[House4Sale]

You just have to know where to look! Don't be discouraged!

[DanMart]

I am originally from Miami, FL and I have been living in Jacksonville for 5 years. Jacksonville is the largest city land wise in the nation and has a population a third of the other metropolitan cities in Florida. The city is growing very rapidly. The people are nice and the lifestyle is much more laid back. Jacksonville is said to have very high crime but I have come to notice that most of it is on the westside of the St. Johns river. Anywhere east of the river is a very good starting point for looking for a home. We also have the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars which has gained respect as one of the leagues better teams. The real estate market is terrible, Jacksonville is considered the financial capital of Florida. The financial fields and the medical fields are probably our top employers. Good luck

[Jammie]

Dan, what do you mean that the real estate market in Jax is terrible? Do you mean there is a lack of homes or that they aren't selling well or what? I'm really glad that you posted that the population is less then a lot of other metro areas. When we saw that it was the largest city/metro in the nation, we were scared. Now that it sounds like population-wise it's less then a lot of areas, it sounds interesting. I'm also glad that you mentioned the east side of the St. Johns as being safe. We've found a couple of nice apartments on the east side and wondered what it was like over there.

[DanMart]

By the comment of the real estate market being bad, I was refering to home and condos not selling. the east side of the St. Johns river is the better side, the beaches and the intracostal west area would be the best areas in my opinion to rent. If you have children and are looking for the best schools for them, look in St. Johns county not duval county. Most public duval schools are not rated very well, but there are some excellent private schools in duval.

Jammie, Great apartment communities off of Hodges in between Beach Blvd and JT Butler

[HistoricHomeOwner]

Originally Posted by jbcorbin

Do you want to live in Havana-Florida or Disney-Florida, or New York-Florida, Chicago-Florida, or Alabama-Florida?
I live near Panama City (Alabama-Florida) and it is not like any other area. It's called the Redneck Rivera. It has wonderful beaches and forest lands. There is a lack of chain stores and "cultural" stuff. It's just a good place to live.

OMG! This is the funniest and yet most truthful thing I have heard in along time. As a native Floridian I can not help but to laugh out loud! That made my night, thanks!

[iriegirl]

ok, sorry about that, I thought it was a negative term.

and,
jbcorbin, referring to the quote in the previous post, I thought Panama City was supposed to be pretty artsy , is that true?

[florida-native]

I think Florida is like anyplace else--some people love it, some people hate it. I think it depends on where you live, what your needs are for schools, etc, and what your expectations are.

I lived in Georgia and Ohio for awhile. I hated Georgia, and loved Ohio. But even in Ohio I missed the beaches, the sunny days, boating, seeing my family, etc.

Check out the gulf coast of Florida. It is not as busy and metropolitan as the east coast of Florida. It has bad traffic during tourist season like the rest of Florida, but there is a reason that the tourist season traffic is bad during the winter: it's beautiful here during that time.

[Dana from AZ]

I lived in largo 4 years ago, I now live in Arizona, my family and I came here for me to persue a career. But I was raised in Florida. My family and I are moving back in April. The best place to live in my opinion would be Largo. Its a nice place to live and its centrally located, so your daily commute to work and back should be fairly easy. There are plenty of stores for shopping and an abundence of things to do, depending on what you are into. The only real down fall of largo is the traffic, but like most areas it does calm down after rush hour. Largo is a great place to live, its not that expensive and you can live comfortable. I love Florida especialy the City of largo. There is also the City of Clearwater which is the next city north of Largo, and that to is a great city to live in. And to the south of Largo is Pinellas Park, a smaller city but still not far from work and play. One of Florida greatest featurs is the beaches, they are beautiful in the summer time, and you can almost go to the beach all year around.

[1happycamper]

One poster mentioned "Havana-Florida" -I suppose categorizing some sort of lifestyle or culture? I have a new job I am starting just north of Tallahassee and Havana looks "good". Very low crime, good housing value. Does anybody know what the poster meant by "Havana-Florida"??? Thanks for any suggestions, help etc.

[lexi2278]

I've been considering a move to South Florida also and I'm really laughing at what some people have written on this thread. I live in Los Angeles, and if you want to talk expensive, come here. Average home in this town (in a good area is about $1 million now, and one bedroom condos are about $450 and up). And these are just small, basic places. Nothing extravagant. So to say $250 for a home is ridiculous, just makes me laugh hysterically.
Florida prices in no way even compare to that of LA. I'm considering moving there just because its so much cheaper and Im close to the Caribbean. Also, LA is just like Florida in terms of Spanish speaking. But Im sure there are many places, just like here, that are bilingual.
Sorry, just had to throw my 2 cents in. Thanks for the good laugh about the prices.