Seriously Thinking....Jacksonville! (University, Parker, Bell: fit in, 2009, crime rate)

[LoveBoating]

Well, with a 7:AM morning temp of 13 degrees last week and daytime temps not going over 45 degrees......yes, we would say "don't really want to go back to NC". We are sure that there are a lot of people here that love living here! Charlotte area summer weather is nice, but the winters there are a quite different than here in Jax. The winter temps there can get quite cold in the AM and stay that way the rest of the day.

Originally Posted by BornInFL

"Don't really want to go back to NC"


LOL, I havent heard that one before.

In FL, you will hear the exact opposite (visiting NC and now have to go home to FL). If Jax makes you happy, go for it! You will hear a lot of ppl say, "you moved here from NC? Are you crazy?"

[LoveBoating]

Got to do BOTH......rent an apartment and look for jobs. Hey, we done that in Colorado and done it in North Carolina. So, we will do that in Jax.

Originally Posted by HIF

Glad that you found this to be a good place for your family, but very important to know where you will be working before renting a home here.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by LoveBoating

We got to Jacksonville (staying at a nice hotel in Orange Park) yesterday afternoon. Spent today, one ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL day....we have to admit, looking for an apartment in both Orange Park and Baymeadows. Didn't find much in Orange Park, but found a couple of nice places in Baymeadows. Will go out again tomorrow and look in another area. Might have to stay here until Friday. Found a number of industrial companies and offices just down the street from one of the apartment complexes in Baymeadows. That could relate into a possible interview/job once we actually move here! Either tomorrow or Thursday (if we stay on Thursday), we will make a trip to downtown Jacksonville and see more of the river. So far, Jacksonville is definitely for us! Don't really want to go back to NC, but have to so we can finish packing, etc.

Baymeadows/Southside Blvd would be a good central location to most job areas, more central than the other location you considered. If the idea is to find a place to live and then find work, Baymeadows/Southside should work for you.

[LoveBoating]

Well, we just had an application approved for an apartment in the Southside area, called Southern Pines, just south of Baymeadows Rd. This area looks much better than the Orange Park area, where our motel room is right now. We drove around for 3 1/2 days looking at apartments in the Southside and Baymeadows Rd. areas and a couple in the Orange Park area. Didn't like the ones we seen in Orange Park and there sure is a ton of traffic on Banding Street. Found a newer apartment in the Southside area, but it was just too far off of Southside Blvd. Anyway, we can now drive back to NC and get things ready for a move down here next month. Once we get settled in, there are a lot of things we want to see (and later buy a cabin cruiser here).
Our feelings, right now anyway, is that we should have moved here instead of moving to the Charlotte, NC area a year ago. We have met some people here that absolutely love living here.....we sure like hearing that!!!

[BornInFL]

People in NC are always so happy. Glad to hear Jax is like that too.

[Karla with a K]

Congrats LoveBoating

Your right Blanding can be a nightmare I remember when I first started coming down to visit my sister in OP she use to joke that folks had bumper stickers that said " pray for me I drive on Blanding"

Your in a pretty central location and about 15 miles from the beach.

We have had a few new folks that have moved here or will be
hmmm we may have to have another "Pizza get together" in January !!!!

[LoveBoating]

This was sort of weird and reminded me of when wife/I lived in Parker, Colorado: As we were getting ready to eat some breakfast at the hotel we had been staying at in Orange Park, we spoke to two ladies that worked at the Front Desk. We told them that we had found an apartment in the Southside/Baymeadows area and, instead of saying "congratulations" to us, they both just looked at us for a moment. This "look" was like saying, "you guys can afford to live over there" and/or "that is a very "snotty" area!". The reason I know this "look" is because it was the same "look" I got when I told some drivers (where I use to work at in Denver, CO) that my wife and I live in a house in Parker, Colorado! In fact, one driver even looked at me and said "oh, you mean that town down south where all the "snooty" and "upitty-up" people live?" I told this girl, "hey, if some people can afford to live in a nicer area (than some other areas), why shouldn't they?" If she couldn't afford to live in a better area than she was in, that wasn't my fault!
So, is the Southside area a better living area than Orange Park? We are just curious.

[apanda]

Originally Posted by LoveBoating

This was sort of weird and reminded me of when wife/I lived in Parker, Colorado: As we were getting ready to eat some breakfast at the hotel we had been staying at in Orange Park, we spoke to two ladies that worked at the Front Desk. We told them that we had found an apartment in the Southside/Baymeadows area and, instead of saying "congratulations" to us, they both just looked at us for a moment. This "look" was like saying, "you guys can afford to live over there" and/or "that is a very "snotty" area!". The reason I know this "look" is because it was the same "look" I got when I told some drivers (where I use to work at in Denver, CO) that my wife and I live in a house in Parker, Colorado! In fact, one driver even looked at me and said "oh, you mean that town down south where all the "snooty" and "upitty-up" people live?" I told this girl, "hey, if some people can afford to live in a nicer area (than some other areas), why shouldn't they?" If she couldn't afford to live in a better area than she was in, that wasn't my fault!
So, is the Southside area a better living area than Orange Park? We are just curious.

Short answer with the exception of "exclusive" areas on both ends, yes.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by LoveBoating

This was sort of weird and reminded me of when wife/I lived in Parker, Colorado: As we were getting ready to eat some breakfast at the hotel we had been staying at in Orange Park, we spoke to two ladies that worked at the Front Desk. We told them that we had found an apartment in the Southside/Baymeadows area and, instead of saying "congratulations" to us, they both just looked at us for a moment. This "look" was like saying, "you guys can afford to live over there" and/or "that is a very "snotty" area!". The reason I know this "look" is because it was the same "look" I got when I told some drivers (where I use to work at in Denver, CO) that my wife and I live in a house in Parker, Colorado! In fact, one driver even looked at me and said "oh, you mean that town down south where all the "snooty" and "upitty-up" people live?" I told this girl, "hey, if some people can afford to live in a nicer area (than some other areas), why shouldn't they?" If she couldn't afford to live in a better area than she was in, that wasn't my fault!
So, is the Southside area a better living area than Orange Park? We are just curious.

You probably read them right . It's certainly not the attitude of everyone living there, but it's not an entirely uncommon sentiment. I find it hysterical because the Southside is predominantly middle class. You have some real money on the River and at the Beaches in Jacksonville, but otherwise, it's mostly going to be variations of working class and middle class.

Southside vs OP, I suppose there is no "better" since everyone has different priorities that will color their preferences. I prefer to live on the Southside of Jax because this is where a large percentage of jobs are located (easy commute), all of the shopping, restaurants and entertainment tends to be clustered in or very near the Southside. Once you are living in the area for a while, you will also notice the difference of culture between the areas (politics, religion, etc.).

You're renting initially, so you'll have plenty of time to see if it's a good fit for you .

[Karla with a K]

When I first moved here,wow it will be 17 years this spring, the perception was Orange Park was more "socccer mom minivan" oriented where as the Southside was more "yuppy"

What I found really funny was when I bought a house and moved from the Southside to Ponte Vedra and folks would ask "where do you live" saying you lived in PV got a "oh" complete with the "look"

As Riv said
"Once you are living in the area for a while, you will also notice the difference of culture between the areas (politics, religion, etc.)."