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Q. I'm
thinking of relocating to Amelia Island, what is life like in that area?
Will I have to take up golf?, I hear that's big down
there?
A. Golfing is a big attraction
here, and Amelia Island has many lovely resorts. And because it's an
island, there's a finite amount of territory, unlike Jacksonville which
just keeps spreading out. You can use Amelia Island for year-round
retirement or for seasonal beach rentals. The northern end of the
island has Fernandina Beach. The downtown is a lovely, old town that's
a part of the National Register of Historic Places, and has wonderful
shops and restaurants. Modest beach rentals can be had on the ocean
side of Fernandina Beach and to the south. The higher-end condos and
private clubs are on the southern end of the island in the area called
Amelia Island Plantation.
Jacksonville and its suburbs have many
new housing developments, many that center on a golf course. My parents
just bought a new house in one of those, and they don't golf, but it
also has a nice clubhouse with a pool. All the houses have three or
four bedrooms, so it's not one of those seniors-only kind of
places.
Q: I'm looking for real estate
investment opportunities, housing I can rent out. Do you recommend in
Amelia Island?
A: I'm not a real estate
professional, but if I had money to invest, I'd go for Amelia Island.
Nassau County, where Amelia Island is, had a 30% growth rate between
1990 and 2000. Between 2000 and 2003, it was the 25th fastest growing
county in Florida. In 2000, there were about 58,000 people here; by
2015, the county expects 81,000 to live here. Jacksonville is the
county seat of Duval County. The city covers 757.7 square miles, making
it the largest city in the continental US based on land area. There
were 735,600 people living here in 2000. Between 2000 and 2003, Duval
County ranked 40 in the fastest growing counties
in Florida.
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