Seriously Thinking....Jacksonville! (Miami, Sarasota: insurance, taxi, income)

[KerryB]

Originally Posted by LoveBoating

So, our question would obviously be.......why do so many people choose to live ANYWHERE in Jax if the darn city and area are as bad in crime as stated it is?? Do you live there and if "yes".....why, with all the crime that is there?! Not disputing what you are telling us, but you do make the city/area sound like a terrible place to live and absolutely full of crime!! We know that crime is higher in certain areas of different cities, but you sort of make Jax sound like a "war zone"! Oh well, we are moving there anyway. If we don't like it, we will just move.

Its not a war zone, but there is crime pretty much everywhere in the city just like a lot of other places. Dont let someone tell you that Area A is somehow shielded more from crime than Area B is. Sure, there's ghettos & really bad parts here just like anywhere else, but the majority of the people on these forums dont live in them. Probably none of them do. Most here live in nice, suburban neighborhoods full of single family homes. Many of them planned communities.

All I can say is that before coming here I lived in DC for 2 years in a nice, but still "up & coming" neighborhood (kinda ritzy, but kinda sketchy at times too. Homeless people around, shady alleyways, etc) & never had anything happen. I moved to a really nice planned neighborhood here in Jax with homes over $200K & my car got broken into & the neighbors house did as well within 6 months of arriving. Just bad luck?? Perhaps, but it still happened.

No one's trying to paint the picture than Jax is a crime-ridden hell hole, but just dont assume than you're sheltered just because you're in a nice neighborhood nomatter what part of town its in. Crime does seem like a big issue here.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by LoveBoating

MSN Maps says that it is 8.03 miles north/northeast of Belle Rive Blvd. Just what kind of an area is that up there??????? And, it's near the UNF!!
Shoot, I always thought that colleges and universities were built/located in nice neighborhoods. Although, in Charlotte, there is high crime close to UNC (University of North Carolina).
When we lived in Parker, Colorado, a nice "smaller town" area, a construction worker was shot and killed at a construction site only a mile from our house AND a lady was found dead/killed in a motel room just two miles from our house. But, these two major crimes were the only ones we knew of during the 3 1/2 years we lived in that town.

The UNF/FCCJ area is a nice area. It is just as nice, safe, etc., as the neighborhood you chose to live in. Karla provided the link to the article and it seems the victim knew the shooter and they had an argument that escalated into a murder. That kind of crime could happen anywhere.

You'll be fine, don't worry . Even as a female alone I drive through some of the worst parts of Jax on the NorthWest side of the city alone (by day) and I've never felt afraid. You just keep your wits about you and go about your business .

[fsquid]

Jacksonville has a higher cost of living than Charlotte? Surely not with all the odd ball taxes I have to pay here on top of my 5% state income tax.

[Web B. Rowser]

Originally Posted by LoveBoating

So, our question would obviously be.......why do so many people choose to live ANYWHERE in Jax if the darn city and area are as bad in crime as stated it is?? Do you live there and if "yes".....why, with all the crime that is there?! Not disputing what you are telling us, but you do make the city/area sound like a terrible place to live and absolutely full of crime!! We know that crime is higher in certain areas of different cities, but you sort of make Jax sound like a "war zone"! Oh well, we are moving there anyway. If we don't like it, we will just move.

No, it isnt crime ridden everywhere in Jax. I like Jax the most out of the bigger FL cities. It is however, not sure about the last couple yrs as Orlando has gotten much worse over the years, but was the state's murder capitol. Jax has some very bad areas, but overall I think the Southside and close to St John's Co. is (overall) safe. I never made it out to be a war zone, I am just saying that when people say things like "well LA had over 700 murders, and Jax only had 100" you have to look at the population. Yes, Jax had less murders than LA and NYC, but Jax also has 10% of the population. So LA and NYC'c crime index maybe 700 or whatever but Jax could easily be higher due to the much smaller population, but higher than avg crime rate for a city of it's size. I think Jax is comparable to Charlotte in crime.

[Web B. Rowser]

Originally Posted by fsquid

Jacksonville has a higher cost of living than Charlotte? Surely not with all the odd ball taxes I have to pay here on top of my 5% state income tax.

Buying a nice house in Charlotte, in a nice neighborhood, decent size with a 1/4 to 1/3 of an acre is cheaper than what it would cost you in Jax. First of all, to find a home in a nice newer neighborhood with that size lot in Jax would be really hard to find, and second, the property taxes are higher (in most cases) than in Charlotte.

I have friends in Charlotte that have a bigger house, nicer neighborhood, on a much bigger lot and pay less than half of what I do.

PS- pay is better in Charlotte too, in almost all cases.

[fsquid]

your friends must live way the heck out then. My 1,400 square foot home with no upgrades and 1/3 an acre will fetch 300k even in this market. I can't afford a family home in the good school systems since they will go for 350k at the low end and those are the fixer uppers.

Property Tax in Charlotte/Meck County is 0.13% compared to Jacksonville's 0.18%. So I'm confused by you saying that you pay twice as much unless I missed a county tax or something during my research..

Luckily for me, my pay in this deal would go up, so I don't have to worry about the pay

[Web B. Rowser]

Are you in Lake Norman or something? I have friends in Huntersville, Davidson, etc... and they pay less than half of what I do. They also get paid more than I do. My property taxes are going for $4000/yr for a 1700 sq ft home, and that is with Homestead exemption and all. My neighbors across the street pay over $6000 a year, and there house was valued at $370k at last appraisal.

[LoveBoating]

Gee folks, at least now we aren't in a state of "shock", wondering if we are moving to the right State/area. We hear on the news about someone taking a walk or walking to a local convience store or coming home from work at 2AM and robbery or carjacking that happens then. Well, first of all, we never/ever take a walk, go out or are coming home that late at night......even in the nice/safe areas we lived in in Colorado and here in Huntersville. We both only take "day" jobs and (if) we do go anywhere at night, we both go together (just the way our marriage is). So, with that all being said, we think we should be alright. Thanks for all the postings! LB

[LoveBoating]

As far as salaries go, my wife's last job here paid $64K a year and she has found comparatable paying jobs in/around Jax. She is an accountant, with a major college degree and doesn't really have a problem finding a good paying job. Other than the nice weather you folks have there, we are REALLY into boating/fishing and all of Florida is excellent for that!

[Web B. Rowser]

"Other than the nice weather you folks have there, we are REALLY into boating/fishing and all of Florida is excellent for that! "


Boating and fishing? Yes, FL is excellent for that! As far as nice weather, well, it is 85 degrees or higher with humidity over 80% or more (which accroding to the news is "oppressive" or "uncomfortable") about 290 days out of the year, so I guess if you like extreme heat and humidity, it is great! The summers truly are oppressive. I can walk my dogs at 10pm at night in the summer, and no lie, I will come back in 5 minutes later, and my palms are sweating, my armpits damp, and I will have little beads of sweat on my forehead. It really is like nothing you have felt before in Charlotte.

We do have wonderful winters (November through March).