What are your opinions about Orange Park? (Jacksonville, Plantation: for sale, condo)

[maine4.us]

Clay County in general.....

If you are a retired person, who does not have to be in traffic going to Jax every day, Clay is great. If you are a young person, with children, Clay is great.

The issue in Clay is urban sprawl. Let me make one point clear, Fleming Island, is NOT Orange Park. They may share zip codes but the communities are vastly different. The city of Orange Park is very small, and land locked. Orange Park is an old city, it isn't run down, it is just old. The drive on River Road through Orange Park is wonderful. In fact, that is the only area in the city that I would live. When you are at the Mall, you are NOT in the city of Orange Park. One note about the mall. Do not go there in the evenings on the weekends. It looks like an urban warfare zone. You will see police everywhere. I made the mistake of going to an evening movie that let out after dark. As we were walking to the car, I heard screaming, and saw about 15 policeman running to the parking lot. Unfortunately, they were running toward where I was parked. We waited about 5 minutes and everybody scattered. Your young people are not safe anywhere near the mall after dark.

Fleming Island is also an old plantation community. It has been developed with a master plan concept in mind, except they sim
ply forgot to build the roads. You are stuck in traffic trying to go anywhere. There are only 2 roads in and out of Clay county from Jacksonville. Both of these roads fail Florida's Level of Service standards. Be prepared during rush hour for gridlock. It can take 45 minutes to go 7 miles at times.

The schools are excellent for Florida. I have heard many people from other states state to the contrary, but they are as good as it gets here.

Real estate is cheaper here than in most places. Until the slowdown, it was possible to sell a house on LI and buy two here with the proceeds. Unfortunately, wages in this area have not kept up real estate prices. So, you do have a lot of housing in certain areas that isn't all that great. Most of the jobs in the area are service industry and do not pay good wages. Do your homework, and you will be fine.

Some of the planned communities do have fees, and special taxing districts that can add quitea bit to your tax bill. You still have to pay county taxes as well as your CDD taxes/HOA. These taxes are subject to significant changes if your community decides to build a new clubhouse, or water park, or any new enterprise. One item of interest from a personal observation. I visited Eagle Harbor one evening, and I found the streets in certain areas difficult to navigate. Most homes have a double garage, but have 4-5 autos. They park them in the driveways, but visitors overflow into the streets. I have to weave in and out between cars parked all over the street. I was surprised to see this. I would have thought that the HOA would do something. I was informed that it was that way quite often, and nothing was being done. Recent visits find the same issue.

Granted Clay is a wonderful place. It is a good place to raise children and retire, but I just don't know if it suits us empty nesters without relatives that much.

[tr8derchick]

Orange Park is only ok in a few areas. If I were considering a move to Orange Park, I'd reconsider and move to Ponte Vedra.

The Orange Park mall has turned into a hangout for thugs and hillbillies. The mall doesn't even contain the usual middle class stores such as Banana Republic, Abercrombie, Ann Taylor, Pottery Barn, etc. (It's a dump). The only department store is Dillard's, which doesn't even carry the stuff they'd carry in upper income areas.

The schools are only decent if you live in the Fleming Island area, and again, you are still stuck with the thug element if you want to let your teen drive to the local mall.

The schools in Ponte Vedra seem to be replacing French, as an elective, with Chinese. So you get the idea that they are more in touch with what's happening in the world.

The hospital in Orange Park is probably the worst in the area, in my opinion, and seems to be the most expensive for an ER visit (the nurses are the rudest I've ever encountered, perhaps because they are overworked, and you will wait forever to see a doctor).

I get depressed just crossing the Buckman bridge in Jacksonville into Orange Park. So, again, think of Ponte Vedra before Orange Park.

[gradco2004]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I can second that opinion of the mall. It is largely inadequate. Not that a mall is a major deal breaker, but don't expect too much if you are a "shopper."

[joninclay]

I'm not as condescending with my views of OP as tr8derchick is, but I agree with her on two aspects:

1. The crime rate at the OP Mall is on the rise. No question about it.

2. OPMC sucks...period. I've documented my own experiences there before.

Other than that, I don't find OP to be as backwoods as she contends.

[lcbogie]

Are you kidding - you can live like a king at that price range! Jax is not NY! I am a Tulane Grad (MPH) and was a Major in the Army Medical Services Corp. I write with my wife and she is a Realtor - I am her assistant!

