Atlantic Beach – a great place to live in North Florida!

If you are looking for a beach town that has it all, consider wonderful Atlantic Beach, Florida – one of the Jacksonville beaches that comprise Pablo Beach on the barrier island east of the greater Jacksonville area. We are easy to get to from Jax, but in terms of ambience and the coastal vibe, we are many miles away!

Although Henry Flagler and the railroad is known for putting Atlantic Beach on the map (as he did for so much of the Sunshine State!), many scholars believe that the first permanent year-round settlement in North America might have been nearby at the mouth of the St John’s River in 3,750 B.C.! The abundance of food (wildlife and seafood) and our beautiful climate encouraged successive native cultures such as the Timucua to call it home.

A fun fact about our history is that our Jacksonville beaches were once considered a sort of highway! The greatest distance you can actually drive in the state of Florida on the beach is from Mayport to South Ponte Vedra. While driving on the beach is restricted to turtle rescue and emergency vehicles these days, it was once a fun way to get from point A to point B around here.

Tourism helped the city to continue its expansion, and one of the most interesting additions to our little town was the opening of the Mayport Naval Station in the 1940’s. Ships and sailors bring global diversity, plenty of brainpower, and lots of income to local businesses. We love being a Navy town!