Looking to relocate to Jacksonville area from Ocala. We need all the info we can get....good and bad!!!! (Orlando: best neighborhood)

[mrssrwynn14]

Looking for as much info as I can get. My husband and I are looking to relocate around Jacksonville or surrounding area, coming from Ocala, FL. We are both in our 30's, three children 2 middle school and 1 elementary age. I am white and he is black. So demographics somewhat matter. I am in education and he is in banking. We are looking for better schools, economy and job opportunities. We are also looking for a good neighborhood for families as well as a church. Any info would be very helpful. This is a big step for our family, so we want it to be right!

[jwolfer]

Originally Posted by mrssrwynn14

Looking for as much info as I can get. My husband and I are looking to relocate around Jacksonville or surrounding area, coming from Ocala, FL. We are both in our 30's, three children 2 middle school and 1 elementary age. I am white and he is black. So demographics somewhat matter. I am in education and he is in banking. We are looking for better schools, economy and job opportunities. We are also looking for a good neighborhood for families as well as a church. Any info would be very helpful. This is a big step for our family, so we want it to be right!

Do either of you have a job offer or the ability to transfer to Jacksonville? Banking is one of the larger sectors of Jacksonville's economy: Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Deutche Bank, JP Morgan Chase and Everbank have large operations here. Mortgage is big in Jax. Macquarie an Australian company is beginning to hire for their North American division, FIS/Blackstone or Blackhawk I cant remember.

Where the jobs are would determine best neighborhood for you.

[deeni]

Hello, my husband and I lived in Ocala before we had kids. We moved away to PA, had 2 kids, and wanted to move back to Florida. After a lot of research, we decided on the Jacksonville area. Overall, the areas around Jacksonville have some of the best schools in Florida. St. Johns County and some Clay County schools get great reviews. I would not consider living in Duval because of the schools.

From what I have heard, Jacksonville has a fair amount of banking opportunities. Certainly more than Ocala. I am no longer in banking but I used to work for BOA and they have a large office here. I'm not certain about the education field.

Although we loved Ocala before we had kids, we really wanted to be in a place that offered more opportunities and activities. Our neighborhood in Clay County has a very family friendly feel. There are a lot of activities for the kids and we are within driving distance of so many fun places (the Jacksonville zoo, Orlando, Kennedy Space Center, St. Augustine, numerous beaches).

We are still looking for a church to fit our family but there are tons here of every denomination. They seem very welcoming overall.

One of the main negatives to this area is the driving and traffic. Ocala is a nice small town with easy driving (at least when we lived there). Jacksonville was a bit of a shock. The drivers are insane and there are always accidents. I don't get it. We don't really get a huge snowbird population but we have a pretty transient population, with the Navy post, and people in general moving here from various places. So maybe that is it. Also, there are so many bridges and highways. You really need to go on the highways in order to travel around which can really get annoying.

Overall, other than driving and of course missing family, so far we really love it here. It is kind of nice because you are close enough to visit or interview! Good luck on your decision!

[JacksonvilleNative]

Give us a housing budget, rental and purchase. Do you prefer urban or suburban?

[010jay010]

If you are looking for a good church, come visit one Sunday. We have members from all over Jacksonville.

Westminster PCA