Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Caladium, you seem to be all over the forum and that's good, that's why we are here, to answer each and every one of your questions. Even your crystal ball questions. Many of the answers are objective and based on fact like Madcap who actually went to SA and reported back on his findings. But keep in mind that opinions are subjective. People who live in Ponte Vedra want you to move to PVB. People who live in Amelia think you should move to Amelia Island. The same is true of Anastasia, St. Augustine, Nocatee, and wherever else. Lastly, there will be people outside of Jacksonville who will say don't move to Jacksonville, period. People tend to root for their little corner and be dismissive of other places. My humble suggestion is that at some point you need to give your keyboard a rest and come see for yourself by spending time in each of the areas that tickle your interest. Otherwise you are just playing a game.
I agree with you just about 100%.
OTOH - I don't want or not want anyone to move here. Ponte Vedra Beach - like Key Biscayne (where I lived in the 70's and 80's) - is an area that is very confined by geography (ocean to the east - JAX Beach/Duval County to the north - Guana Preserve to the south - and ICW to the west. And it is pretty much built out. Perhaps there is some land along the 210 corridor where another 500-1000 houses could be built - with a lot of effort - PVB has a zoning overlay district - but that's about it.
Just FWIW - we wound up looking in this area starting in about 1993 (we wanted to move from Miami) when we went on a golf vacation at TPC Sawgrass with my late inlaws (it was about halfway between our place in Miami and their place in NC*). We had been to JAX before (business) and St. Augustine (vacation) - but never PVB. Had never even heard of it. We spent about 4 days here - liked it - and come back on several occasions to explore. Liked what we saw. We put our place in Miami on the market. It took 9 months to sell it. And - when we had a contract - we rented a place here. And looked all over the metro area. There were places we looked at that we ruled out in 3 hours (like Orange Park). But there were others (like Riverside/Avondale) that looked interesting - so we did a lot of homework (easier to do close up than from far away).
In the end - there were only a few things that motivated us to live here. First - it was easy to build a new house (almost impossible in Riverside/Avondale). We didn't want a "fixer-upper". Second - we were close to places where we could engage in the recreational activities we liked. And that was about it (remember - in 1995 - when we moved here - the restaurants and shopping were all pretty awful - now they are simply mediocre).
Flash forward to today. Where we live is a fair amount more expensive than it was in 1995. What was $375k in 1995 is now $600k plus. And it's hard to build new. And if you're buying a 15+ year old house - there is always something you have to do to get it looking and functioning like you want (and that is especially important for seniors - most of whom aren't into fixing stuff up). If we wanted to move today - I'm not sure we'd make the same decision we made in 1995. Robyn
* - When we moved here - we had 4 elderly parents. And my husband and I are both eldest children - the ones who generally wind up taking care of parent stuff. One set of parents lived in Broward County FL. The other in Southern Pines NC. So it was out of the question for us to move to a place like a Seattle on a whim - unless we wanted to abandon our parents. This was a nice halfway point. We did wind up moving my late FIL to an excellent skilled nursing facility here after he had a stroke (my late MIL was dead then). And my father (alive at 93) moved here to an independent senior living facility after my mother died. In terms of dealing with our parents on a regular basis - the greater JAX area has been absolutely 100% perfect.
Caladium, you seem to be all over the forum and that's good, that's why we are here, to answer each and every one of your questions. Even your crystal ball questions. Many of the answers are objective and based on fact like Madcap who actually went to SA and reported back on his findings. But keep in mind that opinions are subjective. People who live in Ponte Vedra want you to move to PVB. People who live in Amelia think you should move to Amelia Island. The same is true of Anastasia, St. Augustine, Nocatee, and wherever else. Lastly, there will be people outside of Jacksonville who will say don't move to Jacksonville, period. People tend to root for their little corner and be dismissive of other places. My humble suggestion is that at some point you need to give your keyboard a rest and come see for yourself by spending time in each of the areas that tickle your interest. Otherwise you are just playing a game.
