominent citizens of Oklahoma was Harrison Reed, who was elected Florida’s governor in 1868 and 1873. Reed’s sister, Margaret Reed Mitchell and her husband, Wisconsin railroad tycoon Alexander Mitchell, fell in love with Oklahoma and built their winter home, Villa Alexandria, on 140 acres on the river. By 1872, the palatial estate included a mansion (near the present corner of River Road and Arbor Lane), barns, tennis courts, a swimming pool, polo field, more than 2000 orange trees, bridle paths and formal gardens. By 1873, Mrs. Mitchell was one of Jacksonville’s most influential women and was active in many charitable causes.

Based on the Piazza di San Marco in Venice, Italy, Jacksonville's San Marco Square is an artsy shopping, dining and entertainment district just south of downtown and north of Mandarin. Its historic Italian influenced architecture stretches along the Y-shaped intersection of Atlantic and San Marco Boulevards just west of Hendricks. At the center of the Square, a giant statue of three lions watches over Balis Park and its classic white bandstand. For these reasons and more, the San Marco area has become one of Jacksonville's trendiest destinations.

In the Square you can stroll through art galleries, boutiques, independent bookstores and upscale gift shops. You’ll find everything from a Thai bistro to a casual, pet-friendly sidewalk pizza parlor, a Chicago-style bar & grill, a popular local hot subs chain, a Starbucks coffee shop, and much more. Other points of interest include the Peterbrooke chocolate boutique, the old-fashioned art deco San Marco Theater, and Florida’s longest running community theater.

Further exploration of San Marco will uncover numerous restaurants along with nightclubs and day spas. The streets south of the Square are lined with charming estates, riverfront mansions, and community parks.

The development of the “South Bank” began in earnest with the opening of the St. Johns River Bridge (renamed the Acosta) in 1921. Telfair Stockton bought 80 acres of land north of the Mitchell estate for the new “San Marco” subdivision. The business district was based on the Piazza di San Marco in Venice, Italy, which had impressed Mr. Stockton on a European trek. The clay pit of Gamble & Stockton Brick Company was transformed into Lake Marco. San Marco was an immediate success. In 1929, an additional subdivision, Villa Alexandria, was platted on the overgrown Villa Alexandria estate. The first two homes in the development were built on adjoining lots by Carl and John Swisher, who had just moved their King Edward Cigar Company from Chicago to Jacksonville.

Today, San Marco, despite its tiny size, possesses a thriving commercial center, which includes restaurants, retail, and two theaters—one for movies and the other, Theatre Jacksonville staging plays.

[edit] Sunbeam

Sunbeam is a relatively new neighborhood centered around Sunbeam Road which runs east/west between Philips Highway and San Jose Boulevard. It is situated south of Baymeadows Road, east of Mandarin and north of the Avenues Mall. The area includes the site of the former Sunbeam Sanitary Landfill which opened in 1972. The dump emitted objectionable odors, which discouraged development nearby. The landfill permit expired in 1986, and the facility stopped accepting garbage. After being covered with a 3-foot deep cap, which prevents the elements from coming in and waste from coming out, the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation (FDER) certified it closed on 10/21/92. ^[3] With the odor problem resolved, development resumed in the middle 1990's including subdivisions, apartment complexes, commercial buildings and the Community Hospice of Northeast Florida center. A golf course on and around the original landfill was planned and delayed for several years but construction finally began in late 2007.

[edit] Southwest Jacksonville

Neighborhoods include Argyle, Avondale, Cedar Hills, Cedar Hills Estates, Chimney Lakes, Confederate Point, Duclay, Duclay Forest, Fairfax, Herlong, Hillcrest, Hyde Park, Jax Farms, Jacksonville Heights, Lakeshore, Maxville, McGirts Creek, Normandy Manor, Normandy Village, Oak Hill, Ortega, Ortega Farms, Ortega Forest, Ortega Hills, Otis, Rolling Hills, Settlers Landing, Sweetwater, Venetia, Wesconnett, Whitehouse, Yukon and West Jacksonville.

