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My wife and I are planning to visit Jacksonville Florida last week in July and we interested in purchasing a nice 4 bed 2 bath single family single story home about 2000 sq.ft. We like Natural Gas cooking and have seen most of the homes have electric cooking, but we can manage the difference. Can any one suggest "safe" sub divisions along with the zip codes that have less or no crime? I like to be about less than 20 miles to the beaches and less than 15 miles to Downtown River walk. Is down town River walk a safe place to walk at night? what areas I should stay away from Jacksonville. How is the job market in Jacksonville in "banking" and "Information Technology" areas? including nightlife. We both are in our early late 30’s. What Jacksonville has to offer other than Tampa Bay- Orlando or Ft. Lauderdale except the housing market is very good in Jacksonville as compared to Tampa Bay-Orlando and Broward County? Any suggestions!
To be 20 miles or less to the beach and 15 miles or less to downtown, you could live in the Southside sector of the city or parts of the Northside.
Of the two, unless looking for a more rural area, most people choose the Southside.
The Southside is dense and has everything you'd need while the Northside is more spread out (and you still have to drive out of area for a lot of things if you live on the Northside). As far as safety/crime, the Southside is considered to be significantly safer.
In most of Jacksonville, the kitchens will be electric. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it's fine. Take a look at the smoothtop electric stoves - these are great . If you really like gas, there are some communities with natural gas piped in, and of course, you can always convert your kitchen to gas (it's not a huge endeavor).
I would not walk on the riverwalk at night unless there was an event going on and lots of people out. Downtown is still going through a revitalization and the biggest part missing are the numbers - Jax is not like other major cities with people out and about on the streets - much of the city still shuts down at 6pm. So at night, you usually drive in to your downtown destination, park nearby, and drive back out. This will change in time, and I look forward to the future of downtown, but it's got a ways to go yet.
Banking - tons of jobs, IT - not so much (but IT is in trouble everywhere, isn't it?).
A 4/2 2000 sq ft house on the Southside will generally run you in the low to mid $300k range, sometimes you can find them for a little under $300k, depending on your needs.
Check out these zips:
32246 (Sutton Lakes will come up.....they have natural gas piped in)
32224
32225
32256
32207
32217
32257
Thank you riveree for the key information. Most of the folks I have talked to also said to look for housing at the Southside (zip 32225, 32224 or 32246 mainly) if I plan to relocate to Jacksonville. Are the Jacksonville beaches safe to walk during evening hours? I also heard a lot of negatives of Jacksonville, as there’s not too much to do as far as entertainments and nightlife goes and life gets very boring. I read lot of crimes in the area. But when I spoke to few Jacksonville Realtors few of them said there is no nightlife in Jacksonville and few said all positive about the Jacksonville area (may be they want me to purchase the property so they can make a commission). I really like to know more in details from the people who actually live in Jacksonville like you. Is the weather same like Central or South Florida? How are the winter months…do you need a heavy jacket and long johns etc etc. Few of my friends also told me to go towards Tampa Bay areas or towards Weston & Broward County areas near Miami where there are more nightlife and jobs and never a dull moment. Any comments?
Thank you riveree for the key information. Most of the folks I have talked to also said to look for housing at the Southside (zip 32225, 32224 or 32246 mainly) if I plan to relocate to Jacksonville. Are the Jacksonville beaches safe to walk during evening hours? I also heard a lot of negatives of Jacksonville, as there’s not too much to do as far as entertainments and nightlife goes and life gets very boring. I read lot of crimes in the area. But when I spoke to few Jacksonville Realtors few of them said there is no nightlife in Jacksonville and few said all positive about the Jacksonville area (may be they want me to purchase the property so they can make a commission). I really like to know more in details from the people who actually live in Jacksonville like you. Is the weather same like Central or South Florida? How are the winter months…do you need a heavy jacket and long johns etc etc. Few of my friends also told me to go towards Tampa Bay areas or towards Weston & Broward County areas near Miami where there are more nightlife and jobs and never a dull moment. Any comments?
Jacksonville is an odd city, the downtown core is almost a wasteland, especially at night, there are 2 or 3 places to go to downtown and IMHO it just isn't very exciting. There are so many other places around town that have much more to offer that you really never have a need to go there for entertainment. Jacksonville has evolved into a vast suburban place and if you're like most people you'll find your nightlife south of the downtown core.
