[MiamiRob]

pitbullmommie are you aware that cities like Orlando & Miami have problems building very tall buildings because of the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration)? Both cities have runways that take planes over their downtowns so the FAA tries to limit their heights as to how high they can build. Orlando has no skyscrapers over 500 feet due to proximity of the airport to the east. Miami is trying to get a few 1000 foot buildings built now but the FAA is becoming a obstacle as well even though there is a building approved by the city for that height.

[sunrico90]

Anyone in a small town/city with a beautiful skyline?

[PitBullMommie1206]

Originally Posted by fort lauderdale

Yeah, I love the perspective from the river/bridges driving into downtown Jacksonville. But Tampa's bayside setting is also beautiful. It's true, they are close, but I like Tampa's clean/modern look. And also, like you said, judging a skyline is so subjective .

I hate to say it but for FL skylines Fort Lauderdale ranks last IMO. The Las Olas River House is its saving grace, but overall it's pretty staid and generic looking. Then again, being so close to Miami were lucky to HAVE a skyline consisting of anything but condos.

I do think that Tampa has a more modern look than Jacksonville, overall. Really the one thing that puts Jax above Tampa for me, as far as skyline goes, is the bridges. If Jacksonville didn't have the bridges like it does I would have to say that Tampa and Jax would be tied. I don't think I'd be able to pick one over the other. I really love both cities. Jacksonville is my home city, so I am kind of bias in that sense , but Tampa is like my 2nd city in a way. I am a die hard football fan and my absolute favorite team is Tampa Bay. I have never lived in Tampa, but I go to as many Tampa home games as I can, so I have spent quite a bit of time there. I think they are both gorgeous, but in different way. Like I said, the bridges are what really does it for me though! I love the way both cities reflect off of the water, especially at night. They really are both gorgeous.

Yeah, Ft. Lauderdale's skyline isn't too great! But, in my opinion, Ft. Lauderdale itself is gorgeous! Isn't it the Venice of the America's? I lived in Plantation FL for a while and I loved it! I think most of south Florida is wonderful! It's so different from other parts of Florida, it's almost like a whole different state, you know? Just the pace, the culture, the people, the atmosphere, everything is different in south FL, and I love it! I'm not sure if I would ever really want to live in Miami though. It is beautiful, but it's so expensive and crowded, in most places. That's another thing I loved about living in Plantation, you're close enough to Miami to go spend the day there, but you can leave the city when your done! lol!

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by PitBullMommie1206

That's another thing I loved about living in Plantation, you're close enough to Miami to go spend the day there, but you can leave the city when your done! lol!

Yeah, it's relieving to go home into a nice suburban area like Plantation or Weston but be so close to all of the action! South FL isn't really all that different from other similarly sized regions in that regard, except we don't have insane sprawl and gridlocked traffic around here 24-7 like, say, LA or Atlanta, which I like to think is a positive . Don't know what all of the Palm Beach/Broward hate is all about around here.

I have to agree about Miami. Living here can get intense sometimes, but it's pretty tame compared to Miami.

[PitBullMommie1206]

Originally Posted by MiamiRob

pitbullmommie are you aware that cities like Orlando & Miami have problems building very tall buildings because of the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration)? Both cities have runways that take planes over their downtowns so the FAA tries to limit their heights as to how high they can build. Orlando has no skyscrapers over 500 feet due to proximity of the airport to the east. Miami is trying to get a few 1000 foot buildings built now but the FAA is becoming a obstacle as well even though there is a building approved by the city for that height.

No, I didn't know that? My step father works for the FAA, he's an air traffic controller. Not at the airport, or out on the runway, he works in a big building out in the middle of no where in Hilliard FL! lol! But no, I have never heard that? That's interesting. I still think that both cities are beautiful, even without loads of skyscrapers though! To me it's not the amount of buildings or the size of the buildings that makes a skyline beautiful. Obviously there has to be some pretty significant buildings, but as I said before, to me it's the uniqueness of the buildings and the colors that really make a skyline beautiful. Also, bridges are something that I love and I really think it's gorgeous when a city is on the water, so the whole city reflects off of the water! I wonder if Miami will be able to build there new buildings, and I wonder if Orlando will ever be able to build any very tall buildings? lol! I think it would add a lot to both skylines! That sucks though that Miami and Orlando have so much trouble building. It's not like that in Jacksonville or Tampa though, right?

[PitBullMommie1206]

Originally Posted by fort lauderdale

Yeah, it's relieving to go home into a nice suburban area like Plantation or Weston but be so close to all of the action! South FL isn't really all that different from other similarly sized regions in that regard, except we don't have insane sprawl and gridlocked traffic around here 24-7 like, say, LA or Atlanta, which I like to think is a positive . Don't know what all of the Palm Beach/Broward hate is all about around here.

