HELP!! Moving to Jax in JUNE (Jacksonville, Tampa: apartments, condos, big house)

[dd.dmd]

So Im moving to jacksonville in june to start a residency program at UF dental downtown near Shands. I have narrowed down my search of apartments to either close to work or on the beach. Obviously two very different areas, but if I am going to be farther than 20 minutes from work I would rather be at the beach.
If I am close to downtown I was thinking about the riverside area. I have already found a great apartment at 1661 riverside. Any other suggestions or comments about that particular area?
My main question is about the beaches. I have heard there are nice parts of Jax, Atlantic beaches and not so nice parts. Since I am making this decision from Boston, does anyone have any insight in to where specifically i should make sure the apartments are located. If I am on the beach I would like to be a block away at the most. I am ok with spending up to $1500. I was also curious how bad the traffic would be to downtown? Especially with all of the roadwork etc?

Thanks A Million!!!

DAVID

[Joe 4520832257]

Obviously, I can't know your tolerance for a long commute. However, I would generally advise against living at the Beach if you are working near Shands.

I wouldn't choose the Beachs over 1661 Riverside unless I was extremely serious about actually going to the beach (for jogging or fishing or whatever) multiple times a week. Otherwise the commute cuts into quality of life so much. Whereas no matter where you live in town, it's not hard to go to the beach on weekends.

Now, the beaches certainly have nice ammenites compared to the rest of Jax's sprawl, but like you said, there are some grimey areas. It's not an extremely gentrified beach community, and you'll be driving past strip malls wherever you go. Conversely, 1661 Riverside is at the center of one of the nicest urban neighborhoods in the area. Normally, I would suggest the beaches as one of the better places in Jax to live; however, I think Riverside beats them out.

[LA-VA-FL]

Yeah I agree for the most part. The beaches are a great option, but you will be much much further than 20min. from work. Probably closer to an hour with traffic.

Riverside or San Marco will put you much closer, while still providing a cool neighborhood. I would be living in Riverside myself if I didn't surf or go to the beach on frequent basis (plus UNF is closer to the beaches).

Another option would be Springfield. Depending on your tolerance for crime, Springfield has some really great houses at great prices. There are nice little pockets in springfield and it is very close to Shands. The only downside is that the area is in the process of cleaning up, so it is "sketchy" for many people's standards.

[mawipafl]

(Former Bostonian here) Even if you're from Boston, you probably won't care for the commute to downtown from the beach - the daily commute might get old fast. It's doable, but there are other choices if beach-side living isn't top priority.

There are some great locations near other "water", specifically the St Johns River, and 1661 Riverside is one of them. Memorial Park is right there. The Riverside neighborhood of Jacksonville is a good choice as is the neighborhood of San Marco. There are also apartment highrises on the south bank along the river on Riverplace Blvd that offer a great view of the river and the north bank (downtown, The Landing, Maxwell House, and the sports complex (including the football stadium).

During your residency you probably won't have a ton of time for a social life, but I'd choose Riverside or San Marco so that your free time can be spent elsewhere besides in a car.

[anvmoon]

I would move into City Place in downtown, the parking is only 15usd a month and a studio apartment would be only 500usd a one bedroom sometimes you can get for 700usd which includes parking, cable and utilities (the condos are owned by outside parties), plus you get an awesome view of downtown. I lived there most of 2008 and moving out in a few months (relocating to Tampa). I was on the 15th floor and on the major holidays you could see fireworks from the comfort of the aparment and you were close enough to walk to downtowns Jacksonville Landing or take the tram to the Landing. The management of the building is great, you even have a gym and laundry room. Its pretty nice, I heard stories of how it "used" to be. It is also really close to Shands. Its on the north bank of the St Johns River (views are great as well).

[dd.dmd]

I wanted to thank everyone for thier replies. I am starting to understand the beach commute. Its definately something that I would like to have to seperate work from home but an hour communte might definately get old fast. I dont think I will have time to surf in the mornings and think I will probably be spending late nights at the clinic so maybe closer to work is better.

Aside from riverside and san marco, does anyone suggest living somewhere in the southside in between downtown and the beaches? Are there any places in particular you would recommend. If I were to take the place at 1661 riverside, whats the commute on the weekend to the beach, and is parking at the beach and issue?

[wojoe2000]

I would be moving to Jacksonville in July. Looking for a Cheerleading Elite Allstar program for my daughter. Any ideasCheer Mom

[riveree]

Originally Posted by dd.dmd

Aside from riverside and san marco, does anyone suggest living somewhere in the southside in between downtown and the beaches? Are there any places in particular you would recommend. If I were to take the place at 1661 riverside, whats the commute on the weekend to the beach, and is parking at the beach and issue?

I would definitely choose 1661 Riverside if I were you .

San Marco is awesome, and you'd still have a very quick commute to St. Vincent's, but 1661 has a lot going for it and it's on the St. Vincent's side of the river.

As for living in between the river neighborhoods and the beach ones, it's very suburban and can be kind of blah for a single person, IMO. If you needed or wanted a backyard or a big house, then I'd suggest looking there.

Your commute to the beach on the weekend will probably be about 30 minutes, not too bad. Parking isn't so bad once you know where all the parking spots are (they're kind of spread out all over).