As for crime, it is very high in some places but it is easily avoided by not going to places on the north and west sides and some places on the southside that are close into the urban core. I would say that if you are wise and have any kind of street smarts crime won't be an issue for anyone. Like anyplace random petty crime is everywhere.
In winter you'll see lows at night into the 40s rarely into the 30s and daytime lows range from 55 to 65, you'll need a fleece like jacket but no heavy coats.
If you want "sophisticated" nightlife your friends are right, the Miami area offers much more and Tampa might be a tad more exciting than Jax, but that isn't an issue for most of us.
Jax can seem a little slower and maybe even backwards to some, but to me that is the charm of the area, if I wanted excitement I'd have moved back to NYC.
Jax is what you make of it, you'll need to search out and find you excitement, it's here but it's not upfront like other places.
icurrently live in weston, so. fl. and my husbands job might be relocating us to jax. we are in our early 30's with young children and are concerened with the same things you are. we did look into ponte vedre beach to live, not sure about the night life there though. we are mainly looking for more people like us there. we hope to find as i hope you do too. if you find out any new info. let me know as i will do the same. we seem to be on the same search.
Hello kort677 thanks for the brief information about Jacksonville. Your comments “Jacksonville has evolved into a vast suburban place and if you're like most people you'll find your nightlife south of the downtown core” any suggestions. My wife and I are in late 30’s and she is in “Information Technology” field and I am into “Banking”. In regards to crime, I do understand its everywhere but can you suggest me to stay away from “key” crime areas in the Southside. Also any suggestions of any gated sub divisions or safe sub divisions in the south side.
Hello kort677 thanks for the brief information about Jacksonville. Your comments “Jacksonville has evolved into a vast suburban place and if you're like most people you'll find your nightlife south of the downtown core” any suggestions. My wife and I are in late 30’s and she is in “Information Technology” field and I am into “Banking”. In regards to crime, I do understand its everywhere but can you suggest me to stay away from “key” crime areas in the Southside. Also any suggestions of any gated sub divisions or safe sub divisions in the south side.
there aren't really any no go zones in the southside except for some places very close into the core, if you get south of atlantic you minimize any bad choices
Thanks for the information. My wife and I are flying into Tampa Monday to see the area and also will head towards the Broward County. I heard the single-family homes in Weston area are quite expensive and the areas towards Boniventure are excellent. How far is Miami Beach from Weston? I am also looking at places like Coral Springs, Parkland, and Coconut Creek. If you do know can you throw few highlights. My wife has check the “Information Technology” jobs in Broward & Dade counties are there are more jobs in her field than in Jacksonville. Last night I was at ‘yahoo” web site and was reading few comments about Jacksonville from the person who is actually living in Jacksonville which I have cut and paste. May be it will give you an idea.
First of all where are you from? and consider everything ,research before you move here! i live in the southside area let me tell you ,jacksonville is a city that needs an educational,moral,and cultural makeover, i can't say all the people are knuckleheads but picture n.y.c with a southern mentality ,and you get jacksonville,not much to do here, once you done the beach, fishing ,camping, clubbin, thats it!!!! people here are so bored they go to the 1 of many 24 hr wal-marts , high crime #1 in the nation, #1 in aids,jacksonville is the murder capital, check it out . i made a mistake leaving chicago 2 1/2 years ,oh yeah jobs don't pay well here ,and since its the right to work state they can fire u for any reason, except sexual,racial,or religion, oh yeah alot of sex offenders here 2,anyways by visiting here u won't get the effect of living here, which is trust me, regret!!!! anyways if you still wanna move here i'll sell u my house!!!!!! its the only thing i love about jville,fl,, oh yeah downtown jville is not safe at nite, just go to the landing do what u gotta do and watch your surroundings,ghetto areas are all over ! be good and let me know if you wanna move here
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1. Northside (The Ghetto)- The areas just north of downtown, pass the Trout River is pretty safe......areas called Springfield, Norwood, Golfair, Moncrief, Brentwood, and basically all streets that are numbered (except the triple digits)
2. Various areas of the Westside- Intersections of San Juan and Jammes.....also areas along beaver st. and areas on stockton streets.
