Daily commute from Saint Augustine to S. Jacksonville - will I have a nervous breakdown? (St. Augustine: HOA, house)

[tgalbraith]

Posted this on the general Florida thread by mistake, so re-posting here.

I had a REALLY good interview with a major bank yesterday that has its offices on the far south side of Jacksonville (hint: the address is 1400 Citicards Way). My husband and I have been wanting to live in Saint Augustine for years.

My question: how nightmarish would that commute be, if we concentrated on neighborhoods on the north end of St. Aug? Say around Heritage Park? Highway 1 would probably be better than 95, I'm thinking, and my estimate on one-way travel is about 30 minutes. Are there regular accidents and/or repairs that slow things down on Hwy 1?

I don't want to live in a big community with a massive HOA that's away from everything, like Nocatee or WGV. I want to be very near St. Aug. We don't have kids, so schools aren't a concern. We want a newer house in the $250-320k range with about 2300 sf and are pretty attached to Heritage Park at this point. My husband is home-based, so his commute is about 15 seconds, depending on if he stops at the coffeepot.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer. I don't have the job yet, but...am really excited.

[Florida2014]

If the bank is near Highway 1 or the I-95 exit I don't think the commute would be that bad. Personally, I can handle highway commuting much more than stop and go through a city. Sure there will be accidents and slow downs but I think that commute could be manageable. Do you have a fuel efficient car? When we moved here we had two SUVs and after averaging $100+ per week in fuel we downsized to a sedan with 35mpg.

[tgalbraith]

Thanks Florida. Citi's offices are straddled pretty evenly by 95 and Hwy 1.

Good reminder on the gas mileage. At present I drive a 2003 Jeep Liberty - not fuel-efficient at all (about 15 mpg, I think), but will likely be shopping for something more economical soon. We have a large doggie, so I'll need a vehicle with ample cargo space. Our other car is a Porsche - not very Golden Retriever-friendly, and I can't drive a stick.

[Florida2014]

Yeah, we kept one SUV and sold the second. Nice to have the big car for beach days, big purchases, etc.

[VirtualErik]

St. Augustine to Jax via I-95 isn't bad.

[tgalbraith]

Thanks Erik. Hwy 1 looks to be a bit more of a straight shot from Saint Augustine, though - any idea what rush hour traffic is like on there during weekdays?

[projectmaximus]

Shouldn't be too bad. I think you'll be fine...30 min or so even at rush hour.

[JMMH]

That commute should be a piece of cake honestly. The majority of the stretch between St. Augustine and Jacksonville on 1 is wide open highway speeds with maybe a handful of spread out traffic lights. It should get busier as you get more north but you avoid a lot of the congestion near 295.

The only main issue is that a railroad track runs parallel to 1, so when you are turning left to your work you may occasionally have to wait for a train.

Bottom line I would take that commute in a heartbeat compared to my trudge up San Jose .

[ssclulow]

Use US 1 and your commute from north side of St. Aug will be 30 min easy commute.

[VirtualErik]

agreed, and on US 1 you have a much more scenic drive.