Amelia Island vs. Anastasia Island (Jacksonville, Orlando: transplants, condo, low crime)

[Caladium]

Someone mentioned Amelia Island this morning. It's another place I know nothing about. It would be great if you guys could contrast and compare Amelia Island to Anastasia Island.

We are retirees, so jobs are not an issue (although economic health of an area certainly is, and jobs can be part of that). Also, schools are not a big issue.

Would love to read comparisons on:

1. Crime and safety issues

2. Weather concerns. Which island is more likely to get storm damage?

3. Traffic--which one is worse.

4. Ease getting to a major airport. Or Amtrak?

5. Comparison of shopping on both islands (and also in the parts of town that are an easy drive from both islands).

6. Parks, beaches, trails, etc. Places to kayak.

7. Activities for seniors.

8. General personality of the residents (if there is such a thing). Also, demographics of the residents: native Floridians? Midwesterners? Recent transplants? Highly religious? Whatever you think describes them.

9. Touristy fun things to do. St. Augustine has cool architecture and historic sites, and Anastasia Island has a lighthouse, the alligator farm, etc. What does Amelia have?

10. Doctors and hospitals.

11. Which island is more expensive, and why? I wish we were made of money but we aren't and as retirees we need to be frugal (without cutting corners, if possible).

Which island do you like better, and why?

[madcapmagishion]

1. I have no clue

2. Both about the same its Florida and they are both Islands off the coast and only 50 miles apart as the crow flies.

3. St Augustine by far year round, although Fernandina can be busy during the Shrimp Fest.

4. Fernandina is only 25 miles from JIA where as Anastasia Island is 60 miles from JIA.

5. About the same

6. About the same

7. About the same

8. About the same, both have a lot of retirees with Amelia Island being a little more affluent overall.

9. St Augustine hands down as far as touristy things to do. Fernandina has Ft Clinch and a Shrimp Festival but it's not a dedicated tourist destination unless your a golfer. If you golf I would choose Amelia Island.

10. I have no clue on this one, but maybe St Augustine.

11. Except for the high end housing areas of Amelia Island I would have to say both about the same to live in.

I prefer Anastasia Island my self right now, mainly because we have a lot of friends and relatives that live there. But before I had a stroke and could play golf I would have rather lived in Amelia Island because there are more golf courses to play.

[JBtwinz]

I answered most of these yesterday in your other Saint Augustine pro, cons thread. Given this economic climate where property values are largely and by far way down and the amenities of small Island living I would say in my jaded opinion that Amelia Island is a better location to retire in. Saint Augustine is great, but having been visiting friends there since the early 80's the place has grown tremendously due to it's great quality of life. Amelia Island was discovered late in the game as far as construction and building out. The economic downturn put an abrupt stop to a crazy situation where every square inch of the island was up for grabs and prices skyrocketed. Here is my post from last night.

Based on the first post from the OP, I am going to throw a wrench in the mix (although Saint Augustine truly is a wonderful place to live)!

I rarely ever point anyone in our area because I believe everyone has their own idea of paradise, but if your looking for something unique and comparable to a Deleware beach town you need to take a ride up to Amelia Island.

We currently live in Virginia and will be retiring in the next year or so. I thought we were headed towards Rehoboth Beach, DE but now my husband wants to look at a few other beach areas, too. St. Augustine has been suggested, and I realize I know nothing at all about that part of Florida. So I hope you guys can give me a basic idea of the area and help us decide if we should head down there to take a look.
Amelia Island is the in the farthest Northeast corner of Florida

1. In your opinion, is St. Augustine a good place to retire? What would be pros and cons to this idea?
Saint Augustine is a great place to live and the traffic and growth in recent years prove this. Amelia Island is the way Saint Augustine was in the early 80's. Relatively quiet beach town that picks up during the summer months. A brutal housing downturn saved us from building on every square inch of this Island.

2. What parts of town would you recommend? We want to be within a mile or two of the beach, preferably in an area where we could walk to the beach. We are avid walkers, but would need a neighborhood with sidewalks or trails. Housing budget would be $350,000-400,000 (with some leeway if needed) and we're fine with a condo. Right now I love gardening but I don't need a big yard anymore--a big patio with potted plants would be fine too.
Amelia Island is currently in a buyers market with prices that have come down to 2003 prices in most instances. There so many choices in the range you are looking. We have a great mix of trails that include all of the Fort Clinch State Park and the Egans Creek Greenway. There are quite a few neighborhoods where you are a mile or less (a lot less) from the beach. Except for Sams everything you need to shop for is on the island. Home Depot, Lowes, Target, a Super Walmart and soon to be Kohls are just off the island.

3. Low crime rate is probably the most important concern. Also, a relatively quiet place. We don't want to be on a street with lots of late night parties.
Crime here is comparable to Saint Augustine maybe less due to population.

