Any transplanted NY'ers living in st.johns county?? (Jupiter, Westchester: cul-de-sac, how much)

[ctjags]

Moved from ct. And love Jacksonville

[Shannon4426]

4gr8kidz, when you were budgeting, did you take into account that Florida has no state income tax? That's a huge bonus for some people, depending on where you are coming from.

You can't go wrong with Nocatee, it's an incredible neighborhood. Best of luck!

[knicksin8]

My wife is considering a job in Jacksonville. A few questions we have:

1. How do the public schools in St. John's County compare to those in NY/NJ?

2. Any recommendations for quality Catholic schools at the elementary level?

3. How safe is this region in general? Do most people carry guns in this c

4. Which towns have gated communities?

5. What is the pricing range for a single family house with 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms in this county?

6. Is there any flooding issues to be aware for this region?

7. How would you describe the weather by seasons?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[SaintCabbage]

Originally Posted by knicksin8

My wife is considering a job in Jacksonville. A few questions we have:

1. How do the public schools in St. John's County compare to those in NY/NJ?

2. Any recommendations for quality Catholic schools at the elementary level?

3. How safe is this region in general? Do most people carry guns in this c

4. Which towns have gated communities?

5. What is the pricing range for a single family house with 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms in this county?

6. Is there any flooding issues to be aware for this region?

7. How would you describe the weather by seasons?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

1. St John's County schools are top notch, check GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community
2. No idea
3. St John's is very safe and family friendly
4. several neighborhoods are gated, St Johns Forest, Coastal Oaks, GreenLeaf Preserve to name a few
5. 5/3 is a little weird, 4/3 is more common, it's going to vary considerably, but low to mid $300k is a good bet
6. Well sure, everything is at sea level here, the newer neighborhoods would be less prone I would think just from design
7. Winter = Nice (60's - day, 40's - night), Spring = Nice (70's - day, 50's - night), Summer = Not as hot as you think (high 80's - day, low 70's - night), Fall = Nice (70's - day, 60 - night)

[Wunderkinder]

The only Catholic school I know of in St Johns County is;

St Josephs
155 State Road 207
St Augustine, FL.
32084-0923

[4gr8kidz]

Thanks guys - we are debating our purchase because the big point of moving is to lower our monthly expenses. Right now we have $200 for water, $300 for electric & gas, $90 for HOA, $200 for home insurance (no that is NOT including vehicles!) and $250 for cell phones (that will remain) and $210 for TV & internet - it's crazy. All that and a 40-yr old house that has averaged $1,200/mo in repairs for two years plus $2550 in a mortgage - we are always broke! Moving to FL would allow for not having a mortgage but I am trying to estimate other bills like electric (I'm assuming this is high in FL) and insurance and water - because with expense reduction comes income reduction, so we are trying to find the balance and the right thing to do for our family, too. Dear husband is considering starting his own business, so it's so hard to decide, but I really like what I am hearing and it sure would be nice to leave the pretenses of Denver for real NYers and "shoot from the hip" friends. I miss the south (went to college in Charleston) and the beaches but want to find a place that also has transplants like us. You guys have been very helpful! Hopefully we can all be neighbors soon.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by 4gr8kidz

...it sure would be nice to leave the pretenses of Denver for real NYers and "shoot from the hip" friends. I miss the south (went to college in Charleston) and the beaches but want to find a place that also has transplants like us. You guys have been very helpful! Hopefully we can all be neighbors soon.

If you want "real NYers" move to New York or south Florida (like Broward or Palm Beach Counties).

We have a fair number of young transplants in our neighborhood (mostly doctors/other professionals just out of school and their families) - but they tend to be from "here there and everywhere". And they're moving here not to duplicate whatever lifestyle they left behind - but because they enjoy the lifestyle here.

Then there's a cohort like mine. We're the people who moved from the NE to south Florida decades ago - and then moved to north Florida for a "quieter gentler" lifestyle. No one would call me and my husband "real NYers" (I haven't lived in the New York metro area since I was about 20 - 40+ years ago - and don't miss it at all).

There are other groups as well - but nothing like what you're looking for IMO. Robyn

[cricketfan]

If by "real Nyers" you mean people who are brash, rude and abrasive in public then you will have to count me out although I spent most of my life in NY. I suppose you need to have all of those characteristics if you want to survive in the wilds of NY. In any case, when people move here from NY they tend to become less hostile because they no longer have to contend with the stress of the big city. And in fact it was that constant stress of living in NY that sent me packing and moving to this part of Florida.

[borka1]

Originally Posted by 4gr8kidz

Thanks guys - we are debating our purchase because the big point of moving is to lower our monthly expenses. Right now we have $200 for water, $300 for electric & gas, $90 for HOA, $200 for home insurance (no that is NOT including vehicles!) and $250 for cell phones (that will remain) and $210 for TV & internet - it's crazy. All that and a 40-yr old house that has averaged $1,200/mo in repairs for two years plus $2550 in a mortgage - we are always broke! Moving to FL would allow for not having a mortgage but I am trying to estimate other bills like electric (I'm assuming this is high in FL) and insurance and water - because with expense reduction comes income reduction, so we are trying to find the balance and the right thing to do for our family, too. Dear husband is considering starting his own business, so it's so hard to decide, but I really like what I am hearing and it sure would be nice to leave the pretenses of Denver for real NYers and "shoot from the hip" friends. I miss the south (went to college in Charleston) and the beaches but want to find a place that also has transplants like us. You guys have been very helpful! Hopefully we can all be neighbors soon.

We moved from brooklyn ny to greenleaf village in nocatee in june and love it here!
Although I don't know all my neighbors I see ny/nj plates on cars all over greenleaf.

Expenses wise its not bad.

Hoa/cdd per month $175
Property taxes about $400
Insurance $50
Gas bill $30
Electric/water/irrigation $300-400

This is on a 3000sf house

[Acebab]

Knicksin8 - there is also Palmer Catholic on 210. School has a great reputation. I have friends with children in middle school there (it is a prek-8) and they are very happy there!

Price houses seem to be going up in the area, I would think that a 5 bedroom 3 bath would be average more around the $400,000 range in the St. John's/Ponte Vedra area.

North East St. John's county is a very safe area - there are gated communities as StCabbage mentioned, however, you certainly do not need to live in a gated community to feel safe. Gated communities are going to have higher fees than nongated. We seriously considered St. John's Forest - it is a beautiful, great neighborhood, but in the end, we could not justify the larger fees just to have a gate. We live in a nongated community in Nocatee and LOVE it! We feel very safe and it is a very well kept neighborhood. Before living in Nocatee we lived in an old house so we have been very pleased with our bills re:electric - we have a much larger house (6 bedrooms 3.5 baths), but it is much more energy efficient. That being said, before we had a septic tank and now we are on city water and sewage so the water charges kind of kill the savings we have with our electric bill.

In my opinion, the summer is HOT!!! and HUMID!!! Winter is great, Spring is nice, but Summer seems to last longer than it should.

NorthEast St. John's County is a great area for raising a family. It has great schools with a slower paced lifestyle and a lot of activities around - from neighborhood/community activities, to events at the beach, to events in downtown Jacksonville. Good luck with your decision!