I concur 100% with cricketfan, as all we offer are opinions. And as everybody knows Opinions are like buttholes everyones got one it's just that some smell worse than others. I myself have no dog in this fight as I do not live in St Augustine, Amalia Island or Ponte Vedra. I do live in Jacksonville ... kind of ... as far west in Duval County as you can get, on a large farm/ranch and I wouldn't want you to move here just as you probably wouldn't want to either. But I am very familiar with all of the aforementioned communities. All of these communities are similar in one thing, they are on the ocean but access to that ocean is different in each.
On Anastasia Island access is relatively easy and straight forward. Theres at least 15 from the State park in the north to Matanzas inlet in the south
In Ponte Vedra access is very limited unless you belong to one of the beach clubs. Theres only 2 public ones that I know of from the northern St John's/Duval county line until you get to Guana Preserve in the south, one at Micklers Landing and the one down at Guana Preserve. Both do have adequate parking. (as beach driving is not permitted here)
Amelia Island does have good beach access also, and beach driving is allowed here in places
As cricketfan stated you can ask a billion questions but take into consideration all the underlying factors that go into each reply, and weight each accordingly. The only real way to decide is visit, look, learn and enjoy, at your own pace. Happy Hunting
We did wind up moving my late FIL to an excellent skilled nursing facility here after he had a stroke (my late MIL was dead then). And my father (alive at 93) moved here to an independent senior living facility after my mother died. In terms of dealing with our parents on a regular basis - the greater JAX area has been absolutely 100% perfect.
If it's not too personal, I'd be interested in knowing which nursing facility and senior living facility you chose for them.
No problem. Because I can say nice things. My late FIL was at River Garden (Hebrew Home for the Aged). A skilled nursing facility (SNF). And - like they say in the commercial - you don't have to be Jewish* (any place that accepts federal funds from Medicare/Medicaid can't discriminate). OTOH - the place is strict kosher in the inside dining areas (there is nothing in the Medicare rules that says you have to serve pork in a Jewish nursing home ). River Garden is in the Mandarin area - and we were sufficiently impressed by it to drive from PVB to there for 2 1/2 years while my FIL was a resident there.
One note. My FIL was full self-pay - but the place accepts Medicaid residents. When my FIL was a resident there - only people who had lived in Duval/St. Johns/Clay County for at least 5 years would be considered for Medicaid. Don't know the story today (my FIL died in 2004). And it's a lot easier to get in if you're self pay as opposed to relying on Medicaid. River Garden isn't cheap for paying residents - it's probably about $75k/year now - but that is about half or so of what you'll pay in a major metro area like New York or Los Angeles.
My father lives in the Carriage Club (some other people here have parents there too). It's a little west off of Southside a little south of JTB. Very nice senior rental facility. And getting nicer (owners - NYSE listed company - are renovating units now when old tenants move out and new tenants move in). For a senior over 70-75 - minimum - average age is probably 80 or so - I'd recommend it as an independent senior living facility. Especially the villas (where my father lives).
I have zero experience with assisted living facilities (in between independent living and skilled nursing) here. But some friends of ours have had good experiences.
You're much too young for this stuff - but it's nice to know that - if you move to a place - and have to take care of your parents - you'll have community resources. Robyn
*My husband isn't Jewish and his father wasn't either. And the aides (mostly Russian immigrants who were "strong like bulls") knew that instantly when they gave my FIL a bath ).
You're much too young for this stuff - but it's nice to know that - if you move to a place - and have to take care of your parents - you'll have community resources.
Thanks for the detailed info. I know we may not need it for a long time yet, but I guess I'm channeling my inner girl scout: be prepared!
The way we look at it, this will be our last major move. We might move to another neighborhood within a city, but unless there's a major disaster we won't move to another city. So, I want to make sure there are facilities for future needs, as well as current.
