Jacksonville or Tampa??? (Miami, Orlando, Clearwater: home, job market, neighborhoods)

[jakes]

What city would be a better fit for new college graduates with an itch for new experiences. My girfriend and I just graduated and are looking to get out of the midwest (Were from Cincinnati and need out!!). She's a teacher and there are simply no jobs up here for her. We both love the beach and love going out and having a wide variety of things to do. I first thought Jacksonville since it fits our small city personalities but I've heard from people that it isn't an exciting place to live. Am i misinformed? And where are the good places to live around Tampa?

THANKS!

[riveree]

With regards to teaching positions, Florida had a recent statewide property tax rollback that has affected all of the city budgets, including the school budgets. So, teaching positions are not as plentiful in Florida as they were a year ago, your girlfriend might have trouble getting a teaching position in Florida as well .

Jax and Tampa are very similar in a lot of ways, so much so that your question comes up frequently on the forum. I did a quick search of the word "Tampa" in the Jacksonville forum and came up with these threads:


What is the difference between Jax and Tampa

My new home....Tampa or Jax??

Best places for Beaches (and surfing), Nightlife, Affordability-Tampa or Jacksonville?

tampa vs jax

[iucracker]

We live in Tampa now and are actually moving to Jax in September. The job market in Tampa is not the best. I have a few friebds that have graduated and can't find teaching jobs. My husband is in construction and that market is really bad,(why we are moving) he has actually been working in Jax for the last 2 months.
However i love Tampa, grew up here, we actually live in Lutz, just north If you are looking for a home to buy you can get alot for your money right now.
The beaches aren't as close as in Jax, frankly I like the East coast beaches better. But there is alot to do here. My husband actually moved here when he graduated college too! he is from Indiana and wanted to get away from the cold! if you have any specific questions about Tampa let me know.
I lived in Jax years ago and wasn't to happy there but I didn't know anyone I moved up there to go to UNF. Then came back to Tampa and was much happier.
hope this kind of helped!

[OnlyTheLonely]

I've lived in both Tampa and Jacksonville. And being from the Midwest as well (Michigan) I can tell you right now, that you will like Tampa better, the job market sucks everywhere in Florida, not just Tampa, not just Jacksonville. It's just how the economy is. On a few things you mentioned I will make my best comparisons:

1. Jax and Tampa are not alike in a lot of ways, other than both being located in Florida, nothing is the same.

2. Beaches: Tampa's beaches are 110% nicer, the water in the Gulf is cleaner, the sand is softer, and there is little to no driving on the beach as there is here in Jacksonville.

3. Tampa has Busch Gardens, and you are only an hour away from Orlando, which has all the famous theme parks (Disney, Downtown Disney, Universal, ect. ect.) Jacksonville has nothing, we have Adventure Island (I think its called) with a tiny water slide and some go-carts, woo hoo havin fun now.

4. Night life, Tampa has Ybor, historically located, with tons and tons of clubs, bars, patio bars, ect ect. Jacksonville has Bourbon Street, it's located in a building similar to an open warehouse with walls. Ybor has 2 major events, that I have had the pleasure of attending, 1 of which is Guavaween which is a halloween celebration with many musical venues, stages, parties, costumes.

Some nice places to live in Tampa are New Tampa (north east of central tampa) Carrolwood area, South Tampa, and a few other places, I never really explored much of the residential areas as I only lived there for 4 years. But in those 4 years, it was a fantastic experience.

Tampa is more of a college town as well than Jacksonville is, Jacksonville is more of a cumulation of people with a bunch of imposter areas, Downtown is more corporate related than historical or fun, the beaches are riddled with people who think that because they live a block away from the beach in a crap rented duplex, that they are upscale, and the rest is either slums, or imposter country folk.


IMO, if I had the cash, and I didn't have the job security that me and my wife have atm, I would move back to Tampa. I'm 28 and she is 25, so that can kind of give you an idea of our likes and dislikes in general.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by OnlyTheLonely

1. Jax and Tampa are not alike in a lot of ways, other than both being located in Florida, nothing is the same.

Similar in terms of general cost of living, housing cost, types of employment, suburban lifestyle....Jax and Tampa are a lot more similar than if you compare either one to Orlando or Miami, for example.

