Orange Park? (Jacksonville, Miami, Country Club: apartments, for rent, crime)

[fiupsychrox]

My boyfriend and I are relocating from Miami to go to school in Jax but we do not want to live there. We have been looking around and weighing our options, though they keep diminishing. What about Orange Park? We want something fairly close but not IN the city where we could afford, up to $800 for a 2 b/r, while he works full time and I go to school and work part time. Any apartments to stay away from (was looking at bridgewater at wells crossing) or general areas that we should avoid in Orange Park? We thought about Green Cove but after some great replies, we have decided against it. Any suggestions would be great!

[mawipafl]

Orange Park is better, but honestly, still not great for the commute to UNF. The Buckman Bridge (I-295) can be a problem.

Seriously, you can be on the other side of the river from OP and GCS and still have the away-from-urban feel.

Here's one place: Country Club Lakes on Hodges (click on that one to get the specific info)
Apartments for Rent Jacksonville*Florida

If you use google street map, you can see what its location is like:
4090 Hodges Boulevard, Jacksonville , FL 32224 - Google Maps

Regarding Orange Park, reading your other thread I'm guessing that your boyfriend's job transfer would be IN Orange Park? If that's the case, then it comes down to which one of you commutes over the Buckman :-)

What might work for you is the Lighthouse at Fleming Island.
Lighthouse at Fleming Island - 2285 Marsh Hawk Ln. | Apartments.com

There are some parts of OP to avoid for either traffic congestion or not-exactly-great-location reasons. Anything in the 295 area on 17, Blanding, and Wells will not give you that away-from-urban feel.

[joninclay]

Lighthouse at Fleming Island or Cobblestone at Eagle Harbor are good places to start in OP.

[unfgrad94]

If you're planning on going to UNF, you should consider apartments off Southside Blvd area. Also, Beach and JTB.

I live in OP and I did the long commute to UNF for many years. I had family support there for my young child at the time which is the only reason I lived in OP. I wouldn't recommend living in OP if you can avoid it. With heavy traffic, you may be looking at an hour commute. Especially once the Christmas holidays roll around.

[Joe 4520832257]

So ... if you like Miami but not Jacksonville, why would you want to live in Orange Park? If anything, I would think OP is a more extreme example of the lifestyle difference between the Jax and Miami metros?

I'm curious about the factors that would make you dislike Jacksonville, but like both Miami and Orange Park. It just seems a little incongruous to me, but of course I'm biased by my own opinion about the qualities of each area.

[fiupsychrox]

Originally Posted by Joe 4520832257

I'm curious about the factors that would make you dislike Jacksonville, but like both Miami and Orange Park. It just seems a little incongruous to me, but of course I'm biased by my own opinion about the qualities of each area.

I actually love Miami because I was raised here, my family is here, and I have amazing friends here but I can not wait to get OUT of here! I have heard horrors about the crime in Jax and Im not trying to get out of one city to go to another and deal with the same atmosphere. I want something more "woodsy", relaxing, QUIET. I cant say I LIKE OP because I have never been there. I am simply comparison shopping at the moment. Its not certain that my bf will be in OP or Jax, that would depend on where we choose to move because he is just transferring. We both intend to go to school in Jax, I would be at UNF and he will be at Florida Community South Campus on Beach Blvd about 3 miles away from my school (according to google maps). We wanted something on the west side of Jax because I have family in Gville and I wanted to be closer to them as well. It seems tho that getting over that river almost daily is becoming a much larger burden than the extra time I would be traveling whenever I would go over to Gville. Hmm.

Perhaps Im not giving Jax the chance it deserves. Are there areas in Jax that fit the description of what I would like? Maybe something still within the $800 a month range?

Thanks!

[projectmaximus]

Yeah, I kinda assumed you wanted to get out of Miami, but I think your perception of Jax is a bit off (In both good and bad ways) If you live close to UNF and FCCJ South Campus (aka, Southside) you'll be in a very suburban and rather safe neighborhood. I really think this would be your best bet for having the relaxing lifestyle you seek and a short commute.

[fiupsychrox]

Originally Posted by projectmaximus

Yeah, I kinda assumed you wanted to get out of Miami, but I think your perception of Jax is a bit off (In both good and bad ways) If you live close to UNF and FCCJ South Campus (aka, Southside) you'll be in a very suburban and rather safe neighborhood. I really think this would be your best bet for having the relaxing lifestyle you seek and a short commute.

Could you clear that up for me? I would love to have a clearer picture of what we are getting ourselves into! We have researched some apts all within 10-15 min away from both schools (according to google directions) and the prices seem great and I think I fell in love with the idea of having a fireplace, which most do!

[projectmaximus]

Oh, well I was just assuming that you wanted to get away from the density, hustle, danger, cost, etc of city life in Miami. And so it seems you are trying to steer clear of those same things in Jax. But honestly, the pace of things in Jax is pretty slow and almost exclusively suburban in nature.

Basically, what I think you are looking for in OP should be found in Southside as well.

[fiupsychrox]

Thank you very much. We feel a weight has been lifted and we are even more excited about the move!