Jacksonville / Miami (Coral Gables: real estate, apartment, insurance)

[even_flow]

I am currently living in Miami (and hating it) and I'm contemplating moving somewhere else in Florida.

A co-worker of mine told me that I'd like Jacksonville, although I've never been there. She said that it's a more affordable place to live and that people are more friendly and that traffic isn't half as bad - do you agree?

How do you feel about Jacksonville in general? Are there many accounting/finance jobs up there and how are house prices compared to say, Miami?

Also, I would imagine that the climate is more "seasonal" than South Florida and less humid?

[kort677]

Originally Posted by even_flow

I am currently living in Miami (and hating it) and I'm contemplating moving somewhere else in Florida.

A co-worker of mine told me that I'd like Jacksonville, although I've never been there. She said that it's a more affordable place to live and that people are more friendly and that traffic isn't half as bad - do you agree?

How do you feel about Jacksonville in general? Are there many accounting/finance jobs up there and how are house prices compared to say, Miami?

Also, I would imagine that the climate is more "seasonal" than South Florida and less humid?

Everything in JAX is better than Miami, the only thing that you could say is better in Miami is the night life.

[even_flow]

Originally Posted by kort677

Everything in JAX is better than Miami, the only thing that you could say is better in Miami is the night life.

I don't care for night life in the sense of clubs (in fact, I hate those places!). I just want to find somewhere nicer for my girlfriend and I to live...somewhere back in the USA!

[kort677]

Originally Posted by even_flow

I don't care for night life in the sense of clubs (in fact, I hate those places!). I just want to find somewhere nicer for my girlfriend and I to live...somewhere back in the USA!

Jax could be the place, just be sure to have a secure source of income before making a move, finding a good job appears to be challenging here

[riveree]

Hi Evenflow,

Jax is different from Miami on a lot of levels...you might like it, I think it's a city worth exploring to see if it suits you.

Housing here used to be very affordable, but that has changed significantly in the last few years. Now I would consider Jax's housing to be "fair", it's no longer "a steal". If you already own real estate in Miami, you'll probably find it favorable to sell in Miami and buy in Jax. If you plan to purchase real estate for the first time while in Jax, it can be a struggle if you do not have an above average salary for the area.

Overall, I think the people are friendly, at least on the surface. Finding lasting friendships here can be harder. I find it to be less friendly than NYC on that level. People in Jax don't seem to be as willing to open their circle of friends, so it can take some time to get to know people here.

Traffic is nothing compared to big metros, but there are some spots where traffic just never flows right. Also, people have been moving here in droves, so that's something to consider if you choose to live in the outskirts...traffic is increasing in those areas and not expected to slow down.

Banking and Insurance are big industries here - 2 of the biggest - so I'd expect you to be able to find accounting/finance work without too much difficulty.

I don't really find Jax too seasonal beyond the fact that we do get a winter of sorts. It's still hot here, it's still humid here, just a little less than SFL.

Hope that helps to answer some of your Q's .

Originally Posted by even_flow

I am currently living in Miami (and hating it) and I'm contemplating moving somewhere else in Florida.

A co-worker of mine told me that I'd like Jacksonville, although I've never been there. She said that it's a more affordable place to live and that people are more friendly and that traffic isn't half as bad - do you agree?

How do you feel about Jacksonville in general? Are there many accounting/finance jobs up there and how are house prices compared to say, Miami?

Also, I would imagine that the climate is more "seasonal" than South Florida and less humid?

[he's so hott]

Originally Posted by riveree

Hi Evenflow,

Overall, I think the people are friendly, at least on the surface. Finding lasting friendships here can be harder. I find it to be less friendly than NYC on that level. People in Jax don't seem to be as willing to open their circle of friends, so it can take some time to get to know people here.

I never would have expected that someone would say that the city is less friendlier than NYC b/c the impression that most people have is that NYC is one of the less friendlier cities in the country.

Now when I compare how friendly the people of Phoenix and Raleigh/Durham NC are compared to the Jax people, then I would agree you. I guess b/c I lived a good portion of my 30 years in Jax, I'm soooo blown away when people up here in Raleigh/Durham say hello to me as I'm walking down the street to my office or how friendly and cordial people are and how they don't honk their horns when the red light turns green (I do it but they don't LOL). It just blows me away b/c I'm not use to that. My sister whom still lives in Jax comes up here and she can't get over how nice these people are and that they actually let you merge onto the expressway or that they don't speed up when you put your blinker on so that you can't get ahead of them in the next lane.

