NJ to Jacksonville, some questions. (Miami, Tampa: appointed, job market, living in)

[brickcityrican1983]

I am possibly moving to Jacksonville from Newark, NJ. I wanted to move to South Florida or the Tampa area but I have had issues secruing employment in those metro areas. I have a few opportunites in Jacksonville and this is somewhere I've never considered. I have a few questions and concerns about relocating to the area. First, what is the area like? I know that Jacksonville is very close to Georgia, and my first thought of Georgia is that it is a true "Southern" state as my thoughts on North Florida. I never considered living in a true "Southern" state and being from the NYC metro area I am hoping the area wouldn't be too slow for me. Second, would a single male in his mid twenties like this area? Is there good nightlife? Third, are there any Puerto Ricans in the area? I know that North Florida isn't as Latino populated as South Florida or even the Tampa Bay area. I just don't want to relocate to an area without any Latino markets or restaurants, bars, etc.

[projectmaximus]

quite honestly, based on what you said, Jax probably isn't gonna do it for you other than bringing you a daytrip away from Tampa and So FL.

Jax is a big enough city to be comfortable and offer enough amenities, but it can be fairly described as "southern." The nightlife is decent, but depending on your expectation, at best you'd find it acceptable. And at worst, you might find it wholly wanting. Same goes for the hispanic population...the city's not devoid of latinos, but it's not even comparable to South FL.

If the job is a good one, come visit and decide if you would like it, at least temporarily, while you pursue a move further south.

[riveree]

It's a big change from Newark - night and day really. I answered some of your questions inside your quote below (my answers are in blue).....

Originally Posted by brickcityrican1983

I am possibly moving to Jacksonville from Newark, NJ. I wanted to move to South Florida or the Tampa area but I have had issues secruing employment in those metro areas. I have a few opportunites in Jacksonville and this is somewhere I've never considered. I have a few questions and concerns about relocating to the area. First, what is the area like? I know that Jacksonville is very close to Georgia, and my first thought of Georgia is that it is a true "Southern" state as my thoughts on North Florida.Yes, Jax is definitely a Southern City and nothing like South Florida. I never considered living in a true "Southern" state and being from the NYC metro area I am hoping the area wouldn't be too slow for me. Second, would a single male in his mid twenties like this area? Is there good nightlife? There is nightlife, but again, nothing like South Florida. If you only plan to go out 2 or 3 nights a week, you'd probably be fine. If you looking for enough variety of nightlife for 6 or 7 nights a week, you might be disappointed. I guess it all depends on just how high on the priority list "nightlife" is for you. Third, are there any Puerto Ricans in the area? Yes, you will find other Puerto Ricans in Jax. Also Cubans, Brazilians, etc. You'll find plenty of ethnic markets without too much trouble. I don't know of any Puerto Rican restaurants personally, but maybe someone else can mention if they know of any. I know that North Florida isn't as Latino populated as South Florida or even the Tampa Bay area. I just don't want to relocate to an area without any Latino markets or restaurants, bars, etc.

[cricketfan]

All the criteria you listed tells me that you should move on to So Fl and not give Jacksonville a second thought.

1) There is a sizeable Hispanic population here but if you are looking for a huge percentage of Puerto Ricans you won't find them here.

2) We have nightlife but if you like partying until 3 AM you won't find it here.

3) If you don't like the laid-back southern lifestyle or like living in the fast lane 24/7 you won't like it here.

Jacksonville has everything anybody could want but not in extremes.

[decisions09]

Originally Posted by brickcityrican1983

I am possibly moving to Jacksonville from Newark, NJ. I wanted to move to South Florida or the Tampa area but I have had issues secruing employment in those metro areas. I have a few opportunites in Jacksonville and this is somewhere I've never considered. I have a few questions and concerns about relocating to the area. First, what is the area like? I know that Jacksonville is very close to Georgia, and my first thought of Georgia is that it is a true "Southern" state as my thoughts on North Florida. I never considered living in a true "Southern" state and being from the NYC metro area I am hoping the area wouldn't be too slow for me. Second, would a single male in his mid twenties like this area? Is there good nightlife? Third, are there any Puerto Ricans in the area? I know that North Florida isn't as Latino populated as South Florida or even the Tampa Bay area. I just don't want to relocate to an area without any Latino markets or restaurants, bars, etc.

I will be very interested to hear what you decide. I am originally from Upstate NY, and worked and lived in the tri-state area for 2 years. I spent the past year living in Tampa, which I really liked, until I lost my job. I tried to find a new position in Tampa but haven't been successful so far, so I recently accepted a position in Jacksonville. All of my concerns were the same as what you expressed (minus the Puerto Rican thing ). I was/am concerned that Jacksonville might be more of the "true South" than what I'm used to and I'm concerned about levels of racism, uber-conservativeness, etc. However, I'm going to give it a shot.....I liked the area when I visited and I won't know if it will work until I try it.

I can tell you that just based on my experiences, the job market in Tampa is really tough, worse than Jacksonville's. I go to networking events frequently and it got to the point where literally two out of every three people I met at each event was there strictly to make contacts because they are job hunting.

Let us know what you decide!

[GatorsFan]

Go with Orlando. 2nd in PR population behind NYC. Jax would be the last major FL city to choose based on your likes/dislikes.

[Borikua]

Hey BCRican!

As you can tell from my user name I am Borikua. Here is my advice. Contact Nilda Alejandro, founder and president of El Concilio and th Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce of NE Florida.

This is the best way to contact her -

Nilda Alejandro - The Jacksonville Puerto Rican Culture Meetup Group (Jacksonville, FL) - Meetup.com

She is very nice and will be very helpful.

I am also moving to Jacksonville, thanks to her. Of course, I older than you but in our culture, we party as a family so we may meet at some point - if you do decide Jax is the place for you.

De pura cepa!

Borikua

[abvavgjoe]

I never considered living in a true "Southern" state and being from the NYC metro area I am hoping the area wouldn't be too slow for me.

Compared to NYC, Jax is going in reverse.

Second, would a single male in his mid twenties like this area? Is there good nightlife?

No and no.

Third, are there any Puerto Ricans in the area? I know that North Florida isn't as Latino populated as South Florida or even the Tampa Bay area. I just don't want to relocate to an area without any Latino markets or restaurants, bars, etc.

I suppose, but I don't know any Puerto Ricans personally. There are definitely a few Latino restaurants around.

As everybody else is saying, Jax is obviously not going to be a great fit. If I were you, I'd think seriously about moving to the Miami area. It's big, fast, has lots of night life and the name should be changed to Little Latin America.