Florida Coastal Real Estate - Seaside Views

When you take the time to explore Florida’s First Coast communities, you’re likely to find that there’s a lot more to explore than merely the beach - there’s also a rich history throughout the area that has been preserved over time.

At the northeastern tip of Florida is the only place in the United States that has served under eight flags.

That alone would give Fernandina Beach a special panache, but the city offers much more than an interesting history.

It is, first of all, the only city on Amelia Island, one of Florida’s great resort areas. Thirteen miles of Atlantic beach lie minutes from downtown. A variety of hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfast inns and rental homes on the island beckon to vacationers, as do its seven golf courses.

It is the site of historic American Beach, one of the few beaches on the East Coast open to African-Americans during segregation, and of Fort Clinch, a well-preserved pre-Civil War fortress that guarded the mouth of the St. Marys River.

Just like St. Augustine, Amelia Island offers those who are exploring Florida’s First Coast communities a chance to see what life was like in the past - and to create a history of their own that they will be glad to have experienced.

Historic preservation is something that is extremely important to Florida’s cultural heritage. Because of this, many real estate developers in places like Jacksonville’s Riverside District focus on creating properties that seem to fit in.

Now that doesn’t mean that Florida homes are no more developed that those that you’d find preserved at the Kinglsey Plantation, near Jacksonville:

(source)The Kingsley Plantation, administered by the National Park Service, is located on Fort George Island and includes the plantation house, a kitchen house, a barn, and the ruins of 25 of the original slave cabins. The history of the island spans more than 1000 years beginning with the Timucuan Indians. The structures at the site, however, date to the plantation era of the island.

It’s just to say that it’s vital to keep the rich, cultural history of an area in tact - even while focusing on creating living spaces that are modern, stylish and have all the features that today’s homebuyers are looking for (pre-wired for entertainment and security, high end materials, open floor plans, etc.).

In other words, historic preservation isn’t only about maintaining properties, art and culture alive so that more people can learn from them and benefit; historic preservation is about building on the history of a place.

When you live in St. Augustine, Florida, you’ll have access to a wide variety of activities. There’s plenty of time to take your boat out and to explore or just relax. Nearby you’ll find natural preserves, great places to fish, activities for the kids, shopping and dining.

But when you make your home in St. Augustine - whether in a St. Augustine townhouse, condo or private residence - you’ll want to be sure to take time to take in the history of the area.

One way of doing that is to take the family on an historical tour of St. Augustine and the colonial area of the city.

The Colonial History Package offered by the the city gives St. Augustine residents and visitors a chance to take in three experiences:

• a tour of the Colonial Spanish Quarter;
• a tour of the Government House Museum where visitors can see St. Augustine artifacts; and,
• a chance to see a film about what life in St. Augustine once was like.

Though it’s easy to appreciate all that living in St. Augustine offers, you’ll appreciate it even more when you see how much times have changed.

Cranewoods Development
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Florida Coastal Real Estate - Seaside Views

Jacksonville, Florida  The latest oceanfront residential project by Cranewoods Development, The Cottages at Ponce Inlet, took more work than usual to create. For the past three years, the town of Ponce Inlet has been working to control future development in this conservative and sophisticated area south of Daytona Beach. 
 
There has been significant pressure on the Council to control real estate development in the area.  The town council was only approving projects that would be sympathetic to historical preservation and sympathetic to the town’s vision. (more…)

Many people spend copious amounts of time, money, and energy on home beautification projects but settle for standard concrete walks and driveways of asphalt, concrete, or even gravel. Such conventional drives and walks are unlikely to detract from a home’s appearance but they add very little to the overall aesthetics. Using period pavers for drives and walks will turn them into elements of the landscape rather than just utilitarian necessities. (more…)