Editor's Note:  Contributing Columnist, Steve Nicklas, expresses his views and insights on various topics of local interest in Steve's Marketplace______________

Steve Nicklas

Welcome to the boomtown.

That expression fits the Jacksonville metropolitan area like a latex glove -- for the next decade and more. Jacksonville and surrounding communities offer promise, amenities, and appeal as a huge wave of population continues its shift to the Sun Belt.

Two major interstates intersect here. Local ports are expanding with abandon. The airport is centrally located, convenient, and easy to use (with room for growth).

Fernandina's Historic Centre Street

There are popular beaches, abundant room for industrial expansion, and adorable bedroom communities like Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island, the Jacksonville beaches, and St. Augustine.

It’s also a gateway to Florida, a state that has grown like it’s on steroids. This growth has slowed of late. However, with dynamic major cities such as Tampa, Orlando and Miami, the growth will soon resume.

While Jacksonville does not have the size or scale of these cities, it will soon be there. Just look around at this boomtown. Plush, high-rise condominiums adorn the downtown skyline. Incessant road construction prepares for tomorrow. And major industry continues to pull into town, including a well-established military presence.

A thorough railroad system complements the shipping, trucking, and air transportation systems. New contracts with several global shipping companies have placed the Jacksonville port on alert for future trade. An agreement with a Korean shipping company, Hanjin, to build a $360 million container terminal here could generate $1 billion in economic activity in Northeast Florida alone -- and create thousands of jobs.

Hanjin is one of the world’s largest container carriers, operating in more than 50 countries. And prominent cruise lines are considering expansion here as well.

The announcement that Deutsche Bank will develop a local office is further commentary on the global reach of Jacksonville. The German banking giant will eventually have more than 1,000 employees here -- most hired locally. The area already has a distinct financial and insurance presence.

The educational system here is approaching exemplary status. Highly respected colleges such as Jacksonville University, the University of North Florida, and the Florida Community College of Jacksonville are concentrated here. The public school system in the area also continues to earn top grades.

There are 1.4 million people in the seven-county region of North Florida. That number will climb. The implications for Nassau County are enormous. The “bedroom community” status is not always the most flattering, but there are merits to it.

The west side of Nassau County is really feeling the overflow from Jacksonville. Callahan has new restaurants opening with a flurry, as subdivisions crop up like a new harvest. Down the road, the business community in Hilliard revolves around the FAA center there. A congested Yulee and Fernandina Beach have struggled to attract major employers (other than big-box retail), meanwhile.

Jacksonville has been often recognized by trade magazines as one of the “hottest cities” for business expansion in the U.S.  robust business environment creates jobs, which feed a healthy local economy. There is then more money for roads, schools, and public programs.

These are synonymous with a boomtown. And there’s plenty of wealth to go around.

(Steve Nicklas is a financial advisor who lives on Amelia Island. He can be reached at thenicklasteam2@msn.com or at 904-753-0236.)