When I first moved to Jacksonville, the things that I most strongly associated with the city as unique differentiators were the Jacksonville Landing, the Skyway, the 11 AM to 11 PM river taxis, the massive Regency Square Mall, Adventure Landing, the Southbank MOSH and River City area, and concerts at Met Park and Freedbird Live. These were all things that you couldn't really find in other cities that gave Jax a bit of its own feel.
In rapid fire succession, these things have all been erased from existence, and without them, I feel like we're rapidly turning into a rather nondescript mid-sized city. We've never been good at preserving our past, but it's kind of wild to see all these things just quietly disappearing. It feels like it's getting harder and harder to describe what makes Jacksonville unique, which to me, is a really significant, self-inflicted problem.
Although, I moved to Jax in 2003, I grew up spending a lot of my childhood in the Northside during the 1980s and 1990s.
Regency Square was a dime a dozen in Florida (it wasn't close to being the largest mall in Florida by then) and every major Florida city built a festival marketplace, peoplemover and science museum back then.
All were one trick downtown revitalization projects of that era. Tampa razed their downtown peoplemover back in the late 1990s before building the TECO streetcar line.
All the festival marketplaces eventually closed except Miami's Bayside. Church Street Station in Orlando is mostly vacant now and Tampa's Harbourplace is a part of a hotel now. Jax, while dumb, was the only to demolish prematurely.
Despite this, none of these 1970s/80s era projects define each city's unique identity. To me, Jax's authentic unique identity is its historic neighborhoods, people, culture, foodways and natural environment.
For example, Jenkins BBQ may permanently close, but the mustard-based sauces associated with our story is still here and being served in hole-in-the walls and on corners all across the city. The same goes for camel riders, garlic crabs and Mayport shrimp.
As long as we don't drain the Timucuan Preserve, Heckscher Drive will offer a low country setting, coastal that no other major metropolitan city can replicate.
I believe that we've still failed to incorporate authentic Jax into downtown. In fact, we've tried to suppress or remove it through urban renewal, demolition and public policies limiting long time local cultural traditions, such as fishing, from the riverfront.
The city's sense-of-place in the neighborhoods that birthed it, as well as our natural environment, is still well and alive and ready for those willing to accept it, take advantage and reintroduce back into the downtown scene.
Its a great opportunity we continue to have. We just have to embrace it and stop ruining our existing built assets.
Having grown up in Jax, I am missing the gradual and near-total loss of green forested and open spaces. In my youth, it was almost all pine forests down Beach and Atlantic, from University to the intracoastal. Likewise from University to St. Augustine on US 1 and out US 17 south of Orange Park. I-10 past Edgewood was a backwater. Palm Valley was truly palm valley, populated by hundreds of thriving palm trees. Ponte Vedra was the backwater of the Beaches outside of the club area. 210 was a two lane road through pitch black darkness at night.
Nobody outside the area ever heard of Fernandina or Amelia Island. While St. Augustine was better known, you could still almost always find free parking on its square anytime.
The beaches were quaint little ocean oases, with a get-away-from-it-all weekend vibe. Downtown still had decent remnants of department stores, restaurants, vibrant office buildings and major company HQ's, and easy-to-find cheap or free parking. While the 1960's took out lots of historic downtown, a good bit still remained giving it a certain distinctiveness and aura of the past. Areas like San Marco, Mandarin, Riverside and Ortega, while spotting more expensive homes near waterfront, were otherwise middle class affordable.
You could transit from any part of the City to any other part within 10 to 20 minutes mostly. The 4 lane Buckman and I-95 never had traffic jams and you always knew you could depend on moving at speed limit (or faster) given the lower volume of cars, even in "rush hour." I-295 and JTB didn't exist. UNF was "new" and in the middle of the woods. The Hart, Matthews, Fuller Warren and Trout River bridges all had tolls.
Restaurants were mostly fast food and few and far and few between compared to today. Eating out was special, not an everyday affair. "Better" restaurants were all family run, not chains.
Public school education ruled the day. Very few religious or private schools and no charters.
To Ennis's point, most every building of significance in any part of the City that existed in the 70's, 80's or earlier is gone. Anyone coming back to Jax after being away for 30 or more years would likely be lost today.
I estimate Jax had about 1/6th or less of the area population of today yet the urban area still had a "big city" feel.
To me, the ultimate identity of Jax that has survived time, is the river, intracoastal and the beaches along with our little remaining wetlands and forests. To be fair, the degradation of our environment extends across most all of Florida today. Very little of what I recall from childhood remains anywhere in this State so I would say Florida, too, is losing its identity. Every part of this State could be "anywhere else." Maybe this also applies to much of the U.S. Everything is a chain, a commodity, stripped down to its basics, disposable, just enough-to-get-by, devoid of character, in-a-hurry, not to slow down and "smell the flowers." The only respite can be found in our larger local, state and national parks.
As a resident that has been in Jacksonville as a toddler to an adult since the 80's, I agree with all the opinions given. Especially with the insight of how the entire country is becoming beige and basic. But I will say the thing I miss the most does involve The Landing. I am missing the central gathering place for the whole city for uniting events. Nothing beats the Tree lighting, Jag or Gator Bowl Pep Rallies, and community events. I remember as a kid becoming a fan of the Olympics, when the torch made a stop at The Landing for the 96 Atlanta Olympics. I know we have Riverfront Park, but it's something to see 2 stories filled with people for events coming together. Yeah, the crowds were crazy for some events, but it was the default for everyone in the city to go to celebrate. I miss the uniting space. There is nothing that matches that vibe anywhere in the city. Plus, even though many cities had a river marketplace, The Landing was always the spot to take visitors or family. I had a aunt that every time she was in town, we had to make a stop at the The Landing and Harry's for oysters. But we still have the river, beaches, and parks that are unique to Jacksonville. I would say one positive change, as a kid, I loved going to the Main Library (Haydon Burns) and walk around downtown. Then, it felt more empty with a lot of empty buildings. And now most of those buildings are now reopened or have some life to them. A lot can be done to make it better, but that fact that I live in a building I once was amazed by and that was once abandoned.