In an era where a $200,000 home is classified as "entry level," it's difficult to talk about housing bargains with a straight face. But Jacksonville-one of the most desirable relocation areas in the nation-remains a bastion of affordability, at least relatively speaking. According to the most recent National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index, a little more than 60 percent of homes sold in the greater Jacksonville area are affordable for families earning the region's median household income. That makes Jacksonville the 68th most affordable market of 158 surveyed nationwide. But in Florida, where prices have soared, Jacksonville remained by far the most affordable major market, ahead of Tampa, where 48.8 percent of the homes sold were affordable for families earning the median household income. Orlando was at 40.3 percent, and Miami was at 19.6 percent. And the value becomes even more apparent when you consider all that Jacksonville has to offer. First, water. Almost everybody wants to live on or near water. Consequently, waterfront property is one of the few investments that can accurately be described as a no-brainer. After all, as another timeless real estate adage goes, "They ain't making any more of it." But Jacksonville already has plenty. Blessed with beautiful, uncrowded beaches as well as the mighty St. Johns River and the Intracoastal Waterway, you can't drive far in Northeast Florida without running into shimmering bodies of water. Compared to many parts of the country, it's an embarrassment of riches. Second, natural beauty. It's all around. Take a trip north on A1A from Mayport at sunset on a winter day and gaze across the vast golden marshes. While away an afternoon exploring the Black Creek/Ravines Conservation Area. Head over to the Jacksonville Beach Pier and scan the horizon for a pod of Northern Right Whales, which winter off the coast. Third, livability. The Jacksonville area boasts most of the same cultural and recreational perks found in glitzier (and more expensive) Florida cities such as Palm Beach, Naples and Sarasota. And Jacksonville boasts a distinction those cities don't-it's on a prestigious list of the Top 5 most livable large cities in the country. Jacksonville was voted fifth, behind Charlotte, N.C.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Denver, Colo.; and Fort Worth, Texas, by Partners for Livable Communities, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that studies quality-of-life issues. Jacksonville impressed the organization's panel of evaluators with its combination of a vibrant economy, strong governmental leadership, eclectic arts and cultural organizations, diverse housing options and vast natural resources. Making the honor even more special-it's given only once a decade. "This is really a unique honor for Jacksonville," says Irene Garnett, director of public programs for Partners for Livable Communities. "That's why we only give it every 10 years. We want to see communities that are not only livable now, but that have a plan in place that creates a good life for their residents over the long haul." Clearly, Jacksonville is being discovered-as residential building permit numbers show. The number of permits issued in the Jacksonville metropolitan area, including Duval, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties, has almost doubled in the last eight years, from 6,955 in 1997 to 13,636 in 2004. And last year was on pace to be another record breaker. With so many new neighborhoods and new homes added to a healthy existing stock of resale homes, where should a newcomer begin the search for a home on the First Coast? Jacksonville Homebuyer can help. Following is a neighborhood-by-neighborhood primer, in which you'll find everything from new master-planned developments to charming historic neighborhoods. Undoubtedly, there's a home just right for you and your family. Clay County at a glance LAND AREA: 601 square miles In 1803, when Zephaniah Kingsley purchased 1,880 acres on the western shore of the St. Johns, the property was lush with laurel trees. The wealthy land baron and slave trader dubbed his plantation Laurel Grove. By the late 1870s the tract had been redeveloped as a resort community and renamed Orange Park for the abundance of citrus groves that surrounded it. During its brief heyday as a tourist destination, such luminaries as Ulysses S. Grant, Buffalo Bill Cody and Sitting Bull stayed in luxurious hotels and enjoyed the scent of orange blossoms wafting through open windows. Today, however, you'd be hard pressed to find any orange groves in this bustling Clay County municipality, a popular suburb dotted with dozens of subdivisions and hundreds of businesses. More than half the residents of Orange Park work in Jacksonville, according to the Clay County Economic Development Council. And more are coming. Clay County's population more than doubled from 1970 to 1980, then grew another 33 percent between 1990 and 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That pace is expected to continue, in part because there's still undeveloped land here. In fact, Clay remains one of the most sparsely populated urban counties in Florida, with about 262 residents per square mile versus a statewide average of 315.6. Orange Park's residential development first gathered momentum in the early 1920s when Caleb Johnson, president of the Colgate Palmolive Company, built Villa Mira Rio, a $500,000 estate on the banks of the river. Other millionaires followed, as did less ostentatious families who were attracted by the community's natural beauty and its convenient location. Vestiges of that era remain in Orange Park's small commercial historic district at the east end of Kingsley Avenue, where a few vintage buildings stand around what was once a watering trough and hitching post that served as the community's unofficial gathering spot. A scattering of gracefully aging residential showplaces can be seen along River Road, while Johnson's Mediterranean-style mansion survives as Club Continental, one of Northeast Florida's most popular special-event destinations. The region's past is celebrated each year through Carrie Clarke Day, sponsored