Best "suburbs of Jacksonville" (St. Augustine, Fernandina Beach: sale, rental, homes)

[madcapmagishion]

You want shopping and resteruants? forget Nocatee for now as its still under development. Avoid Mandarin for same reason as Orange Park (traffic). I'd maybe think World Golf Village, close to St Augustine, Jax via I-95

[joninclay]

Fleming Island is a good place to check out.

As an aside, this thread must be killing fsu813. LOL!

[donisanasfan]

While Nocatee may be a bit of a drive form shopping right now, WGV is about as inconvenient to anything as it gets-with the exception of Palencia. Town Center is as good as it gets for shopping in the area, but to live close you would have to live in Duval county. Most families prefer to live in St Johns County due to the higher rated schools. Nocatee will easily be the best burb in the area ,with plenty of shopping , given it's great access to the beach and highways, already completed infrastructure, and beauty.Your price range could get you into Coastal Oaks ( where I live) which is gated and has it's own amenities, in addition to the amenities of Nocatee. Hope that helps.

[mawipafl]

I agree with joninclay (on both points). Fleming Island is just south of Orange Park proper. Schools are great, certain neighborhoods are quite family friendly with lots of amenities, and there are plenty of stores and restaurants. Four malls are within 30 minutes (Orange Park Mall, Avenues Mall, Town Center, Prime Outlets). You can get the size of house you'd like and within your budget.

[LMVN]

I am moving from NY/NJ to Jacksonville this summer and all of these posts are confusing me so much! HELP! I have 3 school age kids and I'd like to live in a A rated school area. My husband will be working at Baptist downtown on Prudential Drive. Would Nocatee or the other St Johns developments close to I95 be say a thirty minute commute to Baptist? I LOVE the feel of Nocatee and Valencia. I want palm trees and a Florida feel to where I live. What would be the closest communities on the Duvall/St Johns border to live for an easy commute to Baptist? If I had to live in Duvall, where is the best place with new construction with good schools? I saw a developement named Palermo (not sure what part of Jax that was even in)! Any help, insight would be soooo appreciated...... Can't wait to get to Flaaaaarida! My NY accent!!! LOL! Thanks!

[donisanasfan]

My wife works downtown and it takes her 35 minutes from our home in Coastal Oaks in Nocatee. For what you are looking for, I would avoid Duval and just focus on St Johns. Although Palencia is very pretty it is zoned for a not so great elementary school, and it is out of the way and not close to the beach. I always come back to the two communities I think are best for what you are looking for, Coastal Oaks or Marsh Landing .

[cricketfan]

Let's not get bowled over with all this hollering and yelling about NOCATEE. It's a nice development alright but there are lots of nice communities in St. Johns County and elsewhere. Everyone has different budgets and criteria for where they want to live.

Don't put down Orange Park. Not everyone has the same concerns about traffic or being that close to a beach. There are beautiful homes, oversized lots, and wide open spaces that appeal to alot of people.

Mandarin is an established, more built-out environment, a little more congested, but with access to all kinds of restaurants and shopping. Close to downtown Jax.

World Golf Village, even though it is a bit more remote, is a better value for the price-conscious than Nocatee. The number of huge houses going up every week in e.g. Murabella speaks for itself. Halfway between downtown Jax and St. Augustine, right off 95.

I like Nocatee. People who bought there need to be patient, it will become a fully developed community especially with its amenities and location without all the excessive touting. It's a good place to move into if you have the financial resources and the patience. Just don't oversell it.

[BabyBoomers2]

Have to agree with Eric and Ryde.......Mandarin, Deerwood and Deercreek.

Originally Posted by EricBoyd

Mandarin should be included on your list.

[mississippimagnolia]

We moved here last summer. Now that we've been here for almost a year, I can honestly say that I am so glad we listened to the folks who told us to focus on St. Johns County.

We looked in both Nocatee and Julington Creek. We really liked both areas. We are in Julington Creek and love it!

[JBtwinz]

Amelia Island