What do the former yankees think

[jewalte]

Originally Posted by heatrnnr

My family and I moved from IL this past summer and don't regret it at all. We moved in at the hottest time of the year and within 3 weeks were dealing with Tropical storm Fay. I know some people had flooding but our neighborhood did not have any damage at all and it really was just 3 days where we stayed inside and watched tv. Compared to dealing with 4 months of winter it was no big deal. My wife and I both lived in the Chicago area our entire life. When we moved it was just as hot in IL as it was down here. I think that's what people don't realize. Also the beaches are great for those 90 degree days. Unlike up north, the beach extends all down the coast so finding parking is easy, heck some places even allow you to drive on the beach. We both have many friends up north so we've been thinking about them recently with all the bad weather they've had. I just don't miss it a bit and wonder more and more every day why more people don't move down here. In terms of expenses we were from the chicago suburbs and things like gas is cheaper but groceries are more expensive. The big change is the taxes. The no state income taxes and low sales taxes are great. We have not been treated like outsiders at all. To follow up on what others have said, i'd say about 50% of the people are from here, the other seem to be from the northeast. There aren't too many people from the midwest. We're still looking to find a place that makes Chicago Style Pizza, everthing we've had here is more NY style.

I also moved to the JAX area from IL and I agree with your pizza comment. Just wanted to let you know...if you're ever in Orlando, there is a Giordano's and it's almost as good as the one in Chicago : )

[projectmaximus]

Originally Posted by jewalte

I also moved to the JAX area from IL and I agree with your pizza comment. Just wanted to let you know...if you're ever in Orlando, there is a Giordano's and it's almost as good as the one in Chicago : )

Aren't there a bunch of Uno's in the Orlando area? Not as good as Giordano's?

[ShakenStirred]

Originally Posted by KerryB

Pay close attention to the quote here because there is definitely something to it.

I too moved here from the north & although I have never been treated like an outsider directly, locals aren't exactly lining up to befriend me either. Its weird because this is sorta the opposite of where I lived before I moved here (DC). Everyone wanted to know everyone, hang out, whatever. Not the case here. Its a real fight to make friends, esp with locals. They are very nice though & willing to chat with anyone, hospitable, etc, but just not go "all the way" I guess.

So, like Riv, most the people I know personally here & have any kind of relationship with are transplants. Its not my doing, God knows I've tried to befriend locals. But I cant make someone want to be my friend. I can only put it out there & they have to run with it. So far, those people have all been transplants.

Did ya ever think it might be you?

[ShakenStirred]

Originally Posted by vdecapio

I agree with KerryB that locals will not go all the way to be friends with outsiders. Nice to your face, but not looking for northern friends. If you are used to being in young, social, large friend networks in the northeast......get ready for a sucky social scene in Jacksonville. It takes notherners years to find just a handful of good friends here.....whereas in the northeast....maybe a month max to know lots of people.

You can pick anyone of my posts within the last 12 months to find reasons why someone might want to make snow angels rather than live in Jacksonville.

Moving to Jacksonville from the NYC area was a huge mistake. Huge, huge mistake. It was like putting my life on pause....but I am in my 20's. That being said, I am a city person and will for certain spend the foreseeable future in real cities like NYC or Chicago. Jacksonville offers me nothing. I really can't place much value on the place. I don't suggest it to anyone.....except people from the south or maybe old people from the north.

I honestly can't say that Jacksonville has provided me any experiences that I couldn't have much better in other places. Jacksonville has no character. I could list many, many things that frustrate me about Jacksonville and honestly I can't list many positives. And if there were a few positives, I could list a place I have lived in the northern cities or collegetowns that provide those positives much better.

Don't let the door hit you in the a$$ on the way out!

[KerryB]

Originally Posted by ShakenStirred

Did ya ever think it might be you?

Sure did. And it probably is a combination of me & this city not really meshing well together.

Like I said, all I can do is try. I'm not about to try to force people to like me or wanna hang out with me. All I can do is put it out there. Getting acclimated here has been a real challenge, for both me & my wife. But I can honestly say I've gave it my best shot. So I'm a firm believer in listening to that vibe & not trying to fight it.

All I can say now is that I've traveled & lived in many cities in my life & I've never had this much of a problem making friends as I've had here & we are both extremely outgoing/social people. In my old towns I seriously had more friends than I had time for. Even after short periods of time living there. Here, not so much. I got maybe 1 or 2 people who I even associate with on a regular basis.

