Life on the river
If Durbin is the established community with the big oaks, RiverTown is the one still writing its story, and the river is the whole point. RiverTown sits right on the St. Johns River, and that waterfront access changes the feel of daily life. Families here kayak and fish off their own community’s riverfront, and being on the water 20 minutes from the beach is a combination you do not find everywhere.
Built for families, three amenity centers deep
RiverTown is unapologetically family focused. It has three amenity centers, the RiverHouse, the RiverClub, and the RiverLodge, which is rare even by St. Johns County standards, and its own K through 8 academy right inside the community. For a family with younger kids, that is a powerful thing. The pool, the trails, the school, and the river are all part of the same neighborhood.
The new construction angle
This is one of the two big new construction stories in the county right now. RiverTown was developed by Mattamy Homes after the original developer struggled coming out of the 2007 to 2008 downturn, and Mattamy turned it into one of the most active building communities we have. You can still buy new here. The builders working RiverTown today are Mattamy Homes and Toll Brothers. If you want to be the first family in a brand new home rather than buying someone else’s choices, RiverTown is where I would start.
New construction is a specialty of mine, and there is a lot to know before you sign a builder contract. Read how I help new construction buyers
Why the river runs north
Here is a piece of trivia most people who move here have never heard. The St. Johns is one of the best known rivers in the country that flows north. It starts in the marshes way down in Indian River County and runs about 310 miles north, up through Jacksonville to the Atlantic. Most people who move here have never thought about which direction a river runs, and then they live on one that does it backwards.
The golf cart life, and what the trails connect
The first thing you notice driving through RiverTown is the kids. They are everywhere, and they are all on golf carts and electric scooters, because that is how you get to everything. Dog parks, fishing piers, kayak launches, lazy rivers, splash parks, tennis courts, pickleball courts. It is all strung together by trails.
What surprised me most is the hiking. There are nature trails running between the smaller subdivisions inside RiverTown, so you can walk for miles without ever getting in a car. Families who love being outside and know their neighbors do very well here. If you want to keep to yourself, this may be more community than you are looking for.
Sunset on the fishing pier
This is my favorite thing about RiverTown, and it has nothing to do with real estate. We are on the east coast of Florida, so we do not get a sunset over the ocean. We all flock to the river instead. The river is very wide at this point and the light on it is gorgeous. Go out on the RiverTown fishing pier in the evening and you get one of the best sunsets in the county. Plenty of us around here treat it as a date night.
There is also a Fourth of July tradition here that tells you everything about the place. Everyone decorates their golf carts in flags and bunting and they run a parade right through the main part of the neighborhood.
What is open to everyone, and what needs a resident card
RiverTown has no gates, and people are often surprised by what that means. The fishing pier and the walking and hiking trails are open to the public, so you can go experience the best of it before you ever buy. The lazy river, the kayak launch, and the amenity centers are resident only, and you need your card. If you are shopping the community, go walk the river trail on your own first. It is the fastest way to know whether this is your kind of place.
The honest math on CDD fees
I would rather tell you this up front than have you find it at the closing table. RiverTown carries a CDD fee, and it is a real line in your budget. A family gets excited about a beautiful home at $550,000, and then learns there is a yearly CDD assessment on top of taxes, and the amount depends on the homesite. That does not make it a bad buy. RiverTown gives you more amenity per dollar than almost anything in the county. It does mean the affordability math is different than the list price suggests, and I will walk you through the real monthly number before you fall in love with a floor plan.
How RiverTown compares
If you want the same family energy in something more established with grown trees, look at Durbin Crossing. If you want the amenities and the town center feel closer to the beach, look at Nocatee.
