Riverside Avondale Historic District Named One of America's Ten Great Neighborhoods for 2010

The American Planning Association (APA) today announced the designation of Riverside Avondale as one of 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2010 under the organization’s Great Places in America program. 

APA’s Great Places in America program celebrates places of exemplary character, quality and planning and cited RAP’s advocacy and preservation efforts as central to the neighborhood’s success. “RAP wouldn’t exist without our passionate volunteers – much less receive this kind of recognition,” said Carmen Godwin, RAP’s Executive Director. “This honor is really a testament to almost 40 years of civic engagement and effort by the residents and volunteers of this community.”

APA singled out our neighborhood for its approximately 5,000 historic and architecturally diverse residential, commercial, and institutional properties, abundant parks and open space, emphasis on planning, and neighborhood advocacy efforts. 

“We’re very excited to name Riverside-Avondale as one of this year’s Great Neighborhoods,” said APA Chief Executive Officer Paul Farmer, FAICP. “The neighborhood is Jacksonville’s hidden gem. Collaboration by the city and residents has been a crucial part of efforts to protect the neighborhood’s unique character, which boasts one of the country’s best collections of Prairie School-styled homes and a striking view of downtown,” he added. 

We are SO proud of this wonderful award, whose other winners have included renowned neighborhoods like Society Hill in Pennsylvania and Boston's historic Back Bay. We've always known this is a GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD, but now the rest of the country does, too!