[jsimms3]

Onlythelonely, you are correct in that Tampa has more nightlife and more stuff to do, but it also has twice the population. It seems the general trend, which in recent years is not entirely holding true, is that those from the Midwest retire to Tampa and SW FL and those from the NE retire on the eastern coast of FL. To the original poster I know someone from Campbell county Kentucky just across the river from Cincinatti, and he loves it in Jax. This is one person though. If you have small city personalities, Jax would be better than Tampa, and if you want more excitement then Tampa would be better. But the truth of the matter is, to put things in perspective, Jax is not small and Tampa is not exciting. Miami Beach would be exciting, and Gainesville would be small. Both Jax and Tampa have plenty of nice places to live, although for me the only place I would live in Tampa Bay would be Hyde Park, and to me that still does not hold a candle to some of the neighborhoods in Jax.

And about the Gulf, yes it is whiter sand, prettier looking water, warmer water, and very calm. Many people like that, but judging by the fact that there are many more people on the East Coast of Florida, people prefer wave action when going to the beach. And the beaches of Northeast FL are some of the widest beaches around. Yes, OnlytheLonely, Jax Beach often has that trash element to it and people with that attitude, have you ever been to Atlantic Beach or Ponte Vedra? Ponte Vedra is certainly more upscale than any beach in the Tampa area.

[OnlyTheLonely]

Ponte Vedra beach is mostly private or covered in sharp shell. Living in Tampa, I usually went around the Clearwater area when going to the beach, sometimes even St. Pete. And you are flawed, there is over 700,000 people in Jacksonville, and over 300,000 people in Tampa. Yes Jacksonville is larger, but most of it is filled with slums and Wal-Marts. As for the neighborhoods in Jax, I've lived in Orange Park (often concidered Jax since there is realy no defining line between the 2) The Southside (supposedly the college upper class area), The Westside (100% the most disgusting place) and currently reside in the Avondale/Riverside area. All 3 areas have had me living on edge of home invasions and our cars being broken into on a regular basis. The only places safe really in Jacksonville, is a gated home owning community.

1 thing to add, and only those who have actually left Jax for more than a week can tell you this, Jacksonville wreaks, if you don't believe me, visit here for a week, fly in, get off the plane, drive around the entire 295 loop with the windows down, then immediately fly to another city at least 100+ miles away. I've always thought there was a horrible smell here, but never realized ho bad it was until I recently went back to Michigan (where oddly enough it smelled of grass and trees up there) and came back down here. the SS and JTB intersection And where 295 crosses over San Jose is the worst, it smells like 100% rotten mango's or something.

[cricketfan]

Originally Posted by OnlyTheLonely

1 thing to add, and only those who have actually left Jax for more than a week can tell you this, Jacksonville wreaks, if you don't believe me, visit here for a week, fly in, get off the plane, drive around the entire 295 loop with the windows down, then immediately fly to another city at least 100+ miles away. I've always thought there was a horrible smell here, but never realized ho bad it was until I recently went back to Michigan (where oddly enough it smelled of grass and trees up there) and came back down here. the SS and JTB intersection And where 295 crosses over San Jose is the worst, it smells like 100% rotten mango's or something.

OnlyTheLonely, it is one thing to hate a place or prefer one city over another but to make up stuff like this only shows that you are bashing for the sake of bashing. OK, you don't like Jacksonville, then give us some reasons that make sense otherwise enough of your trash talk. There are plenty of reasons to prefer Tampa over Jacksonville or Jax over Tampa and smell is not one of them. And BTW Jax neither reeks nor wreaks.

[OneSweetWorld]

Tampa is much more exciting than Jax. Jax has some nice parts but its mainly old money and poor people. Tampa has some of the best beaches in America and great nightlife, cultural opprtunities, etc. I live about 90 miles from there now and hope to move that way in a few years...

[OnlyTheLonely]

Originally Posted by cricketfan

OnlyTheLonely, it is one thing to hate a place or prefer one city over another but to make up stuff like this only shows that you are bashing for the sake of bashing. OK, you don't like Jacksonville, then give us some reasons that make sense otherwise enough of your trash talk. There are plenty of reasons to prefer Tampa over Jacksonville or Jax over Tampa and smell is not one of them. And BTW Jax neither reeks nor wreaks.

It's not making something up. Just my observation while living here. I don't hate Jacksonville, just pointing out the negative things I've noticed. And the differences between Tampa and Jacksonville. And I just can't find anything negative to say about Tampa, and I can about Jacksonville. I've had family members who haven't left Jacksonville for 5+ years who dissagreed with me about the smell, then leave for L.A. for a week and come back, and then change their original opinion and state, that the city does in fact, have a displeasureable odor. If I hurt anyones feelings by saying so, I apologize.