$1,249,728Average Value$568Average Price per Sq Ft52Homes For Sale
South Ponte Vedra Beach: A remote coastal community
As State Road A1A stretches from the north side of Ponte Vedra Beach to South Ponte Vedra Bech, the landscape changes. Commercial buildings, traffic lights and construction sites vanish. They’re replaced by homes overlooking the Atlantic Ocean on one side of A1A, with protected salt marshes and mangroves on the other. When RE/MAX Unlimited Realtor Chris Rich and her husband first visited the 15-mile strip of beachfront, she was sold. “When we were walking up the beach boardwalk, we looked at each other and said, ‘People go vacation in places like this. We can live here,’” says Rich, who moved to South Ponte Vedra Beach in 1997. However, the neighborhood 6 miles north of St. Augustine isn’t where many people vacation; a lack of public parking wards off tourists. Instead, South Ponte Vedra Beach is a remote community of full-time residents who live along uncrowded beaches and pristine marshes. “When we're down here going to the beach, we don't get the tourists from Gainesville, Jacksonville or Tallahassee,” Rich explains. “What we get here are our neighbors.”
South Ponte Verda Beach has four plus public beach accesses points.
Locals and tourists alike enjoy the sun and surf at Mickler's Landing in Ponte Vedra.
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Living on the beach or along the marsh
Mediterranean and midcentury modern homes on the east side of A1A back up to the coastline. Residents can cross their backyards, descend a flight of stairs and arrive at the orange-tinted sands of the beach. On the west side of the highway, solo houses and a few subdivisions border marshland along the Guana River. Often homebuyers come to the area dreaming of living beachside, but they’re ultimately sold on a house with views of the marsh, Rich says. “The marsh grasses change color all year long. The birds roost out there. It’s beautiful.” Due to the research preserve in the area, there are few opportunities to build more homes, leaving the community “pretty much filled up,” Rich adds. Beachfront houses are the most desirable, followed by marshfront properties. Prices for the latter start around $700,000, while the former can cost as much as $16 million. Condos are clustered on the north and south ends of the neighborhood, with prices ranging from $600,000 to $2.1 million. With the ocean to the east and two rivers to the west, it’s difficult for homeowners to avoid flood zones, so they may need to buy flood insurance. Hurricanes aren’t unheard of; Hurricane Matthew battered the area in 2016, followed by Hurricane Irma in 2017. The two storms caused more than $2 billion worth of damage across the county. In South Ponte Vedra Beach, some damaged homes were razed and replaced with more modern construction. South Ponte Vedra Beach has an overall CAP Index Crime Score of 1 out of 10, lower than the national average of 4.
South Ponte Vedra Beach is home to a number of different style beachfront homes.
Many homes in South Ponte Vedra Beach have unobstructed views of the natural marsh.
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Exploring the Guana
The Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, called the Guana locally, covers much of the neighborhood. This protected area preserves dunes, marsh vegetation and wildlife. Those who don’t live on the ocean can park in one of the reserve’s parking lots tucked into the west side of A1A, using pedestrian crosswalks to access public areas of the beach. Locals may stay on the west side to visit the education center and learn about wildlife, or they can hike the reserve’s 16 miles of trails through hammock forests to see armadillos and snakes in person. Boaters and paddlers can access the Guana River from the Six Mile Landing Public Boat Ramp. Five miles north of the neighborhood, golfers play rounds at TPC Sawgrass. The course hosts pro golfers annually during The Players Championship, but it’s open to the public otherwise.
Residents fish at the Guana River Dam at GTM National Reserve in South Ponte Vedra Beach.
Families can visit the GTM Research Reserve Visitor Center in South Ponte Vedra Beach.
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Dinners and game nights at South Ponte Vedra Civic Association
On the second Friday of the month, dozens of residents gather at the South Ponte Vedra Civic Association for dinner, often catered from nearby restaurants. The dinners are just one of the events put on by the 150-member nonprofit. Members also come together for game nights, highway cleanups and even group cruises. With roughly 50% of residents moving from another state, the civic association is a key place for people to make friends and socialize, says RE/MAX Unlimited Realtor Julie Jones, who is also the civic association’s social chair.
Locals head to the South Ponte Vedra Civic Association for community dinners and other events.
