 |
Jacksonville Beach, Florida |
|||||
|
|
||||||
Pictures fromJacksonville Beach.
Jacksonville Beach is in Northeast Florida on the Atlantic Ocean, east of Jacksonville by 15 miles. It is separated from the mainland by the northward flowing St. John's River, otherwise known locally as the Intracoastal Waterway. Bordered on the south by Ponte Vedra and on the north by rebellious Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach is about one-half its former size as when the city limits included Neptune Beach. About 22,000 people call Jacksonville Beach their full-time home but the population swells greatly on the weekends, holidays and during tourist season when the working-weary and snowbirds flock to the beaches.
Downtown Jacksonville Beach is, like most Florida beach towns, a mix of commercial and residential structures. Many large hotel and motel chains have facilities directly on the beach as do many condominiums. Back from the beach a few blocks starts the residential district. The area has a long history going back into the late 1800's so much of the downtown area's houses and apartments are aging structures from the '60's and earlier. However, it is clean and neat with shopping close by and traffic not a big problem except during the tourist season. South of the downtown area the zoning seems to change and beachfront residences pop up. House-after-house of beautifully landscaped residences perched high on the areas sand dunes will accompany you on the drive south to Ponte Vedra, a private community by the sea.
Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach and Atlantic Beach all have a surfer crowd. It's not uncommon to see surfboards mounted on vehicles cruising downtown or young people waxing their boards on the beach. This is not Hawaii or California surf but the locals keep watch for the best surf and enjoy it anyway. Internet "surf cams" supply up to the minute information on wave action as well as provide those less inclined to simply get a nice view of the beaches in those cities.
While Jacksonville Beach entertains many from the mainland throughout the year, its close proximity to Jacksonville allows its residents to work and play in one of Florida's largest cities. A 15 minute ride places one in Jacksonville for any number of sporting events including NFL football games. Cruises can be had from JAXPORT, cultural events and facilities, as well as fine restaurants, are found everywhere.
Visitors to Jacksonville Beach can tour many local cities by car. Jacksonville, and the beach towns of Ponte Vedra, Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach are all within a 15-20 minute ride. The historic city of St. Augustine is about an hour away and Daytona Beach Less than 2 hours. This area can be accessed best by aircraft from the Jacksonville International Airport (20 minutes). |
Jacksonville Beach Downtown Area |
|
||||
 |
 |
|||||
| These views in downtown Jacksonville Beach show an attractive palm tree-lined promenade running from City Hall to the beach. | ||||||
 |
 |
|||||
| View of City Hall | The Seawalk Pavilion. | |||||
 |
 |
|||||
| Sculpture "Sea Express". | Oceanfront Park entrance to the beach. | |||||
 |
 |
|||||
| Oceanfront Park | Downtown shops. | |||||
|
|
||||||
Jacksonville Beach |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
||||
| ...made in the shade... | Pier undergoing reconstruction May, 2004. | |||||
 |
 |
 |
||||
| Pictures above show skyline of Jacksonville Beach area. Plenty of motels, hotels , condos and resorts here all built back of the dunes. | ||||||
 |
 |
 |
||||
| Photos above show the public beach area downtown. | ||||||
 |
 |
 |
||||
| Beach access downtown. | View looking north. | View from the dunes. | ||||
Jacksonville Beach Houses Downtown |
||||||
|
|
|
|
||||
| These houses (above and below) are non-waterfront and in the central downtown area of Jacksonville Beach. | ||||||
 |
 |
 |
||||
 |
 |
 |
||||
|
|
 |
 |
||||
 |
 |
 |
||||
Beach Houses of Jacksonville Beach |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
||||
| South of the Jacksonville Beach downtown area and towards Ponte Vedra Beach, residential beachfront houses form the landscape. These classic beauties (above and below) built high on the sand dunes are taken from that area. | ||||||
 |
 |
 |
||||
 |
 |
 |
||||
|
|
 |
|
||||
 |
||||||
Jacksonville Beach Streets |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
||||
| These photos are from the neighborhoods of Jacksonville Beach. Heavily treed and landscaped streets indicate a mature area. | ||||||
 |
 |
 |
||||
| Neighborhood streets in Jacksonville Beach. | Eddie Bahamas Restaurant | |||||
|
|
 |
|||||
|
Views along A1A in downtown Jacksonville Beach. |
||||||
 |
||||||
|
Wish I was there...again! |
|
|||||