(Yes, it's true that things can change as the years pass, but OTOH I think it's good to start tracking places like this now so when the time comes I will have been watching them for years and know all about them, maybe even have volunteered at them.)
Well I would never say never in terms of anything - but this is a pretty comfy place to age in terms of the basics. If it's of any use to you - I will tell you what I don't like about living here.
1. Winter weather (remember - we moved here after 20+ years in Miami).
2. Mediocre shopping and restaurants. Not awful. Just nothing above your run of the mill chain stuff for the most part. We travel during the year - and I look forward to shopping and dining in places from Manhattan to Tokyo.
3. We are getting too old to maintain our property (the outside part) the way we used to do it ourselves (although we happen to love it). Having lived in condos for 20+ years - well we'll go into a nursing home before we go into a condo again. Luckily - we have enough money to hire people to do what we can no longer do for ourselves.
4. I wish we had more long-haul air service out of JAX to Asia and Europe - but even MIA isn't that great. As it is - Atlanta is an excellent hub to many places.
5. Will they please please please stop building stuff at the Town Center. First there was Costco. Then a pleasant shopping/dining area. And now the traffic there is like Miami! I shudder to think what it will look like during the Christmas shopping season this year.
You have never said what you're looking for in particular (about all I can remember is you like to walk - and you can do that just about anywhere in the world - my husband used to be a runner - and he did that just about everywhere we lived or traveled to).
So if you had to write a list of the 4 or 5 most important things you would like - what would they be? And be honest with yourself. And you don't even have to write a message here. As long as you and your husband talk about it between yourselves. Robyn
Yet another great post. It's always interesting to see how different people value different things.
Our list of top 5 things we're seeking isn't that interesting because it's the same things everyone seeks (must fit within our budget, medical care, things for seniors to do so we can meet friends, milder weather, near family, etc.) The only things that are particular to us are 1. we want to be within a mile or two of a beach, and 2. we need a city where we feel safe taking long walks.
I like your list--those things aren't necessarily big issues for us, but our particular take on those issues could give you guys chance to understand what we may be looking for, so here goes:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robyn55
1. Winter weather (remember - we moved here after 20+ years in Miami).
The winter weather is actually a major attraction for us. We like cooler "fall-like" temperatures, and prefer the north Florida summers to southern Florida. Right now in VA we're in the 40s and 50s and I think it's ideal. The summer temps are not an issue for us--but the humidity may be a problem. I like the humidity we get in VA, but I'm not sure how we'll feel about FL humidity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robyn55
2. Mediocre shopping and restaurants. Not awful. Just nothing above your run of the mill chain stuff for the most part. We travel during the year - and I look forward to shopping and dining in places from Manhattan to Tokyo.
This doesn't bother me at all. I like to cook and rarely eat out. Shopping is not a big deal to me--I did lots of it in my younger years, but these days it's not an interest, except as something to do when we travel. My issues with shopping are:
1. I wish Costco was closer to Anastasia Island, and
2. I'll have to check out the grocery stores when we visit, because having good quality produce is important to me. Fortunately, Publix is in FL and that's a good food chain.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robyn55
3. We are getting too old to maintain our property (the outside part) the way we used to do it ourselves (although we happen to love it). Having lived in condos for 20+ years - well we'll go into a nursing home before we go into a condo again. Luckily - we have enough money to hire people to do what we can no longer do for ourselves.
Agreed, we're definitely looking for a smaller yard and less maintenance. To be honest, I wish we could find a well built condo but it sounds like that's not a good idea in FL. It's a compromise--I can live with the idea of another SFH as long as it's smaller and the yard is relatively small.
We're handy with tools, and especially doing things like electrical work. I've reach the point in my life where I no longer climb onto roofs, however. OTOH, hiring handy men is one way to get to know the neighbors.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robyn55
4. I wish we had more long-haul air service out of JAX to Asia and Europe - but even MIA isn't that great. As it is - Atlanta is an excellent hub to many places.
