What Is It Like To Live In Jacksonville? (Miami, St. Augustine: real estate, condos)

[melvindiggs88]

Jacksonville seems like a great place with low crime and it is a nice sized city. For the people of Duval County, what are some things that you like about Jacksonville and some things that you don't like about Jacksonville. What are some great things about Jacksonville and some not so great things.

[Karla with a K]

Hi melvindiggs88
I live on the Southside in Duval county
What I like :
close to the beach (12 miles)
close to great shopping
affordable housing a mix of houses and condos
the new St Johns Towne center has some great restruants
we do experience changes in seasons(it is a brisk 46 as I write this)
The variety of plants you can use in your garden
What I don't like:
the traffic while they are doing major road construction
the lack of Diners I am from NJ/Phila and loved going to Diners
The fact they are tearing down even more trees to build (but this is happening everywhere)
I really like it here and the only reason we are leaving is due to a job transfer
hope this helps
Karla

[dizliz0925]

Good afternoon....I have lived in Jax for the last 19 years (since 9th grade)..

Pros
*St. Johns River - city's best asset.
*town squares in Riverside, Avondale, San Marco (these are all great during the holidays)
*Springtime weather (mid 60's in Feb and March)
*Close to the beach
*Many, Many parks, especially in Riverside/Avondale

CONS
*Summer heat (Jul and Aug you don't want to go outside) it can reach 90 in October
*Public School system...I graduated from it 15 years ago, and it has gone downhill fast!
*mass subdivision construction (I agree with Karla, it's a shame to see all the clear-cuttingof trees).
*lack of diners (I am from NY as well). However, there is the Fox in Avondale, and the Metro in San Marco/Hendricks are good ones
*'Old South' mentality. While most people here realize it's 2006, Jax does have it's fair share of Confederate flags

Hope this helps!

[RedWingsFan]

[quote=dizliz0925;163792]
*'Old South' mentality. While most people here realize it's 2006, Jax does have it's fair share of Confederate flags
QUOTE]

Hey, that's not a bad thing...

Now back to straightening my confederate flag.

[shelarene]

I'm single, no kids, no spouse so there are my pros and cons:

Pros of living in J'ville:

Nice warm/hot weather
beaches
Traffic not too bad for me
no state tax
St. Augustine is very close

Cons:

Has a lack of cultural arts such as hardly any jazz spots
Not a lot of nice restaurants
the downtown is not hopping with real night life
cost of homes on the rise, especially condos
salary is low here
crime is on the rise, I live in Baymeadows which I consider fairly safe, yet I'm still paranoid that my death will be here in Jacksonville due to me being car jacked or killed by some flying bullet. It's really a shame and I'm sick of it, that's why if I can't find a new job soon, I'm willing to leave this place.

If I had to relocate, I'd go back to San Diego, Maryland, or go to Atlanta where there is more to do for young singles.

[vdecapio]

Originally Posted by shelarene

I'm single, no kids, no spouse so there are my pros and cons:

Pros of living in J'ville:

Nice warm/hot weather
beaches
Traffic not too bad for me
no state tax
St. Augustine is very close

Cons:

Has a lack of cultural arts such as hardly any jazz spots
Not a lot of nice restaurants
the downtown is not hopping with real night life
cost of homes on the rise, especially condos
salary is low here
crime is on the rise, I live in Baymeadows which I consider fairly safe, yet I'm still paranoid that my death will be here in Jacksonville due to me being car jacked or killed by some flying bullet. It's really a shame and I'm sick of it, that's why if I can't find a new job soon, I'm willing to leave this place.

If I had to relocate, I'd go back to San Diego, Maryland, or go to Atlanta where there is more to do for young singles.

Yeah, the young singles scene is very poor. In the urban core areas, the only "normal, smoke free, non-creepy" places to go that I have found are Square One, Mark's, and the Casbah for nightlife. As far as daytime places to go and see concentrations of young people.....well I guess probably the SJTC is the only place. And the SJTC bascially closes at 10. You will sporadically see young people in San Marco, Downtown, and more so in Riverside...but there are very few hangouts where you consistently see many young people.

In fact, Jacksonville has a very low population density and many times feels very empty....espeically after 10pm. Oftentimes, I am the only car on the road in the urban core areas at those times. I guess everybody is riding the skyway (haha) or maybe they just are walking from place to place (haha..not in jacksonville...walking is not an option no matter how close the destination).

For young people the best places to live are in the urban areas of the northeast, Miami, Chicago, and places in the west like CA, Seattle, etc. That is where most of the "smart" college grads from all over the world settle. Those are attractive areas for young people from all over the world. A place like Jacksonville is necessary to prove the above fact, not only to myself, but to other young people whom I have met during my time here.

