GWM, older and ancient, looking for safe neighborhoods to retire to in JAX ... (Jacksonville: best neighborhood, for sale)

[nuncprotunc]

Hiya, I will be moving to JAX in the Fall of 2015 with one insolent terrier and possibly one scared small german shepard to find a spot to land for retirement. Safety for animals and humans is paramount, and access to public transit is also very important. I'm an older gay guy from Southern California who is sick, sick, sick to death of driving all the time, so use of mass transit is favored.

Prefer single family residence, although a condo is not out of the question if HoAs are not over approximately $200. Anything from 600 sq. feet to approximately 1,000 sq. feet. I'm game for a little ghetto stuff if necessary, so long as it is not openly dangerous or inhospitable . I am definitely not looking for an absence of diversity; rather, I don't wish to get mugged again by three young gentlemen from the rear with a crowbar (Detroit!) while walking my dog in the early evening. Busy or quiet areas are both equally fine. Price between $20,000 - $100,000, cash. Fun restaurants, nightlife, busymaking are all OK, or the place can be quiet as a chapel, either way.

Does anyone have any suggestion where an older gay guy can retire with his little brood and not have to fend off thugs on a continual basis? I know this all sounds a little bitter because it is.

Thanks for any assist.

Andrew

[valentinb13]

Hi nuncprotunc - If you are wanting mass transit Jax may not be for you...There is not much of good mass transit option here in Jacksonville, but it sounds like areas that would fit your needs would be parts of San Marco (but I think is probably outside your price point) or down closer to St. Augustine where there is a lot of restaurants and things to do, and some walkable areas or bike friendly areas.

I'm not a native Jaxonvillian though (if that's the right term!)—so others may have better recommendations. Wish you luck

[rs1n]

I think you would take a strong liking to Riverside -- lots of diversity and people out and about. You probably won't need mass transit since a lot of things are in walking distance right around 5-points. Downtown isn't too far, either. The bus system here is decent should you need mass transit, but it's certainly not like larger metropolitan areas.

[projectmaximus]

Welcome! What brought you to look at Jax? Just curious.

Anyway, I think you are in for two not so good surprises...

1) that mass transit can be so bad in a major city (although it's getting better)
2) Jax's real estate may be cheap but not quite THAT cheap.

That said, you should do alright here given your rather laid back demeanor about needs/desires. For gay-friendly and car-lire living you'll want to hit the urban core neighborhoods or the beaches. Both are fairly bicycle-friendly, diverse, and inclusive. But I don't think you can find much inventory under $100k.

The occasional SFH pops up in the beaches area (usually no closer than 10 blocks to the ocean) for under 100k, but they usually need some work. If you're cool with that then perfect! These will usually be in Jax Beach, or further up in Atlantic Beach and a bit removed from the vibrancy/activity.

For the urban core, the best neighborhood would be Riverside but I don't think you can by anything in your price range. Brooklyn, Avondale, San Marco, and downtown would be mostly impossible as well. What I imagine will probably be your best bet and your ultimate decision will be deciding between Murray Hill and Springfield. Both of these neighborhoods have strong communities that are very tight-knit and passionate about their hood. They are both fairly convenient (for Jax) to other neighborhoods and places of interest. And, most importantly, they are within your price range. They both have their drawbacks too...they are not fully gentrified, can be sketchy at certain times and certain blocks, and they both lack many of the amenities that you find in the other urban core neighborhoods that I mentioned. But honestly this is what your price range will allow you and both neighborhoods are on the upswing with more retails, shops, etc coming slowly. I'll add that I favor MH slightly and am much more familiar with it.

A couple other spots that come to mind are St Nicholas and Lakewood. Both have a decent inventory of SFH, and they are both walkable to a decent number of amenities...almost comparable to MH and Springfield. BUT, they are farther out from the core so a bit more isolated. But this is an option as well...and Lakewood is nice, quiet and safe. St Nick is a little less safe in certain areas and fine in others.