The Westside is home to Paxon School for Advanced Studies, which happens to be one of the top schools in the nation by academics since 2003. The Westside is also home to some of the most culturally diverse schools in Duval County to date.

[edit] Argyle

One of the newest and largest neighborhoods on Jacksonville's Westside, and occupying a large area of former ranchland, Argyle has grown rapidly from its beginnings in the mid-1980s. Straddling the Duval/Clay county line, Argyle was originally accessible only from Blanding Boulevard in Orange Park. However, as it has expanded westward, Argyle is now connected to Jacksonville's far-Westside by a number of roads, including the Brannan Field-Chaffee Road corridor that links I-10 directly with Middleburg. Argyle remains a popular choice for middle-class families that are recently settling in Jacksonville.

[edit] Avondale

Historic Avondale lies along the St. John's River southwest of the Riverside area, some three to four miles upriver from downtown Jacksonville. Avondale is known for its quiet, tree-lined residential streets and hundreds of quaint homes, most dating from the early 1920s during the Great Florida Land Boom. A few Avondale homes pre-date 1900. Most homes in the neighborhood reflect the middle to upper income taste in residential architecture of the 1920s, including numerous Prairie School, Art Deco, Craftsman Style, Classical Revival, and Mediterranean Revival styles. Avondale is characterized by numerous bungalows and spacious, graceful homes. Unlike some other neighborhoods, Avondale never experienced a period of decline during the latter 20th Century, and retains much of its original gentility.

Two-lane St. John's Avenue is the key traffic artery through Avondale, and is the location of the Avondale Shops, a small but vibrant collection of specialty shops, clothing stores, cafes, and upscale restaurants, most of which are located in original 1920s structures.

[edit] Cedar Hills

Cedar Hills lies along the Cedar River (called Cedar Creek by the locals), on the opposite shore from Lake Shore, and stretches from Blanding Boulevard on the east to Lane Avenue to the west. Built in the 1940s, Cedar Hills consists of some 3,000 single-family brick or concrete block homes in seven different residential neighborhoods that are anchored by the Cedar Hills Shopping Center business district. Most of the homes are modest, although many of the homes along the shore of the Cedar River have been greatly expanded, or replaced with much larger homes.

[edit] Confederate Point

Built in the 1960s on reclaimed lowlands, technically a small island surrounded by a moat, with one small bridge as access. Confederate Point lies along the Cedar River (called Cedar Creek by the locals), on the opposite shore from Lake Shore. Confederate Point stretches from the Ortega River to the east, to Blanding Boulevard on the West, and is bordered by the Cedar River to the North, and Timaquana Boulevard to the South. The area consists of approximately 300 large, single family homes, and approximately 700 condos and apartments that line the south bank of the Cedar River. All of the single family homes are inland, with the apartments and condos lining the shore of the Cedar River. The area is popular given that it is close to water, and Downtown, yet also exclusive in that there is only one road in or out.

[edit] Lake Shore

Built during the time of the first World War, Lake Shore lies on the curving north bank of the Cedar River (called Cedar Creek by the locals), and stretches from Roosevelt Boulevard on the east, to the Cedar River to the West, and is bordered by the Cedar River to the South, and San Juan Avenue to the North, and is bisected by Cassat Avenue. Lake Shore consists of approximately 1,000 modest, wood-frame, concrete block or brick homes, with the exception of approximately 80 quite large estates that line the shore of the Cedar River. The neighborhood is anchored by the Roosevelt Plaza on Roosevelt Boulevard, and the Lake Shore business district of stores up and down Cassat Avenue. Lake Shore is centrally located on the Westside, with quick access to Downtown Jacksonville via Roosevelt Boulevard. Given the small size of the existing homes, the current trend is for first time home buyers to renovate and retrofit these well built homes to fit today's needs. This is a very well maintained pocket of 1940s and 1950s homes. There is a definite trend to renovate and revitalize this quiet, comfortable neighborhood.

[edit] Marietta

Marietta is one of the small farming communities that was absorbed during the 1968 consolidation of Jacksonville with Duval County. Though technically a part of the city proper today, much of Marietta still retains its small-town, and even rural "feel", with some old-style farms and ranches, and most homes occupying lots of ten acres or more, on which they keep horses and cattle, or raise grain and maintain orchards. Marietta is popular with old Southern families, and new families who moved to Jacksonville from mid-western agriculural states.

