Atlantic Beach began as a small seaside community around 1900 when Henry Flagler, builder of the Florida East Coast Railway, built the Mayport branch of the railway and erected a station just north of the former Atlantic Beach City Hall.  Much of the development in the city has been residential, with single-family homes accounting for most of the developed land areas. The city is nearing build-out with less than 10% of the incorporated land area being undeveloped. Today, Atlantic Beach is a mostly residential community whose approximately 14,000 citizens enjoy an enviable quality of life.                                  
The city has a commission-manager form of government with an appointed manager who reports to the four commissioners and a mayor/commissioner.                                                                                    
In 1994, the city acquired approximately eight acres on the Intracoastal Waterway and with the use of grant funds, developed Tideviews Preserve as a passive park with trails, a boardwalk for viewing wildlife, canoe launch and picnic areas. In 1998, the City of Atlantic Beach, in a joint venture with the City of Jacksonville, acquired a twenty-seven acre island now known as Dutton Island Preserve. The island is experiencing on-going development as a nature park to include trails, a floating dock for launching kayaks and canoes, a fishing pier, camping sites and pavilions. Residents may now enjoy more than sixty-five acres of parkland.