Jacksonville Beach

Understand

The founding of what is now Jacksonville Beach took place in the 1880s in the lead-up to the tourist boom Florida would experience going into the 20th century. Permanent settlement began around 1885 and a highway was begun in 1892. A railway was built in the area around the time of the Spanish-American War, during which William J. Bryan used the beach for training of Nebraska's Third Regiment. The town was known as Pablo Beach from incorporation in 1907 until 1925, when it became Jacksonville Beach. During the early 20th century it was an important amusement park destination, with Little Coney Island being in operation during the early part of the century and a roller coaster in the mid-century.

The cities in its immediate (coastal) vicinity — including Ponte Vedra Beach and Neptune Beach — are part of the broader Jacksonville area, and Jacksonville Beach residents vote in elections for the mayor of Jacksonville. The beach town's population was 21,000 in 2010.

Get in

By car

The beach road (FL-A1A) provides access by highway as it does to most Florida towns. The eastern terminus of US-90 (Beach Boulevard) is in Jacksonville Beach.

By plane

• Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) is the primary commercial airport in Northeast Florida, with scheduled service offered by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, jetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. The airport is located approximately 15 miles north of downtown. The airport has one terminal building, with ticketing on the upper "Departures" level and baggage claim and ground transportation on the lower "Arrivals" level. There are two areas for ground transportation, at the center front for taxis and area hotel shuttles, and at the north end (outside of Baggage Carousel 1) for pre-arranged ground transportation, including limousines, rental cars, intercity buses/shuttles, and local JTA city buses. Airline gates radiate from three concourses, A, B, and C which all funnel through one central security screening area. Generally arriving one hour before a flight's scheduled departure is plenty of time, but during major holidays, such as Thanksgiving, allow 1½-2 hours.
• Northeast Florida Regional Airport UST, formerly St. Augustine Airport, is 4 miles north of St. Augustine, and about 30 miles south of Jacksonville. The airport no longer has scheduled commercial service.

Go next

• Return to the main city in the region, Jacksonville proper.
• To the south is 16th-century Spanish colony of St. Augustine, with Flagler Beach and Palm Coast farther south.