[edit] Normandy

Outside of what would eventually become Jacksonville, and originally called "Hogan Settlement", The Normandy area was settled by Jacksonville's "Founding Family", the "Hogan's" who were the first white settlers in Duval County. The Normandy area is a large swath of forested high-ground that straddles both sides of Normandy Boulevard, and stretches from Cassat Avenue on the East, out to Herlong Airfield on the West, and is bordered by I-10 to the North, and Wilson Road to the South. Though originally populated by the large ranches of many of Duval County's founding families such as the Hogans, Lindseys, Fourakers, and the Herlongs, the area is now a bedroom community, containing over a dozen large residential neighborhoods such as Normandy, Normandy Village, Rolling Hills, Country Creek, Crystal Springs, Hyde Grove, Hyde Park, etc, with very few apartment complexes or condo developments. These neighborhoods have their own sewer and water plants, and unlike most wood-constructed homes in Jacksonville's newer neighborhoods, most homes in the Normandy area are constructed of brick, or concrete block. The area is home to some of the city's best schools, and parks. Unlike other sections of the city, where people tend to move from home to home every 2 or 3 years; homes in the Normandy area are routinely transferred from generation to generation, and it is not unusual for great-grandchildren to live in homes originally built by their great-grandparents.^[4].

[edit] Ortega

Historic Ortega lies on the St Johns River just south of the historic Riverside area. Ortega is bordered by the St. Johns River on the West, the Cedar River on the South, and the Ortega river on the East, practically making it an "inland island." Ortega is home to hundreds of mid-size to large, turn-of-the-century homes and Southern Style mansions. Many of these antebellum homes are situated directly on the river, and the nature of the "island" allows ease of access to the waterways for all residents. Along with Avondale and Riverside, Ortega is home to some of the wealthiest of Jacksonville families. It is marked by a distinctly traditional Southern culture complete with one of the South's most exclusive debutante coiteries. The island is almost exclusively residential, the only exception being a small square in the section known as "Old Ortega" on the northern end where a small collection of restaurants, boutiques, and a pharmacy are found. The area is also home to the historic and exclusive Florida Yacht Club and Timuquana Country Club. Ortega, with its giant oaks, antebellum waterfront mansions, and series of parks is widely considered one of the most beautiful residential areas of Northeast Florida.

[edit] Paxon

Platted in the 1920s and 30's, the Paxon area is one of the oldest, pre-platted neighborhoods in Jacksonville. Built due to the redistribution of housing after the Great Fire, the Paxon area replaced the many thousands of homes that were destroyed in the Great Fire with thousands of modest, wood-framed homes. The Paxon area was extensively well-planned with its own schools (originally known as Paxon Sr. High School and Paxon Jr. High School, along with a half-dozen small elementary schools). The area straddles Edgewood Avenue South, and stretches from Mcduff Avenue to the East, and I-295 to the West, and is bordered by I-10 to the South, and I-295 to the North. The area originally contained over 40,000 single family homes in over 15 different residential neighborhoods, all anchored by the Edgewood Avenue, and Beaver Street business districts. However, over time, the area declined due to the small average size of the homes, and many of those homes were destroyed, and replaced with warehouses and mixed industry. Despite the new industrialization of the area overall, there are still many thousands of occupied homes in the Paxon area. Paxon Senior High School has been converted into a magnet school—it is now known as Paxon School for Advanced Studies—which has been listed by Forbes Magazine as one of the top three high schools in the United States for the last four years.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Riverside

Riverside lies on the St Johns River just south of Downtown Jacksonville and is home to the historic "5 Points" and "King Street" business districts, with apartment towers along the river and hundreds of large, spacious, turn-of-the-century homes, and even some brick streets. Since the 1970s, the "Riverside/Avondale Preservation District" has guided the rebirth of this late-1900s era neighborhood. Along with Avondale and Ortega, Riverside was originally the home to the wealthiest of Jacksonville families. In the late 1950s & '60s, the area went into decay, with many of those grand old homes being converted into rooming houses. However, after being designated a "National Historic Neighborhood", by the late 1990s, Riverside had recovered, with many homes restored to their original form. The Avondale, Riverside, and Ortega area is popular with those families who prefer to own large old Southern Style homes, with easy access to the river, just next to downtown.