[sweetliketaffee]

I've always thought Jax was a very friendly place. People have always seemed eager to help and everything...

[riveree]

Originally Posted by he's so hott

I never would have expected that someone would say that the city is less friendlier than NYC b/c the impression that most people have is that NYC is one of the less friendlier cities in the country.

Now when I compare how friendly the people of Phoenix and Raleigh/Durham NC are compared to the Jax people, then I would agree you. I guess b/c I lived a good portion of my 30 years in Jax, I'm soooo blown away when people up here in Raleigh/Durham say hello to me as I'm walking down the street to my office or how friendly and cordial people are and how they don't honk their horns when the red light turns green (I do it but they don't LOL). It just blows me away b/c I'm not use to that. My sister whom still lives in Jax comes up here and she can't get over how nice these people are and that they actually let you merge onto the expressway or that they don't speed up when you put your blinker on so that you can't get ahead of them in the next lane.

I know, strange, right? NYC is a tough city, and yes, everyone is in a hurry, but the people are actually very nice.

I think it's also that people in NYC are so close physically so you can't help but "meet" people as you're practically bumping into them all the time, ha! Also, people in NYC are out all the time - you're always out doing stuff - who wants to sit in their tiny apartment, right?

So, I am sure much of it can be sourced to the structure of the cities themselves. It might be a city/suburbia kind of thing since Jax is so suburban.

I agree, not much cordiality on the road here...I chalked it up to just being a sign of the times, but you're saying it is different elsewhere, so that's interesting. Driving is a little frustrating here - lots of slow drivers, lots of rules broken (illegal u-turns and such), so the flow isn't as good because the drivers are very selfish here....must be that suburbia-thing again .

[5FLgirls]

Everyone here is driving at their own pace and their pace is not your pace! I've been told by people who live here that I drive aggressively but I just want to get to where I'm going in a decent amount of time!

As for people being friendly, I would have to agree with Riveree. People are friendly but they don't seem too inclined to be your "friend". On the surface, my neighbors have been nice but waving from the driveway nice. The good friend I've met here is a transplant within the last year like myself. She and I both agree that making friends has been difficult. At the end of the school year, I was mentioning that we were moving again and a mom said to me that it was a shame and she had been looking forward to getting to know us better. I was thinking to myself--you had all year--I called you at least three times to get together and you never called back!

I'll have to post again after I move and let you know whether or not it's a FL/Jax thing or just happening all over the country. I've noticed that I'm not as trusting and open to new people as I used to be so maybe everyone else is a bit hesitant too. (?) It can also go back to another thread about letting your kids play outside like we used to years ago. I used to spend hours hanging out in our neighborhood, riding my bike and playing with the kids. There is no way I would ever let my kids do the same thing nowadays.

Sorry I went off on a tangent!!

[5FLgirls]

Originally Posted by even_flow

I am currently living in Miami (and hating it) and I'm contemplating moving somewhere else in Florida.

A co-worker of mine told me that I'd like Jacksonville, although I've never been there. She said that it's a more affordable place to live and that people are more friendly and that traffic isn't half as bad - do you agree?

How do you feel about Jacksonville in general? Are there many accounting/finance jobs up there and how are house prices compared to say, Miami?

Also, I would imagine that the climate is more "seasonal" than South Florida and less humid?

Okay, Evenflow, I apologize for my last post. We're actually Hurricanes and love Miami but didn't have any interest in raising our kids there (unless it was Coral Gables and my husband could make enough for a fantastic house and private school for our kids!). Relatively speaking, Jax is more affordable than Miami. You will have to drive more here but the traffic won't even come close to the US1 area and downtown Miami. Our friend was laid off from his job (he's a CFO) and it only took him 3 months to find an identical position somewhere else locally. Check out monster and the Jax Times Union for classifieds in your field. House prices are all relative and it depends on when you purchase. Jax is priced pretty good for the FL market. I purchased 7 years ago in SFL so when I moved up to Jax, I ended up buying a house three times what I paid for my other home but you will probably be much happier with what you can get for your money in Jax. Jax is much more seasonal than Miami. You will go through an adjustment your first year because it will be downright cold for you. But it's really nice. And although it's humid here--it's nothing compared to SFL! The only thing not mentioned is culture and I'm not busting on Jax! Jax is definitely coming around. There are some fabulous restuarants here but the cultural diversity present in Miami is not here. If you're looking for some good cuban food--you will be hard pressed to find it here. Why don't you come up for a weekend and check it out??!