Nassau County is in the most northeast Section of Florida, adjacent to the Georgia state line. Nassau has a nostalgic touch of Old Florida, with it’s dense pine forests, magnolias, moss-draped oaks, mile of marshlands and the coastal barrier island of Amelia Island. Fernandina Beach, the county seat and largest city, has an undeniable appeal. The city has a superb collection of Victorian architecture in a 50 block area that is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The beachfront on Amelia Island has been listed as one of the world’s 10 most beautiful beaches. Nassau County’s western woodlands create a lush natural setting for the communities of Callahan and Hilliard. These towns were settled in the early to late 1800’s, and have preserved the relaxed charm of small-town living. The arts are served by a variety of galleries, the Amelia Community Theatre and the Amelia Island Fine Arts Series. There are five golf courses waiting to challenge the skills of golfers, and tennis can be played on the county’s many public and private courts. Boating is tremendously popular and the fishing is excellent. The Nassau County Economic Development Board works to expand existing business and industry as well as attract new business into this flourishing county. This effort is reflected today in the thriving paper-manufacturing and shrimping industries, and in Fernandina’s restored Centre Street shopping district. This is a land rich in history, natural beauty and potential for the future. The county has a basic rural and small-town flavor that is defined in very different ways by each of the county’s communities.  Amelia Island                                       Amelia Island, the southernmost of the "Golden Isles" chain of barrier islands, claims title to the fairest of the isles -- and its 13 miles of unsullied beaches and 40-foot dunes, lush golf courses and captivating old Victorian homes support the claim. As the only territory in the United States under the dominion of eight different flags during the past five centuries, it absorbed much from each culture to become the multi-faceted region it is today. It was not until the early part of the 20th century that Amelia Island, because of its natural deep-water harbor, gave birth to the modern shrimping industry. Today, nearly 80 percent of Florida's Atlantic white shrimp are harvested in Amelia Island's waters. American Beach was developed in the 1930's by the founders of Afro-American Life Insurance as an oceanfront haven for African Americans during an era of rigid segregation. Today, American Beach remains a quiet, beachfront community and the first stop on Florida's Black Heritage Trail. A community of beachfront homes, luxurious condominiums and myriad golf courses, Amelia Island also boasts a 50-block section of tree-shaded streets lined with authentic and original Victorian homes. Their architectural styles range from the Florida Vernacular and Mississippi Steamboat to Queen Anne, Italianate and Chinese Chippendale. Many of these gracious homes have become plush inns and guest houses, giving rise to a thriving bed-and-breakfast industry. The island is a national resort destination. The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, operates a AAA-rated, five-diamond restaurant and is the only hotel in the chain with a golf course on the property. Amelia Island Plantation offers both resort and residential communities carefully developed for a complementary relationship with native wildlife, secluded beaches, maritime forest and tidal marshes. Amelia Island is also a getaway destination for Jacksonville area residents, with many rental properties -- including a lighthouse home -- available by the weekend or week. From yesteryear's Palace Saloon, Florida's oldest, to Civil War-era Fort Clinch overlooking Cumberland Sound, to the modern-day splendor of Amelia Island Plantation and the Ritz-Carlton, Princess Amelia's namesake isle is unique in its diversity.  Fernandina Beach                                Bordered by parks, buffered by natural wetlands, pristine rivers and alluring beaches, Fernandina Beach sits on the northern end of Amelia Island. As the second oldest city in the state of Florida, it is rich with history. Once a bustling Victorian seaport, picturesque downtown Fernandina Beach harbors a treasure trove of history, antiques, fashions and restaurants. Buildings dating from 1873 to 1900, gas lantern replicas, wrought-iron benches and cobblestone walks lead to the marina filled with shrimp boats. The Spanish influence is seen in its plaza and city plan. Florida's oldest surviving tourist hotel, the Florida House Inn, remains in Fernandina and boasts of once having Ulysses S. Grant as a guest. Center Street Historic District covers 50 blocks of restored 19th century Victorian homes, shops and restaurants. One of the biggest festivals of the Southeastern coast honors the shrimping industry and the area's history. The