Federal employee relocating to Jacksonville next year (Fernandina Beach: to rent, motels)

[canajo]

I will be relocating to Jacksonville next year and will be working in the federal building. I have tried to wade through the many helpful postings regarding moving to Jacksonville but I am becoming totally confused. All the different areas, subdivisions, and neighborhood names are becoming a big blur. I apologize for yet another "moving to Jacksonville" posting but was wondering if you could suggest some zip codes or areas that I could focus on? I will visiting Jacksonville this summer for a few days and would love to know which direction I should go to check out some of the many neighborhoods of Jacksonville.

I would like to rent a newer home with 3 bedrooms, a double car garage and located in a pretty safe area for under $1350 per month. I am over 55 but don't really want to be in a 55 and over community. A commute time of under 30 minutes would be ideal. I saw that someone mentioned 32226 and I saw quite a few that fit my requirements in zillow for that zip code but I have no idea about the commute time from downtown to that area. Is 32226 considered the Victoria Lakes area?

I grew up spending summers in Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island and Jekyll Island area so this will be like coming back home again for me. In fact, my dad and uncle built one of the first motels on Jekyll called The Corsair! I am excited for this opportunity and any suggestions will really help me sort this all out! Thanks for your help!

[bobsim]

I'm just chiming in to bump this up for you, don't have much advise about commuting in/around this area. I did look at the map and if you're outdoor oriented it's heaven. Mostly the Timucuan Preserve and bordered by Nassau River, Four Creeks State Forest and the Saint Johns.

There is a mix of rural and developed communities, my guess is there's something in your price range there.

[mawipafl]

We're in 32226, and the commute to downtown is about 30 minutes barring any unforeseen extra traffic snarls. A good part of 32226 is called "Oceanway", and Victoria Lakes is in this area.

I like this "Northside" part of Jacksonville (see, now I'm throwing in another place description for the same area!), but I'm bias because I live here. However, working downtown means you have a lot of choices for where to live and be within a 30-minute commute. If you like more "rural", then head north. If you enjoy more "city-like" living, there's San Marco, Riverside, Avondale (on the other side of the St. Johns River from downtown), but in these areas a newer home with a 2-car garage would be hard to find. "Southside" might a good choice to fit your wish list (geographically, this area is actually southeast of downtown).

I truly understand and share your confusion about place/area/neighborhood names! I've only been in the Jax area since 2007, but I learned a new place name just the other day, Brooklyn, because of a news report about a transformer fire that caused a large power outage. I had to google "Brooklyn" to see its location. So, I under the blur!

The best recommendation that can be given, and you've already decided to do so, is to visit Jax and spend time driving around to get a feel. Rather than getting too bogged down with place/area/neighborhood names, before making your visit you can use an old fashioned map, and with google maps or mapquest or etc., calculate an estimated 30-minute-drive-time radius from the federal building to help eliminate locations that are just too far away.

[projectmaximus]

You have a nice problem (I suppose) in that you will have lots of options. So just a matter of visiting and finding what is to your liking. I really don't feel informed to make any suggestions for one area over another though, but there's lots of areas that should work for you.

[fsu813]

Originally Posted by canajo

I will be relocating to Jacksonville next year and will be working in the federal building. I have tried to wade through the many helpful postings regarding moving to Jacksonville but I am becoming totally confused. All the different areas, subdivisions, and neighborhood names are becoming a big blur. I apologize for yet another "moving to Jacksonville" posting but was wondering if you could suggest some zip codes or areas that I could focus on? I will visiting Jacksonville this summer for a few days and would love to know which direction I should go to check out some of the many neighborhoods of Jacksonville.

I would like to rent a newer home with 3 bedrooms, a double car garage and located in a pretty safe area for under $1350 per month. I am over 55 but don't really want to be in a 55 and over community. A commute time of under 30 minutes would be ideal. I saw that someone mentioned 32226 and I saw quite a few that fit my requirements in zillow for that zip code but I have no idea about the commute time from downtown to that area. Is 32226 considered the Victoria Lakes area?

I grew up spending summers in Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island and Jekyll Island area so this will be like coming back home again for me. In fact, my dad and uncle built one of the first motels on Jekyll called The Corsair! I am excited for this opportunity and any suggestions will really help me sort this all out! Thanks for your help!

All the neighborhoods near Downtown that are popular that I would normally recommend are going to be over $1350 for what you're looking for.

So....I dunno. Something off of Kernan Blvd would probably due.

[canajo]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and ideas. Mawipafl-you mentioned you lived in 32226. How safe is it? I love to walk and want to feel safe taking a walk in my neighborhood. Thanks!

[mawipafl]

I can only give personal-experience comments on just three developments in 32226 where I've been and know people: Victoria Lakes, The Cape, and Amelia View. Safe and walkable neighborhoods. I will make a guess that you'd find the same in many of the other developments here, those along Yellow Bluff and Starratt (and others). When househunting, it was purposely one of the observations to make to see if people and kids were out and about or evidence of such (like bikes in driveways).