The City of Atlantic Beach is a small seaside community and a great place to call home. It is located in northeast Florida and is surrounded by natural beauty; a pristine beach to our east, the maritime woods of Hanna Park to the north and the beautiful Intracoastal Waterway marshes to our west. Atlantic Beach offers year round enjoyment for the outdoor enthusiasts as well as a small newly renovated Town Center with fine shopping, dining and night life at our doorstep. Just to the west lie all of the amenities of the City of Jacksonville, and as such, Atlantic Beach offers the best of small town and urban living.

Much of the development in the city has been residential, with single-family homes accounting for most of the developed land areas. The city is nearing build-out with less than 10% of the incorporated land area being undeveloped.

Recent city commissions have recognized the need to acquire real estate to be developed for recreational purposes while a few large tracts of land were still available. In 1994, the city acquired approximately eight acres on the Intracoastal Waterway and with the use of grant funds, developed Tideviews Preserve as a passive park with trails, a boardwalk for viewing wildlife, canoe launch and picnic areas. In 1998, the City of Atlantic Beach, in a joint venture with the City of Jacksonville, acquired a twenty-seven acre island now known as Dutton Island Preserve. The City of Atlantic Beach’s portion of the purchase price was paid entirely from Florida Barge Canal funds. The island is experiencing on-going development as a nature park to include trails, a floating dock for launching kayaks and canoes, a fishing pier, camping sites and pavilions. Residents may now enjoy more than sixty-five acres of parkland.