3. Arlington, Southside, Mandarin- These areas are the best of town and predominantly white, though traffic is crap.
I just read the yahoo cut & paste you added and all I can say is "wow". There are some truths in there, but I'm not going to try and pick them out through all the inaccurate info. Instead I'll try to answer some of your other questions.
Your friend advising you about 32246, 32225 & 32224 as your key zips sounds right - these will put you close enough to the beach without paying the high costs of living right at the beach. I live in 32246 and like the area a lot.
Jacksonville Beach has some problems at night, usually you just hear of the occassional robbery, but there was a body found about a month ago. The murder has some strangeness around the story, so I'd take it with a grain of salt. We had a very public beach murder in the Ponte Vedra area a few years back and it too had some strange circumstances around it (it was staged...the husband shot his wife). So, just like a public park in any large city, be cautious about the beaches at night.
There is plenty of nightlife, I'm not sure why a realtor would say there is not?? It's not to the scale of a major city like NYC, but I'm sure you can find nightlife here to enjoy whether it's live music, wine bars, the art or film scene, whatever it might be. It won't fall on your doorstep here like it does in NYC, you have to make a bit more effort to find your "scene", but it's there. You won't find more of it in Tampa, it's about the same (actually, at this point, we might have more of it).
There are small pockets of crime throughout the Southside and the Beaches, but it's not going to be a concern for you unless you choose to live in those pockets. Like anywhere else, you'll recognize it when you're driving into a not so great spot, and really, it's no big deal. The Southside sector of the city is safe - no worries .
The weather here is better ! First off, we're north (almost as far north as you can go in Florida), so it's a little cooler here than Central or South Florida. And unlike Central or Gulf Florida (Tampa), we have the ocean breeze ! It makes a world of difference. It's still hot in peak summer - but it's bearable here. Winters have been warmer lately (no suprise there), but if you have a heavy ski jacket and gloves, bring them, you can make use of them (1 or 2 jackets would be plenty).
Hi,
I would like to tell you as a lifetime citizen of Jacksonville (I have lived sporadically in other places, though) that this city has come a long way from the backwater hole that I grew up in. It is trying to become another Atlanta or another Miami and the old guard here (mainly the extreme religious sect) have held up a lot of devolopment of nightlife. Their voice is getting weaker though little by little. The major crime areas are going to be the downtown area, the westside, places in the northside and some areas right around the square in San Marco. The areas around Mandarin, Lakewood and Julington Creek are some of THE safest in town and they each have their own pockets of nightlife and the best public parks. There are some good schools here but you must live in the areas that I mentioned. The housing prices here are getting online with the rest of the state as well as the country. You can find some great deals with sellers anxious to sell. The traffic in the main corridors of the city can be a real %&#!* but if traveled at the right times of day or night can be easily navigated. I have lived in Atlanta, Great Lakes, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and in Italy and I still found my way back to Jacksonville as my hometown of choice. I hope that tells you something of the city and why I love it. The beaches are fun and the Metro Park in downtown is great for the kids and is a host to a wide range of events like free concerts, The World of Nations and The Jazz Fest. Their is a minor league baseball team that has a great ballpark and the Veterans Memorial Arena is a wonderful venue for all kinds of events. We also have the Jacksonville Jaguars and The Baracudas Hockey team. We have some very good museums and art galleries that will let you get hands on. You see, you can have a really full life here and be happy. I hope that I have helped you in your research. Good luck and hope to have you as a neighbor real soon.
Sincerely,
mattsgirl
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. If you really like gas, there are some communities with natural gas piped in, and of course, you can always convert your kitchen to gas (it's not a huge endeavor).
Living in Jacksonville
It's not to the scale of a major city like NYC, but I'm sure you can find nightlife here to enjoy whether it's live music, wine bars, the art or film scene, whatever it might be. It won't fall on your doorstep here like it does in NYC, you have to make a bit more effort to find your "scene", but it's there. You won't find more of it in Tampa, it's about the same (actually, at this point, we might have more of it).
! First off, we're north (almost as far north as you can go in Florida), so it's a little cooler here than Central or South Florida. And unlike Central or Gulf Florida (Tampa), we have the ocean breeze 
