Best Skyline In Florida (Excluding Dade County)

[Hisma]

Read my post again, please.  I never said that Jax was Florida's hottest city.  What I said, was, that outside of Miami, Jax is currently Florida's hottest city.  Between all the development in downtown as well as the suburbs, the hiring of San Diego's Tourism & Development Chief and hosting the Super Bowl last month, Jacksonville is a hotter destination right now than either Tampa or Orlando.  I'm not saying it's a bigger or better city, I'm just saying that right now, it's the hotter of the other cities.  That much is pretty much clear to see.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think not.

[bobliocatt]

I don't think anyone can declare Tampa/Orlando/Jax as being over one another. All excell in certain spots and fail at others. They all are seeing residential booms, so there's no reason comparing this segment.

For example, Orlando has developed a much better nightlife atmosphere over the others. I also like the way downtown connects with Thorton Park. However, downtown fails, as far mass transit and daytime office population (compared to the others) goes.

Tampa's streetcar is impressive and the best thing they could do, is extend it Ybor, thus spurring downtown's residential boom. They've also done a good job of turning an industrial district into an urban loft district, which is something Orlando will never have. However, despite being surrounded by water on three sides, it lacks in its acres of dedicated urban park space and the city should have originally built the streetcar line, at least to north Franklin Street, which is essential in turning the historical core section of downtown into a true 24/7 urban neighborhood. As of right now, its just a vertical office park, although that's starting to change.

Jacksonville has done the best, out of these three, in preserving the historical buildings it has left. Dense scenes of restored historical buildings, like along Adams Street & Hemming Plaza, can never be duplicated by the other two cities. The city is also doing a superior job in spending its own money to stimulate the core by moving its offices to sections of downtown, away from the riverfront and then selling the valuable land for new dense development. However, new development has been too spread out so it don't have the same effect of producing quick vibrancy that Orlando enjoys by having many new projects located near each other.

So at this time its a draw, until each city addresses their liabilities.

[prahaboheme]

Downtown Orlando may not have the historic structures, such as industrial grit/warehouses that JAX and Tampa have, but it does have its fair share of historic structures around downtown, as well as Thornton Park, Eola Heights, College Park, Winter Park, etc. that all add to Orlando's vibe. Further, once the Plaza is finished, it will, IMO, propel downtown Orlando into a whole new level. I honestly think, outside of Miami, Orlando is probably the hottest city right now at getting downtown where it needs to be. The commuter rail (and possible light rail) are going to do wonders as well.

[Hisma]

Orlando has decent office activity during the day. You're right, it doesn't match Jax or Tampa yet, but consider that Orlando is in the process of topping off 12 story CNLII, The Plaza with 12 & 17 story office towers under construction, as well as 27 story Dynatech center, which is breaking ground in a couple months. Orlando has more downtown office space under construction than any other city in Florida as far as I know(however if I'm wrong feel free to correct me, but I'm talking either under construction or about to break ground), since most downtown projects in Florida cities are residential condos & mixed-use retail.

I do agree 100% that mass transit in & around downtown orlando is terrible, and while heavy rail is being proposed it's probably still many years down the line. All in all, Orlando's strength is in it's street-level vibrancy, period. Weak skyline, pretty poor natural location, but a great place to party... & with all this new office & retail construction I guarantee it will get more action during the day as well.

Despite my thoughts, I dislike vs threads & think orlando has no real edge over any other major florida city. All have their upsides & downsides, and every city excells in certain areas. We should be happy Florida is doing so well as a state and I see no reason to put our cities into a pissing contest.

btw, if thehappysmith happens to read this, I hope he feels better about himself expressing how much he hates orlando, because to have such strong feelings against a city must mean he is either somewhat jelous or just plain ignorant... so so sad.

[bobliocatt]

Driven by the proposed courthouse and general corporate expansion, they're will be a lot of office construction, in Jax, as well. So far, only Fidelity's 8 story, 280,000 sf office building has started construction. However, other proposed office towers, include a 13 story one, next door, the 31 story Old JEA project will be mixed use and 323 Duval will consist of two 100,000 SF buildings. I don't know if it matches up to the other cities, but I really don't care either. All of these places will be pretty vibrant 5 years from now, so I'm more concerned with getting high speed rail going to connect them.

[Viper]

I'm more concerned with getting high speed rail going to connect them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If Jacksonvilles tremendous growth spurt isn't reason enough for it to be added onto any Florida wide mass transit projects then I don't know what is.

I know people there were pissed off wen they learned the Jax leg of that high speed rail project wasn't part of initial construction and may have been decades away.

[bobliocatt]

If Jacksonvilles tremendous growth spurt isn't reason enough for it to be added onto any Florida wide mass transit projects then I don't know what is.