And I haven't change any, so my only conclusion is that I dont fit in here for one reason or another. If its locals or me or a combination of both, I don't know. All I know is that its there & like I said, I'm a firm believer in listening to vibes & doing whatever they tell me to do.

If there's one thing I've learned hopping from city to city its that sometimes stuff works out, sometimes it doesn't. You gotta roll with it & I plan on doing just that.

Oh, and dont forget to tell me to not let the door hit me on the way out while I go back to the evil North thats full of weirdos. So wise folks like you are.

I'd probably think about updating those dusty sarcastic remarks there chief.

[rugbymetal]

Well, let's see...
After living there for over six years, my wife and I finally left Jacksonville in August (2008) to return to Albany, NY. We did not do this voluntarily – my job had a lot to do with it.

Jacksonville is slower and perhaps in a lot of ways backward, but for us, that is part of the charm. On the whole, like anywhere else, Jacksonville is what you make of it. It’s the biggest little city you’ll ever visit.

Check out some of my past posts for my take on Jacksonville. I can get long-winded, so I am not going to cut-and-paste anything, but suffice it to say, that Jacksonville was not a bad place to live. Being a cooler-weather type of guy, I never COULD get used to the oppressive 80+ degree weather and extreme humidity that seemed to permeate the area for 10 months out of the year, so I do not miss that at all. But I DO miss the people and friends we made. Most of our friends we met through our jobs, and to a lesser extent, church. Some were transplants, some were natives. We still keep in contact with them all.

It is definitely sunnier in Jacksonville, and I miss that. Despite the fact that I was out chipping ice off my driveway this morning and we are currently in the midst of a Nor'Easter that is dropping 7 to 8 inches of snow on us, I am still not inclined to move back to Jacksonville, though. One thing that was missing in Jacksonville: family.

I haven't posted anything in months because we've been busy between jobs, the kids, and selling the house. Since we moved back to Albany, NY, we have had to deal with the general stuff one encounters with a move - reestablishing ourselves in our jobs, living with family temporarily (3 months!), house-hunting (worse than house-SELLING in my opinion), buying a house, setting up services - doctors, insurance, phone, utilities, church, preschool, etc.

Since we started a family of our own, we always wanted the kids to be near their grandparents (in Albany), especially since they are not getting any younger. Sadly, my job no longer exists in Jacksonville and we happen to have a son with on the autism spectrum. These two reasons alone were the main reasons for our mass exodus from Jacksonville last year. I was given the option of transferring with my job to several other cities. Unfortunately, Albany was NOT one of them and I did not have the seniority to remain in Jacksonville.

I moved to Jacksonville for my CAREER and wound up with a JOB (CSX). My wife moved down for a JOB and wound up with a CAREER (Mayo). With regard to career moves, my wife was hurt the most by my job situation. She had a responsible position, was highly regarded, and was treated well - I was just a number. I have seniority in another department back in Albany. I also have more job options in Albany if I quit. Considering this and the fact that my wife is marketable anywhere, for our son’s sake, we moved back to be closer to family. Given everything that was happening around us, we were unsure at first of what we would do. However, in the long-run, we feel that we have made the best possible decision for our son based on our situation.

Will we ever move back to Jacksonville? Probably not. However we have a lot of nice memories from when we lived there.

[Erin1264]

I'll put in my 2 cents here.

My husband and I lived in the Jax area for 3 years (military assignment). I liked it, he didn't.

Growing up in CT we both thought the mild winters were a treat and did NOT miss shoveling snow or scraping off the windshield of the cars.

He despised the flat land and missed hills and shade trees.

We left after 3 years and it was probably good that we did because we found much better jobs elsewhere. Jobs were difficult to come by and the pay was much lower than other areas of the country.

We enjoyed the restaurants in the area and the quaint Southern cities to visit. In fact, when we lived there, I thought "I think I found my retirement city." And why is it a good retirement city instead of a good city for young professionals? Weather and you don't have to worry about jobs.

I wouldn't say cost of living is that much lower than anywhere else - gas is comparable, you run your AC a LOT and that drives up your electric bill, as opposed to running the heat a lot up North. Groceries are similar. Everything balances out.