All of the Jacksonville Beaches communities are located on St. Paul's Island, a 37-mile barrier island defined by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the St. Johns to the north and the Intracoastal Canal to the west. This mighty Florida river is one of Jacksonville's biggest recreational sports.
The Johns River is one of less than 30 rivers in the United States that flow north. Most of the river in our area is partly seawater, making it a unique ecosystem where dolphins, manatees, and even sharks swim freely. The Johns River is ideal for boating and fishing, as fish such as red mullet, flounder, tarpon, and blue crab migrate from the ocean to freshwater springs upstream to spawn. In downtown Jacksonville, the river offers a myriad of attractions, such as the riverwalk, and sporting events such as P1 motorboats and kayak tours.
There are dozens of public water access ramps to along the St. Jacksonville is home to 22 miles of beautiful white sand beaches. Find out everything you need to know about going to the beach during your trip to Jacksonville. Entrepreneurs have moved from mining minerals to mining the rich.
Private clubs, gated communities, more than 150 holes of golf, 60 tennis courts, oceanfront mansions and resorts, and the headquarters of the PGA Tour maintain the benchmark of this Jacksonville beach community. No ghosts have yet been reported, but the infamous No. South Ponte Vedra Beach and Vilano Beach are residential strips along the Atlantic Ocean, but Palm Valley is another story. Nowadays, in the process of gentrification, this place was once an enclave of swamps, bugs and pioneers who machete their living in the wild.
One way was to cut the palm leaves.“We earned our living during Easter,” said Sydney Mickler, a descendant of those families. We would cut them up and stack them in the yard by the thousands. Merchants came to buy and ship the sheets across the country. In summer, they hunted and skinned alligators.
When the right time and tide came, they fished in the ocean. And from Prohibition to World War II, illegal alcohol and alcohol became the Valley's cash crop. The schooners anchored on the high seas and rum and other liquors arrived by rowing and hiding them in a pit in the dunes. At a certain time, traffickers came there to buy their loot.
According to Mickler and his relative, author and historian Michel Oesterreicher, those are the only spirits they know. “I've never heard of a ghost story in Palm Valley,” Oesterreicher said. That doesn't mean there aren't some. Wait for a McMansion to beat the last Mickler.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 874.3 square miles (2,264 km), making Jacksonville the largest city by land area in the neighboring United States; of this, 86.66% (757.7 square miles or 1,962 km) is land and 13.34% (116.7 square miles or 302 km) is water. Jacksonville completely surrounds the city of Baldwin. Nassau County is located to the north, Baker County to the west, and Clay and St. Johns, to the south. Jacksonville has a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean with Jacksonville beaches.
The city developed on both sides of the St. The Trout, a major tributary of the St. Johns, it's completely inside of Jacksonville. The Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean proved to be fundamental to the growth of the city and its industry.
Jacksonville has an important deepwater port, helping to make it a leading port in the U.S. Department of State for importing cars, as well as the state's main transportation and distribution center. The strength of the city's economy lies in its wide diversification. While the area once had many thriving dairies, such as Gustafson's Farm and Skinner Dairy, this aspect of the economy has declined over time.
The area's economy is balanced between distribution, financial services, biomedical technology, consumer goods, information services, manufacturing, insurance and other industries. The Jacksonville Coast Guard sector is on the St. Johns, next to the Naval Base of Mayport. The Jacksonville sector controls operations from Kings Bay, Georgia, south to Cape Canaveral.
The CGC Kingfisher, CGC Maria Bray and CGC Hammer are stationed in the Sector. The Mayport station shares a location with the Jacksonville sector and includes 25-foot (7.6 m) response boats and 47-foot (14 m) motor lifeboats. The other 20 maritime facilities not managed by the Port Authority carry around 10 million tons of additional cargo to and from the St. In terms of total tonnage, the Port of Jacksonville is ranked 40th nationally; within Florida, it ranks third behind Tampa and Port Everglades.
