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Community Review

Community Spotlight – Brooklyn FL

By February 2, 2021No Comments
Community Spotlight - Brooklyn FL

Not to be mistaken for the City in New York, Jacksonville’s Brooklyn neighborhood sits on the southwest corner of Downtown Jacksonville in Florida. For decades, the area along St. Johns River has been consumed by commercial structures. But recent plans from the City incorporate more residential buildings in amongst the commercial areas, creating a hip urban community.

Brooklyn Neighborhood of Jacksonville, FL

A Little History

Like much of the rest of the Jacksonville area, Brooklyn originally began as plantation land. After the Civil War, Miles Price purchased the land. Eventually, he split up his property into two parts. The southern half he sold off. It became a Riverside suburb. The northern portion he kept and developed it into the residential community now known as Brooklyn. Several members of the Buffalo Soldiers (African-American Civil War soldiers) lived here for a while. In fact, one of their former homes still stands in the neighborhood (although it is boarded up and in a serious state of disrepair). 

Brooklyn remained a primarily residential community until the early 20th century when railroad usage spiked. Then, many homes gave way to commercial and industrial usage. Towards the end of the 20th century, commercial buildings (including skyscrapers) began to pop up along the St Johns River. With so much commercial industry in the area, many people worried about losing their residential neighborhoods completely. So, at the turn of the 21st century, the City drew up plans to develop more residential and mixed-use properties around Brooklyn. Currently, they have almost $270 million in projects either currently underway or in development right now.

Things to Do

For a bit of exercise with a wonderful view, take a stroll along the Northbank Riverwalk. Along the way, stop at Corkscrew Park for a more intense workout at the exercise “tree”. If you’re there on Saturday, visit the Riverside Arts Market for fresh produce, homemade jewelry, handmade crafts, and much more. The Brooklyn Place Shopping Center is slated for opening later this summer or into the fall. Restaurants like Panera, Chipotle, and Bento Asian Kitchen already plan on leasing space in the building. Many more businesses and restaurants are planned in the upcoming months.

If you’re interested in settling into one of the urban-inspired homes along the River or a more historical neighborhood in Brooklyn or any other Jacksonville area community, contact the Welch Team.