by the city and run by the Historical Society of Orange Park and the Orange Park Garden Club's Founders Circle. Clarke and her husband William were Orange Park pioneers, and their circa-1914 home is now a centerpiece of popular Clarke House Park. Otherwise, Orange Park is a thoroughly modern place, where amenity-rich, master-planned communities attract hordes of buyers. Residential development is particularly intense around Fleming Island, along U.S. Highway 17 and Highway 220 in northeast Clay County. Indeed, planners expect the Fleming Island area to experience the highest growth rate in the county-about 24 percent-between 2005 and 2010. But even that torrid pace represents a slowdown from the 40 percent spurt that occurred between 2000 and 2005. The Doctor's Inlet area is also exploding, with 22 percent growth expected over the next five years. And mixed-use developments containing at least 11,000 homes have been approved for 20,000 acres straddling Brannan Field Road, which extends from Blanding Boulevard in Middleburg through the Argyle area to I-10. Clay County's highly rated school system is a major point, as is the presence of Naval Air Station Jacksonville and a plethora of retail and entertainment outlets, including the sprawling Orange Park Mall and the Orange Park Kennel Club, a 5,100-seat greyhound racing mecca. Other Clay County communities include Green Cove Springs, Keystone Heights, Middleburg and Penney Farms, which department-store magnate J.C. Penney founded in 1926 as a retirement home for ministers and their wives. Despite frantic development, much of Clay County remains rural, with Gold Head Branch State Park, Kingsley Beach, Strickland's Landing, Jennings Forest and Black Creek/Ravines Conservation Area offering camping, hiking, fishing and hunting. WHATS NEW IN CLAY COUNTY Mercedes Homes has opened a second phase at Spencer Plantation, with 52 homes priced from the mid-$200s. The target market: young families. ... Engle is also expecting to have homes available in OakLeaf Plantation's Whitfield neighborhood this spring. Prices will start in the mid-$200s and homes will range in size from 1,730 to 3,200 square feet. More than half the models are two-story. Golfers will enjoy an 18-hole Clyde Johnston-designed golf course in the OakLeaf Plantation's newest extension, Eagle Landing, where a Victorian-themed welcome center is now open. Also continuing at OakLeaf Plantation are Cannon's Point, where Mattamy Homes is building its St. Simon model, The Oaks, where Mercedes Homes is building its Jacqueline Cay model, and Briar Oaks, a Morrison Homes town home project where many units adjoin a lake, a nature preserve or cul de sacs. Finally, in OakLeaf Plantation's Cambridge neighborhood, Beazer Homes is offering the last of its affordably priced, energy efficient town homes. The units, which are priced starting in the $160s, are built to the company's "Environments for Living" specifications, which emphasize tight construction, indoor air quality and combustion safety. The company's Heating and Cooling Energy Use Guarantee, managed by an independent third party, assures buyers that the energy required to cool and heat their homes won't exceed a pre-determined amount. ... Elsewhere in OakLeaf Plantation, The Goddard School, a national preschool franchise, is taking up residence. With 225 schools in 28 states, Goddard first made its entry into the Jacksonville market with a facility near Julington Creek. The school is just one more amenity in this amenity-rich, master-planned community, which features a 30-acre Athletic Center with a state-of-the-art waterpark, a "sprayground," a play pool and a lap pool. ... Engle Homes/A TOUSA Company is enjoying brisk sales in its Silver Creek community, which boasts on-site lakes and two swimming pools. Wowing buyers is the affordable Sapphire model, which offers 2,132 square feet and is priced starting in the $160s. ... CornerStone Homes has started Phase III with 31 homes in Doctor's Inlet Reserve. There are nine floorplans from which to choose with prices starting in the $220s. ... A new condominium project is opening at Eagle Harbor. The Enclave will feature 84 units, ranging in size from 1,550 to 2,200 square feet and priced from the low $200s to the $300s. Duval County at a glance LAND AREA: 774 square miles ARLINGTON/INTRACOASTAL WEST Arlington is home to Jacksonville University and some of Northeast Florida's most precious environmental and historical landmarks. It's also a center for commerce, encompassing Regency Square Mall and vast expanses of shopping centers, restaurants and office buildings. Downtown is just a short drive over the Mathews Bridge, and the Beaches are just 20 minutes away via Atlantic Boulevard. Although much of Arlington was developed in the 1950s and '60s, its history goes back much further. French explorer Jean Ribault came ashore here in 1562, preparing the way for a second French expedition to start a colony called La Caroline two years later. The centerpiece of the settlement was an earth-and-wood fort built on the banks of the St. Johns, which was then called the River of May. The Spanish, led by Pedro Menendez de Aviles, later routed the French and captured Fort Caroline. Remains of the fort and the meadow on which it stood were swallowed when the river was dredged. But in 1964 a replica of the triangular structure was built, and stands today in the 680-acre Fort Caroline National Memorial. Arlington was also central to Jacksonville's brief heyday as a film capital in the 1920s. At the urging of an organization called Old Arlington Inc., the city bought and is attempting to restore four of five buildings that made up the Norman Film Studios complex on Arlington Road. During the 1920s, producer Richard E. Norman made silent films here starring African-American actors. Homes in Arlington range in price from just under $100,000 to well over $1 million along the water, but the typical price is in the low- to mid-$200s. Young families are increasingly calling Arlington home, with nearly half the residents between 18 and 25 years of age and another quarter between 35 and 44 years of age.
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