Amelia Island, the town of Fernandina Beach, and the rest of Nassau County, Florida are alive with opportunities for both first-time homebuyers and those looking for the perfect vacation house.

Amelia Island is separated from the mainland by the Intracoastal Waterway, the narrow inland navigable river, running almost the entire length of the Eastern shore of the United States. All land west of this waterway within Nassau County is locally referred to as “the mainland."  The “mainland,” or the western portion of Nassau County, contains several major communities, the incorporated towns of Callahan and Hilliard, plus the very large unincorporated community of Yulee.

The entire county is undergoing extraordinary growth.  However, the eastern portion, Yulee, seems to be favored more by developers.  Subdivisions are being built and proposed at a very rapid rate. Amazingly, home prices cover a very large price range, from a modest 3 bedroom, 2 bath starter home in the $150,000.00 range to the sprawling luxurious homes at well over $1,000,000.00.

There are very few condominiums, apartments or townhouse complexes on the mainland.  In the recent past, the entire area was doted with mobile homes and very old “turn of the century dwellings.”  As the area develops, many of these communities are being overshadowed and replaced by single family homes. The transformation is positive.

Most mainland homes/communities are, in fact, bedroom communities for Jacksonville and amazingly for the Kings Bay Submarine Base in St Mary’s Georgia. The military, though nearly invisible, is widely welcomed and appreciated.  Like the active duty families, the military retired presence is very heavily felt.