Arlington is a large

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, and is generally understood as a counterpart to the city's other large regions, the Urban Core, Northside, Southside, 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 (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

. 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 (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

, the Northside and

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

. The expansive neighborhood was incorporated into the city in 1968 as a result the Jacksonville Consolidation, a city-county consolidation of the governments of the City of Jacksonville and Duval County. Arlington is known for its

mid-century modern architecture Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 1970 during ...

, and contains several architecturally significant homes designed by local architects Robert C. Broward, Taylor Hardwick, 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 logging, 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 ...

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. Its western terminus is in the

San Marco San Marco is one of the six sestiere (Venice), 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 Piazza San Marco, Saint Mar ...

neighborhood; running through Arlington and on to the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

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 commission A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States. A county usually has three to fiv ...

ers would eventually terminate the project as it neared completion. The road was eventually completed after the arrival of the

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

.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 Norman Studios, also known as Norman Film Manufacturing Company is a former American film studio in Jacksonville, Florida. Founded by Richard Edward Norman, the studio produced silent films featuring African-American casts from 1919 to 1928. The ...

was in Arlington in the 1920s. The studio's films included

race film The race film or race movie was a genre of film produced in the United States between about 1915 and the early 1950s, consisting of films produced for African American, black audiences, and featuring black casts. Approximately five hundred race ...

s with African American casts. In 1947 the administration of

Jacksonville University Jacksonville University (JU) is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Located in the city's Arlington (Jacksonville), Arlington district, the school was founded in 1934 as a two-year college and was known as Jacksonvill ...

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 The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

(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 The G.I. Bill, formally the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, but the te ...

students following the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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 beam (structure), beams; however, large cantilever ...

which spans the

St. Johns River The St. Johns River () is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and is the most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders 12 counties. The drop in elevation from River s ...

, brings traffic along the Arlington Expressway between Downtown Jacksonville 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 large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...

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 , Trade name, doing business as JCPenney (colloquially Penney's and abbreviated JCP) is an American department store chain store, chain with 649 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. It is managed as part of the Catalys ...

, along with May-Cohens and Furchgotts. The mall also included a Woolworth dime store as a junior anchor, a cafeteria style

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, England, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road (England), A4 road that connects central London to ...

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 t ...

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

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 o ...

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 Navigability, 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, the ...

, and north of the Arlington River and Southside.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 Southside 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 ...

* Palm and Cycad Arboretum * 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, a shipping company, 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 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 higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

founded in 1934. It is a member of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida and is accredited by the

(SACS) and the

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is an American professional and accreditation organization. It was founded as the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business in 1916 to provide accreditation to busines ...

(AACSB). JU offers more than 70 majors and programs at the undergraduate level, 23 master's degree programs and doctorate degree programs, leading to the

M.S. A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...

, M.A., M.A.T., and

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

, and

Doctor of Nursing Practice The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a professional degree in nursing in the United States of America. In the United States, the DNP is one of three doctoral degrees in nursing, the other two being the research degree PhD and the Doctor o ...

(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 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 Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

owned by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority. The airport covers an area of containing two

asphalt Asphalt most often refers to: * Bitumen, also known as "liquid asphalt cement" or simply "asphalt", a viscous form of petroleum mainly used as a binder in asphalt concrete * Asphalt concrete, a mixture of bitumen with coarse and fine aggregates, u ...

paved

runway In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...

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 except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

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 naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

's ''

Blue Angels The Blue Angels, formally named the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, are a Aerobatics, flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy.. Blue Angels official site. Formed in 1946, the unit is the second oldest formal aerobatics ...

'' 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 which they are called "static air shows" with aircraft parked on the ground. The largest air ...

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 Arlington Expressway ( SR 10A) * the East Beltway (

I-295 Interstate 295 is the designation for the following eight Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to I-95: *Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania), a bypass of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania * Interstate 295 (Florida), a be ...

) * the Southside Connector ( SR-113)

Bridges

One bridge connects Arlington to Downtown Jacksonville, 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