Family place, yes....young singles place, no.

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by shelarene

I'm single, no kids, no spouse so there are my pros and cons:

Pros of living in J'ville:

Nice warm/hot weather
beaches
Traffic not too bad for me
no state tax
St. Augustine is very close

Cons:

Has a lack of cultural arts such as hardly any jazz spots
Not a lot of nice restaurants
the downtown is not hopping with real night life
cost of homes on the rise, especially condos
salary is low here
crime is on the rise, I live in Baymeadows which I consider fairly safe, yet I'm still paranoid that my death will be here in Jacksonville due to me being car jacked or killed by some flying bullet. It's really a shame and I'm sick of it, that's why if I can't find a new job soon, I'm willing to leave this place.

If I had to relocate, I'd go back to San Diego, Maryland, or go to Atlanta where there is more to do for young singles.

I pretty much concur with the above
Positives:
Large trees (like Karla said....hopefully Jax will keep some)
Mild weather, and change of season
Mix of northern and southern architecture
San Marco Square, Avondale and some historic areas
Traffic isn't too bad
Can still get some land with homes..not postage stamp lots...although we do have those
Football team
Boating

Cons:
Mentality of much of the area
Not a lot of cultural city things to do
Ol' South issues
Very expansive area..
Not many decent restaurants
No good delis
Shopping is so so
Have to take the highway almost anywhere
Lots of construction...too much construction
Lots of semi tractor trailers
Tons of murders...I KNOW..in areas, but still..at least 1 per night
No sports except Football really
dumpy downtown...not thriving.

There are other pros and cons...but these are the ones I can think of at 1:30am. We are leaving...transferring jobs. Would probably leave sooner or later if not transferred. We've like other areas better, but it's not a bad town at all.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by LewLew

Tons of murders...I KNOW..in areas, but still..at least 1 per night

Ouch! 1 per night would be 365 murder per year....that's more than double the real number.

[Keith-n-Jax]

I for one am sick of Jacksonville,crime is really gotten bad.The city had its chance to make some major improvements as far as entertainment after the SB in 05,but after the SB left so did the excitement.Now Jax is back to its old ways talking big and thinking small.I knew I was taking a chance when I left ATL in 03,its been 5 yrs now and not much has changed.If you want a boring life than Jax is for u,the only excitement now is the Jags and making sure u dont become a victim of a violent crime. If I can afford it I am going to leave.

[imansgodmom]

I've lived here for 49 years - all my life, except going to college in North Carolina and a brief relocation to Atlanta (bleah!).

What's good is the beach/ocean; shopping is reasonable and close; the river is awesome! There's water everywhere - makes the city look alive & active. Some really cool annual events like the Jazz festival, the Fla-Ga football game, the TPC golf tournament, the tennis tournaments, the fantastic "old" architecture, the zoo, and the Landing.

The traffic is not horrible, but we do have a lot of bad drivers (ride the left lane, turn without signaling, tailgaters, slow drivers, cell phone abusers). There's not that much crime, at least not in the "better" neighborhoods. The cheaper the homes, the worse the crime seems to be. It is obvious which parts of town to avoid.

I do agree, though, with the poster who pointed out our "Confederate flag" mentality. Yes, Jacksonville is pretty "country" and "redneck" at times. Unfortunately, a lot of the politicians fall into that category. There's been very little, but some, racial problems - but mostly from teens and younger adults. A lot of times, it involves alcohol.

The crime seems to be mostly from those same age groups - teens and young adults. I attribute it to their home-training or lack thereof, and also alcohol-related. There is relatively no gang activity, most of what the police call gangs are just groups of neighborhood kids with the same interests or misdirected school spirit. There is the need however for more "outlets" for our young people. They need something to do!

It definitely is not a town geared to teens and young adults or college students. The salaries are low; real estate is kinda high - this age group is not a good fit for those facts. But, then again, that age group causes the most trouble - car crashes, shoplifting, vandalism, fighting, child neglect, animal abuse, etc. Check the age of the suspect on the crimes here; the common factor is the age range of approximately 13 to 33!

check out this link:
Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed


We do seem to have our share of crooked cops too (domestic violence, drunk driving, theft, fraud, murder, drugs, entrapment, "speed traps")- very slow to respond to 911 calls, in my opinion. I have never had a good experience with them. If you tend to ride the fence legally, you will be looking over your shoulder. (Yes, I have done my share of partying - been there, done that)

We do have an excellent school system - there are many decent private schools and the public school system seems to be getting a little better - at least they're trying. I taught high school and had a great experience - back then (in the 80s)

The beach is fantastic! It's not overcrowded. The water is still clean. It's accessible and huge. (I grew up in Jax Beach, but live in East Arlington now.)