The airport is going to be a big issue for us. Ideally, we wanted to live near an airport with lots of flights to NYC, since we have family there. Having to drive more than an hour to get to JIA may turn out to be a deal breaker. As for international travel--I did so much of that in my earlier years that it's not something I care about any more. Same goes for flights to the west coast. But being able to get to NYC is important to us. We'd probably only fly once or twice a year--not that much, in the scheme of things--so maybe this could be something to compromise on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robyn55
5. Will they please please please stop building stuff at the Town Center. First there was Costco. Then a pleasant shopping/dining area. And now the traffic there is like Miami! I shudder to think what it will look like during the Christmas shopping season this year.
Not sure how I feel on this issue until I see it for myself. On the one hand I'm really happy a Lowes is being built near Anastasia Island--on the other hand traffic issues can become a problem, too.
1. Insects. I plan to start a thread on this after I learn a little more. My husband is worried we may be eaten alive by mosquitos and I'm not sure how he's going to like the love bugs that are everywhere. And of course there's the termite issue.
2. "Good old boy" culture. I'm not sure if this is an issue in Jacksonville or not, that's one of those things we'll have to gauge on our trip. I understand it lessens in the beach cities, so it may not be an issue at all. And some aspects are appealing (chatting with friends whenever you go to the grocery store, for example). We'll just have to see how it feels.
3. Florida vibe. I've spent a lot of time all over southern Florida and around Destin. There's something about the Florida "vibe" that doesn't quite fit for me. But... I've always heard NE Florida is slightly different, and St. Augustine's age might give it a different flavor as well. I'll be very curious to see how we like the vibe there.
4. Things for seniors to do/general friendliness. We'd be moving to a town where we know nobody, so it's important to be in a place that welcomes newcomers. I'm friendly and pretty outgoing, which helps, but we'll also be checking out volunteer opportunities, church groups, and other things we could do to plug into a group of friends.
Consider this, Costco is as close if not closer to parts of St Augustine as it is to parts of northern Duval County which are still inside the Jacksonville city limits.
..Our list of top 5 things we're seeking isn't that interesting because it's the same things everyone seeks (must fit within our budget, medical care, things for seniors to do so we can meet friends, milder weather, near family, etc.) The only things that are particular to us are 1. we want to be within a mile or two of a beach, and 2. we need a city where we feel safe taking long walks.
You can find something in your budget range just about everywhere in NE Florida - except perhaps for an oceanfront house. How nice it will be is another story.
I think the medical care that's easily available in/near PVB is excellent. And I am kind of picky when it comes to medical care.
I am not exactly sure what seniors do that is different than what other people do (we frequently get hooked up with people much younger than we are when we play golf). Do note that there is a pretty new senior center in PVB:
I have never been there - and don't know what goes on there - but you might look into it.
I wouldn't want to be < 2 miles from the ocean due to insurance concerns. We are 2.1 miles - and State Farm Floridian wouldn't insure us if we were 1.9 miles. I don't know what the story is with Citizens (the state run insurer).
Also - if you have romantic notions of walking miles on the beach - note that it isn't that good for your knees and your hips (because the surface isn't even). It's pleasant once in a while. But if you're into doing your 2-3 miles a day at a fair pace - you want a level walking surface.
I would say that about 99% of NE Florida is 99% safe in terms of crime. Your biggest concern in terms of walking is dealing with traffic/lack of sidewalks. Here in PVB - we have a sidewalk that runs along A1A from the county line at the Marsh Landing Publix shopping center for many miles south (can't remember exactly where it ends). Of course - if you're not talking about a major road - like within a residential community - the need for sidewalks isn't as great.
