Thinking about moving to Jacksonville (Holiday, Fruit Cove: insurance, lofts, employment)

[shawn10025]

Hello,

I'm thinking about relocating to Jacksonville (zipcode 32259). My wife and I would be moving from New York, so this would be a major adjustment for us.

Based on one quick visit to the area and having read some of these threads, I'm a bit concerned that there will be less action and cultural diversity than we're used to. Then again, I'm not sure whether these forums are accurate sources of information.

Has anyone else out there relocated from New York? Are you happy?

Who are the major employers? Any Fortune 500 companies?

Thanks so much!

- Shawn

[Joe 4520832257]

Well, yeah. There's way less action and cultural diversity than New York (I presume you mean NYC). That's a simple demographic reality. You can't compare a metro of 1 million with a metro of 18 million. Now, if you're talking about Upstate New York, that's a different story. I've lived upstate, and Jax is a whole lot more action-packed.

However, you won't be doing yourself any favors by living in 32259 if you want "action and cultural diversity" since Fruit Cove isn't even Jacksonville. It's a wealthy suburb, but it's very sterile, culturally monolithic, and you have to drive 15 miles to get anywhere. Now, I'm not even bashing Fruit Cove because a lot of people prefer that lifestyle, and it's a great family neighborhood. I'm just pointing out that it's one of the last places I'd go if action and diversity were my interests.

The major employers in Jax are the Navy and the Government. Big private sector employers include CSX (Fortune 500), Winn Dixie (Fortune 500), Fidelity National Financial (Fortune 500), Fidelity National Information Services (Fortune 500), Landstar (Fortune 1000), MPS Group (Fortune 1000), PSS World Medical (Fortune 1000). Jax also has the headquarters for SteinMart and St. Joe, which are fortune-1000 sized but perhaps not eligible for the list. Banking and insurance call-centers are also a big employer here, as well as our Seaport.

[shawn10025]

I thought Fruit Cove was part of Jacksonville. It's not? That place is so big it's hard to figure out what is where!

The thing is: I know that Jacksonville (or Fruit Cove) won't have the excitement of New York. That's okay. But what I don't know is whether that excitement is just a short drive away or whether it simply doesn't exist at all in north Florida.

I read some posts the other day that were pretty harsh on Jacksonville people and diversity. Someone posted a list of like 38 problems with the area. Whatever. I don't need perfection. I just want to know what I'm getting my family into.

Thanks.

- Shawn

[Joe 4520832257]

Fruit Cove is just outside Jax's city limits, to the South. It's part of the metro though.

I love Jacksonville, but I wouldn't say that excitement is ever a short drive away. My biggest complaint is the massive sprawl. You have to drive long distances to get anywhere. There are indeed plenty of entertainment options, but they are spread out all across town.

Now, I think the hardcore complainers are often full of s#*t. They often live out in the middle of nowhere, and don't make the effort to learn about entertainment options in other parts of town. Then they bash all 840 square miles of Jacksonville, just because "their" particular 5 square miles is rather boring.

If you want a safe (but boring) neighborhood with good schools - and you can tolerate 15-30 minute drives to go anywhere interesting - then Fruit Cove (or anywhere on Jax's Southside, or St Johns County) will be perfectly fine.

If you want more action, I'd suggest either the Beaches or an historic neighborhood like San Marco, Riverside or Avondale. They are all safe, but not as squeaky clean as the suburbs. You then might have to deal with private school, because Duval public schools are a mixed bag at best.

[joninclay]

Shawn,

Fruit Cove is in St. Johns County, while the city of Jacksonville is in Duval County. Technically, Fruit Cove is part of Jacksonville as far as mailing address, city services, etc., are concerned. However, it is a more suburban part of Jax. As funny as it sounds, residents of Fruit Cove don't consider themselves residents of Jax, despite what their mailing addresses indicate.

As far as negative comments, there was a recent discussion thread about that. Most of us love it here, a fair number do not, and everyone has their reasons. However, I think it's fair to say that people who complain more (whether their complaints are real or imagined) are more vocal than those who don't complain as much.

Tell us: what kind of "action" is it that you seek? That might help us (and you) a little bit more.

[shawn10025]

Funny you should ask about the "action" I seek. The thing is, if I were to honestly list the things my wife and I do every day, it really wouldn't be a very long list. We go to the movies. We go out to eat. We walk in the park. We never go to the opera or the ballet, but we COULD. I guess the "action" is really more of an "energy." It's a buzz. There's the promise that if you wanted to do something - anything - it's just outside your door. We'd be giving that up. But in reality... would we miss it? After all, like I said, we mostly just see movies and eat out!

A friend of mine (who insultingly calls Jacksonville either "south Georgia" or the "redneck riviera") pointed out that, although we don't go to the opera, we like being surrounded by the kind of cultured people who do. In other words, we would be out of our element and maybe a little unwelcome in Fruit Cove.

