Is Jacksonville/St. Augustine right for us? (Springfield: fit in, house insurance)

[elthznd901]

We are a 30's couple with children who currently live in Colorado Springs, CO. We do love it here, but are getting tired of the winters(even though they are milder then many would think!). Also my wife misses the beach quite a bit since we originally grew up on long island.

We have been looking at different areas across the US to make a possible move too in the next year or maybe two so we can have some better year round weather. The timing depends on how much money and how many bills we can get paid off..lol We looked at california.. but its rediculously expensive from what I can tell. We also looked at the Myrtle Beach areas and other beach areas of South Carolina.. but I have been hearing so many bad things about the schools and crime. The good areas in South Carolins sounded nice, but alot of references were made to the fact you need to goto church to really fit in. I have also heard some bad things about the crime in florida, but at the same time have been reading alot of positive as well.

St. Augustine looks really nice on paper. My concern is the cost of buying a house. Keep in mind, I dont mind driving 30 min to get to work.. Are there areas of St. Augustine(or just outside) that are reasonable(under 200k) that have good schools and are in a good area?

How about near Jacksonville? I would rather drive 30 min and have an acre + of property and some privacy then shorten my drive and live in a housing development where we are on top of eachother..lol

My wife works from home doing customer service so if/when we do this she would have her job already. It doesnt pay alot but there is no commute and it works with managing the kids much easier. I am hoping to looking into investing in a business in the area maybe if the money situation pans out. If not, then I would be seeking employment(before we go). I know the economy is pretty crappy right now.. hopefully by the time we are ready for this it picks up. Who knows in a year or two.


We have also looked at Arizona and considered the Scottsdale area.. but that sort of takes away the whole beach part of things. :/

Are there other areas of Florida you might recommend checking out as well?

[Peter the Brit]

I have just purchased a 3/2 fixer upper on Anastasia Island for $160,000 Near beach, town and good schools
I am sure we made the right decision. St A is multi cultural , mixed age small vibrant and friendly

[elthznd901]

Originally Posted by Peter the Brit

I have just purchased a 3/2 fixer upper on Anastasia Island for $160,000 Near beach, town and good schools
I am sure we made the right decision. St A is multi cultural , mixed age small vibrant and friendly

definately encouraging to hear!

[mrstewartk]

you will find crime rising almost anywhere you go. St. Augustine has been in the news a lot more lately. You didn't hear that much about St. Aug in the past other then flooding. It's like a small town where everyone know each other. Jacksonville is much much larger, but everybody know somebody that knows somebody you know. You are going to hear about more crime in this area because it's larger. To me the entertainment sucks here and that's because it seems to focus on one ethnic group. The further south you go the cleaner the water. If you like fishing or any other water sports Jacksonville is a good place to be. Jacksonville doesn't have the best public transportation system, but it's doable and it runs to St. Augustine (not sure how far into St. Aug). With both St. Aug and Jax it depends on the neighborhood you live in not so much as the side of town. Although our statistics focus on sides of town rather then individual neighborhoods. You can get you a newly built home or condo for 200k or a decent used home with plenty of property for the same price. Something to be aware of is Jax is going throw a flip. So some areas that is known for crime is now becoming your nicer and friendly neighborhoods (such as Springfield & Oceanway). The communities in Jax are growing so you many new areas to choice from. The job market sucks here. I advise you to obtain employment first. Although it seem like if you a re relocating here everyone whats to hire you. If you a native it's not as promising. Alot of nationally know work at home companies hire a lot in Jax, so that's a plus. Jax offer a more diversed community. You have your country living, inner city lifestyle, gay community, old towne areas, new developments, beach life, etc... However there are many areas in Florida that are great. The school system in Florida sucks as far as statistics. Jax get a bad rep on education, but again it depends on area and location. They are implementing various educational programs. We currently have a Magnet program which is great for kids that have good grades future plans and involved parents. They are considering extending that to some other kids that don't have that to hopefully encourage a brighter future for some of them as well. The magnet program also give you some options as to what school your kid(s) attend. It's worth looking into. However I wouldn't recommend your kid(s) eating school lunch, lol! Well I wouldn't suggust that for any where you go. All in all both are nice. I feel that Jax has a lot more to offer as far as a place to call home. But for tourist St. Aug is more friendly and has more to offer tourist. I've move away from here (Jax) many time, because I want to get away. But I've come back because of the weather or the water. I find it boring, i guess because I'm a native. But other then diverse entertainment, it has everything. If you love Country Music, you will have NO complaints, lol! If you like rap, Hip-hop & Hard Rock you will enjoy the clubs. Alternative music you will enjoy the alternative clubs. For Jazz lovers, there are many outing like at the landing and Metro Park and the Jaz Festivals. For me I like R&B and not into club life. So the only thing I have to look forward to in the poetry clubs & restaurants.

