One of the Jacksonville Beaches communities, Atlantic Beach FL, has a small town feel, easy beach access, excellent schools, and numerous living amenities that make it an attractive location for prospective home buyers. Atlantic Beach’s biggest draw is the nearby seaside and a strong community feel that harkens back to small-town living, making it a popular choice for families. Read on to see what makes Atlantic Beach such a popular locale for home buyers.
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While popular with families, the average median age of Atlantic Beach residents is 44.7 years old, making the population here slightly older than the Florida average. The wide range of housing types and prices, as well as the attractiveness of ocean front retirement properties, draws slightly older and more established residents to the area. With over 12,000 residents and a median income of $68,200, the community is solidly primarily middle class and white collar workers and lacks some of Jacksonville’s more diverse cultural ethnicity. Educational and health services and retail are the top two employment sectors in the area, a trend echoed throughout the state. In the 2000 census, 28 percent of families had children while 49 percent were married couples without children. The area remains popular with families due to the excellence of the school system, with several of the schools in the area having received an A rating from the state. The housing market in the area is reviving, making it popular for new move-ins; the median home price in late 2015 was $257,000.
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With a high quality of life, Atlantic Beach FL is often given a high rating in terms of livability. While a bit more expensive to live in than some areas due its nearness to the beach and numerous high-end homes with an ocean view, the area makes up for high prices in other ways. A warm, sunny climate is one of the many reasons that residents love Atlantic Beach with an average winter temperature of 58 percent and an average summer temperature of 86 percent. This, combined with lots of sun and easy beach access give Atlantic Beach an edge in livability. Great schools and lots of local amenities in the community and in nearby Jacksonville also improve the area's appeal; its a quick jaunt to any shopping or entertainment, including the major theaters and museums of Jacksonville proper. With a poverty level almost 50 percent lower than the state average, employment opportunities are also ripe in Atlantic Beach, balancing out a higher cost of living.
Atlantic Beach prides itself on its small town feel and on having a tight-knit and welcoming community. The neighborhood has a strong connection to nature and to the seaside as well, with numerous parks providing walking, biking trails, dog-walking, and beach access to the nearby coast. The parks function as a gathering place for special events like farmers markets, Art in the Park, and an annual Shakespeare festival. Community centers like the Adele Grage Community Center and Gail Baker Community Center are other popular community gathering points. The community also supports a thriving canoeing and paddling enthusiast group that extends throughout Jacksonville and makes use of the city’s rivers and estuaries.
Above all, Atlantic Beach FL residents work to build a safe and connected community. Chatting with the neighbors, evening walks, and school and community functions keep the population united and in-touch, and the city sponsors several special events throughout the year to encourage culture and arts. In addition to this, Jacksonville proper is a short commute away, providing even more urban amenities to residents. Shopping, art museums, and a major college campus are just a short twenty-minute drive over the St. John’s river. This best-of-both-world’s location allows residents to keep a valuable seaside small town feel while still having access to the job market and urban access that a major city provides. For home buyers looking for that small town feel and a bit of coastal living without going too far off the beaten path, Atlantic Beach Fl is a perfect choice.
Originally established in 1900 as a stop on Henry Flagler’s railroad, Atlantic Beach began its life as a travel port of call for wealthy travelers visiting the state in the winter months. Along with areas like Winter Park and St. Augustine, Atlantic Beach as just one more stop on the trek to winter homes and winter hotels; Flagler was determined to make travel from the north to his southern hotels easy and convenient for travelers. In 1913, the railroad sold most of its Atlantic Beach area land to the Atlantic Beach Corporation, which began city improvements such as lighting and street paving. World War I put a damper on the city’s growth, however, as citizens were afraid to come to the coast for fear of bombings or attacks. The city did continue to grow after the war, however, and the city charter was adopted officially in 1929. Growth was helped by the establishment of the Mayport Naval Station and the Matthews Bridge, and the city boundaries were extended in 1987 and again in 1996 to accommodate continued growth. Today, Atlantic Beach Fl is one of Jacksonville’s popular beach communities along with Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, and Baldwin, and is a popular destination for visitors and new homeowners alike.
