New Jersey to Jacksonville (University, Jacksonville Beach: apartment complex, rentals, condos)

[punjabimunda]

Hi! This is a great forum! I hope you guys can help me out!

I have a job opportunity that will require me to move to Jacksonville in a few months. Since I am in NJ and have never been to Florida, let alone Jacksonville, I've been googling and searching day and night on any and all info I can find out about where to move into, school ratings, safety, shopping etc.

My new job would be in Southside (Deer Park Drive), therefore moving close by into an apartment/condo would be ideal. Reading reviews on this forum and elsewhere, it seems Southside would be a good area. Avoiding northside and west-side has been well drilled into my head from every apt review sight regarding safety!

I'm open to considering other apartments/condos in the area and am willing to commute up to 30-45 minutes as long as the apartments/condos are safe, have a good schooling system ( i have 2 kids, a 5 yr old a 2 yr old) and are in close proximity to the mall/shopping.

I'm basically looking for a 1-2 bedroom apt or condo in the Southside, Ponte Vedra Beach or other surrounding areas and am willing to shell out $1000-$1200/month for a perfect (or as close to it!) location.

Some of the apartments (thru rental websites and agents) I have at this time to consider are:

1. 54 Magnolia9800 Touchton Road East. Jacksonville, Florida 32246

2. Esplanade at Town Center (Luxury Condos)10435 Midtown Parkway. Jacksonville, Florida 32246

3. Ocean's Edge, 108 Laguna Villas Boulevard, Jacksonville Beach

4. The Village at St. Johns12310 Seacrest Lane. Jacksonville, FL 32224

If any apartment dwellers or other residents know of other apts/condos I am missing out on considering, please advise!!

Thank you so much!

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by punjabimunda

Thank you so much!

Not knowing your current lifestyle and your wants and needs it is hard to suggest any one particular place.

I would suggest that you hop on a plane and come down for a weekend to scout out the areas. The area is quite diverse and spread out and since you don't mind driving 30 minutes or so that would open you up to many options.
I'm in PVB and I think it's tops, but there are some real nice places just south of your workplace that would be nice too, and being close to work might mean something.
The thing about PVB is that you are certain that the schools will be decent while in Jacksonville you are rolling the dice, some schools are ok and others are not.

I would not pick the town center or the jax beach locations, the one on touchton is ok. There is an apartment complex on Gate parkway about a mile south of JTB that might suit you

[riveree]

I don't think you need to look far from work at all - no need to give yourself a long commute when the area by your work is perfectly nice with perfectly good apartments available.

Off the top of my head, the Touchton Road apartment will bring you close to work.

The Esplanade @ The SJTC is going to be a bit further out, the traffic can get heavy right there @ Gate Parkway & JTB. It's a poorly designed intersection and people drive like animals there - even in non-rush hours . It's one of those intersections where people feel they are above waiting in line to get through the light, so they get into the wrong lane and cut everyone off at the light......I see it every time I go through that intersection . The Esplanade itself would be nice though - it's brand new, The SJTC is great, you'd be close to the beaches.....I'd still consider it even with my traffic warning above. There's another way to get out of the Esplanade too - get onto 9A from St. John's Bluff (the other end of the SJTC) and then pick up JTB there......it essentially puts you one exit back on JTB but it should be a lot less of a hassle .

[punjabimunda]

Hi Apvguy! Any particular reason for not considering the town center or the jax beach locations? Also, some help on the acronyms please, what are SJTC, JTB?

And yes, I definitely plan to come down to JAX to scout some places, I just wanted to short-list the apartments/condos I plan to check out while there since i'll only be able to come down for a day or two before I start work (i will get training here in NJ/NY for the first 3 months before I get a 1 week break to relocate to JAX).

