Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

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texasdiver
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Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by texasdiver »

I know there are a lot of Floridians here. My wife just emailed me out of the blue this a.m. about a possible job offer in Jacksonville.

Any opinions on Jacksonville Florida as a place to live and raise kids? My uninformed impression is that it is not one of the nicer towns in Florida but I think I've only driven through on the freeway years ago. The job would be at the Mayo Clinic if that makes a difference geographically in terms of where to live and so forth. I understand the city is really spread out.
OatmealAddict
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Re: Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by OatmealAddict »

My wife had a job offer there as well and we were terribly excited because we eventually want to live in Florida, however we were sorely disappointed in Jacksonville. We only spent a weekend there and I'm sure there are nicer areas than what we saw, but ultimately, Jacksonville was not for us - it just appeared run down everywhere you looked and there were no signs of new development or really, anything promising at all. It just left us feeling depressed and thankful to live in a more vibrant city, back in Atlanta.

Granted, this was a few years ago, but our initial impression was definitely not a positive one.
barnaclebob
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Re: Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by barnaclebob »

I've heard Jacksonville is just South Georgia...
ponyboy
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Re: Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by ponyboy »

We go to Jacksonville almost every year. Our friends live on a golf course. I really like it. Jacksonville beach is decent, homes are cheap (compared to where I live.) There's a lot of shopping, and of course if you like golf there are a bunch of golf courses. Sure it would be cool to live in FTL minus the fact that whenever a hurricane comes through you're in trouble.
dgdevil
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Re: Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by dgdevil »

I knew some of the guys in Lynyrd Skynyrd. That town was too white-trash crazy for them, even by their excessive standards.
Last edited by dgdevil on Mon Mar 02, 2015 1:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Steelersfan
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Re: Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by Steelersfan »

There are a lot of "moving to Jacksonville" posts and responses in this board.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/jacksonville/
ndchamp
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Re: Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by ndchamp »

I'd go just to be near Clark's Fish Camp.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFbC7Deqlls
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gatorman
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Re: Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by gatorman »

Traffic on I-95 is crazy all day and well into the evening. So, don't pick an area where a daily commute on I-95 would be required. Mayo is outside the main part of the city. The surrounding area is nice and it would only be a couple of miles over to the beach. There seem to be lots of nice subdivisions on the barrier island and living there would avoid I-95. Depending on what you like to do, I think you could have a pretty nice lifestyle in that area. All that said, if I was going to settle in the Jax area, my preference would be to live in Fernandina Beach, a really nice little beach town, but maybe too much of a commute.
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BahamaMan
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Re: Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by BahamaMan »

I think it would be a Huge Upgrade from Texas. Better Climate. You're near the Ocean. Housing will probably cost a lot more than Texas.
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JDaniels
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Re: Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by JDaniels »

Jacksonville is a huge city with many different areas. If you're looking for areas close to Mayo, I would recommend Ponte Vedra Beach. My wife and I love it here. Many of our friends who work at Mayo live here and they enjoy it as well. She would only be about 10 minutes away and she wouldn't have to get on I-95. Great beaches, golfing, tennis and many other outdoor activities. One of the Best school districts in Florida. Feel free to PM me if you'd like more specific questions answered.

:sharebeer
"The poor long for riches. The rich long for heaven. But the wise desire tranquility."
Valuethinker
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Re: Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by Valuethinker »

JDaniels wrote:Jacksonville is a huge city with many different areas. If you're looking for areas close to Mayo, I would recommend Ponte Vedra Beach. My wife and I love it here. Many of our friends who work at Mayo live here and they enjoy it as well. She would only be about 10 minutes away and she wouldn't have to get on I-95. Great beaches, golfing, tennis and many other outdoor activities. One of the Best school districts in Florida. Feel free to PM me if you'd like more specific questions answered.

:sharebeer
What happens in a hurricane?

Genuine question, not trying to pose here or score points. What do people do in these waterfront communities when a bad hurricane hits? Is there insurance? Do you get flooded?

This has become a big issue in the UK because of issues about insurance coverage. Places we didn't know where at flood risk, are.

I remember very nice communities off Charleston-- saw them being built (this was 20+ years ago). But I assume when a big storm hits, they get ruined.
BenBritt
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Reln Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by BenBritt »

Spent time there in the 50`s .Was raw and wet in November.Summer is hot and humid. Were I to move there,I would take a look at the Crystal River area.(Ted Williams country.) Best of luck.AC will become your best friend!
hicabob
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Re: Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by hicabob »

Valuethinker wrote:
JDaniels wrote:Jacksonville is a huge city with many different areas. If you're looking for areas close to Mayo, I would recommend Ponte Vedra Beach. My wife and I love it here. Many of our friends who work at Mayo live here and they enjoy it as well. She would only be about 10 minutes away and she wouldn't have to get on I-95. Great beaches, golfing, tennis and many other outdoor activities. One of the Best school districts in Florida. Feel free to PM me if you'd like more specific questions answered.

:sharebeer
What happens in a hurricane?

Genuine question, not trying to pose here or score points. What do people do in these waterfront communities when a bad hurricane hits? Is there insurance? Do you get flooded?

This has become a big issue in the UK because of issues about insurance coverage. Places we didn't know where at flood risk, are.

I remember very nice communities off Charleston-- saw them being built (this was 20+ years ago). But I assume when a big storm hits, they get ruined.

