So what about Arlington? (Jacksonville, University: crime, houses, neighborhoods)

[brokeandblue]

Looking to relocate and I've heard mixed reviews on the Arlington area. Any info will be appreciated.

[Tiffany_PartyOf6]

Arlington USED to be great. Areas on the river are still nice. The majority of Arlington has turned into nothing but crime and nastiness. I grew up in Arlington. Arlington used to be "THE place to be" and now everyone is trying hard to get out. So if you want to live ON the river, there are some nice houses, but the rest of it? ehhhh yuck.

[projectmaximus]

Not surprised about the mixed reviews, as I'm sure there are very specific parts that are nice...but on the whole it's probably not the greatest area to live. I've known people with very nice homes up north of JU...then again one of them had their house broken into so then they moved to Queen's Harbour.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by projectmaximus

Not surprised about the mixed reviews, as I'm sure there are very specific parts that are nice...but on the whole it's probably not the greatest area to live. I've known people with very nice homes up north of JU...then again one of them had their house broken into so then they moved to Queen's Harbour.

......and some people call Queen's Harbour "Arlington". Not correctly, but they do. When people want to blast an entire area, they cut a wide swath and call it all "Arlington" and state that it's all *bad*.

The reality is that Arlington has some really nice spots and some really lousy spots and some in-between spots. If I wanted a large house and a large lot for less money than other areas, I'd look into Arlington. I have a couple of friends who live in Arlington and they have nice modest homes that they're very happy in.

But perception is everything, so from an investment standpoint, if you buy low in Arlington you have to expect to sell low later too.

If you are looking in that general area, I'd lean more towards the Fort Caroline and Intracoastal West areas, (covered by zips 32225 and 32246).

So, yes, the mixed review continues ..........

[LA-VA-FL]

Arlington as a whole has some pretty sketchy areas. As stated earlier, there are definitely some nice spots, though scattered throughout the "iffy" spots. I agree that the Fort Caroline area is a nice comprimise. My buddy who lived off arlington road always complained about hearing gunshots on a weekly basis. Arlington has also had some negative exposure in the news this past week. I guess it just really depends on what neighborhood

[Jaadi]

The further down University Road you go the worse the area is. The part of Arlington I used to live was usually rampant with crime, houses were broken into at gunpoint, cars were stolen or (attempted to be stolen, that was mine actually), and rape is not just a statistic in this part of the neighborhood. However, I believe just like the Westside there are some good areas just be area of where you are moving to. I recommend pulling up the crime statistics from the JSO to get an idea of what you are walking into. Also, word of mouth is a powerful indicator of where you are moving so take everything in without prejudice. However, having a really close link to 9A isn't bad.

[Joe 4520832257]

It's always hard to describe the character of Jacksonville's neighborhoods because they are just so darn BIG.

What does it mean to live in Arlington? The Westside? The Southside? Mandarin? All these places encompass huge swaths of land area that are bigger than most cities. The neighborhood boundaries are never well defined and realtors heavily manipulate them.

As other people have said, Arlington (in general) is a neighborhood on the decline. It was THE original Jacksonville boom neighborhood in the 1950's after the Matthews bridge was built. Hordes of white people fled Northside to the greener pastures of Arlington's ranch houses. Now history repeats itself, as white people are fleeing Arlington for the Southside or St. Johns county.

But it depends on specifically where in Arlington. Anything waterfront is still golden. I have relatives up at Ft Caroline, and that's still a very nice area. However a lot of Arlington is kind of gross now.

[Parkerclassof72]

Arlington is a lot like other areas of Jacksonville, and a lot like every other mid-sized city in the US. There are some bad areas, and some good areas, in every part of town. The neighborhood of Arlingwood (where I live) between Arble Rd and the Expressway is a nice, quiet neighborhood. Is it perfect? Of course not. Just west of us is Alderman Park; it's a bit more "upscale" than Arlingwood (and is where I grew up). Both Arlingwood & Alderman Park have circa 60's homes with big yards. If you don't care about a big yard, there are several newer cookie cutter neighborhoods east of us that are just fine. There are also several neighborhoods off of Ft Caroline Rd, both the east end and the west end, that are nice. Yes, there are areas of Arlington that are no longer safe, but that's true of the whole city, and every other city.