Two Weekes in Provence and North Florida: 2017

Nocatee is a giant planned community across the Intra Coastal Waterway from where we live. It consists of thousands of acres and numerous planned developments within it's borders. It spans parts of Duval and St. John's counties. It was conceived and started just before the recession of 2007-2008. The land got cleared and the roads and infrastructure built and then the downturn took hold. The developers had planned well enough so that all of the landscaping and roadwork was covered and maintained even in hard times. I used to go drive over there and not see a soul. Empty roads, bold signs and perfect landscaping. As the country recovered, houses started to go up and new communities finished. The pace has continued to pick up and whole swatches of brand new houses appear, seemingly overnight.

This was taken in one of the newest ones. Not one of these houses is much over a year old and all of them are occupied. Every road, tree and lawn is perfect, new and young. No people are out and about and it is very quiet. I attribute it to the fact that many of these families haven't even met their neighbors yet and so, keep to themselves. In a few years there will be signs of wear, new plantings, taller trees and a sense of community. This is sort of like a history museum before the history.