[lcbogie]

Never make a decision about where to live in any city based upon responses to your emails. YOU MUST evaluate each area on the ground based upon your needs. All of the freeway system is in a shambles as it is being overhauled, so if you base you decision on where to live on anything - look at Jax traffic patterns. I did and because of this I can walk to the Doctor, Service Station, Schools, Pool, Boat ramp, fishing, Grocery Stores - see my life is not complicated. I so far have not been robbed, knifed or shot living here in Arlington!

If you do base your decision on such emails, you may miss out on something. Southside is impressive; OP is impressive, Arlington is impressive; pointe vedra and queens harbor is to die for and there are many other communities as equally as awesome. This is Jax!

North Jax gives you more bang for the bucks and west jax is really growing as both areas offer more bang for the buck. All areas have good and bad points or areas. Be careful everywhere in this country. Price really is a big discriminator - crime in Jax is a lot less in than in other big cities. It was on the rise - as expected for a city that has the largest land mass of any city in the country.

[travelingfood]

Originally Posted by lcbogie

North Jax gives you more bang for the bucks and west jax is really growing as both areas offer more bang for the buck. All areas have good and bad points or areas. Be careful everywhere in this country. Price really is a big discriminator - crime in Jax is a lot less in than in other big cities. It was on the rise - as expected for a city that has the largest land mass of any city in the country.

nothing describes it better.

[agreatlife]

Originally Posted by travelingfood

nothing describes it better.

ROFLMAO!

[Heris]

Hi, Redsoxfan34! I went to O.P. high school over 30 years ago, then moved away for my adult life, until now. My parents retired here and eventually, my husband and I retired here after a long military career. All of my siblings live here, too. So, we do like it and we moved a lot and know about big cities and small towns here and abroad.

Yes, you can by a lovely home here in OP for the money you've mentioned. NO PROBLEM, especially since it's a buyer's market.

One thing I did want you to consider about Orange Park, in Clay County. The taxes are cheaper than Jacksonville. The travel into Jax off US 17, coming from Fleming Island part of Orange Park, which is where Eagle Harbor, Fleming Island Plantation, Pace Island (nice neighborhood), and other areas is that they are widening roads now and it will be an improvement.

Also, having lived in DC, this traffic is NOTHING AT ALL LIKE DC or NYC TRAFFIC! So, don't let any of it scare you. Yes, traffic is traffic, but this is such "nice traffic", in my humble opinion. (For anyone that has ever lived in the Northern VA/DC/MD area, they would say this is NOTHING! I'm not stupid, though, and totally agree with other posters that said to stay away from any neighborhood off of Blanding Blvd. I say this because Blanding Blvd can just be nuts with all of the lights.

ALSO, another huge consideration FOR the Fleming Island side of Orange Park, is that 7 miles further south than the Fleming Island area is Green Cove Springs, where all of the government buildings are in the county. (Actually, half of the junior high students on Fleming Island go to GCS Jr. High, the other half go to jr high in Orange Park City limits.

As for shopping on Fleming Island: it's all right here. They have a Super Walmart, Target, pet stores, McDonald's, dry cleaners, Pizzas, Japanese, steak houses, Home Depot, Kohl's, Steinmart, Publix and other grocery stores, myriads of restaurants, and a new movie theatre is to open later this year. We also have free boat ramps and lots of water! We do not have a mayor, like OP, but we are still considered Orange Park, though do not live in within the City of OP, which has it's own police and fire and higher taxes! Only those with post office boxes can use the Fleming Island, FL address on their mail.

I also wanted to mention that a new hospital or medical facility is going to be built here in Clay County "somewhere soon", TBD. I did find one article about it which I'm posting the web address. Maybe you can Google for more information. Here: <http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/020408/met_243431908.shtml>.

Anywho, if I can help more, please contact me. We built a house here on Fleming Island, but not in a subdivision. Please be very careful choosing a home in a neighborhood. There are some newer subdivisions with high fees on top of regular H.O.A. fees; which someone else has mentioned. And this place doesn't have snow removal or trash included in those fees, so Caveat emptor! I should know, I do have my real estate license. I am not in a local office and do this on the side, so my advice is friendly and true to the best of my knowledge.

[SlickP]

Local News - Shoppers on Alert in Orange Park