Jax Beach ranked most popular in America

[blizz01]

Not a bad list to sit atop of.  It seems surprising that Jax Beach has 2x as many visitors as Myrtle Beach or Ocean City, however - maybe because they're more seasonal(?). 

What do Miami, Clearwater and Daytona Beach all have in common?  They are ranked lower than Jacksonville Beach in popularity, according to one national publication.
The Daily Beast used data from the United States Lifeguarding Association to put together its Top 20 list, which found Jacksonville Beach in the top spot.
Jacksonville Beach earned the spot because of the metrics used in the calculations, which involved the number of people who visited the beach in 2010 and the number of people who live there.
Nine million people reportedly visited Jacksonville Beach in 2010, and just over 22,000 call it home.
The formula is not cut and dry, however.  From The Daily Beast:
Total visitors and a metric of visitors divided by residents were weighted equally to determine the overall rank.
The Number 2 beach, Ocean City, Maryland, had 4 million visitors versus just under 7,000 residents.
Miami ranked third, with over 14 million visitors and 88,000 residents

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/07/31/most-popular-beaches-in-the-u-s.html

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/article/213276/3/Jacksonville-Beach-is-the-Nations-Most-Popular-Beach-According-to-the-Daily-Beast

[thelakelander]

Wow, I didn't know that Jacksonville Beach (22 sq miles, 22,000 residents) is larger than the City of Miami Beach (18.7 sq miles, 88,000 residents) in land area.  I guess there is a room for future Jax Beach growth.

[tufsu1]

plenty of room for growth...especially if you can get past that pesky height ordinance the residents pushed through a few years back

[cline]

Wow, I didn't know that Jacksonville Beach (22 sq miles, 22,000 residents) is larger than the City of Miami Beach (18.7 sq miles, 88,000 residents) in land area.  I guess there is a room for future Jax Beach growth.

I wonder if it might have to do with the fact that Miami Beach has more high rises compared to Jax Beach making it more dense.  Most of Jax is fairly low density once you get west of 3rd Street and even more so in some of the neighborhoods west of Penman.  It doesn't seem like there are a lot of empty lots around.

[duvaldude08]

plenty of room for growth...especially if you can get past that pesky height ordinance the residents pushed through a few years back

I agree. The resident's of Jax Beach are the ones who are holding back the growth. I remember they stated, " we dont want it turn into Miami Beach." I guess its that small town thinking that plagues the entire city of Jacksonville.

[cline]

I guess its that small town thinking that plagues the entire city of Jacksonville.

I don't think Jax Beach is being plagued by any small town thinking.  In fact their goverment has made quite an effort to enhance and promote its downtown.  Their downtown is far more vibrant than DT Jax.  Perhaps they just didn't want half empty high rises blocking everyone's view of the ocean.  There's always Panama City Beach if that's what your into.

[thelakelander]

Wow, I didn't know that Jacksonville Beach (22 sq miles, 22,000 residents) is larger than the City of Miami Beach (18.7 sq miles, 88,000 residents) in land area.  I guess there is a room for future Jax Beach growth.

I wonder if it might have to do with the fact that Miami Beach has more high rises compared to Jax Beach making it more dense.  Most of Jax is fairly low density once you get west of 3rd Street and even more so in some of the neighborhoods west of Penman.  It doesn't seem like there are a lot of empty lots around.

The highrises have something to do with it but Miami Beach is pretty dense at street level throughout.  The majority of the city has buildings at this scale and density:







Over time, I could see Jax Beach developing with a similar density and scale east of Third Street.

[tufsu1]

sure lake...but these are pics west of Collins/Washington in Miami Beach....saying that Jax. Beach gets there east of 3rd is doable...

But Miami Beach density is higher because east of Collins/washington are high rises....and Jax. beach is lower because west of 3rd is predominantly single family.

[copperfiend]

plenty of room for growth...especially if you can get past that pesky height ordinance the residents pushed through a few years back

I agree. The resident's of Jax Beach are the ones who are holding back the growth. I remember they stated, " we dont want it turn into Miami Beach." I guess its that small town thinking that plagues the entire city of Jacksonville.

I disagree. Personally, I don't want Jax Beach to be littered with half empty/half built condo towers like Miami, Daytona, Clearwater and other Florida beaches. Jax Beach has some charm. I think they have done a good job of allowing useful and smart developments without sacrificing the reason people like the beach to begin with.

