Arlington is a large

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, and is generally understood as a counterpart to the city's other large regions, the

Urban Core A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fre ...

, Northside,

Southside Southside or South Side may refer to: Places Australia * Southside, Queensland, a semi-rural locality in the Gympie Region Canada * South Side, Newfoundland and Labrador, a community in the St. George's Bay area on the southwest coast of Newf ...

, Westside, and the

Beaches A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

. It borders the Southside area at its southern end, and has several bridge connections to nearby

beaches A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

, the Northside and Downtown. The expansive neighborhood was incorporated into the city in 1968 as a result the

Jacksonville Consolidation The Jacksonville Consolidation was the city-county consolidation of the governments of the City of Jacksonville and Duval County, Florida. It was effected on October 1, 1968. Background In 1934, the Florida Constitution was amended to give the Fl ...

, a

city-county consolidation In United States local government, a consolidated city-county is formed when one or more cities and their surrounding county ( parish in Louisiana, borough in Alaska) merge into one unified jurisdiction. As such it has the governmental powers ...

of the governments of the City of Jacksonville and Duval County. Arlington is known for its mid-century modern architecture, and contains several architecturally significant homes designed by local architects

Robert C. Broward Robert C. Broward (March 30, 1926 – June 28, 2015) was an architect and author based in Jacksonville, Florida. He had a 61-year professional career during which he designed more than 500 projects. He was an adjunct Professor of Design at the Un ...

Taylor Hardwick Taylor Hardwick (July 15, 1925 – September 27, 2014) was an American architect, interior designer, filmmaker, and educator who designed hundreds of buildings throughout northeast Florida, predominantly in and near the city of Jacksonville. Ha ...

, and William Morgan.

History

Arlington was one of the first areas in the United States visited by Europeans; it was the site of the French

Fort Caroline Fort Caroline was an attempted French colonial settlement in Florida, located on the banks of the St. Johns River in present-day Duval County. It was established under the leadership of René Goulaine de Laudonnière on 22 June, 1564, follow ...

in 1564-1565, now represented by the Fort Caroline National Memorial. After the destruction of Fort Caroline, the area was only sparsely inhabited until the 19th century, when

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

s and plantations were established along the St. Johns River. After the American Civil War these gave way to residential developments, which were gradually absorbed into the Arlington community as it grew. Completed in 1910, Atlantic Boulevard was Florida's first modern "improved" highway and is considered to have been the beginning of the state's highway system. The highway connects the mainland portion of the city of

with the

Jacksonville Beaches The Jacksonville Beaches, or Jax Beaches known locally as "The Beaches", are a group of towns and communities on the northern half of an unnamed barrier island on the US state of Florida's First Coast, all of which are excluded cities or parts of ...

. Its eastern terminus is in the

San Marco San Marco is one of the six sestieri of Venice, lying in the heart of the city as the main place of Venice. San Marco also includes the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Although the district includes Saint Mark's Square, that was never admin ...

neighborhood; running through Arlington and on to the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

at the Jacksonville Beaches. First proposed in the 1890s by Eugene F. Gilbert, who personally paid for land surveys and eventually convinced the Duval County Commission to use convict labor to start building the road. A new set of county commissioners would eventually terminate the project as it neared completion. The road was eventually completed after the arrival of the

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarde ...

.Bill Foley
Atlantic, Girvin met on road in 1910
'' Florida Times Union'', 25 July 1998Bill Foley
A 'typical Yankee' is to thank for road
'' Florida Times Union'', 20 August 1997 Originally only wide, the road would soon draw criticism as being too narrow for the large amount of traffic carried between the mainland and the beach.Charles E. Foote
Road Improvement in the Far South
''The Horseless Age'' 35(9), pages 351-352. March 10, 1915. The Flying Ace

Film Company Norman Studios was in Arlington in the 1920s. The studio's films included race films with African American casts. In 1947 the administration of

Jacksonville University Jacksonville University (JU) is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida. Located in the city's Arlington district, the school was founded in 1934 as a two-year college and was known as Jacksonville Junior College until September 5, 1956, ...

purchased land in the Arlington neighborhood on which to establish a main campus. The first building was completed in 1950 and classes officially began. The same year the school received full accreditation as a two-year college from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Originally known as William J. Porter University, Jacksonville University was founded in 1934 by William J. Porter. It began as a small private two-year college."Timeline"
. www.ju.edu. Retrieved October 20, 2010. Sixty students were enrolled in Porter University's first year of operation. The school changed its name to Jacksonville Junior College in 1935. It relocated three times over the next fifteen years, but the influx of GI bill students following the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

made a permanent location necessary. The school received full accreditation in 1962 as a four-year school from SACS. Following the 1953 opening of the

