8 Facts You Didn't Know About Our Beaches!

[Metro Jacksonville]

8 Facts You Didn't Know About Our Beaches!



Downtown isn't the only neighborhood in town that's interesting. Here's eight facts about the beaches that you probably didn't already know.

Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2015-aug-8-facts-you-didnt-know-about-our-beaches

[I-10east]

Great article, thanks for the info!

[gedo3]

Really informative--definitely a fun history lesson!  Thank you!

[coredumped]

That picture of beach blvd looking east is really awesome.

[camarocane]

Where was the Hotel Continental located? The picture shows between 7th and 10th, but that doesnt tell me much.

[thelakelander]

The hotel was located between 7th and 10th Streets, a few blocks north of the Beaches Town Center. There's a condo complex on the site today. The hotel's old concrete bulkhead and boardwalk still remain today.

[Tacachale]

Great article. I wish there was some commemoration of Manhattan Beach out at Hanna Park now. I think there could be a whole article on northeast Florida's historical black beaches.

[TimmyB]

This is great stuff.  My wife and I believe the lack of a light-rail system to get from downtown to the beaches is about the ONLY thing that Jacksonville lacks.  We were unaware that it used to exist!  Thanks for sharing this.

[CCMjax]

This is great stuff.  My wife and I believe the lack of a light-rail system to get from downtown to the beaches is about the ONLY thing that Jacksonville lacks.  We were unaware that it used to exist!  Thanks for sharing this.

I have thought for some time that a rail line from DT to the beaches should follow Beach Blvd like it once did and not JTB like some others think.  It is a more natural path and is a straight shot from downtown Jax Beach to downtown Jax.  Let Butler continue to get clogged up.  I think there are more rail oriented development and redevelopment opportunities along the Beach route as well.  Could really help clean up the mess that is Beach Blvd eventually. 

[Tacachale]

This is great stuff.  My wife and I believe the lack of a light-rail system to get from downtown to the beaches is about the ONLY thing that Jacksonville lacks.  We were unaware that it used to exist!  Thanks for sharing this.

I have thought for some time that a rail line from DT to the beaches should follow Beach Blvd like it once did and not JTB like some others think.  It is a more natural path and is a straight shot from downtown Jax Beach to downtown Jax.  Let Butler continue to get clogged up.  I think there are more rail oriented development and redevelopment opportunities along the Beach route as well.  Could really help clean up the mess that is Beach Blvd eventually.

The city doesn't own the right of way, however. They do on JTB.

[CCMjax]

This is great stuff.  My wife and I believe the lack of a light-rail system to get from downtown to the beaches is about the ONLY thing that Jacksonville lacks.  We were unaware that it used to exist!  Thanks for sharing this.

I have thought for some time that a rail line from DT to the beaches should follow Beach Blvd like it once did and not JTB like some others think.  It is a more natural path and is a straight shot from downtown Jax Beach to downtown Jax.  Let Butler continue to get clogged up.  I think there are more rail oriented development and redevelopment opportunities along the Beach route as well.  Could really help clean up the mess that is Beach Blvd eventually.

The city doesn't own the right of way, however. They do on JTB.

So they have no say in what happens to it regarding commuter rail?  What about Atlantic?  I would assume same situation?

[thelakelander]

All of those highways (Atlantic, Beach, JTB, etc.) are FDOT facilities.

[Tacachale]

This is great stuff.  My wife and I believe the lack of a light-rail system to get from downtown to the beaches is about the ONLY thing that Jacksonville lacks.  We were unaware that it used to exist!  Thanks for sharing this.

I have thought for some time that a rail line from DT to the beaches should follow Beach Blvd like it once did and not JTB like some others think.  It is a more natural path and is a straight shot from downtown Jax Beach to downtown Jax.  Let Butler continue to get clogged up.  I think there are more rail oriented development and redevelopment opportunities along the Beach route as well.  Could really help clean up the mess that is Beach Blvd eventually.

The city doesn't own the right of way, however. They do on JTB.

So they have no say in what happens to it regarding commuter rail?  What about Atlantic?  I would assume same situation?

What I mean is there's not enough space to put in a train without either taking out lanes, or buying more land for ROW. With JTB, additional ROW is already present.

[CCMjax]

This is great stuff.  My wife and I believe the lack of a light-rail system to get from downtown to the beaches is about the ONLY thing that Jacksonville lacks.  We were unaware that it used to exist!  Thanks for sharing this.

I have thought for some time that a rail line from DT to the beaches should follow Beach Blvd like it once did and not JTB like some others think.  It is a more natural path and is a straight shot from downtown Jax Beach to downtown Jax.  Let Butler continue to get clogged up.  I think there are more rail oriented development and redevelopment opportunities along the Beach route as well.  Could really help clean up the mess that is Beach Blvd eventually.

The city doesn't own the right of way, however. They do on JTB.

So they have no say in what happens to it regarding commuter rail?  What about Atlantic?  I would assume same situation?

What I mean is there's not enough space to put in a train without either taking out lanes, or buying more land for ROW. With JTB, additional ROW is already present.

 

In some cities like Charlotte they just ran it over previous lanes in some parts of downtown.  Detroit and Phoenix also run their's over lanes in some sections but those are more tram/streetcars than commuter rail, I'm not sure if those lanes are functioning car lanes as well still.  Beach already has 5 billion lanes in some sections.  Theoretically you could get away with eliminating 2 or 3 lanes if replaced by another form of transportation like commuter rail.  The goal would definitely not be to make Beach wider, god no!  Not sure what it would do around the St. Nicholas area, it gets pretty tight in there. 

An Atlantic route could service downtown, the shipyards/stadiums, Arlington and Neptune Beach but Neptune Beach is a little to far north to hit the densest parts of the beach.  Maybe it could turn south on A1A to hit Jax Beach or just connect with the trolley.

I don't see the value in adding one along the Butler corridor.  It already has the interstate.  It would be cheaper and there are a lot of people and businesses on the Southside but I just don't see it servicing that area very efficiently at all.  It's not as if you would be able to hop off the train and be at your destination, everything is so spread out in that area and well away from the ROW area.  Also, it doesn't really end at any point of interest at the beach either, just a strip mall parking lot and no beach access easily accessible within a comfortable walking distance.  Just my thoughts.

Won't happen for a while but planning needs to start for something like this now.  My vote is for either Beach or Atlantic, not JTB.

[thelakelander]

If rail was run between DT and the Beaches, the value in the JTB corridor would be significantly higher ridership. There's no real critical mass of destinations between DT and the beaches on Atlantic or Beach, unless we start counting Walmarts and strip malls.  With JTB, you could have stops within walking distance of Southpoint's office complexes, St. Luke's, Florida Blue/Deerwood Park, SJTC, UNF and Mayo Clinic.  In a sense, it's a suburban corridor that's pretty similar to the San Diego Trolley's Green Line LRT.