I am highly considering the move --- I know there is a member who lives there... Can you fill me in a little? good areas to live - basically any info you have to offer -- I have never been there before.

 

Guess I am just spoiled with the dry West but I could never live in humidity like that again.

I got tired of bugs so big, they would pick fights with me.

Friggin huge things would wait at your front door, then sprint inside soon as you open it!

 

i was just in Florida for a week-- Miami, Orlando, Tampa and surrounding areas and I know what your talking about -- but those arent huge factors for me --

 

I was gonna ask Jacksonville what since there is more than one Jacksonville, but see you just said Florida. That is where I live, you don't want to live on the west side, near downtown or the northside other than that everywhere else is pretty decent with of course little areas that aren't as great. I live in the middle about 6 miles from the beach and about 8 miles from downtown (Off Atlantic blvd and Kernan). Living out at the beach (Atlantic, Neptune, Jacksonville) is a different world with more surfer style people and people who ride bicycles a lot and are a different bread for sure. Ponta Vedra is more south but right on the coast and is more uppity and then there is some nice areas off Southside Blvd in the Tinsletown area or south in mandarin.

If looking at a map I would say to look anywhere east of St Johns Bluff rd all the way to the beach and then from mccormick south mostly.

Anywhere in the Red you should be good, the yellow I am not completely sure of and stay away from the blue. There is also a little more area south that I didn't capture on the screen that isn't bad either (Mandarin).

 

i am from miami but lived in jacksonville for 10yrs from 1999-2009 and its cool city... as other member mentioned, westside i a bit redneck/trailer parkish although some areas of it have gotten nice like oakleaf plantation and cecil field..

i lived in downtown on church st and it was awesome... within walking distance to the landing on the river (place with a few bars and outdoor concerts)... downtown has a lot of cool trendy lofts at good prices...

i also lived in the beaches area before that and it was cool when i was 20 but at 30 it was more annoying as bunch of townies come in for the weekend and a lot of localism there and tons of drunks riding around on beach cruisers on the avenues always in way of cars... oh and if you have a nice car, expect it to get messed with by some drunk college kid at the beaches... happened to me a few times and spent the night in jail one time for retaliation... yeah i was that pissed lol...

the intercoastal area is nice and close enough to beach but also not too far from downtown ..

if you have the money ponte vedra and saw grass is nice but then its far from downtown if you are working there..

riverside is cool area too and close to downtown and more variety of people there kinda like greenwich village in NYC from hippie to yuppie to eclectic to ghetto if you go to far west

defintely lots of cheap houses to buy anywhere in FL though as housing market was hit bad... you can buy waterfront condos in downtown for under $150K

 

guysandiego-
orry you have to leave probably one of the most beautiful cities in the Country, plus the perfect weather. I was out in LaJolla for 10 days and didn't want to come back east.
The wife and I spend time in Amelia Island which is a little north of Jacksonville.
You will notice a huge cost of living advantage, taxes and food and fuel savings. Actually comparing San Diego with Jacksonville, you will save all around on everything.
Jacksonville is a nice city that isn't sprawling like Atlanta. Plus they have the pro sports and the ocean, even though it isn't the pacific blue you are use to.
If you are OK with humidity and real hot summers, you will get that but overall I give it good marks.
Seems that are other members in the forum who reside there so I'm sure you can get details of recommended areas to live and things to do.
There is a race track near Savannah, GA called Roebling Road that is great fun if you like to track your car.
Good Luck with your move.

 

I live in Clearwater and it's pretty much amazing

 

thank you and feel free to keep the info and opinions flowing...
I dont have a job --Not rich but need to pay cash because I cant get a loan without a job.

--newly married and child on the way. - and may just need to pick up a lousy $10 an hour job to get things going. Keep myself busy and best way to learn a new city.

I guess I am ready to get a fresh start with my newly forming family.

Value in Fl can not compare to CA -- and I am ready to benefit from all those savings.

 

If you have a realtor -- give me the info -- otherwise, I'll just throw a dart at the phonebook--- actually, randomly pick from the internet but you get the idea

 

also - what makes those other locations undesirable?? Seem to be close enough to everything- including a drive to the beach within 30min. -- and the houses and neighborhoods look new.

