Discover Jacksonville 2017

COMMUNITIES
Mandarin
Popular, family-oriented community
Bordered by the Beauclerc area to the
north, Julington Creek to the south and
the St. Johns River to the west, Mandarin
offers residents a suburban, familyfocused
lifestyle in an area that is quaint,
charming and filled with history.
Named for the Mandarin orange in
1830, this neighborhood on the St. Johns
River was once described as “a tropical
paradise” by Harriet Beecher Stowe, the
author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Both Harriet
Beecher Stowe, and painter Lee Adams
once lived here.
Mandarin is characterized by
its magnificent oak trees hung with
dramatic Spanish moss and boasts some
of the best views of the St. Johns River in
greater Jacksonville. Once an important
river port for shipping oranges and other
citrus fruit northward, today Mandarin
is known as a family-friendly area with a
blend of residential areas and shopping
centers.
There are plenty of choices for home
buyers with prices ranging from $140,000
to more than $3 million for a riverfront
home. The median real estate value is
$284,900.
Marietta and Whitehouse
Country atmosphere
Few places around Jacksonville still
can claim a country atmosphere with
room to move.
Marietta offers unusually large
lots with an average of a half-acre and
an average home value of $112,500.
New development, too, satisfies those
looking for a good combination of rural
community and modern homes.
Many move to Marietta because they
have animals. It’s not uncommon to see
cows, horses or other farm animals.
The Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail
also winds through Marietta. The
trail, converted from the roadbeds of
abandoned railroad lines to paved or
graveled restricted thoroughfares, Rails
to Trails, offers a pathway for bicyclists,
skaters and walkers/hikers as well as
horseback riders. The 14.5-mile trail
runs through an area of industrial
developments, farms with grazing cows,
and horses that come right up to the
grassy shoulders.
Marietta is home not only to people
looking for space, it is also home to
many businesses looking for space. The
Publix Super Market Division Office and
Michaels Distribution Center are off
Beaver Street; the Westside Industrial
Park is just north of Marietta; and
the Cecil Commerce Center also is
convenient.
Mayport
Simply shipshape
Mayport, the nation’s oldest fishing
village, is an eclectic mix of a beach
community and quaint town with a
strong military presence. It is the site
of Naval Station Mayport, which is one
of three major Navy installations in the
Jacksonville area.
Mayport is the most northern of
the Jacksonville beaches, and home to
delicious seafood restaurants, offering
their freshest catch. Residents and
visitors can dine on freshly caught
seafood, including the local specialty,
Mayport shrimp, and enjoy nature
at Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park, the
northernmost beach on the south side of
the St. Johns River.
The average home price in Mayport is
$89,900.
Maxville
A little corner of the world
Maxville, a community at the
intersection of U.S. Highway 301 and
Normandy Boulevard in the southwest
corner of Duval County to the Clay
County line, is home to about 6,000
people who like to get away from it all.
The first things you notice about
Maxville is that homes have lots of land
and that their park has softball fields that
are almost always full.
New residential development is
anticipated due to Maxville’s proximity
to the Cecil Commerce Center, an
indicator that more businesses and
people are probably on their way. Of
existing homes, the average price is
$77,900.
Moncrief
Pride on the Northside
Pride is a word that comes up when
talking about the Moncrief area,
bordered by Moncrief Road and 44th
Street on the south, Sibbald Road on the
west and the Trout and St. Johns rivers on
the north and east.
The Moncrief Improvement
Association has made great strides and it,
along with the community’s City Council
representatives, church-funded charities
and other groups are continually
working to beautify the area.
Moncrief residents enjoy quick access
to the downtown area, the airport, retail
shopping centers and the core of the city.
The addition of some major retailers, as
well as small businesses, offer practically
all of the same services and goods other
Jacksonville communities enjoy.
New residential construction is
coming to Moncrief and the surrounding
areas. The average home price is $76,000.
Murray Hill
Blast from the past
Murray Hill was first platted in 1906,
became a city in 1916 and was voted to
become a part of the city of Jacksonville
in 1925. Its beginnings are linked to the
railroads — families settled in the area
because of its close proximity to the rail
yards.
With a history dating back to the
turn of the century, Murray Hill has
landmarks that add to its uniqueness.
The neighborhood boasts one of
Jacksonville’s only two 1918 Sears,
Roebuck and Co. kit homes. And, the
original Dreamette, a Jacksonville
institution, still offers soft-serve ice
cream at Edgewood and Post.
The borders of Murray Hill run
roughly from I-10 down Cassat Avenue
to Park Street, Roosevelt Boulevard, and
back up to I-10.
Now boasting more than 5,000 homes,
ranging from small bungalows and
brownstones to larger two-story homes,
residents of Murray Hill are moving in or
staying in the small community because
of its family-oriented appeal, its location
close to major arteries and downtown,
its parks, and its pedestrian-friendly
business district.
The Murray Hill Preservation
Association, which has operated under
different names since 1932, can take
much of the credit for making Murray
Hill what it is today. MHPA, organized
to preserve the neighborhood, is a key
component to planning, representing
and preserving Murray Hill’s unique
character.
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