Has Jacksonville changed since the mid 1980's? Heard negative things (Jacksonville Beach: crime, live) - Florida (FL) - City-Data Forum

soulful · 09-11-2011, 01:47 PM

Hello. I was having lunch yesterday with a friend who lived in Jacksonville and Jacksonville Beach in the mid 1980's. He told me the entire area was pretty vile and tawdry (with the exception of Ponte Vedra Beach).

Anyway, I told him that the Mayo Clinic now had a location in JAX and that I understood lots of technology type companies such as AT&T now have large facilities in the area.
My Mom (elderly) keeps talking about possible relocation to JAX and the wonderful things she has read and I am a touch concerned and need info. from locals.

My question. Is most of Jacksonville now more upscale and the "tawdry/vileness" he mentioned either gone or banished to a "bad section" of the city?

Is JAX on par with, let's say, Milwaukee (which has a pretty nice, vibrant/upscale downtown these days with highrises and great suburbs)?

bativac · 09-11-2011, 03:45 PM

Parts of Jax have improved since the 1980s. Parts of Jax have deteriorated since the 1980s.

Jax Beach is certainly much cleaner, safer and more vibrant than it was in the '80s. Downtown has a few businesses but not much real activity and it certainly isn't vibrant or upscale. I wouldn't consider it dangerous though crime exists... think of it less as a "downtown" and more as a "giant office park." There are a couple highrises and one totally unfinished highrise. The surrounding areas like Springfield and Riverside have improved since the 1980s - Springfield is still undergoing some gentrification. Keep to the "historic" area and you're fine. The rest of it is still a ghetto though I don't know that it's as bad as it was in the 1980s.

Sprawl and "prepackaged" housing developments have absolutely exploded since the 1980s. I don't know whether you'd consider that a good thing or a bad thing. Typical Jax mindset is to move on from anything that isn't "nice" anymore and expand out, build new stuff, and continue the cycle. So inner city areas like Arlington fall apart while new housing and retail developments are built off Kernan, Hodges, etc...

soulful · 09-11-2011, 04:27 PM

Is the area around the Whole Foods a trendy, happening sort of area?

I asked because I know typically Whole Foods puts their locations in that sort of area.

And what about the area around Mayo Clinic?

thanks

fsu813 · 09-11-2011, 04:42 PM

No. Mandarin, where Whole Foods is located, is a sleepy bedroom suburb.

FlyiMetro · 09-11-2011, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soulful

Hello. I was having lunch yesterday with a friend who lived in Jacksonville and Jacksonville Beach in the mid 1980's. He told me the entire area was pretty vile and tawdry (with the exception of Ponte Vedra Beach).

Anyway, I told him that the Mayo Clinic now had a location in JAX and that I understood lots of technology type companies such as AT&T now have large facilities in the area.
My Mom (elderly) keeps talking about possible relocation to JAX and the wonderful things she has read and I am a touch concerned and need info. from locals.

My question. Is most of Jacksonville now more upscale and the "tawdry/vileness" he mentioned either gone or banished to a "bad section" of the city?

Is JAX on par with, let's say, Milwaukee (which has a pretty nice, vibrant/upscale downtown these days with highrises and great suburbs)?

The 80s were 20 years ago. I would say a lot has changed. I think Austin was the mayor in 89...and since him Jax has had 3 different guys afterwards.