Moving to Jacksonville (for sale, real estate market, rentals)

[97Alumni]

Hello all. I stumbled upon this great forum via google. There is a ton of great information in here, I have been reading everything I can, but honestly, my lack of familiarity with the city is leaving me really overwhelmed.

I am moving to Jacksonville shortly, working at Shands Jacksonville (655 W 8th St) and I am looking for relocation advice.

I am aware the area around the hospital is not the greatest (I am moving actually from a very similar situation, hospital in a higher crime area, living in a nicer area), however I am looking for nice, safe, affordable areas that are within a relatively short commute. I would probably say I would need to be within 10 miles. (maybe 15-20 minute drive at absolute maximum)

We could rent (up to ~$1000 per month) temporarily but would prefer to buy (up to ~$200-220k) and although these are max estimates, we would like to find something as economical as possible. Probably looking for a 2 or 3 bedroom house or apt/condo.

Although I don't have children, I do have a wife, so although schools probably aren't the most important at this point, nice, safe, family type areas would be much appreciated. A more suburban feel would probably be best. We don't really care about nightlife at all.

Any advice is appreciated, please let me know if you think these expectations are even realistic. It sounds like there are a lot of nice areas southside/southeast, but the commutes seem like they get long.

Thank you.

[projectmaximus]

did you see this recent thread? http://www.city-data.com/forum/jacks...-jax-june.html

Riverside and San Marco are both nice and deserve a look. If you just want family environments and suburban atmosphere...then there's a lot to choose from. The commute from the Southside shouldn't be too bad...there will be traffic, but nothing horrendous. Just try to keep your overall distance to a minimum (perhaps neighborhoods north of Baymeadows)

[97Alumni]

Thank you for replying - yes, I did see that thread. I appreciate your helpful input.

It seems like most people advise looking at southside for the suburban family life.

Are there any areas in the other directions worth checking out? (SW - wesconnett, ortega, etc; W - duval, etc, N - garden city, etc) And are any of the commutes from those general areas particularly good or bad?

[riveree]

I agree, check out the established river neighborhoods of The Southside - the San Marco/San Jose area specifically.

With the current real estate market, you have many houses to choose from that fit your requirements: $220k or well under in many cases, less than 10 miles commute, safe, convenient, etc. If you don't mind a smaller home that needs some updating, there are even some for $100k or so available right now that are in very nice spots.

For San Marco/San Jose, you'll want to look at zips 32207 and 32217. From anywhere in 32207 and the northern part of 32217, your commute should be under 20 minutes and could be as little as 10 or 15 minutes depending on where you end up living.

On the West side of the river, I would stick to Avondale, Ortega, Riverside, Fishweir and maybe a few others in that immediate vicinity. I think the zips of 32204 and 32205 will cover those areas.

[JagFan27]

Originally Posted by 97Alumni

Thank you for replying - yes, I did see that thread. I appreciate your helpful input.

It seems like most people advise looking at southside for the suburban family life.

Are there any areas in the other directions worth checking out? (SW - wesconnett, ortega, etc; W - duval, etc, N - garden city, etc) And are any of the commutes from those general areas particularly good or bad?

We live in the Mandarin area. My husband teaches across the street from Shands. It is not a bad commute at all, so you have many, many options of where to live.

[projectmaximus]

Originally Posted by 97Alumni

Are there any areas in the other directions worth checking out? (SW - wesconnett, ortega, etc; W - duval, etc, N - garden city, etc) And are any of the commutes from those general areas particularly good or bad?

Ortega is a very nice area. I'm not really familiar with the rest of em...seriously though, lots of good suburban locations. Especially if you like gated communities with golf courses and tennis clubs.

[jimbo13]

We could rent (up to ~$1000 per month) temporarily but would prefer to buy (up to ~$200-220k)

if you can only afford $1000 in rent, how on earth can you afford a home over $200K? have a lot to put down?

[richinjax]

You will find a plethora--nay, a veritable cornucopia of residential properties to choose from both for rentals and to buy. Once you see some of the places where you can live, you will be in much better position to decide. There's the beaches, the St. Johns river areas, and the Arlington, Ft. Caroline areas have nice properties near the water or with great views that are affordable.

Take advantage of the uniqueness of Jacksonville to find a great place to live.

[chefduck]

Definitely check out the Ortega area. I'm not sure about home prices right now in the area but there are a lot of homes for sale. It is a beautiful area but in rush hour traffic it might take 30 min to get to Shands. We live in old Ortega and work off of I95 N (pass by Shands every day) and it takes us about that long to get to work. Good luck to you !!!

[JBFL]

I moved to Jacksonville a few years ago, and am so glad I listened and came to the Southside. Of course, there's always areas everywhere that aren't the best, but I couldn't imagine living anywhere else in jax, except the beaches of course. Definitely check it out. The southside has a good feel to it, especially towards the intercoastal. Rent is affordable, has the best shopping in jax and is all very local and commute anywhere worth going in short time. Taking JTB , 95 towards shands in 15 minutes max. And the beach is closer than that. I hate going to any other part of jacksonville in fact.