I was open to considering 54 Magnolia on Touchton until I read some bad reviews (especially related to break-ins!) on:

Fifty-Four Magnolia-Deerwood Apartment Ratings, Reviews, Map, Rents, and other Jacksonville apartments for rent from ApartmentRatings.com

[riveree]

SJTC = The Saint John's Town Center

It's our newest shopping center, designed like an outdoor town center with 1 million square feet of retail once completed (Phase II will open this fall, then there will be a final Phase III after that). It houses some very upscale shops that won't be found anywhere else in Jax/Jax area, so it's somewhat unique. it's been wildly popular and you'd probably enjoy living there at The Esplanade.

JTB = John Turner Butler Boulevard

This is an East-West highway connecting the Beaches to the Southside @ US1 (US1 also goes by the name of "Phillips Hgwy"). JTB is a common commuting path for many (other may use Atlantic Blvd or Beach Blvd as these also travel East-West).

[FLPL75]

punjabimunda
Former jersey girl here so I have to ask "What exit?"
Welcome to the boards and a early welcome to Jax.
Riveree is correct with regards to the traffic around SJTC people just cut you at the light.
You have lots of choices right around where you will be working and also near the 9A/Baymeadows area. The elementary and middle schools Twin Lakes are both grade "A" and there is a new high school going up in the next couple years.
One of the nicer apts would be village Walk which is on Gate parkway. A couple condos n the area you might way to check for rentals would be The reserve at James Island and Point Meadows Place (gated)
Depending on where in NJ you are check Southwest they often have great prices on flights to Jax. When every I fly up to visit my friends in new brunswick It is about an hour from the Phila airport to their house.
I just checked and a flight the weekend of oct 5th would be around $79 each way
hmm maybe I need to fly home for a couple days


karla

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by punjabimunda

Hi Apvguy! Any particular reason for not considering the town center or the jax beach locations? Also, some help on the acronyms please, what are SJTC, JTB?

And yes, I definitely plan to come down to JAX to scout some places, I just wanted to short-list the apartments/condos I plan to check out while there since i'll only be able to come down for a day or two before I start work (i will get training here in NJ/NY for the first 3 months before I get a 1 week break to relocate to JAX).

I was open to considering 54 Magnolia on Touchton until I read some bad reviews (especially related to break-ins!) on:

Fifty-Four Magnolia-Deerwood Apartment Ratings, Reviews, Map, Rents, and other Jacksonville apartments for rent from ApartmentRatings.com

another place to check an areas safety would be the the duval county sheriffs office web page ( sorry you'll have to google it)
I don't like the town center location because of it is directly behind a huge shopping center and with the convinience of being close to some stores comes the noise, garbage, traffic and other woes of being so close to a magnet for people. Jax beach is an ok place to live but you need to be very careful of location, there are many bars and night spots there that draw a young and unruly crowd and there is a lot of petty crime near those places.
JTB is butler blvd
SJTC is the shopping center we are talking about

[emiller]

Townsend Apartment Complex is really nice. The top floors has Vaulted ceilings and the space is cool. Before my husbands deployment we lived there with our son so the area was semi-kid friendly. That area has the top schools and my son is 3 so the daycars were also excellent. It is up the road from the mall and it is a wonderful area. It is off of Blanding Blvd.
When my husbad gets back we plan to live in that area again. It is super clost to the highway and basically everything!!!

[punjabimunda]

hi karla! since u have friends around new brunswick, you would know exactly where i am! im in somerset, right next to new brunswick and had graduated from Rutgers University. :-)

Village Walk showed up on my radar of apts to check out and will definitely consider now.

Thanks for the info on the flights, ive been checking out orbitz, travelocity, priceline and yahoo travels and the closest i could find was a deal over $225! But i was checking from Newark instead of philly. Philly aint bad at all, so i'lll definitely check out southwest! Thx!

[FLPL75]

punjabimunda
I know the area well
many visits to the somerset diner
you are going to find prices for homes and taxes much nicer here. My one friend n somerset is paying over 10k in taxes we pay 3k
I have many friends in somerset. and have ahem visited many of the "venues" for drinks around Rutgers and the area.
The southside area we live reminds me of the somerset area.

karla

p.s. ooo lol yet another connection for someone to bring bagels !!!!