Floridians pay the highest homeowners insurance rates in the US to cover the potential nastiness. Homeowners insurance rates in the US vary incredibly.

http://www.valuepenguin.com/average-cos ... -insurance
carolinaman
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Re: Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by carolinaman »

I live 200 miles inland in NC. Most East Coast hurricanes hit the NC coast more often than anywhere else. If you look at a map, the NC coast is farther east than SC, GA or northern Florida. My daughter lives in Charleston and has only experienced a couple of minor hurricanes in the 20 years she has been there, although she has had to evacuate several times as precaution. Those storms did very little damage and none for her (she is about 5 miles from coast). My guess is that Jacksonville would be similar to Charleston regarding hurricanes. Residents pay attention to these but they are not as big a threat as you might think.

I have passed through Jacksonville many time but have never spent any time there. I have been to Ponte Vedra and thought it was very nice. There are a lot of nice beaches nearby plus interesting places like St. Augustine (one of our favorite stops going to Florida). I would have no hesitation in living there as I think it is probably a lot like other Southern cities, like Charlotte and Charleston, both of which I know very well.
four7s
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Re: Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by four7s »

There is a foul odor that envelops the area every so often from the nearby paper mills. Mixed in with the humidity it is not pleasant to breathe. The locals call it the 'smell of money.' I'd call it a foul odor, period. Most likely Jax will not be a step up for you.
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JDaniels
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Re: Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by JDaniels »

Valuethinker wrote:
JDaniels wrote:Jacksonville is a huge city with many different areas. If you're looking for areas close to Mayo, I would recommend Ponte Vedra Beach. My wife and I love it here. Many of our friends who work at Mayo live here and they enjoy it as well. She would only be about 10 minutes away and she wouldn't have to get on I-95. Great beaches, golfing, tennis and many other outdoor activities. One of the Best school districts in Florida. Feel free to PM me if you'd like more specific questions answered.

:sharebeer
What happens in a hurricane?

Genuine question, not trying to pose here or score points. What do people do in these waterfront communities when a bad hurricane hits? Is there insurance? Do you get flooded?

This has become a big issue in the UK because of issues about insurance coverage. Places we didn't know where at flood risk, are.

I remember very nice communities off Charleston-- saw them being built (this was 20+ years ago). But I assume when a big storm hits, they get ruined.
Based on the shape of NE Florida, most hurricanes move from SE Florida to the Carolinas.
There is insurance, I pay about $2,000 per year. There is also flood insurance that runs about $400 per year. Add that to our property tax and it's still half of what I paid in NJ. Lol.

Being that we love the beach lifestyle, this area fits us very well. I just got back from a run on the beach actually, 72 deg f and sunny. Time for dinner, grilling out back by the pool. Cheers! :sharebeer
"The poor long for riches. The rich long for heaven. But the wise desire tranquility."
BahamaMan
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Re: Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by BahamaMan »

JDaniels wrote:Being that we love the beach lifestyle, this area fits us very well. I just got back from a run on the beach actually, 72 deg f and sunny. Time for dinner, grilling out back by the pool. Cheers! :sharebeer
Agree !... I lived in Jax in the early 70s for about 3 years...... Nice Lifestyle! ... For the OP from Waco, Texas to Jax .... HUGE Improvement!!

I'm in the Bahamas now 8-)
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BigOil
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Re: Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by BigOil »

I like the city data site in general. We've moved a lot and that site seems to get the character various cities & metropolitan areas somewhat out front... If you kind of synthesize the various good, bad, crazy and trashy posts in your head.

The key for us has been to understand the geography (communities) and its character that defined a metropolitan area at a first pass before we commit and and visualize how it might work for us in at least a strawman. That site helps a lot.

We lived in Florida for a number of years (Tampa Bay), I did business across entire state.
To oversimplify Jacksonville is sorta "South Georgia" type city If that makes sense. It's pretty big and diverse.

FYI Jacksonville does get freezing weather -- but not a lot but of course. The "it almost never ever ever frosts point" is a line across from Sarasota... For some reason people think parts of Florida do not get cold or frosty...slab and cinderblock houses heat crappy in general.

This brings up the point that Florida is a very difficult state to characterize. It all depends on where you are. We found it very fun.

Homeowners insurance is insane. You will need a screened lanai & and a good exterminator. They do have a dog catchers and alligator catchers.

We would not hesitate to live in Jacksonville if we could figure out the the commute and neighborhood relative to a potential work situation. Home is where you make it. We've also lived in Texas. I would say in general, Jacksonville is not better or worse than typical Texas larger cities.
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texasdiver
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Re: Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by texasdiver »

Thanks guys.

Kind of confirmed my old first impression of Jacksonville. Doesn't sound like much of an upward trajectory from Central Texas which in some ways I kind of like. I do a lot of cycling and the endless web of deserted country roads extending out from me in every direction makes the cycling great. Work and schools are no more than 5-10 minutes away for both of us and our kids in excellent local schools. So we are sort of on cruise control. A relocation is going to have to be better for everyone involved which is a lot of moving parts to juggle. Doesn't sound like Jacksonville is the kind of place that is so great that one is able to overlook a lot of other things.
CassiusRex
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Re: Opinions on living in Jacksonville FL?

Post by CassiusRex »

The paper mill smell has been gone for decades. Jacksonville has about the lowest property tax in the state, which is finally starting to impact city services. It's 840 square miles so you really have to break it down by neighborhood. Mayo is a loooong way from the high-crime areas. Ponte Vedra is in St John's County, which has higher property tax, but much better schools. The beaches all have nice neighborhoods. Most every thing near Mayo is middle to upper-middle class, with the exception of one of the swankiest golf communities in the city. As I understand it, the cost of living is comparable to much of Texas. And yes, culturally it is South Georgia. As the North/South dicotomy goes, Florida is upside down: the farther south you go geographically, the farther north you go culturally.
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