Looking for laid back hippie surfer town, like the one I'm relocating from: Ocean Beach San Diego (Jacksonville: appointed, crime)

[morganais]

Hi There,

I exhausted the posts and did not see a thread like this, so if it is similar to another, I apologize in advance. My fiance has just received his orders: Mayport, FL. I have a 10 year old daughter who has been raised almost exclusively in Ocean Beach, San Diego.

OB is a very laid back place. The houses are cute and cottage like, the locals are very diverse, a lot of liberal pot-smoking hippies, surfers, business owners, gays and lesbians, fishermen, etc. The one main thing is the people, really mellow and friendly.

I am looking for a neighborhood like that. I do NOT smoke pot or do drugs of any kind, so I am not looking for anything like that. It is just pretty well known that there are a lot of pot heads in OB, maybe that is why everyone is so darn mellow. It is also pretty safe, in 8 years neither I nor any of my neighbors have ever experienced a crime.

So, does anyone have a suggestion for me? I know I wont find another place just like it, but I am hoping for something close.

Thanks,
Marisol

[Staykay]

The only place that sounds like what you described is Daytona Beach. You might want to "google" the city and see if it appeals to you. Good luck.

[DailyJournalist]

St. Augustine

[OC2Jax]

Originally Posted by morganais

OB is a very laid back place. The houses are cute and cottage like, the locals are very diverse, a lot of liberal pot-smoking hippies, surfers, business owners, gays and lesbians, fishermen, etc. The one main thing is the people, really mellow and friendly.

I am looking for a neighborhood like that.
Thanks,
Marisol

I moved recently from Orange County and know San Diego in general.
Great town. Not familiar with Ocean Beach, but it sounds very similar to Laguna Beach. You won't find that in Jacksonville. Here, diversity is tolerated to a point. The closest thing is in Riverside/Five Points/Avondale.....nowhere near the beach.

Maybe St. Augustine would be worth checking into. Mainly a tourist destination. Check out St. Augustine News Newspaper Information Florida

[bonnielass]

The Riverside/Five Points area is the closest thing you will find for laid back, diverse people along with charming architechture.

The beaches here are full of people like you describe, but you will only find a quaint, village type atmosphere in the most pricey areas - east of A1A, where Neptune and Atlantic Beach meet.

Check out zip codes 32205 for Riverside, 32266 for Neptune, and 32233 for Atlantic.

[riveree]

Plenty of potheads in Jax, not to worry Morganais!

I agree with the options listed above, check out the beaches (Atlantic/Neptune/Jacksonville), check out Five Points in Riverside, check out San Marco and surrounds (not so pothead-y, but cottage-y and laid back, zip 32207).

Budget might make some areas a better fit than others for you and there's also the commute factor. The beaches would have the best commute location to Mayport for your husband.

As a whole, Jax is a laid back city. There's a good live-and-let-live attitude that pervades the entire city, so you should have an easy time finding a nice, friendly neighborhood. Finding a cottage neighborhood tends to keep you at the beach or at the river, these are the core cottage/bungalow neighborhoods.

[poolgirl51]

Originally Posted by morganais

Hi There,

I exhausted the posts and did not see a thread like this, so if it is similar to another, I apologize in advance. My fiance has just received his orders: Mayport, FL. I have a 10 year old daughter who has been raised almost exclusively in Ocean Beach, San Diego.

OB is a very laid back place. The houses are cute and cottage like, the locals are very diverse, a lot of liberal pot-smoking hippies, surfers, business owners, gays and lesbians, fishermen, etc. The one main thing is the people, really mellow and friendly.

I am looking for a neighborhood like that. I do NOT smoke pot or do drugs of any kind, so I am not looking for anything like that. It is just pretty well known that there are a lot of pot heads in OB, maybe that is why everyone is so darn mellow. It is also pretty safe, in 8 years neither I nor any of my neighbors have ever experienced a crime.

So, does anyone have a suggestion for me? I know I wont find another place just like it, but I am hoping for something close.

Thanks,
Marisol

St. Augustine Beach is the place you seek.

[surferr]

I lived in OB for a year
La Jolla for 2
Coronado for 4
Cardiff for 2
Pacific Grove 3
Ventura 3
(Navy)

My knowledge of Jax is sketchy but i think you could check out Jax Beach-Neptune Beach-Atlantic beach. Bit of crime from what i heard but less than OB.
I think each town will have it's funky own personality that your looking for.

Not sure about north of the river mouth. I used to take a boat there surfing in the early 80s and there was nothing there back then.

St Augustine & Vilano Beach down south might be worth looking at too.
You will crack up at the home prices compared to San Dee.

Best of luck.

[jmc]

I moved here from San Diego last year, too...lived in Pt. Loma for about 3 of my 6 years there. Yeah, nothing quite compares to OB here in good ol' Jax, but you could live in places like St. Augustine or Jax Beach, as mentioned above. That's interesting that you never experienced any crime there in OB...good to know, though. Make sure you go get some fish tacos down at that bar near the beach before you leave! You won't find ANYTHING comparable here in regard to fish tacos...the restaurant chain Moe's attempts to pull of a fish taco, but even Rubio's would be disappointed. Anyway, welcome to Jax!

[BlueWillowPlate]

It's pretty mellow here in Fernandina, too--and not far from Mayport.