Why Amelia?

Wonder why so many people desire real estate in Northeast Florida?

Why Amelia? When selecting where to live in our area, Amelia Island Plantation is the premium choice in Fernandina Beach real estate. But if you need more information to answer your questions on why so many people desire real estate in Northeast Florida, we have provided the information below on our surrounding area.

• Location
• Weather
• Medical
• Demographics
• Events
• Awards and Recognition
• Educational
• Points of Interest
• History
• Places of Worship

 

 

 

Location:

• Amelia Island Plantation is located on the south end of Amelia Island, Florida, and covers 1350 acres.
• Amelia Island is 13.5 miles in length and 1/2 to 2 miles wide in width for a total of approximately 18.2 square miles.
• 29 miles north of Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) and 4 miles from the Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport.
• Amelia Island is the furthest northeast point in Florida.
• Amelia Island is located due south of Cleveland, Ohio.
• Amelia Island is the furthest west point on the North American Atlantic Coast.
• Radius map of surrounding cities. (Distance in hours)

 

Weather:

• Amelia Island has the lowest average daytime temperature in Florida during the summer.
• According to the National Hurricane Center, you are 25% more likely to experience a hurricane on Manhattan and Long Island than on Amelia Island.
• In the last 155 years, just three storms of hurricane strength have come ashore in the vicinity of Amelia Island. In fact, the last time Amelia Island experienced hurricane conditions was when Dora came ashore about 50 miles to the south in 1964.
• Not only is Amelia Island Plantation a wonderful place to live, but we also have been out of harms way from major hurricanes. To better show this point, click here to view hurricane strikes from 1950 to 2005.

Average	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Mid-Day Highs	65	68	73	82	86	90	91	91	87	83	74	67
Evening Lows	45	47	53	58	64	70	73	74	69	54	53	45
Surf Temp	57	59	62	72	74	79	79	80	77	74	72	60

 

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Demographics:

• Population Fernandina Beach (City located on Amelia Island; 2004) 11,541
• Median Age (2005) 40
• County Area (square miles) 651.6

 

Medical:

The Baptist Medical Center Nassau and many local physicians are located on Amelia Island. There are also two convenient urgent care centers. A short ride to Jacksonville will bring you to Mayo Clinic, St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Baptist Medical Center, Memorial Hospital Jacksonville, Shands Jacksonville and Brooks Rehabilitation.

 

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Educational:

Public schools located on Amelia Island include:

• Southside Elementary (grades Pre K – 1)
• Atlantic Elementary (grades 2-3)
• Emma Love Hardee Elementary (grades 4-5)
• Fernandina Beach Middle School (grades 6-8)
• Fernandina Beach High School (grades 9-12)

Private schools:

• Amelia Island Montessori School
• St. Michael’s Academy
• Amelia Island Parent Cooperative Preschool

Continuing education, as well as additional educational facilities located in Jacksonville:

• Florida Community College Nassau Center; Yulee
• Florida Community College at Jacksonville; multiple locations in Jacksonville
• University of North Florida; Jacksonville
• Jacksonville University; Jacksonville

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Events:*

• The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance - March
• Chamber Music Festival – May
• Shrimp Festival & Pirate Parade – May
• Amelia’s Wine Fest – May
• Nature Festival – May
• Fiesta de Santa Maria – September
• Jazz Festival - October
• Amelia Book Island Festival - October
• Georgia / Florida Football Weekend – October / November
• Amelia Island Fall Art Festival - November

*Dates subject to change.

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Awards and Recognition

 

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Points of Interest:

Wildlife
On Amelia Island you can hope to see many varieties of birds, marine and animal life. Birders will enjoy looking for Painted Buntings, Summer Tanagers, Purple Sandpipers, Great Blue Herons, Osprey and even a Bald Eagle can sometimes be seen soaring over the Intracoastal Waterway. If you enjoy watching marine life, each winter endangered Northern Right Whales can be seen off the shoreline. There are also many opportunities for viewing dolphins, manatees, otters, and alligators. From May to October you will find Loggerhead, Green and occasionally Leatherback female turtles here to hatch their young.