 

Are you referring to the blue area? There are some decent houses in that area but there is also ghetto areas spread all through there where you could be in nice houses by the river and then 2 streets over it is like the projects which you have to drive by to get to your house. When I first moved to Jacksonville I lived in Arlington off University Blvd (in that blue area) and was 1 street off the river where there were nice houses in a nice looking neighborhood and there was Jacksonville University about 2 miles down the road but that entire area is really crummy and it is the same way if you drive down Merrill Rd. I really would stay away from that area, I had a roommate get his truck stolen from out front of our house and then someone else I know get robbed with a gun 2 streets away from my house. That is what sucks about some of the areas because it is like a nice area surrounded by a crappy area so it must makes it all crappy.

I would really just look in the areas I marked in red especially having a family.

And if you mean an area not on that map then yes like mentioned before down south more in Mandarin area there is stuff or a little north of that area around amelia island but any farther north and you are getting in to redneck and ghetto country.

 

there is nothing wrong with the blue areas any more than the red areas... people get murdered at the beach all the time too... there's an ATF substation at the beach cuz someone drove by and fired off a semi-auto at the sneakers sports bar right at 1st street... good and bad people in both areas...

fort caroline is in the red area and its full of million dollar houses and those people survive the evil red plus downtown is nice too.

really main area to avoid is once you get about 20th street north of downtown and west of downtown on the northside of i-10 as that puts you in ribult manor and moncrief which is the real ghetto with gangs and such....

bang for your buck though probably downtown (if you dont mind condo living) or cecil field/chafee rd area if you want a nice house in new developed area(it used to be nothing out there but pretty nice now and uber cheap)... if you want more close to the beach on a budget then i would say the girvin area as its nice for how cheap and close to the beach it is....

one beach area that is even cheaper is mayport but its hit or miss... I lived there before and it was fine to me but it can be shady in some parts.... there's actually a stip bar (named crossroads) attached to same building as a baptist church all while at the entrance to a state park there lol gotta love the zoning on that one

my buddy's wife is a realtor down there...i will get her contact info and pm it to you tomorrow

 

You have the key wrong, red is good. I guess I should have used "red your dead" and made red the bad spot. I lived in the blue area and would not want to live there again, you are far more likely to get robbed, killed or your car stolen in that blue box.

A friend of mine lived in that blue box in Arlington for 4 years in college while going to JU, one of his friends got robbed with a gun right of University blvd, another time his brother was visiting and him and a friend got robbed with a gun and their car stolen. I later moved up and ended up in that area not knowing it wasn't the greatest since I was moving from the Florida Keys and didn't know Jacksonville that good, that is when we got a house together and my roommate's truck was stolen from the front of our house. Hearing gun shots wasn't uncommon either in that area. I think a cop shot someone in the parking log of a club (Plush, which is pretty ghetto) a few days after I moved there after the guy was waving a gun around.

A guy I work with lives of Merill rd a hair east of where I lived and his truck was stolen from the front of his house and hoodlooms roam around there. Where I live now I have zero fear of anything like that happening but if you go over to that area in the blue box you just see it is a crappy area for the most part and see the ghetto piece of craps everywhere.

And crossroads is called Officers club now (I work on base at Mayport) and bikini beach (another strip club) is like right across the street damn near. Oh and I personally would not want to live in Mayport, pretty crappy area if you ask me. Not completely like someone is going to rob and kill me but just run down with also the slight chance of someone will rob and kill me lol.

 

I am about an hour south of Jax which is 30 minutes north of Daytona. It really depends what you are looking for... I raised my 3 kids here and it's great for that but if you are siingle...you may want to consider Jax, O'town or S. Florida.

 

We Moved from Huntington Beach to Jacksonville several months ago..
The HOT HUMID summer days are tough getting used to...And the Winter was really cold with several days below freezing...But The Housing market is still dropping and the values are here!We Live in the Mandarin area as its central to shopping,The Rivers,and not to far from the Beach and Airport..
With the castle law and CCW permits are issued like Library cards things are a bit different here.

Good Luck on the Move !