Mathews Bridge The Mathews Bridge is a cantilever bridge in Jacksonville, Florida, which spans the St. Johns River. Constructed in 1953, the bridge brings traffic along the Arlington Expressway between downtown Jacksonville and the Arlington neighborhood. It ...

the Arlington area experienced a significant increase in development, maintaining a faster growth rate than any other area in Jacksonville for two decades. The Mathews Bridge is a

cantilever bridge A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end (called cantilevers). For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beams; however, large cantilever bridges designed ...

which spans the St. Johns River, brings traffic along the

Arlington Expressway The Arlington Expressway, which carries the unsigned State Road 10A (SR 10A) and mostly also the signed State Road 115 in Jacksonville, Florida, is a freeway that heads east from Downtown Jacksonville over the Mathews Bridge to Atlantic Bouleva ...

between

Downtown Jacksonville Downtown Jacksonville is the historic core and central business district (CBD) of Jacksonville, Florida USA. It comprises the earliest area of the city to be developed and is located in its geographic center along the narrowing point of the St. ...

and Arlington. Midway between downtown and the beaches, the Sandalwood neighborhood began developing in spring of 1960 and is just one example of the many planned subdivisions beginning to sprawl across the area at that time. Opening in 1967, Regency Square Mall is an enclosed

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

developed by Regency Centers. Constructed at an expanse of sand dunes at an expense of $12 million, it initially featured three anchor stores: national chain

JCPenney Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Gir ...

, along with May-Cohens and Furchgotts. The mall also included a Woolworth dime store as a junior anchor, a cafeteria style Piccadilly restaurant, as well as the single-screen Regency Cinema. Annie Tiques bar and restaurant opened on an outparcel of the mall. According to an ''Urban Land Institute'' study published by the

Florida Times-Union ''The Florida Times-Union'' is a daily newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Widely known as the oldest newspaper in the state, it began publication as the ''Florida Union'' in 1864. Its current incarnation started in 1883, when th ...

in 1979, it was one of the most profitable retail centers in the nation, with yearly average sales of $156/ft² versus a national average of $88/ft². To give back to the community, the mall operators turned over thousands of dollars in coins from their decorative fountains to charities. All types of social events, from art shows to science fairs to horticultural exhibits were held there. Construction of the Dames Point Bridge began in 1985 and was completed in 1989. The bridge crosses the St. Johns River using a

cable-stayed A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern ...

design, connecting Arlington to the Northside of Jacksonville. designed by HNTB Corporation and RS&H, Inc, and constructed by The Massman Construction Company, the main span is , and is high. When built, it was longest concrete cable-stayed bridge in the world.

Geography

Together with Northside, Westside, and Southside, Arlington is considered one of the large sections of Jacksonville. Initially, Arlington was a small settlement across the St. Johns River east of the present day central business district. The area grew substantially in the latter part of the 20th century, and now includes many smaller neighborhoods and developments. Today it refers to most of Jacksonville east and south of the St. Johns, west of the

Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following t ...

, and north of the Arlington River and

.Wood, pp. 302–303. Using GIS to sort 87 businesses with "Arlington" in their name, McEwen came to a similar definition, though noted that Arlington overlaps with

at its southern end.

Parks and open spaces

* Jacksonville Arboretum & Gardens *

Marabanong Marabanong is a historic mansion in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It was built in 1876 on the site of Perley Place, the antebellum mansion purchased in 1870 by British astronomer Thomas Basnett that was originally built by Thomas Perley and ...

* Norman Studios *

Palm and Cycad Arboretum The Palm and Cycad Arboretum at the Florida State College at Jacksonville is located on the south campus at 11901 Beach Boulevard, Jacksonville, Florida, United States. This is an outdoor area next to the G building, a large three-story complex i ...

* Timucuan Preserve * Tree Hill Nature Center

Economy

Commercial districts

The Regency area describes the commercial and retail development centered around Regency Square Mall. The commercial district encompasses an area equitable in size to Jacksonville's downtown, and consist of multiple corridors along the Southside Connector (SR 113). These include SR 115 (Southside Boulevard), SR 10 ( Atlantic Boulevard), Regency Square Boulevard and Tredinick Parkway. In a 2010 Arlington vision plan, citizens recognized the Regency Square Mall property as being ripe for redevelopment, with the potential to attract new businesses and consumers. The comprehensive report covered environmental, economic, and quality of life issues in the Greater Arlington region. The groups approach to the mall property was to redevelop the land with transportation and density in mind. The approach would entail mix-used structures, a gridded street pattern, and infill development. Emphasis is put on the vastness of the area and its equitable size to downtown.

