Southside & Mandarin
Southside is the largest area of Jacksonville, and features plenty of shopping, dining, and entertainment. The quaint area of Mandarin is marked by ancient Spanish draped moss oak trees, beautiful parks, marinas and more water views than any other area in Jacksonville.
Southside is centrally located in Jacksonville and is a bustling business and retail center. The St. Johns Town Center - a 1.1 million-square-foot, open-air lifestyle center- offers innovative new retail, residential, hotel, and dining choices for Jacksonville natives and visitors alike. Just around the corner is Tinseltown; an equally lively area with a movie theater, restaurants, specialty shops, and thriving nightlife. Southside is also home to the Avenues, a large indoor shopping mall.
The Mandarin neighborhood, named for the Mandarin orange in 1830, is on the St. Johns River just south of San Marco. The area was once described as “a tropical paradise” by Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Both Beecher Stowe, and painter Lee Adams once lived here. Mandarin is characterized by its picturesque oak trees hung with Spanish moss and features some of the best views of the St. Johns River in greater Jacksonville. Once an important river port for shipping oranges and other citrus fruit northward, today Mandarin is a blend of residential areas and shopping centers.
Julington Creek Plantation, an unincorporated area of St. John’s County, boarders the southern end of Mandarin. Known as the “Young Ponte Vedra”, Julington Creek’s demographics range from 30 to 50 and has the highest per capita for disposal income. The Julington Creek Plantation Community Development District is a 4,120 acre community with over 100 lakes, 1,200 acres of nature preserve, seven miles of bike and jogging trails, and top rated golf-course. Some of its amenities also include a new $15 million country club-style clubhouse with a state-of-the-art gym, skateboard park, turf football and lacrosse field, four soccer fields, volleyball and four basketball courts, and a full-service restaurant. This high growth area is also home to the highest ranked schools in Florida and are among the top 10 in the country. With over 5,800 residential homes, Julington Creek caters all looking for a higher quality of life.