Two condo options just to throw out there for you...Montreux which is in an area called Deerwood Lake and Esplanade in the St Johns Town Center. Both of these might have something (studio or one bedroom) for sale under $100k. These are extremely safe areas. They are homogenous, new, suburban style neighborhoods but the two condos I mentioned happen to be easily walkable to a plethora of amenities. For some people, these are pristine, new, shiny developments...to others they are soulless, characterless, hellholes. In either case you can live a retired day-to-day life without a car. But you are sorta stranded in the middle of nowhere suburbia and it's a bit of a hike to get to the urban core or beaches from there.

Anyway, good luck! More than happy to answer other questions.

Originally Posted by valentinb13

I'm not a native Jaxonvillian though (if that's the right term!)—so others may have better recommendations. Wish you luck

Jaxson is the proper term, but Jacksonvillian has become quite common.

[nuncprotunc]

I'd like to thank everyone for their information. This is exactly the kind of one-the-street information I've been looking for, and very difficult to find unless you ask, and ask the right people. You've helped me enormously.

I'll make some adjustments to me budget, upwards. I'm just a little gun-shy about condos for two reasons: (i) forking over control of my finances and budget to people I don't I know (the HoA), and (ii) I'm really not condo material, in that I don't usually play well with others, and like making my own decisions. :-)

Thanks again!

[JacksonvilleNative]

The urban core is where you want to be. ProjectMaximus is pretty spot on with his advice. I live in Springfield and I love it. My son and his wife live in Murray Hill and they love it as well. Riverside and Avondale are great and San Marco. But I think Springfield and Murray Hill are going to meet your budget.

I am going to send you a Private message with a few suggestions of houses you might want to look at.

[ARodinJax]

I agree with the above-Riverside or Murray Hill. Either of these are know for being friendly for the LGBT community and will allow you to access almost anything by walking in the neighborhood. Riverside is very established and can be more expensive. Murray Hill is up and coming and similar in culture.

Other than a few distinct areas, Jacksonville is a huge sprawling city and doesn't have the best public transportation.

Private message me if you have specific questions I can answer!

[nuncprotunc]

I've been researching all week, including a lovely response from this nice lady at JTA about a system map. Can you believe she took the time out to email and call to make sure my needs were met! And she was sincerely concerned. I almost fell out of my chair. So I figured out system-wide transit and I'm ready! I, um, think!

I'm so excited. JAX is really beautiful ... I was kinda laughing about some of the things I saw in my long ventures through Google Maps and even your scary folks look like caretaker-nurturers. All were wearing clean clothes and weren't covered in blood and I didn't see a single carjacking, which pretty much describes my morning commute and lunch meetings in Los Angeles M-F.

I know, bad jokes, but I'm really happy seeing the things I'm seeing, via online about Jacksonville. My only remaining question is, which bank is most prevalent, or better, which credit union is most visible throughout the city, and where is the City or Duval County animal shelter located. I'm coming with two, but there's always room for three. I'm alone, orphaned, no heirs, no friends, it might be quite LUCRATIVE for those three beasts, lol.

So many thanks again.

Nunc

[judeK]

Originally Posted by nuncprotunc

I know, bad jokes, but I'm really happy seeing the things I'm seeing, via online about Jacksonville. My only remaining question is, which bank is most prevalent, or better, which credit union is most visible throughout the city, and where is the City or Duval County animal shelter located. I'm coming with two, but there's always room for three. I'm alone, orphaned, no heirs, no friends, it might be quite LUCRATIVE for those three beasts, lol
Nunc

The Jacksonville Humane Society is located at 8464 Beach Blvd, which is about 1/2 way between downtown Jacksonville and Jacksonville Beach.

As far as banks go Bank America and Wells Fargo seem to be the two largest, and Vystar Credit Union is the largest credit union bar none in the city.

[JacksonvilleNative]

Animal Care and Protective Services are located close to the urban core and have a great adoption program.

COJ.net - Animal Care and Protective Services