[edit] Northwest Jacksonville

A less developed section of Jacksonville, it is primarily commercial/industrial around Interstate 295 and rural residential in most areas. Neighborhoods include: Allendale, Biltmore, Bulls Bay, Carver Manor, Cisco Gardens, College Gardens, Commonwealth, Crystal Springs, Edgewood, Edgewood Manor, Grand Park, Harborview, Lackawanna, Lake Forrest, Lake Forrest Hills, Lincoln Hills, Magnolia Gardens, Marietta, Mixon Town, Murray Hill, New Town, Normandy, Normandy Estates, Normandy Village, Osceola Forrest, Panama Park, Paxton, Picketville, Ribault, Riverside, Riverview, Robinsons Addition, Rolling Hills, Royal Terrace, Sherwood Forrest, Tallulah/North Shore, Whitehouse, Woodstock, 45th & Chase.

[edit] Panama Park

Panama Park was home to two of Jacksonville's previous mayors, and the founder's of Duval Spirits, the late J. Baker Bryan and his brother Lon B. Bryan. Oceanway is the home of F. Andy Bryan, Grandson of the late J. Baker Bryan, his great grandson J. Baker Bryan IV, lives in the Orlando area.

[edit] North Shore

The North Jacksonville neighborhood of North Shore had Main Street as its eastern border from about 35th Street up to Trout River. Panama Park was the adjoining neighborhood to the east, Norwood to the west and Brentwood to the south. The western border was between Norwood Avenue and Pearl Street, with Elwood Avenue as the western border. North Shore from the 1930s through the 1990's was largely a lower middle income neighborhood that included churches, a school (North Shore Elementary), and some small businesses clustered near Pearl and 54th Streets and at Pearl Street and Tallalah Avenue. The churches included: North Jacksonville Baptist Church, North Shore Methodist Church, North Shore Christian Church and an Episcopal Chapel. Two parks provided playgrounds for its children, including Tallulah Park and another park at the foot of Pearl Street on Trout River. For many years, the latter offered a boat ramp and areas for outdoor cooking and Easter Egg hunts. After graduating from North Shore Elementary School, its young people went on to Kirby-Smith Junior High School (grades 8-9) and Andrew Jackson Senior High School (grades 10-12). The City of Jacksonville built Fire Station Number 15 on the corner of Pearl and 54th Streets in the late 1940's, and it was a frequent hangout for the young people who were hoping that a fire call would provide some excitement as the firemen dashed for their gear and headed out on the ancient old pumper with chain-driven wooden wheels. Boy Scout Troop 222, based at the North Shore Christian Church provided life-changing core values and produced over 50 Eagle Scouts during its many years of service to the community.

[edit] Urban core

The central section of Jacksonville has the following neighborhoods: Brentwood, Brooklyn, Downtown, East Jacksonville, Fairfield, Hogans Creek, LaVilla, Longbranch, Midtown, Mid-Westside, Moncrief, Phoenix, Springfield, Southside, Tallyrand and 29th & Chase.

[edit] LaVilla

LaVilla has a rich history that antedates its inclusion in the municipality of Jacksonville. For more information, see LaVilla.

[edit] Southside

In 1907, the town of South Jacksonville (now the Southside neighborhood) incorporated with a population of some 600. In 1913, 96 South Jacksonville voters approved the issuance of $65,000 in bonds for civic improvements, including a city hall. The building, at 1468 Hendricks Avenue, was completed in 1915 and is one of the few remaining signs that South Jacksonville existed, if only for 25 years. In 1932, the city of Jacksonville annexed the area, and it ceased to exist as a separate government entity.^[5]

[edit] Springfield

Springfield has a rich history that antedates its inclusion in the municipality of Jacksonville. For more information, see Springfield.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

City of Jacksonville Neighborhood Maps