4. It would be nice to be near other seniors, or near a good senior center, but we don't necessarily need a 55+ community.
Good mix of seniors here and we do have a senior center, the YMCA attracts a lot of retirees here.

5. OK, this is kind of a weird question--but where do the people who live in St. Augustine come from? Are they mostly people who were born there, or is it a transient population. If transient, is it mostly people from New York or from all over the US? I like New Yorkers but I'm not sure I want to live in "NYC South."
People from all over the country have moved here, although we have quite a few New Englanders

6. A really good library is also important, and we'd like to be within 5 miles of a good hospital.
We have a nice library in the historic downtown and Baptist Medical has been expanding here on the Island and recently started offering cardiac imaging and offer most all procedures.

7. We are avid kayakers. Where are the good kayaking spots?
We have several great kayaking points to put into and a dedicated place just off the south end of the Island

8. How cold is it in the winter? How hot in the summer?
Check the link I provided below

7. Is Jacksonville the nearest airport?
25 minutes from my door and I am mid point on the island at the beach, which is pet friendly, fishing friendly and pretty quiet.

Amelia Island was just voted as one of the top ten islands in America. We have biking, hiking, golfing and much more.


Good luck and if I can be of any assistance please let me know


Amelia Island Weather | Amelia Island Living & Travel eMagazine

[Caladium]

JBTwinz, thanks for reposting that. It was indeed a very interesting post and I'm glad I don't have to jump between the two threads now.

[JBtwinz]

Welcome to Amelia Island - YouTube

[Caladium]

Nice video.

What about issues like quality of construction for homes in the $300-400,000 range. If Amelia Island is a little bit newer than Anastasia, does that mean they are more likely to have construction issues? Or maybe they're about the same on this issue.

What about CDD's? That's another thing I'm just starting to learn about, and tomorrow I may post a separate thread about them. As far as this thread goes, they mostly just apply to the newer communities, right? If so, do I need to be more aware of them when looking at places on Amelia?

Being closer to the airport is a big plus. Still a little concerned about being so close to JAX though. I've heard JAX has a problem with crime issues (but maybe that's exaggerated?).

[JBtwinz]

Quality of construction is like anywhere else, you research and have a qualified licensed home inspector check things out. In 2001 wind codes changed and anything built after has stricter requirements per code if your in the proximity to the coast.

Jax like any cities has areas that seem to more prone to certain types of crimes depending on the area your looking at.

Amelia Island has a lot to offer. Your making a big investment in your future, we can hopefully give you a non biased insight into the areas your interested in but for the money your looking at to relocate, a week or so vacationing in this area (Saint Augustine or Amelia Island) to check out the communities is a small investment towards a happy future no matter where you wind up.

[ssclulow]

12 years ago when we were searching for a location in FL in which to retire, 4 items led us away from Amelia: The terrible smell due to the paper mill, the high price of housing & golf memberships and the distance to Orlando. We wanted to be less than 2 hours to Orlando for several reasons: Together the 2 airports in Orlando (Orlando International and Sanford) offer much less expensive direct flights than JAX to almost everywhere. The only exception we have found is if you are flying into a Southwest Airlines hub such as Baltimore-Washington International. We have family scattered in many states. We all like flying to visit one another frequently (especially at the holidays) without spending a ridiculous amount. Also, Orlando is a fun destination for daytrips when friends and relatives come into town. FL residents are given deep discounts on annual passes to the theme parks and Orlando also offers abundant opportunities to see some very good music concerts that often bypass JAX and the St. Augustine Ampitheater. The occassionally visiting guys enjoy seeing the Orlando Magic play home games during NBA season (the women usually opt for shopping the 150 stores at the Millenia Mall while the men enjoy the game). I'm sure housing prices have come way down on Amelia since 1996 when we started looking. I believe the paper mill is still there as I smelled the odor last year when I traveled through the area.

[centauri]

Originally Posted by JBtwinz

Welcome to Amelia Island - YouTube

Holy... I remember this video.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by ssclulow

I'm sure housing prices have come way down on Amelia since 1996 when we started looking. I believe the paper mill is still there as I smelled the odor last year when I traveled through the area.....We wanted to be less than 2 hours to Orlando for several reasons...

Housing prices have indeed gone way down.

You can still smell the paper mill during the fall/winter, but only on the north end of the island in and around Fernandina Beach. People on the south end, as far as I know, don't smell anything. And I guess people right on the beach, no matter where they are, don't smell it. But it is definitely something to check out beforehand, in case it might be a problem for you.

The airport is maybe 30 minutes from us (we're on the north end of the island.)

I think this is what JB was referring to:

Amelia Island voted tops in 5 categories in 2011 Condé Nast Traveler

About being close to Orlando, that would definitely be a concern for some people, especially with the airport situation.

On the other hand, I enjoy being close to Savannah, and the Jax airport is convenient if more pricey.