Located just over 30 miles to the north of Jacksonville, Amelia Island offers beauty beyond compare. Whether you crave a day at the beach or enjoy the marshland eco-system, the island beckons you. At just 13 miles long and two and a half miles wide, you don’t have to travel far to enjoy everything Amelia Island has to offer you.
Amelia Island, FL
History
The Timucua people originally inhabited what we now know as Amelia Island from around 1000 AD up until the early 1700s. French explorers were the first known European visitors to the island in the mid-1600s. Spanish forces drove the French out just three years after they arrived. By 1742, the British took over control of the island. However, the British left after the Revolutionary War. Florida was then given back to Florida. In 1821, US forces occupied Amelia Island and took ownership of Northeast Florida. Not long afterward, troops abandoned the fort on Amelia Island and left the area.
After the troops’ departure, the island became private plantation land. At the turn of the 20th century, Amelia Island found favor with wealthy Americans. They came and built beautiful Victorian homes on the island in what eventually became known as the Silk Stocking District. With the construction of the Egmont Hotel, members of the New York elite used Amelia Island as their winter getaway.
Currently, Amelia Island is known for its high-class resorts, world-class golf courses, and top-notch restaurants.
Demographics
Approximately 35,000 people live on Amelia Island. According to Livability.com, the median home value on Amelia Island is $324,500. It also tops their list of “Top 6 Affordable Islands You Can Actually Live On”.
Things to Do
Amelia Island offers over a dozen different 18-hole golf courses. And they are all good enough to make Links Magazine’s Top 25 Island Golf Courses list. When on the island, you must visit the Butterfly Garden in downtown Fernandina. Between the five state parks, the Timucuan Preserve, the Egrens Creek Greenway, and Huguenot Memorial Park, nature is never more than a moment away. Other great ways to experience island life is with a nice kayak ride (for water babies) or a scenic bicycle ride (for land lovers). No visit to Amelia Island would be complete without a trip to Florida’s oldest lighthouse, the Amelia Island Lighthouse.
If you’re interested in making Amelia Island your year-round residences, please contact the Welch Team.
