Why would anyone not want to move to Jacksonville? (apartment complex, crime)

[PhotoZel]

I moved to JAX in 1989 from South Carolina. A young country boy, recently married but looking for a career.

I have fallen in love with JAX. It only took me a couple days to meet good/friendly people and they were more than willing to show me how to live in this LARGE, yet small feeling, town.

I was a country boy, lived on a farm even. But the people made living in a large (to me) city easy. Heck, I even was invited to go fishing not soon after I arrived. It was like that everwhere I went.

I posted here once about the time I ran out of gas (diesel, was in my truck) at night and all the people who stopped to help out. I mean, in 30 minutes 12 different people had stopped to see if everything was okay. WOW! My 4 year old was with me and she loved meeting all the different people.

I have lived in Mandarin, and now the Northside, and the people here are great.

I would love anyone to name a town that does not have any bad parts? But this Little/Big town has way many more good to great parts than most.

I have even decided that I would raise a family here...I now have 2 daughters and I think they will have a better chance to a happy life here, than anywhere else.

JAX has good weather, great beaches, and awesome places to spend time with your family.

I am happy here, and would anyone thinking of moving here, look around, ask some questions. Make up your own mind. But don't be scared away by a mean hearted person who did not like it here.

Signed,

A former southerner from SC, now, a citizen of my Little Big Town, Jacksonville!

[coolyfett]

As long as your raise your children to be Jaguar fans, you are a ok with me bubba!

[tercel95]

Thank you for posting this, I am considering a move to JAX from MD where I was born and raised. Don't get me wrong I love MD, but JAX sounds almost too good to be true. Nice weather, good balance of rural and urban, and I can't believe how cheap it is.

[Keith-n-Jax]

Well some may not want to move here because the lack of amenties in a city our size when you compare Jax to the other Fla cities. I find it ok here because I like to travel which affords me the opportunity visit other cities that have what Jax lacks. I believe in time things will improve, but slowly. Jax thinks and does different than most Florida cities. People always talk about crime, but crime is everywhere and as long as drugs are available that will not change. Jax is what you make of it. Find any city and you will find someone who doesnt like it and does.

[Calculon]

Originally Posted by coolyfett

As long as your raise your children to be Jaguar fans, you are a ok with me bubba!

By the time his kids are old enough to understand football the Jaguars will have been moved somewhere else.

[Joe 4520832257]

I think lots of people get very confused by our large city limits. They honestly think they are moving to a city of 1.2 million people, or whatever the CMSA is these days. Then they get profoundly dissapointed when there's not much "city" here at all. They don't really understand that Jax is a "city" of about 200,000 people (around the pop of the pre-consolidated city) surrounded by a big 'ol suburb with the extra 1,000,000.

Furthermore, all the malcontents always seem to live out in the middle of nowhere anyway. You don't find too many residents of San Marco, Riverside, Avondale, Ortega, or San Jose talking about how much they hate Jax. It's always someone who moved out to some faceless subdivision out in the scrub pines.

[Keeper]

Folks.. please report posts or suspected trolls rather than respond to them.

Now.. back to the OP

[vdecapio]

Photozel is exactly the type of person Jacksonville is made for. The sad part is Jacksonville is only designed for people like Photozel and does not provide for a good living experience for people who like diversity or city amenities or who are single and would like to meet an EDUCATED, QUASI SOPHISTICATED person on occasion.

So, you end up with a bunch of Photozels walking around who can't understand why a person who expects Jacksonville to have some city amenities or some sort of social scene that is not exclusively for UF/FSU/UNF alumni might actually complain about Jacksonville.

I mean this place is so small town, I can't even get a freaking haircut after 630 on a Saturday night. I guess I need to plan my day around the sun or something, like I am a farmer living in the middle of nowhere.

[vdecapio]

I mean seriously if you are going to build ugly, characterless, cookie-cutter strip malls on every freaking corner.....and every other one of those cookie-cutter strip malls is going to have a hair cutting place that squeezes its profits toward upper management....at least keep one of them open past 6 on a Saturday night. If a city has more than 700,000 people, things should stay open past small town hours. I mean come on.

At least Photozel is happy.

[vdecapio]

Greatest Things to Do in Jacksonville

1. Drive to WalMart.
2. Drive over speed bumps in my apartment complex.
3. Laugh at the people on the local news.
4. Eat at some chain restaurant or walk around like a consumer zombie at the Town center.
5. Go to sleep at 11 on the weekends even though your in your 20's.
6. Plan a move to a real city.
7. Travel out of Jacksonville.
8. Drive around.
9. Drive.
10. Drive.