Crowley Maritime Corporation Crowley, legally Crowley Maritime Corporation, is based in Jacksonville, Florida. Founded in 1892, Crowley is primarily a family- and employee-owned vessel management, owner, and supply chain logistics services company, providing services globall ...

, an international provider of marine solutions, energy and logistics services, is headquartered in the Regency business district. As of July 2016, the company was ranked the 13th largest private company in Florida, with revenue of $2.2 billion.

Education

The

Duval County Public Schools Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) is the public school district that serves the families and children residing in the urban, suburban, and rural areas of the City of Jacksonville and Duval County, Florida. As of 2015, the district had an enroll ...

district operates public schools, including Terry Parker High School, Arlington Middle School and Fort Caroline Middle School.

Higher education

Private colleges

(JU) is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grants. Dep ...

founded in 1934. It is a member of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). JU offers more than 70 majors and programs at the undergraduate level, 23 Master degree programs and doctorate degree programs, leading to the M.S.,

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

, M.A.T., and

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accoun ...

, and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). The University is divided into four colleges and two institutes: the College of Arts and Sciences, the Davis College of Business (DCOB), the College of Fine Arts (CFA), the Brooks Rehabilitation College of Healthcare Sciences (BRCHS), the Marine Science Research Institute (MSRI), and its newest addition, the Public Policy Institute (PPI).

Public colleges

The south campus of

Florida State College at Jacksonville Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) is a public college in Jacksonville, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and one of several institutions in that system designated a "state college" as it offers a greater number of four- ...

is located at 11901 Beach Boulevard.

Transportation

Airports

Jacksonville Executive at Craig Airport is a public

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

owned by the

Jacksonville Aviation Authority The Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA) is the independent government agency that owns and operates the four airports of Jacksonville, Florida, US. It was established in 2001 after being branched off of the Jacksonville Port Authority. History ...

. The airport covers an area of containing two

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...

paved

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concre ...

s: 5/23 measuring 4,004 x 120 ft and 14/32 measuring 4,008 x 120 ft., effective 2007-10-25 The mid-sized

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

airport handling 400-500 aircraft operations daily, consisting of personal aircraft and small commuter planes. On June 15, 1946, the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

's ''

Blue Angels The Blue Angels is a flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy.

'' performed their first

airshow An air show (or airshow, air fair, air tattoo) is a public event where aircraft are exhibited. They often include aerobatics demonstrations, without they are called "static air shows" with aircraft parked on the ground. The largest air show ...

at Jacksonville Executive at Craig Airport.

Public transportation

Arlington is served by several Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) bus routes. On December 1, 2014, JTA underwent a complete system redesign called Route Optimization. This was to provide more frequent, more direct, and more reliable service. The new routes in Arlington were as follows. *8 Beach / Town Center *9 Arlington / Beach *10 Atlantic *18 Atlantic / Monument *19 Arlington *23 Townsend / Southside *50 University *202 Mayport Express *205 Beaches Express *308 Arlington Community Shuttles

Roadways and bridges

Highways

Several major limited access highways traverse Arlington. These include: * the

( SR 10A) * the East Beltway (

I-295 Interstate 295 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States: *Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania), a bypass of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania * Interstate 295 (Florida), a beltway around central Jacksonville * Interstate ...

) * the

Southside Connector The Southside Connector was a proposed expressway that would connect the Bourne Bridge to the Mid-Cape Highway near exit 59 on Cape Cod. Currently, a similar route is served by two two-lane highways, Sandwich Road and a stretch of US 6, on opp ...

( SR-113)

Bridges

One bridge connects Arlington to

, one bridge connects the Northside and two access the

. These include, from west to east: ''To Downtown:'' the

''To the Northside:'' the Dames Point Bridge, officially known as the Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge. ''To the Beaches:'' the Charles E. Bennett Memorial Bridge and the Atlantic Boulevard Bridge Image:Matthews Bridge, Jacksonville, FL.jpg, Mathews Bridge Image:Meetup DamesPt 6-14-10-9419.jpg, Dames Point Bridge Image:Charles E. Bennett Memorial Bridge.jpg, Charles E. Bennett Memorial Bridge