Jacksonville (Beulaville: homes, find a job, school)

[drvldarling]

My 19 yo daughter has decided to move to Jacksonville to be with her marine boyfriend. We are from the northeast (New England) so this is a big change for her. What is the area like for a 19 yo to live there. She has never been away from home for an extended amt of time and is a little naive; I am worried about her being so far away in such a different atmosphere than she is used to

[Katie1]

Not sure why you are conserned...but what State is she going to?

[dsobotta]

Originally Posted by drvldarling

My 19 yo daughter has decided to move to Jacksonville to be with her marine boyfriend. We are from the northeast (New England) so this is a big change for her. What is the area like for a 19 yo to live there. She has never been away from home for an extended amt of time and is a little naive; I am worried about her being so far away in such a different atmosphere than she is used to

Each city looks different, it depends on the eyes doing the looking.

Jacksonville is the youngest city in the US. I think the average age is 22 and the population approximately 70,000.

We live about twenty five miles from there. Jacksonville is one of our two shopping area except we do not like to go to Jacksonville because of the traffic. Most of the stores are located along Western Blvd. and traffic often is at a crawl.

Jacksonville is home to the many Marines of Camp Lejeuene.

I cannot tell you what it is like for a nineteen year old to be in Jacksonville, but I can tell you that we feel ancient everytime we go shopping up there.

Overall I think Jacksonville has its pluses and minuses. It is close to the beach.

[drvldarling]

going to Jacksonville NC coming from Maine and really never lived anywhere else, or been away from home like I said; at least not away from home for extended period (without mom and dad anyways) and not out of Maine for more than a week.

I heard theres alot of stripper bars down there; is that true? I told her i dont want her to get desperate and take a job at a bar like that. Currently doesn't have a job lined up when she goes, but her boyfriend has money saved for this reason. (her going down there)

She will LOVE the whole shopping thing tho; but she prefers the city over the burbs and definitely prefers city over country (rural)

[LRoyal10900]

Any military town has its share of strip clubs & nightclubs....just goes with the territory. She'll probably be able to find a job in retail or waiting tables.

But Jacksonville is definitely not "urban," as in a "BIG" city.

[LLN]

You know, you might not be quite tuned in yet.

Jacksonville is built out, not up. It has good to middlin level stores, big boxes, etc, but I think is lacking in upper-mid to high dollar deals. It is more like an extended suburbia than big, or even small, city.

I was there in the late 60's and have been through several times since. For the last year and 1/2 we have shopped there probably once a month.

Jacksonville has come a long, long, long, long way since my first visit.

I am sure there are plenty of employment opportunities other than strip clubs, so I would not worry about that AT ALL. Having stated that, the pay will be, in all likelihood, low unless a special skill or talent can be leveraged into a higher paying position.

But you need to get an accurate mental picture. I would under no circumstance or criteria call Jacksonville a City.

[ProdigalLobster]

I moved to Jacksonville for a boy at age 19, too! It didn't last long, but I love NC, so it turned out ok in the end.

It really depends on what it is like where y'all live now. Northeast could mean Boston, or rural Maine. The life experiences & expectations of people from each of those places will be totally different.

I came from rural Maine, so to me Jacksonville was very intimidating. This was 12 years ago, & the town has grown a LOT since then (mostly typical suburban sprawl-type stuff like Olive Gardens, extra Wal-Mart, etc.). But I was from a town with one red light, so for a few weeks I was terrified just to drive to the grocery store (multiple lanes... eek!).

I was very homesick for the first year or so. I missed food that I couldn't find here (stupid stuff like Humpty Dumpty chips, Maine-style Italians, etc.). I hated the heat. The accents irritated me. All the young Marines with their machismo, & all their young families with the drama that comes with that lifestyle. I whined a lot.

But after a year or so, I started to find my bearings & enjoy the area. I've since moved to other towns to get away from the military life & find a more diverse population, & I have fallen in love with NC, its people & culture.

My biggest gripe that still applies to J-ville is the lack of educational opportunity, something crucial to a young lady of 19. There is a community college, but it is only a 2-year school with limited options. UNCW is the closest "real" college, an hour away. There are some wives/girlfriends who do carpool to UNCW, or so I've heard.

[ProdigalLobster]

Sorry, just reread & noticed you are from Maine, too!

I have to say... in Jacksonville, without a college education & therefore a specific skill, she will be limited. Her options will be, basically: waitressing, working at a phone center (Convergys) where she will take phone calls from angry customers, or stripping. I tried all 3, as do most young women who came to town at some point. Sorry, but I can't sugar coat it.

At 19, I was very independent & stubborn. If my parents had resisted, it would've made it that much more romantic to me. They weren't thrilled, but they knew better than to push it much.

But if I had a mentor to whom I would've listened back then, I wish someone would've advised me to stay home a bit longer, or at least to stay in school. I treasure all of the life experience that has brought me into my 30's, but some things could've been so much easier for me. If your daughter might be open to an accepting, empathetic person who has been there & could gently offer advice, please feel free to PM me.

[jomas]

Is your daughter's boyfriend suppose to deploy in the near future? Many marines have to deploy for a year. That may play in her decision on when to come to J'ville. I noticed you posted in October....has your daughter made the move?

[whistling]

Hello Jacksonville is a pretty safe place to live. My husbands from Beulaville which is about 45 min. n of Jacksonville. My first husband was a marine at Camp Lejeune. Maybe we could help your daughter find her way around. My daughter is in Iraq with the national guard at present Let us know if we can help. candypinkhill@aol.com God bless Ronnie and Candy. Candy is from Pa.