Should I move to Jacksonville? (Tampa, Orlando: apartment complexes, low crime, layoffs)

[dandrea]

Originally Posted by Jammie

Are you quite familiar with Jax? We have some friends who plan on moving there. They have a son who would be going to Joseph Stillwell Middle School. Is anyone familiar with that school or the area? Does anyone know what high school the children from there go to and the rep of the schools? This is a bit of a concern for our friends.

Stillwell isn't a magnet school but the faculty has worked hard to bring it back up to par. My neighbor taught there for years and is very conscientious. Also, just down the road is a pretty good private school, Eagle's View and has Elementary through High School. We signed up and easily received a scholarship for this highly rated school (we have 6 boys and 2 girls). I have a son in two other nearby high schools, Ed White (known for sending boys into pro-football) and Peterson Academy (a magnet high school). We also belong to First Baptist and I am surprised to learn by one of the threads that we own the city. I really don't know just what that means. Maybe for the fact that there are always shady entrapreneurs trying to make a business out of some exploitations. For instance, recently a casino type venture has cropped up and the conservatives have constantly got to battle something of this nature. We only seem to be slowing this pace but they want to make us think that for this fact that we own the town. Ha ha.

[Blutorg]

No one should move to Jacksonvile ("l" intentionally omitted for clever effect), ever, for any reason. It is just about THE most miserable place on God's great earth. At least in this country--and I know from experience, having been to all 50 states and also having endured 8 months of "living" in that miserable town. San Marco neighborhood, to be exact, one of their nicest and most quaint, about a mile south of their little Potemkin downtown, yet I STILL hated Jacksonfire!

As a football fan, I recall my heart sinking when they were awarded the NFL Jaguars. So undeserving. That podunk town, largest little town in the world, will never be anything but. Anyone who has spent any time there knows that it's one useless, dead town. One of the few places that can make even Atlanta, the Me-Too/Most Insecure of Large Cities, look good by comparison.

E.g., JAX airport is over 20 miles from downtown, but when I was there in the early '90's, you could not get there via any form of public transportation.

Only Biloxi-Gulfport, MS, rates lower in my estimation for uninhabitability.

HUGE military (Navy) presence (three major facilities, I believe), and a correlative conservative attitude which permeates the area, military or no. That in and of itself I present not pejoratively, but you posted that you sought "Democrats" for whatever reason--in Jacksandjill, they will be in decidedly short supply. And as another poster mentioned, the newspaper is slanted extremely conservatively.

BTW, re: the stink: it is for real, and it's alive. It's at its worst typically a couple of days after a "cold" front has passed in the cooler months when N-NE winds blow, encouraging the putrid gaseous waste from the suburban and South Georgia pulp mills to waft over the pretend city. Imagine Baby Huey getting sick and having a nasty blowout in his diaper--that's what it must smell like, except it's REAL and it won't leave your nose alone. The smell is akin to a giant used diaper (I'm a dad twice over, I know! BTW, One of my enduring gifts to my kids was Seattle as a point of entry to this mortal coil...), and it's HORRENDOUS , but only adds to the visceral effect of finding oneself in JACKSONHELL ! ! !

The heat/humidity/insects won't getcha'? Then the smell will! You always seem to have at least one to deal with in JACKSONHELL ! ! !

Crime's pretty bad, too.

Did I mention that I'm a Georgia native (yet, in my case, Go Gators)? Don't dare try to pawn that town off on US!

...But hey, to each their own, right?! Maybe you'd love it...

[Karla with a K]

Blutorg
I also moved to Jax in the early 90's. The town has changed, it has grown.
I live on the Southside and can make it to the airport in 20 minutes. Imagine that !!
We no longer have the "papermill smell" Now there are times when I am driving downtown that I can smell the roasting coffee from the Maxwell house plant.
Sorry, but I don't think living here for 8 months, 12 or so years ago enables you to give an accurate impression of the city as it is today. I am sorry you had a "unpleasant" experience here, but with as many people living and moving here it can't be that bad.
Sure, it's not perfect but find me a city that is. We will be transfering to Atlanta in the next couple months which is the only reason I would leave and believe me if I listened to some of the posts on that board I would "turn tail and run "
If you take a look at most of the major city boards you get the folks that say "this place is horrible DON"T move here"
Where you live is what you make of it. If you don't like it move if, you like it stay.
Life is to short to live somewhere that makes you unhappy.
just my 2 cents
Karla

[sinjap]

jax doesn't smell (anymore)...used to have some factories that reeked when i was a kid but they've cleaned up now...and yes there is a slight smell when you get near some of the rivers or waterways but it's natural, not polution and not overpowering

first baptist doesn't own jax...just a large majority of property downtown..yes, there's plenty of conservative people around but there are plenty of places you can go to avoid them

and there are plenty of good jobs and big corps here...it seems you hear of some big biz moving to jax every other day in the paper

basically it's your call...everyone on this board has their own likes and dislikes and their own lifestyle that suits them and we can't speak for you

you've got to come down for a visit, or two or three...get a feel for it, talk to people...i recommend riverside/avondale/5 points/san marco and the beaches, mostly atlantic beach...everything else is one big strip mall!

i'm actually looking to move out of jax soon...getting too big for me and i can't stand the heat!!

but apparently jax has some appeal...people are coming here in droves!!
good luck!

