Daughter moving to NAS Hospital where to live (Jacksonville, St. Augustine: apartment complex, rentals)

[fromanotherplanet]

My daughter is moving to Jacksonville to start work. For reasonable commute but relatively "upscale" community for young professionals, where should she go?

IT would either be rental or probably condo

Thanks,

[mawipafl]

Depending on the definition of "reasonable commute", your daughter's choices are many and each with a different flavor. There's Fleming Island (two examples of rental communities are Cobblestone and Lighthouse, plus there are many house rentals available), Riverside and Avondale (north of NAS), Southside (east side of the St Johns River, but she'd have a reverse commute going the opposite way of most of the commuter traffic).

[fromanotherplanet]

Thanks. A friend of my son sent me an e-mail to "Stay away from the North and West sides. They have a real crime problem." Does this include the Riveside and Avondale.

[Chh2]

Not sure where your from, so reasonable is hard to judge. But as they are advising I would stay on the US17 corridor from Riverside in Jax, to as far as Flemming Island in OP, where I used to live. It's a reasonable commute for me, with a bit more new developments and its a straight shot. I've made that commute a long time. The only knock I would have on FIP as a single professional is it never appeared to me to be the best social spot for that demographic, its much more family oriented demographics i find. To socialize, it was always traveling into OP/Mandarin/Beaches and in to Jax itself.

Part of the decision would likely be on her needs for the community in amenities and outside of work lifestyle. FIP to me is a bit quieter and more around family living, while the Riverside area in my experience is a little more trendy and active.

Knowing what I know about the choices, I don't think a commute from across the river is necessary, but entirely up to each person. I do have a few friends who make their homes in an apartment complex, and another in a condo off Old St. Augustine RD, kinda the Mandarin area just across the Buckman. If I had to move back right away, I'd still return to FIP. It's just convenient, everything i need is near, feels safe, relative good condition and order.

[mawipafl]

Originally Posted by fromanotherplanet

Thanks. A friend of my son sent me an e-mail to "Stay away from the North and West sides. They have a real crime problem." Does this include the Riveside and Avondale.

No, Riverside and Avondale are not included.

Your son's friend gives good advice; however, the terms North Side and West Side would sound generic to someone who doesn't live here. There are pockets in the north side of the city and in the west side of the city that are rough, but that doesn't mean all of the north and west outskirts of Jacksonville are to be avoided.

Chh2 gives a good description of the flavors of Riverside/Avondale and Fleming Island. It all depends on your daughter's preference if she wants to live and play in an active/trendy area or to live in a quieter place and travel a short distance to play.