Relocating from North Carolina cost-- need advice (Jacksonville, Plantation: home, to buy)

[MommyNC]

Thanks in advance for taking the time to reply!

We are looking to relocate to Jax-- husband, me, 17 month old daughter and expanding...

Criteria:
1. Want to buy a 4 bedroom (or more) home under 200K.
2. Need good schools. We hear Duval Cty schools are awful--- true? St Johns seems out of our price range, Orange Park seems great in terms of housing cost, but how far is it really, and what is the vibe there? Has anyone heard of Oakleaf Plantation?
3. We're Jewish, and while not very religious, wouldn't want our kids to be the only Jewish kids in their classes. What communities would be good in our price range?
4. Do you like living in Jacksonville? Why?
5. For women who have given birth there--- are their midwives or only OBs? Lactation Consultants? A Local La Leche League?
6. IS there lots of stuff for families to do there?

Would love to be within 30 min of the beach, but not a big deal.


THANK YOU!

[BornInFL]

What part of NC and why Jax/Florida?

[projectmaximus]

1. Not sure
2. It's all relative, but yeah, this assessment is mostly true. A handful of public schools are pretty good, particularly the magnets, but it's mostly below average. Orange Park has some nice areas. Search Oakleaf, there have been a few discussions about it here.
3. There are plenty of Jewish families...I think a higher concentration in the Mandarin area? (I'm really not sure). But definitely not an extreme minority.
4. I don't live there, but I probably wouldn't like it. Grew up there, and would strongly consider it one day if I'm married and have young children...but not the place for a young single city guy. You might find it terrific.
5. ummm, someone else got this?
6. Maybe? Depends on what kinds of things your family likes to do. Disney isn't far away...

30 minutes to the beach would pretty much mean staying to the east of the river.

[Joe 4520832257]

1. Want to buy a 4 bedroom (or more) home under 200K.

This might be a stretch, even for Jax's relatively low cost housing. At least it might not be as realistic if you want to live in one of the good school districts like you mentioned below.

2. Need good schools. We hear Duval Cty schools are awful--- true? St Johns seems out of our price range, Orange Park seems great in terms of housing cost, but how far is it really, and what is the vibe there? Has anyone heard of Oakleaf Plantation?

Yes, Duval high schools are pretty bad, but the magnet programs are very good. Orange Park schools are considered better overall, but they are hardly bastions of high scholarship. I think that most of the Southside elementary schools are as good, or better, than OP schools. Orange Park and Oakleaf are out in the sprawl. That's the vibe. Sprawl.

3. We're Jewish, and while not very religious, wouldn't want our kids to be the only Jewish kids in their classes. What communities would be good in our price range?

Jax has a decent sized Jewish population (in the tens of thousands). They tend to live in areas that are way out of your price range - Mandarin, Ponte Vedra, San Marco. Although if you are willing to buy a smaller house, you might find some places just north of Mandarin along San Jose Blvd. The realtors will probably call it Mandarin anyway. That's essentially where you need to live if you want to be around other Jews. San Jose Blvd has two synagouges and the Jewish Community Center.

4. Do you like living in Jacksonville? Why?

I loved growing up in Jax, but tons of people seem to hate it. I think the problem is that the city is so spread out. If you are in one of the nice places (Riverside, San Marco, Mandarin, The Beaches, near the river) you tend to love Jax. If you are stuck out in the sprawl somewhere, it can be very soul-crushing and people feel like there's nothing to do.

To be perfectly honest, if you are trying to find cheap housing in good school districts, you will probably be living in a very "boring" area where you will have to drive long distances to do anything.

Would love to be within 30 min of the beach, but not a big deal.

Everywhere in Jax is within 30 minutes of the beach (in non-rush hour traffic of course) with the possible exception of the far Westside.