I know people there were pissed off wen they learned the Jax leg of that high speed rail project wasn't part of initial construction and may have been decades away.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That was nothing more than a smear campaign by the opposition to gather votes to defeat high spped rail. Ever since the thing was planned, its always been said the the first phase would be built from Tampa to Orlando, which makes a lot of since, being that Central Florida is the heart of tourism, growing rapidly, and the two cities are only 80 miles apart. Next would be the Orlando to Miami line, opening two years later, which also makes sense, considering that Metro Miami has 5 million people. Then the third line would run from Orlando to Jax. The only people who said it would take decades to build, was Jeb Bush's crew. I'd take their word with a grain of salt, considering they also claimed that state would have to start an income tax and eliminate several jax road projects to pay for high speed rail, neither of which is true.

[miamistreets]

i havnt been to any of the cities but by pictures i kind of preffer Jax over the others.

[thehappysmith]

I think Lakelander's right; what's truly exciting is going to be looking at all these places five years from now. It's easy to compare proposed projects, it's easy to look at a city's mass transit plan, but who knows what will actually get built by 2010? All of these cities have a chance to do something really special, and I hope all of them do.

Personal prejudices aside, I most look forward to seeing Jacksonville in 2010. Jacksonville hasn't really seen any big changes since the Barnett and AHL buildings went up in the late 1980s. It was a long stretch between Barnett and Berkman Plaza, and I grew up there feeling like the era of big tower construction was over. Seeing a new building under construction in another city like Atlanta or Charlotte always bowled me over, because I lived in a place where nothing ever seemed to change.

Now all that's being swept aside with one proposal after another. We talk about the big ones on the drawing board, but you never know when financing will fall through or construction will be halted through some other concern. At the same time, not one of us knows what new project is going to be in the papers tomorrow morning. Trump Tower Tampa caught everybody by surprise out here, I can tell you, and the rennaissance just keeps moving on. Meanwhile in Jax the old doubters like myself are really starting to believe in the city. I'm sure the same is true Orlando as well.

But we're missing something here. Look at that poll; Fort Lauderdale only has two votes. I'll wager that few people on this thread have been to FtL in the last two years. I hadn't been there since July of 2000, and I can tell you I was quite dumbstruck by the change time had wrought in the city's downtown area. Fort Lauderdale is ahead of all three of the other cities on the residential condo curve; they got started with construction about two years before the rest of us did, I guess. It's really something. And with more projects proposed and new infill developments in the neighborhoods just north of downtown, that city is really going to take off. They have the downtown retail areas already in place, and I think in the next year or two Lauderdale is going to muscle its way to the top of some of these lists. The town certainly deserves it.

[asonj23]

My vote went to Jacksonville. There aren't too many pictures that really portray the beauty of it. It is definitely one to see in person. The river running through the middle of it adds a world class charm. Also the density (only really noticed on foot) is the most urban, next to Miami of course.

Just check out these picture threads Clicky! Clicky Again!

The street view pics are very impressive.

[Viper]

asonj23, I have a great pic for you. It's missing a few smaller buildings that have been erected since the pic was taken but none the less covers all three high rise locations...North Bank, South Bank and Riverside.

Copywright Joshua Dahl 2000 @ skyscraperpage.com

[asonj23]

Now THAT is what I'm talking about Viper. Thanks for posting that pic. It takes a good panoramic to capture Jax and this one does it beautifully.

You can even see the Dames Point Bridge!

[RiversideGator]

That is missing a bunch of fairly large buildings: The Berkman Plaza (20+ stories), Adams Mark (not much to miss though), the St. Joe Building, and the Fidelity National Building. It also is missing the I-95 bridge. It looks like it was somehow cropped on the left side. I will have to dig up my digital camera and get a shot when the weather improves.

[RiversideGator]

Fidelity is there. I meant to say it is missing the Fed Courthouse. I see the Fuller Warren now too.

[miamistreets]

Thats a nice picture.

I think Jacksonville may be trying to rival Miami's view.With the bridge,buildings,and water scene.

I'm playing.

Jacksonville's great,every city is its own.

[EngineerNole]

All those who voted, who voted for the city they are from? I actually voted for Tampa for skyline, even though I am from Orlando. However, I do have a bias for Orlando. For example, Tampa seems to be a lot more run down than Orlando. To me, Orlando has a lot of nice neighborhoods. When my parents moved to Tampa, I went with them when they looked for a home. I was not impressed. Now I'm sure they have their places that are nice. Whoever said each offers a certain characteristic to Florida as a whole is right. Miami is something in itself. It has more of the tropical feel than the other large cities, and is the best known nation wide along with Orlando. Tampa has a really cool looking skyline, and has a lot of history with Cigar manufacturing in Ybor City, and it is neighbors with St. Pete, which is just beautiful. Also, Tampa is on the bay and looks quite impressive. I think Jacksonville rivals Tampa in this aspect. Its skyline is really nice and it too is right on the water. In addition it has a lot of nearby beaches as well as St. Augustine. Orlando is the land of Theme Parks and they offer a lot outside of the daytime parks. Disney and Universal have Downtown Disney and CityWalk respectively. Then you have downtown, which has a modern and very Floridian look. Light colored buildings for example. Orlando has at least 5 skyscrapers on the way, pushing to fill in that spread out look it has for its skyline. Then there's I-drive....OK, It's obvious I'm from Orlando.