I have to agree about Miami. Living here can get intense sometimes, but it's pretty tame compared to Miami.

As I have said several times now.. lol I was born and raised in Jacksonville and lived there most of my life, but really, half of the time I lived in Orange Park FL. I really was born and raised in Jacksonville, but I moved out to Orange Park in 1997 and lived there until about 3 years ago. Orange Park is a 10-15 minute drive from downtown Jacksonville, and a lot of people have never heard of Orange Park FL, so I have just always said that I have always lived in Jax. It's just easier than saying everything I just said! lol! But yeah, living in Orange Park is the same kind of thing as living in Plantation, you know? That's what I really loved about Orange Park. We were out in the suburbs in an area with less traffic, less crime, etc, but we were close enough to go to Jax whenever we wanted or needed to. I like that about places like Plantation, Weston, Orange Park, etc. I use to love being right in the middle of everything, being downtown, but now I really like being able to get out of all of that and go home and relax!

[backtofla]

even though this is in the florida florum, i think that charlotte has a nice looking skyline. combine that with rolling hills in the outskirts, and a very clean and new downtown

also if you go on greenville, sc forum, check out the thread with the random photos of downtown greenville. it has a waterfall running through downtown, it is unbelievable. i think it is nicer than all the ones mentioned above imo.

[pirate girl]

Originally Posted by PitBullMommie1206

Oh! lol! You mean you think pirate girl was being sarcastic or whoever she heard that from was being sarcastic? I just assumed that she was being serious! lol! It would be pretty interesting though if that was really why the bridges were different colors (even though Main Street, Hart and Mathews are really the only colored bridges in Jax). But like I said, I can't really see a city making their bridges different colors simply because people in the city couldn't read street signs! lol!

Honestly I wasn't being sarcastic. A colleague of mine who was born and raised in Jax told me that. His family has been there for hundreds of years. I called him again tonight and he swears that the bridges were painted different colors due to illiteracy- even read me a passage from a book about Jacksonville history he has.

By no way did I mean to imply that Jax is an uneducated city at all. But I do believe that 20-30 years ago it probably was. The book said that when the bridges were originally built they were color coded because many residents could not read signs.

[backtofla]

Originally Posted by pirate girl

Honestly I wasn't being sarcastic. A colleague of mine who was born and raised in Jax told me that. His family has been there for hundreds of years. I called him again tonight and he swears that the bridges were painted different colors due to illiteracy- even read me a passage from a book about Jacksonville history he has.

By no way did I mean to imply that Jax is an uneducated city at all. But I do believe that 20-30 years ago it probably was. The book said that when the bridges were originally built they were color coded because many residents could not read signs.

wow. i dont know what to say.

[PitBullMommie1206]

Originally Posted by backtofla

wow. i dont know what to say.

Lmao! I'm not sure if that's a myth or if it was just a joke? I'm almost positive it's not a myth because I was born and raised in Jacksonville and I have never heard that before, so I'm sure it was a joke. Like I said in my response to that post, the last thing I think of when I think of Jacksonville is an uneducated city! lol! Jacksonville is a business city, full of young professionals. There are quite a few collages and universities in Jax, Moderator cut: link removed and there are job/ career opportunities galore! That's really are there is there! There is nothing particularly special or exciting in Jacksonville, which is wonderful because we don't get over loaded with tourists like other major cities in Florida! For Jacksonville residents, there is more than enough to do though, beaches, rivers and lakes for boating and other water activities, shopping, restaurants, museums, football (Jacksonville Jaguars), baseball (Jacksonville Suns), clubs, bars, etc, pretty much all of normal things you would have to do in any large city. Again, I was born and raised in Jacksonville, I have lived in Jax pretty much all of my life and so has my family, not once have I heard anything like that. Plus, there isn't an orange bridge in Jacksonville, so I'm not quite sure what that poster was talking about. Even if it was true that people in Jax couldn't read the street signs.. lol I can't see a city building it's bridges to be especially beautiful simply so people could find their way around?! I'm pretty much positive that was a joke. I did some reading around after I read that, just to see if there was actually any truth true it at all, and I couldn't find anything about it. This has some good basic info on Jax and not once does it say anything like that. Jacksonville, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Also, here are the links for the seven main bridges in Jacksonville, only three of which have any color to them at all by the way, and none of them say anything about being built a certain way because people couldn't read.

Main Street Bridge (Jacksonville) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hart Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Acosta Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mathews Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dames Point Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Buckman Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fuller Warren Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

*I just re-read your post and the post you quoted, for some reason I thought that you were responding to the original post about the bridges again! lol! I don't know what I was thinking? I probably need to go to bed right about now! lol! *