I also still need to know if there are any Fortune 500 employers down there who are actually hiring. It would be tough to give up everything in New York, but even tougher if there was no hope of employment commensurate with my experience.

Thanks again! Keep it coming!

- Shawn

[MAI1229]

Originally Posted by shawn10025

Hello,

I'm thinking about relocating to Jacksonville (zipcode 32259). My wife and I would be moving from New York, so this would be a major adjustment for us.

Based on one quick visit to the area and having read some of these threads, I'm a bit concerned that there will be less action and cultural diversity than we're used to. Then again, I'm not sure whether these forums are accurate sources of information.

Has anyone else out there relocated from New York? Are you happy?

Who are the major employers? Any Fortune 500 companies?

Thanks so much!

- Shawn

Hi Shawn - I think Joe responded that he presumed your from the City - Manhattan, B'klynn, Bronx, but could you just confirm? If you're from Buffalo, Rochester, Orange, Nyack, Placid etc., the move may not really require a major adjustment.
Also, during your quick visit, where did you spend the majority of your time (32259?) and did you visit other areas? Please let us know. Thanks!

[shawn10025]

I'm from the city (my user name is my current zipcode). But I also lived for many years in Northern Virginia, near Washington DC. We spent a lot of time in 32259, but also saw some of the older neighborhoods and a little bit of downtown. We went to St. John's Center mall (wow!). We only made it to Jax Beach once - and that was the highlight of our trip. I would have liked to see more, but we only had so much time between all the listings our realtor took us to. I think the biggest issue for me is finding a job. That ain't gonna be easy, especially from here.

[projectmaximus]

Hey Shawn, just curious about why you want to move? You didn't give a reason, only concerns about whether you'd be happy moving here. Your reason may offer some insight into whether you'd be making the right decision by moving...

Your comment about the opera is interesting and perhaps very true for many others. In my arts management class last year my teacher shared and anecdote about her friend who absolutely hates the opera and has no interest in ever going to see it again, but he still gives the Lyric Opera $5000 every year cause he appreciates what the organization does for the city and its importance to the cultural enrichment of Chicago.

Alright, back to your situation...is that a good or bad 'wow' for the St Johns Town Center? If you actually like it, then I think you'll be satisfied with the action in Jax. Just live somewhere between that and the Beaches. If you want action at your doorstep you might give San Marco a try. There are a few other areas that could be pretty exciting in 5 years or so, pending the completion of a few postponed developments and/or the implementation of commuter rail and streetcars currently in the feasibility study phase.

Pretty sure Winn-Dixie isn't hiring anyone. Two of my friends have gotten jobs with CSX in the last half a year, but then again they are both engineers, not in the business/management field which I'm assuming you're looking at since you are interested in any Fortune 500s. That's about all I've got to say for now.

[mawipafl]

Take the Jax Is Good/Jax Is Bad posts for what they are - personal preferences and experiences. Wherein someone feels that having to get into a car to go anywhere is a negative, there's someone posting right afterwards that it's no big deal ... and back-n-forth it goes.

Posters, such as the ones who've responded so far in this thread, who have something intelligent to say are worth reading. Others, found in various threads here, who rant and vent and blabber, well, take those for what they're worth.

I moved here from other places where perhaps the diversity of things to do was greater (such as NYC), but I haven't found myself bored one little bit. I've found people with similar interests as mine and I don't feel like a fish out of water. Personally I do not mind having to drive to get places because I find traffic here is far less crazy than elsewhere I've lived. Within a short 30-40 minutes or less I have more than enough to do! There are a number of quality community theaters, movie theaters, restaurants, parks and preserves and nature trails, my choice of beaches, a great zoo, a number of good museums, local events in different parts of the First Coast, and enough variety in shopping to keep the experience interesting.

There's a wide variety of lifestyles here and that's a benefit of the Jax area being so wide-spread. There are the cookie-cutter masterplanned neighborhoods (I happily live in one) and older established neighborhoods (I'd be happy there, too). There's urban living in highrises and lofts, rural living with horses in your backyard. There's a variety of waterfronts: ocean, ICW, St Johns River, lakes and streams, man-made ponds.

People are diverse here, too. There are those who've lived nowhere else and those who've come from somewhere else. There are close-minded people and those who are open to anything. There are those who've never been to the symphony, those who attend every once in a while, and those who are subscribers to each and every season. Some people know about the annual Holiday Boat Light Parade and fireworks, but have never been, while others wouldn't miss it and plop themselves early on the riverfront to get a great spot.

There are times when I miss the hustle and bustle of Midtown Manhattan, but I don't expect Jacksonville to be a replica of that, and I like Jax for exactly what it is.