Residents enjoy the protected nature of the beach dunes in South Ponte Vedra Beach.
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Aunt Kate’s serves seafood for 100 years
One of the only places to grab food and drinks in South Ponte Vedra Beach is Serenata Beach Club. The private club has a bar, a restaurant and a collection of pools for adults and kids. Members may bump into neighbors while sipping drinks on the balcony that overlooks the club’s private beach. Many locals including Rich are members, but Serenata Beach Club briefly closed in early 2024 due to financial issues before reopening under new management. Locals also dine along the water at the cluster of restaurants just south of the neighborhood. Aunt Kate’s began a century ago when the founders served oil tycoon Henry Flagler a meal of roasted oysters. It continues to dish up fresh seafood on the bank of the Tolomato River, and century-old artifacts from the restaurant’s history, such as oyster knives and a slot machine, adorn the interior. A wooden filling station off A1A lets locals gas up and grab snacks without leaving the neighborhood, but other shopping trips require drives to Villano Beach, where there’s a Publix, or further south to St. Augustine. In addition to retail and restaurants, St. Augustine is home to museums, houses of worship and the nearest hospital.
Locals head to Aunt Kate's just south of South Ponte Vedra Beach for river side dining.
Caps On The Water provides sunset views and tasty food just south of South Ponte Vedra Beach.
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St. Johns County schools ranked No. 2 in Florida
Niche ranks the St. Johns County School District the second-best in the state. Most local kids are zoned to start their education at Ocean Palms Elementary School before advancing to Alice B. Landrum Middle School. Niche gives both schools grades of A. Meanwhile, Ponte Vedra High School gets an A-plus. Students can join one of Ponte Vedra High’s four academies, which are programs with project-based classes focused on the fields of biotechnology, business, education and information technology. Parents can request their children attend schools outside their attendance area if they want to enroll in programs offered by other schools.
Before high school, students can attend Alice B. Landrum Middle School.
Older kids can attend Ponte Vedra High School.
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Cruising A1A
Traffic is light, but nearly everything is located off a single road: A1A. The two-lane highway has narrow shoulders, so traffic may be held up if a truck stops to make a delivery or a turtle decides to cross the road. The lack of traffic on A1A and the neighborhood’s distance from the Intracoastal Waterway means residents don’t hear much noise, especially in the evenings. “We don’t hear the boats as they go down the Intracoastal, but we see them,” Rich explains. Northeast Florida Regional Airport to the south offers flights to Portland, Maine, and Newark, New Jersey. Jones says some residents kick back at home, watching planes take off and land at the small airport.
Residents enjoy the quite drive through the GTM Research Reserve in South Ponte Vedra Beach.
Locals take in views as the commute is sandwiched between South Ponte Vedra Beach and the marsh.
GreatSchools:
The GreatSchools Rating helps parents compare schools within a state based on a variety of school quality indicators and provides a helpful picture of how effectively each school serves all of its students. Ratings are on a scale of 1 (below average) to 10 (above average) and can include test scores, college readiness, academic progress, advanced courses, equity, discipline and attendance data. We also advise parents to visit schools, consider other information on school performance and programs, and consider family needs as part of the school selection process.
View GreatSchools Rating Methodology
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Crime and Safety
1 - Low Crime, 10 - High Crime
South Ponte Vedra Beach
US
Homicide
1
4
Sexual Assault
1
4
Assault with Weapon
1
4
Robbery
1
4
Burglary
3
4
Motor Vehicle Theft
2
4
Larceny
1
4
Crime Score
1
4
Source: WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com
South Ponte Vedra Beach Demographics and Home Trends
On average, homes in South Ponte Vedra Beach, Ponte Vedra sell after 106 days on the market compared to the national average of 53 days. The median sale price for homes in South Ponte Vedra Beach, Ponte Vedra over the last 12 months is $1,049,900, up 10% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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Live the coastal lifestyle in this beautifully FULLY FURNISHED Seaside Vista BEACH POOL HOME where luxury, comfort, and convenience meet. Steps from the ocean with PRIVATE COMMUNITY BEACH ACCESS, this 5 BED & 4 BATH coastal retreat sits in the heart of the highly sought-after Vilano Beach area known for its relaxed coastal charm. No detail has been overlooked! The gourmet chef's kitchen features
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Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