I am impressed with the development off of third that houses the yoga studio and Dick's Wings. Parking on the roof!!

[iMarvin]

I was in South Florida two weeks ago and went to South Beach two days out of 10. I don't think Jax Beach will ever look like Miami Beach. Miami Bch has more shops while Jax Bch has more residential. The buildings would have to be demolished for us to have that type of density.

On a side note, between Espanola Way and 5th St., they have 3 streets  (Washington Av, Collins Av, and Ocean. Dr) full of just shops and hotels. Jacksonville also has 3 streets (1st St, 2nd St, and 3rd St) also. The density could be created but a lot would have to happen first.

[thelakelander]

sure lake...but these are pics west of Collins/Washington in Miami Beach....saying that Jax. Beach gets there east of 3rd is doable...

But Miami Beach density is higher because east of Collins/washington are high rises....and Jax. beach is lower because west of 3rd is predominantly single family.

Miami Beach is denser simply because its an urban city and has been so for decades.  In fact, the population was greater than Jax Beach is today, back in 1940 (28,000) and it has declined since it's 1980 peak of 96,000).  Strange enough, the majority of its highrises have been built since 1980 and the city has lost 8,500 residents since. 

Oh, I wasn't referring to Jax Beach ever resembling Miami Beach in terms of highrise development.  Jax Beach couldn't achieve that even if it wanted to.  We don't have that type of market or interest from international developers.  However, Jax Beach can grow to become a walkable community similar to what the core of Miami Beach is and has historically been.

[Tacachale]

I guess its that small town thinking that plagues the entire city of Jacksonville.

I don't think Jax Beach is being plagued by any small town thinking.  In fact their goverment has made quite an effort to enhance and promote its downtown.  Their downtown is far more vibrant than DT Jax.  Perhaps they just didn't want half empty high rises blocking everyone's view of the ocean.  There's always Panama City Beach if that's what your into.

It's more preservationist thinking than small town thinking. All three of the Beaches have put heavy emphasis on managing their growth wisely, including limiting sun-blotting condo and hotel high rises while still building up their town centers and keeping the area pedestrian and bike friendly. They've been more successful in checking the overtures of developers than nearly anywhere else on the First Coast, including putting a stop to the overbuilding of residential mid- and high rises even before the housing market crashed. And that's saying something considering they're one of the biggest draws in this part of the state. Neptune even successfully fought of a Wal-Mart. A Wal-Mart.

If only the rest of the city had this kind of thinking.

[Tacachale]

sure lake...but these are pics west of Collins/Washington in Miami Beach....saying that Jax. Beach gets there east of 3rd is doable...

But Miami Beach density is higher because east of Collins/washington are high rises....and Jax. beach is lower because west of 3rd is predominantly single family.

Miami Beach is denser simply because its an urban city and has been so for decades.  In fact, the population was greater than Jax Beach is today, back in 1940 (28,000) and it has declined since it's 1980 peak of 96,000).  Strange enough, the majority of its highrises have been built since 1980 and the city has lost 8,500 residents since. 

Oh, I wasn't referring to Jax Beach ever resembling Miami Beach in terms of highrise development.  Jax Beach couldn't achieve that even if it wanted to.  We don't have that type of market or interest from international developers.  However, Jax Beach can grow to become a walkable community similar to what the core of Miami Beach is and has historically been.

As for the density, the Miami area in general is much denser than Jacksonville, and Miami Beach is significantly closer to the city center than Jacksonville Beach is. Jacksonville Beach also took longer to grow. I don't remember exactly, but I don't think it hit even 20,000 people until this century.

[thelakelander]

I disagree. Personally, I don't want Jax Beach to be littered with half empty/half built condo towers like Miami, Daytona, Clearwater and other Florida beaches. Jax Beach has some charm. I think they have done a good job of allowing useful and smart developments without sacrificing the reason people like the beach to begin with.

I am impressed with the development off of third that houses the yoga studio and Dick's Wings. Parking on the roof!!

I think Jax Beach's architecture is pretty horrible but that goes for our city in general, with a few exceptions.  With that said, I'd love to see more infill development like that Dick's Wings retail center.  Anything to make it less autocentric at pedestrian level is good, imo.

[thelakelander]

Neptune even successfully fought of a Wal-Mart. A Wal-Mart.

If only the rest of the city had this kind of thinking.

I could have sworn Walmart actually won that battle and almost bankrupt the city in the process?