[lisa.home]

I agree with the replies. I moved to Jax 18 years ago. I remember the smell but even then, I reall liked Jax because it was smaller and more quaint than Chicago where I originated from. I live in San Marco/St. Nichloas area and I am lucky enough to wake up most morning to the awesome aroma of coffee from the Maxwell plant across the river. We have many, many major corps here including the financial, banking and technology industries. We are 2 minutes from the river where they have many events. The riverwalk, the Landing, the Fireworks are all awesome! Have you seen all of the high end ($500K and up) condos and townhomes that are being built along the river downtown?
Jax has really grown up since you were last here. I love it so much I stayed for 18 years while all of my family still lives in Chicago; except my kids. We have great sporting events, amazingly revitalized historical areas ( areas that 10-15 yrs ago you would not even walk in are all now beautiful and safer), concerts, plays, museums, the Zoo, the Beaches, boating on the River, an incredible architectual gem of a new Library, etc... I could go on and on!!! My brother always says I should have worked at the Visitor's Center because I always brag about Jax! We Love It Here and you should move back! I have to go now - the wafting aroma of fresh brewed coffee is calling me....

[RedWingsFan]

Hey, I'm a vegetarian as well!
There's a vegetarian restaurant in St. Augustine called the Manatee Cafe:
The Manatee Cafe St. Augustine Florida healthful and nutritious cuisine
I'm sure there are other vegetarian restaurants, but I just read about this one the other day so it stuck in my mind.

If I had to choose between Orlando and Jacksonville I'd go with the Jacksonville area. I think it's nicer and you have close access to beautiful beaches.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by RedWingsFan

Hey, I'm a vegetarian as well!
There's a vegetarian restaurant in St. Augustine called the Manatee Cafe:
The Manatee Cafe St. Augustine Florida healthful and nutritious cuisine
I'm sure there are other vegetarian restaurants, but I just read about this one the other day so it stuck in my mind.

If I had to choose between Orlando and Jacksonville I'd go with the Jacksonville area. I think it's nicer and you have close access to beautiful beaches.

Manatee is great! It's been around a long time, owned by a former NYer. Give it a try next time you're in St. Aug, RedWingsFan !

[5FLgirls]

Originally Posted by myfask

Blutorg
I also moved to Jax in the early 90's. The town has changed, it has grown.
I live on the Southside and can make it to the airport in 20 minutes. Imagine that !!
We no longer have the "papermill smell" Now there are times when I am driving downtown that I can smell the roasting coffee from the Maxwell house plant.
Sorry, but I don't think living here for 8 months, 12 or so years ago enables you to give an accurate impression of the city as it is today. I am sorry you had a "unpleasant" experience here, but with as many people living and moving here it can't be that bad.
Sure, it's not perfect but find me a city that is. We will be transfering to Atlanta in the next couple months which is the only reason I would leave and believe me if I listened to some of the posts on that board I would "turn tail and run "
If you take a look at most of the major city boards you get the folks that say "this place is horrible DON"T move here"
Where you live is what you make of it. If you don't like it move if, you like it stay.
Life is to short to live somewhere that makes you unhappy.
just my 2 cents
Karla

I second everything Karla wrote. I got so upset reading the first page of this thread because of the hatred emanating from it. You can't badmouth a place that you haven't been to in a decade. I was very apprehensive to move to Jax but I really really love it here. Like Karla, the only reason I am moving out of here is because we have to due to a job transfer. And compared to SFLA, Jax is not hot. There are days when it's in the 60s here and I'll call my mom in WPB and she'll tell me it's high 80s. Visit Jax and make sure you look all over before making the kind of decision you are planning. Also, check out www.vegetarianusa.com

[backtofla]

karla and family is staying in jax. no moving for her, glad you could stick around karla!

[cyrece]

I disagree. I moved to Jax 4 years ago and I love it. I am younger, but I still don't come across the ultra-conservative side of people. I think it depends on who you associate yourselves with. Also, we don't have paper mills, that's Amelia Island. There are some smells that may come from the marshes and ocean, but very rarely. Any others that actually live in Jax have opinions?