Community Details at a Glance
The Homes
Type
Established single-family neighborhood
Built
1950s onward, some newer infill
Sizes
Range of affordable homes
Status
Established; value resale market
Costs & Fees
HOA
Mostly none; confirm per property
CDD
None on older streets; confirm
Club
None
Insurance
Older stock; check roof age
Amenities
Location
Central Northside, near the airport
Retail
River City Marketplace minutes away
Access
Quick I-95 and Northside corridors
Setting
Established residential streets
Location
Area
Northside Jacksonville 32218
Access
Minutes to I-95 and the airport
Shopping
River City Marketplace, Dunn Avenue
Nearby
JAXPORT, Northside job centers
The Homes & Style
Highlands is a value Northside neighborhood. Recent third-party data put the median around $225,000 over the trailing year, with a reading near $244,000 in late 2025, and most homes from the $150,000s into the $300,000s.
For county context, the NEFAR April 2026 report put the Duval County median single-family price at about $332,500, a county-wide figure. Highlands prices well below that, which is its draw for value and first-time buyers.
Highlands is a established single-family neighborhood, so the variation is mostly in home age, condition, and which section a home sits in.
Most homes are single-family houses from the 1950s onward on standard lots, at affordable prices, many updated over the years.
Some newer homes mix into the area at the higher end of the range, offering more recent construction in an established setting.
Living Here
Highlands is an established residential neighborhood rather than an amenity community, and its appeal is the affordability and the Northside access.
The area sits near the airport, the River City Marketplace, and I-95, putting the northern job centers and everyday shopping within a short drive.
The Lem Turner and Dunn Avenue corridors and the River City Marketplace put grocery, big-box, and dining minutes from the neighborhood.
The River City Marketplace anchors everyday shopping nearby with grocery, big-box, and dining, and the Lem Turner and Dunn Avenue corridors add more retail minutes from the neighborhood.
Highlands spans a range of conditions and a mix of owners and renters. Look at the specific section and the recent comparable sales rather than the area average.
On the older homes, confirm the roof age and the systems, since they drive both the insurance quote and the near-term maintenance.
Before You Offer
Highlands is a value neighborhood, so a careful read on the specific home protects your money more than anything. Pull the flood zone for the exact address before you write, since pockets of the Northside near creeks and the river can read differently from a Zone X street nearby, and the flood determination drives both your lender requirements and your premium. Get an insurance quote early, because much of the housing stock is older and the number turns on roof age, construction, and the four-point and wind-mitigation details.
On any resale, read the roof, HVAC, and electrical age and budget for the first wave of replacements, since older systems drive both insurability and near-term cost. Most of Highlands carries no mandatory HOA, which keeps the carrying cost low, but confirm the status for a specific property and whether any newer infill section has dues. Confirm internet at the address and the actual speed available, and confirm property tax and any assessment through the Duval County Property Appraiser before you commit.
Comparisons
The honest field for Highlands is the other established and newer Northside neighborhoods, each with a different trade-off.
Oceanway is a nearby established Northside area with a broader range of homes at value-to-midmarket prices, a step up in some sections from Highlands. Panama Park is a nearby established Northside neighborhood near the river at value prices, comparable to Highlands on affordability. Victoria Lakes is a newer master-planned Northside community nearby with amenities and newer construction, at a higher price point and with its own fee structure.
Where Highlands consistently wins is the combination of affordable established homes, quick airport and I-95 access, and a low carrying cost with mostly no HOA. It loses to Victoria Lakes on new construction and amenities, and the housing stock here varies more than in a master plan. We will help you weigh them by total cost of ownership and the specific street.
Who It Fits
Highlands fits first-time buyers, investors, and value-focused households who want an affordable established home on the Northside with quick access to the airport, the port, the River City Marketplace, and I-95. The low entry price, the mostly no-HOA carrying cost, and the central Northside location suit a buyer comfortable reading an older home's condition and the specific street, and an investor who wants a practical basis with Northside rental demand.
It is a weaker fit for buyers who want to be a short drive from the beaches or the St. Johns Town Center, who want a gated, amenity-rich master plan, or who want brand-new construction with a builder warranty. Buyers who want a uniform, low-variation housing stock or who are uncomfortable budgeting roof and systems work on an older home should look elsewhere. For those buyers, the newer Northside master plans may be the better match.
