Jacksonville FL vs Dallas (live, best, cost, state)
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To be honest I am feeling pretty lost at the moment..
I am a new grad about to start my career somewhere and have to choose between these 2 cities with the same salary which is a really good salary (I'll be financially comfortable wherever).
I am a young single adult so I am hoping to go somewhere where I can date, have fun, etc. But I am also more of introvert so "having fun" or clubbing is not all that important to me, but it is important for me to go somewhere that has things to do, nice bars, restaurants, events. I want to be somewhere where I am not going to feel bored. I'll be moving alone so it's very important for me to develop a social life.
I know immediately people may say Dallas but I am not 100% sure because of the fact I have never really seen myself living in TX because of the southern spirit, but I do understand that Dallas would probably has an advantage over Jacksonville when it comes to things to do and what not.
The two reasons I am considering Jacksonville is that it is closer to family (but not too close), it is also only 2 hours away from Savannah GA, and Tybee Island which is are absolutely beautiful towns that I would look forward to visiting.
I have never been to either of these cities so I would be so appreciative if someone can guide me in the right direction because, like I said, I am feeling very lost at the moment and unsure what to do. The city that I move to is extremely important to me.
So you say that Texas has southern spirit that you're averse to, but in the next sentence, you talk about proximity to Savannah, which is far more southern in spirit than the DFW area...Jacksonville is far more southern in spirit than DFW for the record. People in Florida joke about it being in South Georgia, so take with that what you will. DFW has far more transplants from the West Coast and Midwest, which dilutes the southerness of the area tbh. What part of the country will you be moving from? Dallas is a much larger metro area with more to do besides the beach, which Jacksonville has.
Jacksonville is the south. Dallas has some southern elements, but has just as much, if not more in common with the midwest. DFW is one of the largest CSA's in the country, a huge international transportation hub, with international influences and is cosmopolitan. Jacksonville is a regional hub and military town, that has a deep south culture. Dallas CSA also has about 5.5x the population of the Jacksonville CSA.
Dallas beats Jacksonville in any category I can think of, including the ones you listed, (nightlife, dating, restaurants, events). Personally, this would be a no brainer to me. But since you are asking, Dallas without a shadow of a doubt.
So you say that Texas has southern spirit that you're averse to, but in the next sentence, you talk about proximity to Savannah, which is far more southern in spirit than the DFW area...Jacksonville is far more southern in spirit than DFW for the record. People in Florida joke about it being in South Georgia, so take with that what you will. DFW has far more transplants from the West Coast and Midwest, which dilutes the southerness of the area tbh. What part of the country will you be moving from? Dallas is a much larger metro area with more to do besides the beach, which Jacksonville has.
I guess growing up I've always thought of Texas as the most "southern" state because of accents and cowboy hats, rodeos whatever. I've never heard people talk with southern accents in Florida. But I've also never visited TX so I am just going based off what I've heard and seen. I am a liberal so the whole southern thing does scare me a bit but don't want to get into politics.
So, just to give you some general thoughts on these places:
Climate: I tend to think that overall.. I'd prefer Jacksonville. The coast and Florida.. hot as it is.. has breeze. In my travels I'm finding that the interior midwest really just.. the air sticks there in the warm months, and even year round, or something. At least per my tastes, Jacksonville, while cooler than most of FL in winter, would still be warmer than Dallas.. and during summer, I think it might be as cool or cooler too, plus there's the ocean.
Entertainment/Amenities: Dallas definitely does have more going on. Not that's a surprise, but just in a number of areas/overall. Even though I've spent very limited time in Jacksonville, I still feel like I've managed to do a lot of what there is there in my short trips. That isn't to say I don't like certain aspects of Jacksonville, there are a number of things about Jax I like better than Dallas or any FL city.. just that Dallas does have a lot more happening IMO. We're talking an 8M CSA vs. a 1.6M CSA.. that's a vast difference. That said...
Location: While you can drive to "western scenery" or other TX cities in a half day from Dallas.. I feel Jacksonville might have more to offer, closer, than does Dallas. In addition to the places you mention, there are all the amenities and entertainment that Orlando has to offer, within a couple hours. On a certain level, there are cool things about Dallas location too.. but I get the sense more people would prefer Jacksonville location.
