Are there any large lakes in the Jacksonville area w/lakefront homes?

[mawipafl]

madcapmagishion is right that some developers create boring retention ponds while others try to make the ponds more natural looking -- some ponds are just holes in the ground to serve the purpose of drainage while others are landscaped and/or have curvy shorelines to look more natural (even though they serve the same purpose as a "hole in the ground" type).

[BabyBoomers2]

What are the lakes over by Lake City like? Do they have ramps for launch/retrieving? How easy are they to powerboat on? Before moving to Jax, "lakes" were the only bodies of water we put a boat into.

[madcapmagishion]

Here, very few people use boats other than Bass or Jon boats in "lakes" as most are to small to use much more than a 18 footer in. there are a few exceptions.(Kingsly lake is one, and Lake Brooklyn when the water table is up is another) The ones over by Lake City are good size but shallow great for bass fishing(lots of weeds) but thats about it. But thats why most people go boating in the St Johns River its huge and convenient. (boat ramps all over)

Oh! one thing I forgot to mention theres a lot of alligators in the lakes over there. Even in Ocean Pond in the Osceola National Forest.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by Sherri L

Hi,
Thank you for the replies

Generally, lakefront property is less expensive in coastal areas than riverfront so cost is a big factor.

Having a private dock has been a wish of ours for years...(We purchased 7 acres ag exempt property in Central TX years ago before the drought dried up the lake and we are now searching for the elusive lake property in a different state).

We are just in the research phase now

Also, finding smaller towns (40-80K population) with a lake is appealing to us, but having a larger (over 500,000 population) within a 40-60 minute drive is important.

I realize that just over 28% of our country is suffering from drought to one degree or another, but TX has been too sever for *us* for years now.

I miss the ocean terrible but my husband loves lakes, so a compromise is in order LOL
Both worlds is what we are searching for

Thank you

Just FWIW - our lakes are every bit as prone to drying up in a drought as yours in Texas. I recall going to Tallahassee during our last really really big drought (about 1998) and the main lakes were almost bone dry. The retention ponds and natural areas where I live (marshes) were almost bone dry too. In this area - the ocean will never dry up - nor will the St. Johns River and its larger tributaries. And that's about all you can count on IMO. Robyn

[madcapmagishion]

A lot of lakes down near Keystone Heights have gone dry. Some say (wrongly) because of the limestone mining that goes on in the area. The drought is the real culprit. The real reason is the lack of rainfall and the donward flow of lake water into the Aquifer,

Basins: Keystone Heights Area Lakes

Lake Brooklyn many years ago used to go through a 7 year Hi-Lo cycle, where for 7 years it was so full you couldn't get under the bridge (SR 21 that seperates the big lake from the little lake) with a boat. And 7 years that you couldn't get under the same bridge, because there was no water under it. But lately it's been just low for about the last 15 years or so. Since the drought of 97 or so.