Easter in Nocatee

 Seems a bit stark.

Oleander flowers, Nocatee

 

Nocatee

Nocatee is a newish planned community. It sprawls over two counties. Very well planned and built out. But it retains that look of new uniformity. I would shudder to meet the homeowner's association of any subdivision here. Not much room to be an individual.

 

Nocatee

Flag-ish, Nocatee

Red, white and blue, Nocatee

Nocatee

Nocatee

Nocatee

Nocatee

Nocatee

This was the Monday after Memorial Day, so there were flags at every house.

Nocatee

hello there, Nocatee

Nocatee

Nocatee is the polar opposite of Jax Beach. Ten years ago it was wild land. since then a huge tract, sprawling over two counties, has been developed into numerous communities. All the houses are brand new and "perfectly" planted. Some of the older ones are starting to show the personalities of their owners a little bit; but not enough to bring the dreaded HOA down on them.

Walk around Nocatee today, with the Holga lens. Flags everywhere.

Three from Nocatee.

 Nocatee is a giant mega-development near us. It covers hundreds of acres and is all brand new. I have been going there since it was roads through the woods. Because it is so new, it has developed very little personality or sense of place. When nobody has lived on a street for more than a year, there is no history. All the trees and bushes are small and all of the houses still wear their original paint. Places like this evolve as people personalize their landscaping, color scheme, even the buildings themselves. It will be fun to watch them change.

The shot above is the first of many that I took this day of the areas between houses. Some have well worn paths already, some are fenced over.

Nocatee, 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.

Greens, Nocatee

Nocatee

This house has a very small lot, with a possibility of nice neighborhood views. This fence encloses the property and is 6 feet (2 meters) tall. Must be a claustrophobic yard.

Nocatee

The giant, multi-neighborhood development across the Intra Coastal Waterway from us keeps growing bigger. Two years ago this was scrub pine woodland.