So confused and irritated. (Jacksonville, Orange Park: real estate, apartments, rentals)

[mina21]

All the houses we were looking at , are 40 plus minutes to my husband's office , we dont want to be that far from it. He will be working at Beach Blvd, and we were looking at houses in Orange Park, Fleming Island ,JCP.

Now, even some houses in Fleming Island and even St Johns are closer to his office than some of the houses in Orange Park. Everybody says in Orange Park the traffic is horrible. Now , i have other people saying st johns is high in crime. Seems like everyone is defending where they live and really not helping at all.

I am going to see some houses this saturday, and just want to know where are some nice,safe, family friendly places that aren't THAT far from where my husband will be working.

Bartram Springs and places centrally located near NAS and Mayport seem nice and close to where my husband will be, are these areas good?

[osgoor]

So, who is showing you these places? If you are using a real estate agent then why don't you specify how far away your husband is willing to drive? If you are looking yourself and are frustrated then you have different issues.

[mina21]

We are use to living in smaller places, so it has been difficult to look at houses, make appts and when were going to see them , they have been already rented. We already have our home rented for June 1 st so we need a home soon, thats the date we need to report too. ( Army )

We have a Realtor helping now , after calling and emailing a few that just didnt call or email back , and we are looking ourselves the best we can , as we are 2-3 hours away. Anything else you woukd like to know, that isn't relevant to this post?

[EricBoyd]

Originally Posted by mina21

Now , i have other people saying st johns is high in crime.

Not sure where these other people are getting their info, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Bartram Springs is a nice area, as well. Keep in mind that not all available rentals are listed on MLS, so your Realtor may be limited in what they can show you. Check for listings on Florida Homes for Rent | Houses for Rent in Florida, too.

[LilMikey]

I think you're probably going to need to iron out what you're looking for first. Every location is going to have good and bad parts... every one. You should also probably expect people to defend the place they've chosen to live (bad crime in St. Johns? ).

Actually, one of the amazing things about Jacksonville (and probably most of FL) coming from the midwest is the diversity of neighborhood types. You can live in a walkable, community-centric location like Riverside that fsu propones. You can live in a new-development with tons of amenities piled on like doniasfan and myself. Perhaps a more established, upper scale community like Robyn? Maybe you're focused on water and one of the islands is your thing? Young and single? Beaches probably appeal to you. There are also plenty of regular, big-box suburbs all over JAX as well.

Many options leads to many opinions.

[mina21]

Originally Posted by EricBoyd

Not sure where these other people are getting their info, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Bartram Springs is a nice area, as well. Keep in mind that not all available rentals are listed on MLS, so your Realtor may be limited in what they can show you. Check for listings on Florida Homes for Rent | Houses for Rent in Florida, too.

Thank you so much, i am checking eevrywhere. I too was surprised by the st johns comments, all i have ever heard is that it' s one of the best places to live if not the best.

[mina21]

[quote=LilMikey;24038152]I think you're probably going to need to iron out what you're looking for first. Every location is going to have good and bad parts... every one. You should also probably expect people to defend the place they've chosen to live (bad crime in St. Johns? ).

Actually, one of the amazing things about Jacksonville (and probably most of FL) coming from the midwest is the diversity of neighborhood types. You can live in a walkable, community-centric location like Riverside that fsu propones. You can live in a new-development with tons of amenities piled on like doniasfan and myself. Perhaps a more established, upper scale community like Robyn? Maybe you're focused on water and one of the islands is your thing? Young and single? Beaches probably appeal to you. There are also plenty of regular, big-box suburbs all over JAX as well.

So true and exactly what I thought. We love beaches, but dont have to live 10 min from it, Were looking for safe, family friendly areas , as we have 2 children and supermarkets, rest., parks etc.

[ssclulow]

Mina: Since it was apparent that you started a new thread for an ongoing need that is becoming time sensitive, I went back to see when you first posted. I found that your first post was early in 2012 and I don't have time to read through them to get to what your needs are. It would be hellpful to you if you would give us your short list of needs on this thread so we can get you some good current info. Whoever told you that St. Johns has a crime problem is not being truthful. The good news is that you apparently are only moving from 3 hours away and can get to JAX to see first hand what the area looks like and jump on a rental fast when the right one becomes available.

[abvavgjoe]

What's wrong with Southside? I take it that's where your husband will be working, right? Plenty of good neighborhoods there. I live in one myself.

[bativac]

All I'll say is there are a ton of decent areas in and around Jacksonville that are perfect for families. There is crime everywhere. I was assaulted on my street once - there has been little or no crime in my neighborhood before or since that indicent. I don't feel unsafe outside my home at night but I keep my wits about me anyway.

People have been carjacked and kidnapped at upscale shopping centers and shot in shopping malls. So finding a place that's totally crime-free is impossible.

Look around the area and if you can, do a drive-thru to get a general sense. Is the area kept up? Are homes painted, lawns trimmed, etc? Roofs in decent shape? You can tell a lot about an area by the homes - not the size or the newness, but how well they are maintained.

There are many, many neighborhoods off of Beach Blvd that range from old 1950s homes to newer housing developments, from trailer parks to high end apartments and condos. Most of them are safe. Some of them may be less than safe. It's better to look into a specific neighborhood and ask versus an entire area, and we can give you a better sense of the neighborhood.