Scenery: Dallas isn't entirely flat, and it has a lot more trees than people give it credit for too... in that sense, I'd say that the non-ocean scenery of Dallas, aside from being less tropical, might have an edge over Jacksonville's. I'm not that much of a beach person though.. but I'll acknowledge the ocean as a major amenity for many people, and say that I like Jacksonville area beaches perhaps best of any in Florida (they are more like the OBX on a certain level, at least as you approach Talbot/Amelia/Cumberland Islands)
Education/Cultural Amenities/Atmosphere: Dallas is obviously a much larger region too.. but in spite of St. John's County schools being relatively well regarded... Dallas has a decisive edge in both of these categories. You could actually make the strong case that Fort Worth overshadows Dallas in the culture department.. also in terms of regional culture... Dallas has this sort of international western blend.. where to me it feels somewhat like a less urban/more sprawling but much bigger version of Denver. It has multiple national Top 100 universities within boundaries, some of the most powerful, affluent, amenity filled suburbs in the country.. and with an area that recently had a metropolitan GDP tied for 9th in the world with Beijing... there's no question, some solid primary school options as well. It's somewhat understated given those stats honestly.. but I get the sense that the longer you are in Dallas, the more there is to be discovered. I was in the North Park Mall on a Tuesday night and went into the Apple Store.. there was a shareholders meeting happening. We then went to SMU and the Park Cities (designed by same person that designed Beverly Hills).. SMU campus has an art museum referred to as "Prado on the Prairie". Welcome to Dallas, indeed.
I'm not even really gonna get into other ways these two could be compared, because honestly, it's quite difficult to. But yet, still, I could honestly see myself picking Jacksonville over Dallas too. I like being close to family. I like being by the ocean, and more within the Eastern US location wise and culturally (I could end up liking Dallas too.. but in a way that Houston did not.. Dallas felt... different.) I like the historic aesthetic of the areas surrounding Jacksonville very much, too. Remember, St. Augustine is in the Jacksonville metro too as is St. Mary's GA, and Beaufort and even Charleston, SC are in day trip range. As I mentioned.. southern spirit Dallas does not have (outside of perhaps the tourist cowboy vibes of the Stockyards which even in a historic sense is more "western"). I wouldn't necessarily say Jacksonville feels as southern as say, Columbia or Birmingham.. but yeah it definitely does feel southern still... it is literally named for Andrew Jackson. Dallas unquestionably has more happening overall though from a nightlife, overall amenities, standpoint. Quite frankly (and maybe this sounds or makes me pretentious?) but the biggest holdup in me for living in Jacksonville might be the airport. It just really has a limited number of destinations and appears to be on average more expensive to fly from. Tampa.. which on some levels I don't like as much, allows me to literally fly nonstop roundtrip from London for less than $500 during offseason.. or to San Juan, Houston, Denver, Chicago, etc. frequently for less than $150. But.. I'd probably be saving money with my lifestyle and reduced costs in Jacksonville too.
Here's the determining point. Jacksonville's tagline is "It's easier here", and in the best of ways, I really believe that to be true.
But.. Dallas is "Big Things Happen Here", and I believe that to be true also.
I would pay attention to the nature of the job offer, salaries, opportunities for growth (work culture in either place is going a long way towards determining your happiness), and then rate those things on how important they are and decide.
I would consider at very least, trying both. Jacksonville for my money going further, access to historic/old world aesthetic, and the ability to be a big fish in a small pond that is still big enough, plus being cooler than where I am now. Dallas for.. the fact that it desires to do big things (and is).. with my potential earnings increase, money would also go further, and the ability to live in a place that though it doesn't have western geography, feels more "out there" and different from other cities on the plains and east.
I guess growing up I've always thought of Texas as the most "southern" state because of accents and cowboy hats, rodeos whatever. I've never heard people talk with southern accents in Florida. But I've also never visited TX so I am just going based off what I've heard and seen. I am a liberal so the whole southern thing does scare me a bit but don't want to get into politics.
IMO Dallas is significantly more liberal as a region than Jacksonville is.
However.. I actually have to somewhat disagree with people mentioning Dallas feeling Midwest. Perhaps I'm just visiting the wrong places? But I'm not seeing that... at all.
If there were cities/metros I'd map on a similarity index with Dallas they would be:
1. Austin
2. Phoenix
3. Atlanta
4. Los Angeles
5. Denver
(in no particular order of course).
