Jacksonville: Where Florida Begins

More recently, the city has begun major improvements to Hendricks Avenue, the somewhat less upscale commercial corridor that provides an entry point to San Marco Square from the west. Utility lines will be buried, historic lighting will be installed and trees will be planted. Likewise, the San Marco branch library has doubled in size.

SPRINGFIELD

Along Springfield's 12-block-long Main Street, artsy types dine and drink at the Boomtown Theater & Café while at the Epicurean Market enthusiastic crowds listen to live jazz.

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

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 through the years has been resilient.

Today, those who were savvy enough to buy before the comeback gained momentum have seen their properties double and triple in value. City government, private investors and individual homeowners, assisted by civic organizations such as the Springfield Preservation and Restoration Council, are ensuring Springfield's future by resurrecting its past.

Last year 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.

SRG Homes and Neighborhoods, for example, has bought 150 mostly contiguous lots on which they are building new but historically correct homes, many with double-deck front porches, columns and trim-work similar to the century-old homes next door or across the street.

This recent activity marks the latest and 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 wiped out much of downtown Jacksonville but spared Springfield thanks to Hogan's Creek, which acted as a natural firebreak.

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

But 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 rumbled past restored homes.

Back in the 1980s, say organizers, police cars followed the carriages to offer protection to attendees. That such drastic measures are no longer thought necessary speaks volumes about how far Springfield has come.

SOUTHSIDE

Want to see a movie, grab dinner or go shopping? If so, you're likely to end up on the Southside.

The Cinemark Tinseltown, a mega-movie 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.

And coming next year is The St. Johns Town Center, an open-air mall at Butler Boulevard and St. Johns Bluff Road. Ben Carter Properties of Atlanta and Simon Property Group of Indianapolis are developing the 1.5 million-square-foot shopping plaza, with the first phase set to open in March 2005.

Among the tenants will be Dillard's, Dick's Sporting Goods, The Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Maggiano's Little Italy, Sephora, Restoration Hardware, Old Navy, Staples, Urban Outfitters, J. Crew, Guess, Ann Taylor Loft, Sharper Image and Metropolitan Home.

Not surprisingly, this burgeoning where-the-action-is ambience has kicked the Southside's residential appeal up a notch, especially for younger people, many of whom work at nearby office parks. Among these buyers, condominiums are particularly hot, with multifamily offerings ranging from affordable apartment conversions to upscale, amenity-rich new construction.

But the 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 30 years ago, or you can pick up a new home from $300,000 and up in subdivisions such as Hampton Park and Edgewater at Deer Creek.

Aiding the Southside traffic situation will be the June opening of a new interchange connecting I-95 and I-295 with the Florida 9A beltway.

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, the Westside includes four small incorporated cities: Baldwin, Marietta, Maxville and Whitehouse.

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

Another Westside treasure is 509-acre Westside Regional Park, with a nature center, outdoor classrooms, picnic areas, biking trails and an elevated platform from which to view 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 Drive-Inn and Flea Market, is on Blanding Boulevard.

Some residents have complained that the Westside receives short shrift from the city when it comes to encouraging business growth, which they say disproportionately benefits the Southside. However, a new Sleiman Enterprises project may soften that view.

The company plans to redevelop the former St. Johns Theatre site near Avondale into a two-building retail center flanking both sides of St. Johns Avenue along Roosevelt Boulevard. The 40,000-square-foot project, called Roosevelt Plaza, will feature two restaurants and seven or eight stores.

More good news for the Westside: Under the Better Jacksonville Plan, Blanding Boulevard is being widened and improvements are slated for several area parks. In Ringhaver Park, for example, lighting has been installed at the ball fields and five soccer fields are planned. In the Lake Shore area, $2.9 million has been allocated to alleviate drainage problems.

Many established Westside neighborhoods, such as Jacksonville Heights, Cedar Hills and Confederate Point, were developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Resales here can often be found priced in the $70s and $80s, making them attractive locations for first-time buyers. New subdivisions are popping up as well, particularly in southwest Jacksonville along Argyle Forest Boulevard and Old Middleburg Road.

Another Westside hot spot should be the site of the former Cecil Field Naval Air Station, which was closed by the federal government in 1999. The 17,000-acre tract, now owned by the city and renamed Cecil Commerce Center, will undergo $120 million in infrastructure improvements and will be developed as an industrial park.

A $37 million equestrian center opened last March and an adjacent 1.2-million-square-foot regional shopping center is under construction.

FLAGLER COUNTY

For decades, even most Jacksonvillians regarded Flagler County as significant only because of the monolithic blue water tower at Palm Coast, which served as a convenient milepost indicating that the journey to Disney World was roughly halfway complete.

Today, Flagler County is the fastest growing county in Florida and the fifth fastest growing county in the nation on a percentage basis. From 1990 to 2002, the population soared by 98 percent, from 28,701 to 56,785.

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

Indeed, visitors who leave the interstate and explore the real Flagler County are invariably 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.

Quite a change for a place once regarded as little more than a handy pit stop for southbound tourists.

But Palm Coast, which was 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, most of them retirees. By the mid-1990s, ITT had phased out its development division and sold its Flager holdings.

Today, Palm Coast, which became an incorporated city in 1999, 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, located just south of Palm Coast Parkway.

Town Center, developed by Palm Coast Holdings, 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 as well as a movie theater, a hotel and a nursing home.

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

Although Palm Coast is Flagler's fastest growing, most high-profile city, three other municipalities lie within the county: Flagler Beach (population 3,850), known for its 656-foot fishing pier and boardwalk; Bunnell (population 2,156), a sleepy inland city that serves as the unlikely county seat. Built in 1927, the Flagler Beach Pier still lures serious anglers who catch tarpon, snook, bluefish, whiting and snapper. Other local attractions include a Friday farmer's market, a wonderfully picturesque historical museum and such ecotourism treasures as Flagship Harbor Preserve and the Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area.

The Rogers tracts, which extend across a barrier island three miles south of Flagler Beach, is of particular interest because it's named in honor of a quirky, Florida-based folk singer who immortalized the state's colorful characters and turbulent history through his songs.

Well aware that its easygoing ambience is being challenged by growth, Flagler Beach leaders are looking ahead. Last January, under the auspices of the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, elected officials and dozens of residents participated in the creation of a "citizen's master plan." The plan calls for making downtown more pedestrian friendly and architecturally diverse while limiting commercial development along the A1A Scenic Corridor to several designated locations.