Moving to Jacksonville area (Orlando, Orange Park: work, new home, high crime)

[okeon]

Hi, We currently live in WA state and are moving to Jacksonville, FL, within the next few months. We are not very familiar with Jacksonville, and we need a little help deciding which area would be best for us. We are thinking either the NORTH or WEST side would be best, but we don't know much about the crime in either parts of town. We would like some opinions from people who currently live in Jacksonville. We have 3 small children so we need good schools, safe neighborhood, and reasonable housing. Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks!

[wacahootaman]

The most affordable housing in the Jacksonville Florida area is on the north and the west side.

There are certain areas that do have high crime, mostly around the inner city and some surburban areas near govt housing projects. Arlington used to be really nice but the feds put some big projects in the area and the crime soared.

The best area for schools probably on the west side is the sw side, the Middleberg -Orange Park areas. They are probably the best bet because they are in Clay County and dont have the demographics of Duval County that have the high crime rate.The biggest problem with this area is the drive to work in Jax means you gotta really fight the traffic for miles with lots of redlights without any expressways. Middleberg has lots of affordable housing as many people who like the country moved out there but the commute could be a drawbwack

Northern St Johns County on the SE side is the nicest area for schools and crime but most of the housing there is expensive due to the upscale neighborhoods.

This is a basic outline and should give you some starters to investigate. Good luck and welcome to the Jacksonville area neighbor.

[BizeeMind]

I am a temporary Westside Jacksonville resident & Wacahootaman said it well. Although traffic can be brutal, I do find it easier to get around here than in the Orlando area. Jacksonville is more of a southern town than Orlando, much friendlier! Macclenny [Clay County] is a nice small town, but the entire area is growing so much, as is Florida

[Floridian]

When finding schools for your children, you should be choosing to live in St johns county, Duval County (only Mandarin area- Mandarin schools are still an "A" in academics) or in Ponte Vedra area. There are new constructions in Bartram which is between Ponte Vedra and Mandarin.. very nice place to live considering school & location. We have lived here in North Florida for 7 years enjoying winter - you can still turn on your fire place. Summer is humid but spring & fall - very much like California. We migrated here from Toronto, Canada.

[daedalo]

Hi see my prior comments.
The north side of Jax is expanding up into rural Nassau county- Callahan area. You can get a small new home in this area for still in the mid 100's.
And the commute from the north is much better than from any of the other directions. Crime in NE Florida is much higher than WA state. The N and W sides of Jax-close into the center city are among the highest in crime. But in the areas I recommend it is low.

Bill