Not that they are exactly alike to those places.. but absolutely NOTHING like Cleveland, Detroit, or even Columbus. Perhaps Kansas City or Minneapolis are more similar to Dallas? I haven't been to either in a while.. but still.. I don't see it.
So, just to give you some general thoughts on these places:
Climate: I tend to think that overall.. I'd prefer Jacksonville. The coast and Florida.. hot as it is.. has breeze. In my travels I'm finding that the interior midwest really just.. the air sticks there in the warm months, and even year round, or something. At least per my tastes, Jacksonville, while cooler than most of FL in winter, would still be warmer than Dallas.. and during summer, I think it might be as cool or cooler too, plus there's the ocean.
Entertainment/Amenities: Dallas definitely does have more going on. Not that's a surprise, but just in a number of areas/overall. Even though I've spent very limited time in Jacksonville, I still feel like I've managed to do a lot of what there is there in my short trips. That isn't to say I don't like certain aspects of Jacksonville, there are a number of things about Jax I like better than Dallas or any FL city.. just that Dallas does have a lot more happening IMO. We're talking an 8M CSA vs. a 1.6M CSA.. that's a vast difference. That said...
Location: While you can drive to "western scenery" or other TX cities in a half day from Dallas.. I feel Jacksonville might have more to offer, closer, than does Dallas. In addition to the places you mention, there are all the amenities and entertainment that Orlando has to offer, within a couple hours. On a certain level, there are cool things about Dallas location too.. but I get the sense more people would prefer Jacksonville location.
Scenery: Dallas isn't entirely flat, and it has a lot more trees than people give it credit for too... in that sense, I'd say that the non-ocean scenery of Dallas, aside from being less tropical, might have an edge over Jacksonville's. I'm not that much of a beach person though.. but I'll acknowledge the ocean as a major amenity for many people, and say that I like Jacksonville area beaches perhaps best of any in Florida (they are more like the OBX on a certain level, at least as you approach Talbot/Amelia/Cumberland Islands)
Education/Cultural Amenities/Atmosphere: Dallas is obviously a much larger region too.. but in spite of St. John's County schools being relatively well regarded... Dallas has a decisive edge in both of these categories. You could actually make the strong case that Fort Worth overshadows Dallas in the culture department.. also in terms of regional culture... Dallas has this sort of international western blend.. where to me it feels somewhat like a less urban/more sprawling but much bigger version of Denver. It has multiple national Top 100 universities within boundaries, some of the most powerful, affluent, amenity filled suburbs in the country.. and with an area that recently had a metropolitan GDP tied for 9th in the world with Beijing... there's no question, some solid primary school options as well. It's somewhat understated given those stats honestly.. but I get the sense that the longer you are in Dallas, the more there is to be discovered. I was in the North Park Mall on a Tuesday night and went into the Apple Store.. there was a shareholders meeting happening. We then went to SMU and the Park Cities (designed by same person that designed Beverly Hills).. SMU campus has an art museum referred to as "Prado on the Prairie". Welcome to Dallas, indeed.
I'm not even really gonna get into other ways these two could be compared, because honestly, it's quite difficult to. But yet, still, I could honestly see myself picking Jacksonville over Dallas too. I like being close to family. I like being by the ocean, and more within the Eastern US location wise and culturally (I could end up liking Dallas too.. but in a way that Houston did not.. Dallas felt... different.) I like the historic aesthetic of the areas surrounding Jacksonville very much, too. Remember, St. Augustine is in the Jacksonville metro too as is St. Mary's GA, and Beaufort and even Charleston, SC are in day trip range. As I mentioned.. southern spirit Dallas does not have (outside of perhaps the tourist cowboy vibes of the Stockyards which even in a historic sense is more "western"). I wouldn't necessarily say Jacksonville feels as southern as say, Columbia or Birmingham.. but yeah it definitely does feel southern still... it is literally named for Andrew Jackson. Dallas unquestionably has more happening overall though from a nightlife, overall amenities, standpoint. Quite frankly (and maybe this sounds or makes me pretentious?) but the biggest holdup in me for living in Jacksonville might be the airport. It just really has a limited number of destinations and appears to be on average more expensive to fly from. Tampa.. which on some levels I don't like as much, allows me to literally fly nonstop roundtrip from London for less than $500 during offseason.. or to San Juan, Houston, Denver, Chicago, etc. frequently for less than $150. But.. I'd probably be saving money with my lifestyle and reduced costs in Jacksonville too.
