Relocating to Florida (Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa: real estate, low crime, houses)

[Family1st]

Hello All. I've done a lot of research and I was siding with Jax but I've seen a lot of negative comments on Jax. In my line of work the most jobs available in Florida are in this order: 1)Miami,(expensive/hurricane/crime) 2)Orlando,(crime) 3)Tampa (expensive and crime), 4)Ft. Lauderdale (too expensive), 5)Jax, 6)West Palm Beach (high crime), 7)Boca Raton, (low crime but less jobs available) 8)Ft. Myers, 9)St. Petersburg, 10)Tallahassee (too far north west practically Georgia/Alabama land)
Is Jax my best choice? I know they have higher crimes than some of the above mentioned but for a huge city (combined counties I hear) it is not bad based upon the population. I need an area that has good mass transportation, short distances to grocery /shopping areas. I've been to Miami, Ft. Lauderdale/Pompono, Naples (expensive)and Gainesville. I really liked it there I fell in love with Gainesville but there are no jobs there.- I know it is a College town. My research tells me St. John's county though expensive or Clay county over Duval County but I think Jax is actually only in Duval County.....your help is appreciated.

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by Family1st

Hello All. I've done a lot of research and I was siding with Jax but I've seen a lot of negative comments on Jax. In my line of work the most jobs available in Florida are in this order: Miami,(expensive/hurricane/crime) Orlando,(crime) Tampa (expensive and crime), Ft. Lauderdale (too expensive), Jax, West Palm Beach (high crime), Boca Raton, (low crime but less jobs available) St. Petersburg, Tallahassee (too far north west practically Georgia/Alabama land)
Is Jax my best choice? I know they have higher crimes than some of the above mentioned but for a huge city (combined counties I hear) it is not bad based upon the population. I need an area that has good mass transportation, short distances to grocery /shopping areas. I've been to Miami, Ft. Lauderdale/Pompono, Naples (expensive)and Gainesville. I really liked it there I fell in love with Gainesville but there are no jobs there.- I know it is a College town. My research tells me St. John's county though expensive or Clay county over Duval County but I think Jax is actually only in Duval County.....your help is appreciated.

those areas all have good qualities but In my opinion the JAX area tops them all, forget about public transport, it either doesn't exist or has poor schedules, most places are close to everyday shopping areas and as long as you stay away from the bad areas crime isn't much of an issue. it all comes down to where you work as to the best part of JAX to live in
good luck

[Family1st]

I thought I read somewhere that they were trying to make good mass transportation in Jax, rail lines and the works.....I know South Florida everything is very far away but Jacksonville it sounds like everything is pretty near by? If you don't drive in South Florida forget it you can't survive is that similar in Jax? Also can you explain the whole Jax being combined towns? As mentioned I think Jax is only really in Duval County, i've been told St John's county is the best for me but I think that the most affordable place there is St. Augustine which then makes it pretty far from Jacksonville and I want to avoid being far away from Jacksonville but want obviously a safe, good schools , affordable homes area...Help

[mrln]

I you consider the Tampa Bay area, you can look into town in Pinellas County, is not so far from Tampa, and crime is not as high. And that area has grown a lot. Jax is a nice place, but growing. I don't know a public transportation but Fl is not the best on that issue.

[tinaruss]

If you decide to go with Jacksonville, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. It's a great place to live but the downfall for you would be public transportation. That's definately not the city's strong point. Dollar for dollar, you'll definately be happier in Jacksonville than most other FL cities you mentioned.

[angelface519]

Palm Coast, Fl.. Is definitely up & coming..very small town hardly any crime great place to raise children.. Price of houses are very cheap.. check it out..

[riveree]

Answering inside your quotes...

Originally Posted by Family1st

Hello All. I've done a lot of research and I was siding with Jax but I've seen a lot of negative comments on Jax.

What? Who's commenting negatively on Jax?! Lemme at 'em!

Is Jax my best choice? I know they have higher crimes than some of the above mentioned but for a huge city (combined counties I hear) it is not bad based upon the population.

Right, there are different ways to slice it, but that's a fair assessment on our crime situation here. That's not to say we don't have crime - we certainly do - but we have plenty of safe areas to live as well.

I need an area that has good mass transportation, short distances to grocery /shopping areas.

"Good Mass Transportation" and "Florida" don't really go together . Miami has some mass transit, I suppose, but for the vast majority of Florida cities, you'll need a car.

That being said, we do have some walkable neighborhoods in Jacksonville where you can walk to the grocery store, the post office, etc. If you decide to pursue Jax, you'll want to consider looking at these neighborhoods.

My research tells me St. John's county though expensive or Clay county over Duval County but I think Jax is actually only in Duval County.....your help is appreciated.

Really, at this point in the real estate game, no one county is more or less expensive than another...the field has really levelled out. And yes, Jacksonville = Duval county.

Originally Posted by Family1st

I thought I read somewhere that they were trying to make good mass transportation in Jax, rail lines and the works

Yeah.....but that's decades away. Today, we have bus public transportation, and it's okay. If you choose to live near the city core (say within 5 or so miles from the center of Downtown), you can actually get around a bit using it, but if you decide to live in a far flung suburb, it will be useless to you.

.....I know South Florida everything is very far away but Jacksonville it sounds like everything is pretty near by? If you don't drive in South Florida forget it you can't survive is that similar in Jax?

Jax is big and spread out, but if you live in the denser region (south of Downtown), you don't have to go far for anything, really.

Also can you explain the whole Jax being combined towns?

Jacksonville is an incorporation of many smaller towns/cities, and today, the entire county of Duval is the same thing as the city of Jacksonville....it's all one and the same, minus a few details. Here's an explanation:

Jacksonville, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As mentioned I think Jax is only really in Duval County, i've been told St John's county is the best for me but I think that the most affordable place there is St. Augustine which then makes it pretty far from Jacksonville and I want to avoid being far away from Jacksonville but want obviously a safe, good schools , affordable homes area...Help

I used to live in St. Aug, and it's very nice, but from what you describe - wanting to be near things and maybe even using public transportation - you will be light years away from all of that if you live in St. John's county or Clay county.

What I would suggest is for you to read past threads or keep an eye on future threads about our river neighborhoods here in Jax - Riverside/Avondale, San Marco, etc. These are probably going to be good possibilities for you if you like a more urban setting .

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by angelface519

Palm Coast, Fl.. Is definitely up & coming..very small town hardly any crime great place to raise children.. Price of houses are very cheap.. check it out..

for some varied opinions on palm coast you could visit the FLA forum and do a search on Palm Coast. I for one do not share this posters rosy views of the area

[bobbysworld]

Originally Posted by apvbguy

for some varied opinions on palm coast you could visit the FLA forum and do a search on Palm Coast. I for one do not share this posters rosy views of the area

Palm Coat is an up and comning city. Great place to raise a family. Do not listen to the negative posts, it is a beautiful place. Finding work can be tough, but overall great place to live.

[cellson]

Gainesville is also a good choice. Great schools, better public trasportation, a college town (Go Gators!) and still retains a smaller town feel. On the downside, their property taxes are high and getting from one side of town to the other can sometimes be quite challenging.

That said, Jacksonville is home and I love it here! Just thouhgt I'd share some info on one of the other cities you mentioned.