Fishing
The surrounding waters of Amelia Island Plantation offer both fresh and saltwater fishing along with sailing charters, day-cruises and sightseeing tours. Fish Amelia Island’s inlets on a four-passenger charter and test your luck against tarpon, shark and redfish. Six-passenger trolling charters are also available giving anglers the opportunity for striking game fish such as kingfish, cobia, barracuda, amberjack and bonito on several manmade and natural reefs offshore. Drift fishing these reefs also produces black seabass, snapper and grouper.

Boating
Amelia Island is a boater's paradise. There are many opportunities to enjoy a day on the water, places to fish and watch wildlife, and other interesting sites to see.

Bicycle Trails
Bike around Amelia Island Plantation on approximately seven miles of bicycle trails that will take you to some of the property’s points of interest such as the Sunken Forest, Aury Island, Drummond Point Park and Walker's Landing. Plantation trail maps are available at Amelia's Wheels.

Dining
A skilled culinary team of chefs, an inventive cuisine and a variety of dining venues, including Marché Burette, Falcon’s Nest, the Golf Shop Restaurant, the Beach Club Grill, the charmingly casual Verandah Restaurant, and fine dining at the Ocean Grill, have earned Amelia Island Plantation a reputation for excellence in dining. Heading the team is award-winning Corporate Executive Chef Greg Bauer. There are also many excellent dining opportunities on Amelia Island. Some of the local favorites are Barbara Jean’s Restaurant, Brett’s Waterway Café, The Beech Street Grill, and the Down Under Restaurant which boasts a spectacular view of the Intracoastal Waterway.

Shopping and Entertainment
Enjoy a day of shopping at the 44,000 square feet of fabulous boutiques, featuring top designers in every store, located at Amelia Island Plantation. There are many other shopping and entertainment opportunities located on the island, including a movie theatre, museum of history, Fort Clinch State Park, Amelia Island State Park, art galleries, miniature golf, and more.

The Spa & Salon
The Spa at Amelia Island Plantation provides unsurpassed spa and salon services using the highest quality natural skin and earth friendly products to ensure our commitment to our guests and the environment.

Historic District
A 50-block area in Downtown Fernandina Beach has been named a Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places because of the amazing preservation of late Victorian architecture. You will find a variety of shops and restaurants located on and just off Centre Street.

Fernandina Beach Public Swimming Pools
Atlantic Recreation Center, 2500 Atlantic Avenue
Martin Luther King Center, 1200 Elm Street

Fernandina Beach City Parks
Main Beach and Skate Park – Atlantic Avenue
Central Park – Atlantic Avenue
Egans Creek Park – Atlantic Avenue
Martin Luther King Park – 1200 Elm Street

Lighthouse
The 67’ Amelia Island Lighthouse was originally constructed in 1820 on Cumberland Island, Georgia. Then in 1839 it was dismantled and reconstructed in Fernandina Beach.

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Amelia Island History
The first inhabitants of this area were the Timucuan Indians and there is evidence that they were here as long ago as 2000 B.C. Known as the "Isle of Eight Flags", Amelia Island has had the following flags flown over it since 1562: France, Spain, Great Britain, Spain (again), the Patriots of Amelia Island, the Green Cross of Florida, Mexico, the Confederate States of America, and the United States. In 1736, James Oglethorpe gave the island its name in honor of the daughter of King George II, Princess Amelia. In more recent times, Fernandina Beach is credited with being the birthplace of the modern commercial shrimping industry beginning early in the 20th century.

Places of Worship
At Amelia Island Plantation, we understand that finding a place to worship may be important to our community and our valued guests. We have provided a directory to places of worship on Amelia Island, as well as the surrounding areas. No matter what your religion or denomination, we hope that you may be able to discover a place that best fits your worship preference.

 

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