Location advice for family (Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach: crime, house, find a job)

[fromkansas]

We are looking to move to Florida by the beginning of next year. Our house is about to sell and we will be living with in laws to save the money for the moving expenses. (Selling the house zeroed us out ) I understand to find a job before moving down. I will be about to start my masters in social work and hope to get a job as a case manager for children's home. That being said I had a couple questions about location. Our budget is about 1000/mo in rent.

I'm looking for a safe area- I understand some crime but basic property crime not violent or many drug related. Decent schools, the schools here are rated 3-5 and I do believe that a child can do well in a lower rated school. Just no 1,2 rated schools.


We are moving, because we want to. It's always been something we wanted to try. And we wanted to try while our girls are young (5&2). And if we don't like it, well we tried.

We would feel most comfortable in a town of 15-30k. Within a thirty minute drive to big city. And I would like to be within 45 minutes to a beach.

Any suggestions on where to look?

[Fl1150]

Mandarin is nice but you may have to raise your budget a little.

[projectmaximus]

What does a town of 15k-30k feel like? Is that really rural, farmland type place? Or is it just a smaller beach town with not a lot of land?

I think you should check out Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island. It's a small, charming, artsy, town with a nice historic town center, and basically on the ocean. 30-45 min drive to Jacksonville city center.

Generally speaking, if you look 30-45 minutes north and south of Jax you'll be able to find less dense towns with cheap, large land. The really rural parts of Jax are west of the city, but then you'll probably be over 45 min from the beach.

[judeK]

Look in Yulee, FL. or maybe Hilliard, FL.

[fromkansas]

The town I live in now is not rural. It is a suburb type feeling but is thirty minutes from big city. It movie theater and superwalmart. I'll look into those towns. Thanks!

[judeK]

You're wanting a suburb of Jacksonville, not a separate small town? Jacksonville takes up about 90% of Duval county and is the largest city area wise in the continental USA with almost 900 sq. miles and with about 850,000 residents ranking it as the 13th largest city, population wise in the US. The only small towns in Duval county that are not part of Jacksonville (per se) are Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach Jacksonville Beach and the small unincorporated town of Baldwin. The schools here in Duval county are not that good figure maybe a c+ grade on average, while the schools in St Johns county are A rated and ranked #1 in the state of Florida, while both Nassau county and Clay county schools are both also A rated but not as numerically high as St Johns county schools