In addition to their beauty, dunes and sea oats play an important role in protecting Jacksonville Beach. The following article, entitled “Dunes must be protected to reduce flooding” (PDF), reprinted from Beaches Leader, explains why dunes are essential. Spanning about 60 blocks along the Atlantic Ocean, it's the busiest of all the beaches in the Jacksonville area. The beach of more than four miles is wide and is bordered by small soft dunes.
There are beach walks at most ends of the streets, however, not all of them have bathrooms and showers. Offshore boat racing, beach volleyball, fishing, surfing and sunbathing are just a few of the delights that await you. The 1,300-foot-high Jacksonville Pier is a good place to watch locals have dinner; the mile-long waterfront is a pleasant place to walk or people watch, and the Sea Walk Pavilion is home to many concerts and events. Jacksonville Beach felt similar to Santa Monica, but there were also some clear differences between the coastal towns on both coasts.
To be honest, you could walk quite a bit to Jacksonville Beach to get most of what I needed during my stay, so I didn't have to drive to many places. But there were no easy public transport options. The coast of Santa Monica seems to be quite developed in terms of development. I'm not sure how many new buildings or hotels will appear there soon.
But if you're looking for opulence and elegance, you'll most likely prefer accommodation options in Santa Monica, as there are several comfortable and exclusive hotels such as Shutters on the Beach or Viceroy Santa Monica. While there were plenty of alternative options to milk at the coffee shop I frequented during my trip to Jacksonville Beach, I don't think the city offered the same dietary variety. In addition to the beach, Santa Monica offers many activities for the whole family. There's Pacific Park, an amusement park on the pier, and Third Street Promenade, a pedestrian-only shopping street, among other places.
Adventure Landing Jacksonville Beach, a water park, also offers mini golf, go-karts, batting cages, and a game room. Nearby there are even places to rent bicycles and take surfing lessons. Jacksonville Beach is slightly more pet-friendly than Santa Monica, as dogs are allowed on the beach's sand. There are certain time restrictions depending on the season, and dogs have to be on a leash.
There are some beautiful parks in Santa Monica. My personal favorite is Palisades Park because it has beautiful ocean views. Jacksonville's early predominant position as a regional business center left an indelible mark on the horizon of city. After World War II, the Jacksonville city government began increasing spending to finance new public construction projects in the post-war economic boom.
Jacksonville's basic services (water, sewer and electricity) are provided by the JEA (formerly the Jacksonville Electric Authority). The Better Jacksonville Plan, promoted as a model for Jacksonville's future and approved by Jacksonville voters in 2000, authorized a sales tax of half a cent. The Jacksonville Skyway is an automated people transportation system that connects Florida State College to the downtown Jacksonville campus, Northbank's central business district, the convention center and the headquarters of Southbank. The Marine Corps Blount Island Command and the Port of Jacksonville (JAXPORT), the largest seaport in Florida by volume.
Jacksonville was also a key point for the supply of hogs and cattle being shipped from Florida to feed Confederate forces. As Jacksonville grew, toll booths created bottlenecks and caused delays and accidents during peak hours. Jacksonville is home to Deutsche Bank's second largest operation in the U.S. U.S.; New York City only it's bigger.
Known as the Great Fire of 1901, it was one of the worst disasters in Florida history and the largest urban fire in the southeastern United States. By Judy Wells Known to natives as the Jacksonville Beaches or Beaches, Unnamed Island now encompasses eight distinctive communities, two counties and a host of ghosts from its bustling past. The VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, opened in 2003, is a multipurpose stadium with capacity for 16,000 spectators that offers live sporting events and houses the Jacksonville Sports Hall of Fame. But I decided to visit Jacksonville Beach, Florida (or Jax Beach, as a lot of locals told me) to take a trip to spring.
The Jacksonville Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum is a branch of the world's largest private collection of manuscripts and original documents. Fishermen and boating enthusiasts enjoy the ICW's more than 40 miles of canals, swamps and canals every day in Jacksonville.