[Florida]

70 compared to 87 buildings.    That is what Emporis has listed.  Jacksonville seems to be doing well for a city with half the population of Tampa.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

WHOA!!!!! Since when did the City of Jacksonville (Pop. 735,617) have half as many people as Tampa (Pop. 303,447)?

Am I missing something?

Bigger metros don't always translate into Bigger or better downtowns.

No Florida city, in my opinion, has a nice downtown, Yet. The Captial City is about to shake things up a little. Watch out Florida!

[Viper]

Perhaps you are right that metro population does not have a direct affect on the urban cities' downtown size....but then again. Can you name me any cities with 300k in metro area that can come close to Tampas' downtown? Do you honestly think Tampa's DT is the size it is soley based on its population inside the polical city limits? Look at Atlanta.

[Captain Obvious]

Am I missing something?

Bigger metros don't always translate into Bigger or better downtowns.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, I mean, you're basically missing the fact that metros are a better measure than city limits. Metros might not be a perfect gauge of downtown size, but it's sure a whole lot more relevent than city limit size.

[Florida]

Atlanta has a city pop over 700,000 and its Metro is in the Millions. Surely its downtown is beautiful... now flip the coin and think about Indianapolis, IN - recognized as a large metro, but pales to compare even to Jacksonville and Tampa in terms of scope.

[Aessotariq]

According to Census 2000 data, City of Atlanta's population was 416,474. Fulton County had 818,322 residents.

[Viper]

Atlanta has a city pop over 700,000 and its Metro is in the Millions. Surely its downtown is beautiful... now flip the coin and think about Indianapolis, IN - recognized as a large metro, but pales to compare even to Jacksonville and Tampa in terms of scope.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually, Atlanta has less than 450k in the city. San Jose has over 900k and a tiny DT. The city population has less of an effect on a DT than does the metro population. Miami and Minneapolis have less than 400k in the city but a huge downtown.

Edit: Aessotariq, thanks for the official numbers.

[otowner]

IMO,

Miami, Ft Lauderdale, St Pete, Orlando, and Jax all are great places to be. Tampa is by far the worst big city in FL. It is old, there is too much traffic, too much crime and is the only city in FL that I would not want to take a vacation to nor live in. Jax has the best skyline outside of Miami, but Orlando is not far behind once all those projects get booming. The view from Lake Eola or even Lake Ivanhoe will be spectacular!

[TallTampa]

IMO,

Miami, Ft Lauderdale, St Pete, Orlando, and Jax all are great places to be.  Tampa is by far the worst big city in FL.  It is old, there is too much traffic, too much crime and is the only city in FL that I would not want to take a vacation to nor live in.  Jax has the best skyline outside of Miami, but Orlando is not far behind once all those projects get booming.  The view from Lake Eola or even Lake Ivanhoe will be spectacular!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have to defend my hometown, Tampa's a great place to live and getting better all the time, as are most areas in the state. I travel all around the state for a living and each city has their good and bad points(Orlando is certainly no exception). I get the sense that you've only experienced Tampa via I-4(which is a nightmare in Tampa and Orlando) and haven't been to many of the charming areas that are unique to Tampa. South Tampa and Bayshore Drive are beautiful, as are the Westshore district and New Tampa. You suggest that Tampa is a dump and I have refectfully disagree with you. I doubt the NFL would bring the Super Bowl here 3 times (and soon to be 4) or that we'd be the 3rd highest tourist destination in the state if that were the case. As for the topic at hand, I'd have to say that Jax gets my vote for now, keep your eye on what's going on in St.Pete though.

[otowner]

I have to defend my hometown, Tampa's a great place to live and getting better all the time, as are most areas in the state. I travel all around the state for a living and each city has their good and bad points(Orlando is certainly no exception). I get the sense that you've only experienced Tampa via I-4(which is a nightmare in Tampa and Orlando) and haven't been to many of the charming areas that are unique to Tampa. South Tampa and Bayshore Drive are beautiful, as are the Westshore district and New Tampa.  You suggest that Tampa is a dump and I have refectfully disagree with you. I doubt the NFL would bring the Super Bowl here 3 times (and soon to be 4) or that we'd be the 3rd highest tourist destination in the state if that were the case. As for the topic at hand, I'd have to say that Jax gets my vote for now, keep your eye on what's going on in St.Pete though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I know Tampa well, I lived there for over 3 years. New Tampa has one main road to access it (Bruce B Downs), I75 runs through there, but it is only 2 lanes in each direction. The traffic I refer to is not I-4 related at all. 275 is a mess during most of the daytime. The worst traffic though is on the regular gridded streets. Florida, Nebraska, Dale Mabry, Busch, Hillsborough, MLK, Fowler, Fletcher, etc each has horrendous traffic! South Tampa is one of the few nice areas, I do acknowledge that. The Super Bowl has been and will be played in Detroit and that isnt exactly the nicest city. They play in Tampa because there is an NFL stadium there in a warm weather city.

I admit that there is a lot negative about Orlando too, just like for any city; but Tampa just doesnt have the charm to its name that other cities in FL have.