Isle of Eight Flags Fernandina Beach Shrimp Festival attracts 150,000 visitors during its summer weekend run. Water is a big part of life for Fernandina. Besides commercial fishing, some of the main attractions to Fernandina are its beaches, boat ramps and sport fishing. Every beach has public access and walk-overs are provided to protect the dunes. Golf is an attraction that brings thousands of visitors to Amelia Island each year. Fernandina Beach Golf Club on Bill Melton Road offers a 27-hole golf club within the city limits of Fernandina Beach. It is open to the public and is reasonably priced. Schools in Fernandina Beach have a high rating and good student-teacher ratio, with an average of 19.97 students per teacher. In addition, a high ratio of students graduating from the public high school go on to college.  Hilliard and Callahan Wide yards full of trees draped with Spanish moss hold homes with old-fashioned front porches, harkening back to a time when neighbors strolled and a community grew together through hard times as well as good. This is Hilliard and Callahan. Ideally placed as bedroom communities to both Jacksonville and King's Bay in Georgia, Hilliard and Callahan offer their own brand of family-oriented living within easy commuting distance. Just west of Interstate 95 in western Nassau County, the "main drag" through both towns is U.S. Highway 1, a slightly sleepy, mostly two-lane road running north and south throughout the eastern portion of the country. There are many small local businesses supporting the citizens of the area. Hilliard, the second-largest municipality in Nassau County with about 2,500 residents, has the largest single employer, the Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control center with its more than 400 employees. The county offers a diversity of landscape from the rural wooded areas of the west to the beaches of the east. More than 80 percent of the county consists of managed forest containing longleaf, loblolly and other hardwoods. Nassau County is a community that wears its history and its loyalties on its collective sleeve. Callahan residents are proud of a beautifully restored railroad depot now used as a library. Flags fly in front of many businesses and homes, local football games are attended even by those with no children in the schools, and churches are full on Sunday mornings.  Yulee As Territorial Representative to Congress and later as Florida's U.S. senator, David Yulee had a presence in the area that is felt even to this day. His vision of a cross-Florida railroad with Fernandina as its East Coast terminus was thought an outlandish idea in the early- to mid-1850's, but Yulee never wavered in his determination. Neither the Civil War, incarceration in a federal prison nor the necessity of physically moving an entire town could deter Yulee from his goals of statehood for Florida and of cross-state commercial centers joined by his railroad tracks. Statehood came first. Then Yulee's Florida Railroad was completed in 1860, just before Florida's secession from the Union. After the Civil War came the depths. The Confederate Army ripped up Florida Railroad's tracks to use for their own transport system and, by the end of the war, the railroad was in total disrepair. Yulee's life was unraveling; in 1865, he was arrested and charged with treason. He served only 10 months and was freed in 1866, returning home to resurrect his beloved railroad. Eventually, Florida Railroad became the successful Atlantic, Gulf and West India Transit Co. with trains arriving daily bearing tourists from New York and other cities. Long known as the slightly sleepy crossroads on the way to Amelia Island, Yulee is now a destination in its own right. Nassau County's largest unincorporated area with a population of about 19,000, Yulee consists primarily of residential neighborhoods and commercial development along State Road A1A. In the last five years, the entire corridor from Interstate 95 to the island has experienced a great spurt. Growth is being master-planned through a county-sponsored regional impact study, incorporating 58 square miles of land from Interstate 95 to Florida 17 (phase I) and on the north side of A1A from Chester Road to the Georgia line (phase II). Residential choices are numerous and range from planned communities, waterfront property and private tracts to an emerging rental market. Yulee is the fastest-growing residential market in Nassau County, with new developments such as North Hampton, Lighthouse Pointe and Flora Parke providing a variety of housing options. The median price of a single-family home in Yulee is $98,500, with 84 percent of residents living in homes valued from below $50,000 to $150,000. Florida Community College at Jacksonville's Betty P. Cook campus and Yulee primary, elementary and middle schools are centrally located in the town. It is also home to several private schools and a community school providing social services.