Here's the determining point. Jacksonville's tagline is "It's easier here", and in the best of ways, I really believe that to be true.
But.. Dallas is "Big Things Happen Here", and I believe that to be true also.
I would pay attention to the nature of the job offer, salaries, opportunities for growth (work culture in either place is going a long way towards determining your happiness), and then rate those things on how important they are and decide.
I would consider at very least, trying both. Jacksonville for my money going further, access to historic/old world aesthetic, and the ability to be a big fish in a small pond that is still big enough, plus being cooler than where I am now. Dallas for.. the fact that it desires to do big things (and is).. with my potential earnings increase, money would also go further, and the ability to live in a place that though it doesn't have western geography, feels more "out there" and different from other cities on the plains and east.
Right now I am leaning more towards Jacksonville because of my familiarity with Florida and closeness to family. I have just heard bad things about Jacksonville though and that is mostly why I am so undecided. If Jacksonville is an OK city by itself, then I would rather choose that. Just don't want to move to a city where I feel unhappy.
Right now I am leaning more towards Jacksonville because of my familiarity with Florida and closeness to family. I have just heard bad things about Jacksonville though and that is mostly why I am so undecided. If Jacksonville is an OK city by itself, then I would rather choose that. Just don't want to move to a city where I feel unhappy.
Okay is in the eye of the beholder I guess? Where are you living now or what experience do you have with Florida?
I mean...
Cons (for you at least)
-Jacksonville IS a relatively conservative place
-Downtown really isn't too happening (and that's an understatement in exploring it some)
-The airport does have limited options for regional/national/international travel. You may find it easier to just drive down to Orlando for flights sometimes though. It isn't a horrible drive.
-A place like Dallas IS going to have a lot more to do based on size, in non-beach attractions
-A place like Dallas WILL likely have more opportunities for career mobility, switching jobs, etc.
But...
-Jacksonville is big enough and diverse enough that you can find people who resonate with you, in all likelihood.
-There are some interesting fringe neighborhoods (Five Points, Avondale, Riverside.. plus the beach neighborhoods (Neptune and Jax Beach in particular, can be somewhat-pretty lively from what I hear, and St. John's Town Center is an EXTREMELY nice/inviting retail complex and lifestyle center.. and I think would still be considered so in areas 3-4 times Jacksonville's size)
-Jacksonville really does have some cool day trip and weekend destinations surrounding it.. places that people make elaborate affairs to travel to or dream of, will effectively be in your backyard.
-I struggle with this sometimes where I want to move to.. but if family is close.. I feel like that really is something good/important and something perhaps I take for granted at times, living in Tampa Bay.
-Ultimately, you can make or build your skill set in Jacksonville, and add value to who you are no matter where you are. You always have the option of moving to a different city if a desired opportunity arises.
I don't think I personally would be unhappy in Jacksonville, particularly based on how you described yourself. But, I guess you would ultimately be the one having to make that call. Many people even in major cities like Dallas, or IT cities like Nashville, still aren't happy. I feel like happiness is a choice.. but certainly one that your surroundings will have an influence on in your ability or ease to choose.
To be honest I am feeling pretty lost at the moment..
I am a new grad about to start my career somewhere and have to choose between these 2 cities with the same salary which is a really good salary (I'll be financially comfortable wherever).
I know Jacksonville very well. It's my hometown and I'm still quite involved with a lot of things there. I really like Dallas too...it has long been one of my top Southern cities and I'd guess I've visited about 5 times in the past 3 years.
1) What type of neighborhood do you want to live in?
2) Where would your office be for both cities?
3) What level of activities/things to do are you seeking?
Answers 1 and 2 could possibly be significant factors in tilting towards one city or another. Question #3 would, imo, either eliminate Jax or not. Jax is way less busy and offers fewer amenities than Dallas, but for some people it is enough. For others it isn't even close to enough. So where do you think you stand? Like where do you live currently and how does it suit your preferences?
Answer those questions and I might be able to give you more insight. Don't sweat it too much though...it's likely just gonna be one phase of your life and you'll move on again anyway.
Right now I am leaning more towards Jacksonville because of my familiarity with Florida and closeness to family. I have just heard bad things about Jacksonville though and that is mostly why I am so undecided. If Jacksonville is an OK city by itself, then I would rather choose that. Just don't want to move to a city where I feel unhappy.
I would think it's ok? It's inexpensive, spacious.
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