Quote:
I like your list--those things aren't necessarily big issues for us, but our particular take on those issues could give you guys chance to understand what we may be looking for, so here goes:
The winter weather is actually a major attraction for us. We like cooler "fall-like" temperatures, and prefer the north Florida summers to southern Florida. Right now in VA we're in the 40s and 50s and I think it's ideal. The summer temps are not an issue for us--but the humidity may be a problem. I like the humidity we get in VA, but I'm not sure how we'll feel about FL humidity.
You should like our fall/winter/early spring weather then. As for summer weather - it is pretty much the same all over the southeast - hot ---> really hot and humid (although you'll be a few degrees cooler if you're close to the ocean). No one from SE Florida comes to NE Florida to cool off in the summer.
Quote:
This doesn't bother me at all. I like to cook and rarely eat out. Shopping is not a big deal to me--I did lots of it in my younger years, but these days it's not an interest, except as something to do when we travel. My issues with shopping are:
1. I wish Costco was closer to Anastasia Island, and
2. I'll have to check out the grocery stores when we visit, because having good quality produce is important to me. Fortunately, Publix is in FL and that's a good food chain.
I learned how to cook here - in self-defense . The grocery shopping is really pretty good. But I use a lot of sources. Although Publix is my local go-to" place - I think there are better places to buy meat and produce. So we also shop for grocery items at Costco - Fresh Market - Whole Foods - a couple of small ethnic (like Asian) markets - and a couple of farm type places (the Neptune Beach green market - County Line Produce on SR 207 in St. Johns County) - in that order. Actually - if you like to cook - this is a pretty good place to shop for different ingredients and to experiment. We even have a Penzeys Spice store.
FWIW - Costco has the best drug prices in town if you're not on Medicare yet (once you're on Medicare - if you have part D - you'll be paying the same co-pay no matter where you shop as long as your part D plan covers the drug you're buying.
Quote:
Agreed, we're definitely looking for a smaller yard and less maintenance. To be honest, I wish we could find a well built condo but it sounds like that's not a good idea in FL. It's a compromise--I can live with the idea of another SFH as long as it's smaller and the yard is relatively small.
We're handy with tools, and especially doing things like electrical work. I've reach the point in my life where I no longer climb onto roofs, however. OTOH, hiring handy men is one way to get to know the neighbors.
Another alternative is a smaller house with a yard in an area that isn't in a HOA with fairly strict landscaping standards. There are lots of houses here that have kind of "shaggy" looking yards - even in PVB - especially in the Palm Valley area. OTOH - a lot of these places have septic tanks and sometimes well water. Not my cup of tea. YMMV.
Quote:
The airport is going to be a big issue for us. Ideally, we wanted to live near an airport with lots of flights to NYC, since we have family there. Having to drive more than an hour to get to JIA may turn out to be a deal breaker. As for international travel--I did so much of that in my earlier years that it's not something I care about any more. Same goes for flights to the west coast. But being able to get to NYC is important to us. We'd probably only fly once or twice a year--not that much, in the scheme of things--so maybe this could be something to compromise on.
If your main destination is NYC - I think you'll be fine with JAX. Depending on your airport of choice in the NYC metro area and your tolerance for flying at various hours - like early in the morning - we have a lot of early flights so business people can go early in the morning and come home in the early evening. I think I would rather have a root canal than catch a 7:30 am flight. We have reasonable non-stop service into LGA and EWR (don't fly into JFK so I don't know). And I think Jet Blue flies into an airport on Long Island (not sure - don't go there either). It usually takes us about 40 minutes to drive from PVB to JAX - but we allow an hour to be safe. Note that JAX is a very "easy-in easy-out" airport (Thanksgiving weekend at JAX isn't as crowded as an average day at LGA). We park at one of the private lots about a mile from the airport - pay relative peanuts - and the service is excellent in terms of drop-off/pick-up.
Anyway - if you have any more questions - give a holler. Robyn
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
). River Garden is in the Mandarin area - and we were sufficiently impressed by it to drive from PVB to there for 2 1/2 years while my FIL was a resident there.
).