(Sorry if I mispelled or omitted any words. I just typed my response while performing other tasks and didn't review)

[elthznd901]

Thanks for all the info!

A few more questions..

How expensive are house taxes typically(average/examples will work great)?

Also I noticed someone thought their $180/month electric bill was cheap..lol What are typical bills for utilities each month? I know there is no way to know for sure.. just if someone has some examples that would be great.

I also read someone mention house insurance of 4 grand! Is house insurance really that expensive out there?!

Thanks!

[lovindfw]

what's the name of the poetry clubs?

[KerryB]

Originally Posted by elthznd901

We also looked at the Myrtle Beach areas and other beach areas of South Carolina.. but I have been hearing so many bad things about the schools and crime. The good areas in South Carolins sounded nice, but alot of references were made to the fact you need to goto church to really fit in.

Honestly, you're gonna get that a lot here too. Jax as a whole is pretty conservative & "churchy" (it is considered more traditional "old school" Southern than most other parts of FL). Not everyone mind you, but many people you run into strike up conversations with one another about what church they go to, their church did such & such the other day, you'll hear a "God bless" a lot in random daily conversations, etc. It's like "Yes, I get it. You go to church & are down with Jesus. Thats cool."

Not that that stuff is necessarily a bad thing, but its here for sure.

[jcs2000]

Originally Posted by elthznd901

We are a 30's couple with children who currently live in Colorado Springs, CO. We do love it here,

Stop!

I am biased as I lived in Colorado Springs nearly my entire childhood, but leaving Colorado for Florida is crazy. I have lived in JAX for nearly two years and the quality of life is simply higher in Colorado than here.

Florida is significantly more expensive in terms of housing costs, car insurance, and especially home insurance. Public schools are also terrible--there is nothing like D11 or D20 in Duval or St. John's county. Crime is also significantly much higher than in the Springs. While there is no snow, it gets so hot and humid in July/Aug that people actually leave and go north to escape the heat.

Unless you a firm employment opportunity, in these economic times, I would most certainly stay put.

[poolgirl51]

Originally Posted by jcs2000

Stop!

I am biased as I lived in Colorado Springs nearly my entire childhood, but leaving Colorado for Florida is crazy. I have lived in JAX for nearly two years and the quality of life is simply higher in Colorado than here.

Florida is significantly more expensive in terms of housing costs, car insurance, and especially home insurance. Public schools are also terrible--there is nothing like D11 or D20 in Duval or St. John's county. Crime is also significantly much higher than in the Springs. While there is no snow, it gets so hot and humid in July/Aug that people actually leave and go north to escape the heat.

Unless you a firm employment opportunity, in these economic times, I would most certainly stay put.

I couldn't agree more! I am amazed at how many folks on this board are looking to move somewhere that they have never been too and without a job. That is just completely insane. Visit first, look for and secure a job and then move. Picking a location based on internet research and feed back from a forum, even City Data, without a visit is not a wise move.

Best of luck to you.

[elthznd901]

Originally Posted by poolgirl51

I couldn't agree more! I am amazed at how many folks on this board are looking to move somewhere that they have never been too and without a job. That is just completely insane. Visit first, look for and secure a job and then move. Picking a location based on internet research and feed back from a forum, even City Data, without a visit is not a wise move.

Best of luck to you.

oh thats definately our plan.. we plan on making a few visits before we decide. I agree the quality of life in colorado is excellent. I really cant knock or bash it in any way. We have crime here.. just like anywhere... but I definately feel mostly safe because I picked a good area(d20 btw for the post above..lol). Still.. the beaches.. the warmer winters.. are all very attractive. We also have family in the NE and travel is much cheaper coming from FL. I have also considered the myrtle beach area.. hell for all I know we will still be in colorado..lol I still want to do the research though.. just in case.