Is Jacksonville a good place for me? (Miami, Hampton: fit in, car insurance)

[The Dissenter]

I'm thinking about long-term homes for me. I'm moving to the Louisville/Ft. Knox area of KY in a few weeks and while I'm not trying to jump the gun, Jacksonville seems sexy enough as a lifelong home.

About me:

- I seem to bond very well with military towns because I'm an Air Force brat.
- I'm a black conversative who isn't really into the hip hop culture (today's anyway). (I know good rap when I hear it but today's stuff aint it.)
- I call myself a Christian but I'm not a fan of bible thumpers. (Had a bad boss who was one.)
- I spent most of my life in Hampton Roads, VA (anyone who can compare it to Jacksonville, please do it!! )
- I will likely have my BS in Management (Can I get a quality non-customer job down there?)
- After this winter in the DC area (google snowmaddgeon 2010), I want warm weather year round.
- I'd like to have decent housing for under $700 a month (studio or 1 bed in a decent area).

So is Jacksonville worth a look for myself?

[ugaguy]

Im a big fan of the area so Ill have mostly good things to say.

Jax is big enough that while it has its military roots, there are plenty of places where you would never know.

The job market in Jax isnt great. I would recommend having something lined up before you go. Otherwise you may end up doing temporary work or service jobs to pay the bills initially.

I dont know if youd like to be around other black people or not but there is a very large black contingent in town.

As it is with the military, some very religious people in town. The church is a strong part of many local communities. But again, its a large enough town that you can find places where its not.

decent housing is totally subjective. I personally think you can easily find some good places for 700 a month. Like any move though, unless you know the area well better off living somewhere for 6 months giving you time to figure out exactly where you want to be.

are you single/married? age? what kind of lifestyle are you looking for? if you have a young family there are definitely some good places to raise your kids. if you are 20 years old and looking to party, the beaches are fun. if you are a young single professional, its not the greatest town.

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by ugaguy

Im a big fan of the area so Ill have mostly good things to say.

Jax is big enough that while it has its military roots, there are plenty of places where you would never know.

The job market in Jax isnt great. I would recommend having something lined up before you go. Otherwise you may end up doing temporary work or service jobs to pay the bills initially.

I dont know if youd like to be around other black people or not but there is a very large black contingent in town.

As it is with the military, some very religious people in town. The church is a strong part of many local communities. But again, its a large enough town that you can find places where its not.

decent housing is totally subjective. I personally think you can easily find some good places for 700 a month. Like any move though, unless you know the area well better off living somewhere for 6 months giving you time to figure out exactly where you want to be.

are you single/married? age? what kind of lifestyle are you looking for? if you have a young family there are definitely some good places to raise your kids. if you are 20 years old and looking to party, the beaches are fun. if you are a young single professional, its not the greatest town.

I forgot. I'm 22, single and not looking for marriage (definitely NOT kids) anytime soon. I like to dress professionally for my job but have a blue-collar personality (work 40 hours and chill on the weekends.) I'm not a club guy. My idea of fun is ordering pizza and playing Xbox 360 with the guys, maybe a resturant now and again.

As far as the black people question, I'm not that picky. I've been the only black on the block before and I've been in the mostly black school so I can live with it. I just want people who are humble and down to earth. Sadly I'm in a job that involves dealing with stuck-up folks for 8 hours a day.

My idea of decent housing is anywhere where I won't hear gunshots every night. I live in a neighborhood right now which has major problems with car break-ins and I'm glad i don't live 10 miles to my east where someone gets killed by gunfire every week.

[LA-VA-FL]

I used to live in richmond and frequently took day trips to Va Beach (croatan). Im in a similar situation as far as age and business degree, and looking for a job (who isnt these days). And I completely understand what your looking for as far as living situation. Anyways, I like it here and im pretty sure you would fit in well.

I would recommend that you look into either Jax/neptune/ or atlantic beach area (btw they are all connected and within a couple miles of one another). They offer good crowd for young adults, and atlantic beach is where Mayport Naval base is so there are lots of military around there. Theres plenty to do, and at 700 a month you should be able to find a decent place. I do advise that you dont live on the north end of atl.beach near the base. Its a shady area. Look closerto to anywhere near atlantic blvd., beach blvd., or butler blvd.

If you dont wana live near the beaches (or it may be a bit far from your job, depnding where you will work) then I recommend riverside or san marco which are very close to downtwn and are pretty fun places to live. You wont here gunfire unless you live in certain (well many) parts of the NOrth and Westsides of Jax (and some of arlington).

Weather-wise (that was main reason for my move from Va) its def ALOT milder and warmer. However, Jax is not Miami. It still gets cold in the winter (30s at night, 40s-50s in the day) on colder days. These days come and go and the winter is shortlived (this year was colder thanmost for some reason). With that said, all my buddies in Va are jealous of the weather down here.

I knw this was a long post. Hope it helps. Let me/us know if you have anyother specifics you wanna know. Oh btw, the job market is pretty depressing everywhere, but theres work to be had. GOodluck

[The Dissenter]

Also a question on taxes; I know FL dosen't have an income tax. How about a car tax? Virginia and Kentucky have it and I'm not a fan of it. Also is Florida on the expensive end of car insurance?

[tercel95]

Originally Posted by Alanboy395

Also a question on taxes; I know FL dosen't have an income tax. How about a car tax? Virginia and Kentucky have it and I'm not a fan of it. Also is Florida on the expensive end of car insurance?

You might like Jacksonville, I'm a 22 year old software developer/average Joe... I came from the DC/Metro area to escape the oppressive laws, taxes, and high cost of living...

JAX has a lot to offer, you can live by the beach, in a historic town, in a white picket fence suburb, etc... You can easily find something in your price range, I am paying $800/month for a 1200 sq/ft 2 bed 2 bath in a nice part of town... There is lots to do here, clubs, bars, shopping, etc... but I'm like you, I like to sit at home and chill or play xbox with friends... The nice thing about JAX is that its so cheap so you can get that bigger TV and surround sound you always wanted...

I know about the ridiculous car taxes in VA and there is no such thing down here... There are no vehicle inspections and no emissions laws down here... The registration is a bit expensive and you have to renew it once a year but its not that bad... Also my car insurance went down moving from MD to FL...

[Magnolia Bloom]

Originally Posted by Alanboy395

Also a question on taxes; I know FL dosen't have an income tax. How about a car tax? Virginia and Kentucky have it and I'm not a fan of it. Also is Florida on the expensive end of car insurance?

There is an initial registration fee for out-of-state vehicles. The DMV website shows it as being $225.00. License tag fees are set by weight.
Florida DHSMV Dealer Licenses

Auto insurance varies by location (in addition to the routine age, driving record, number of miles driven, etc.) You'll be happy to learn that Jacksonville has lower rates than south Florida and some other areas. Progressive Insurance has the rate calculator that compares theirs to other companies and should give you some idea of what to expect. I think that it has become more competitive here, as I receive many mailings encouraging me to change companies. I'm using the same company as my HO insurance, not Progressive, so can't comment on which companies are best for a stand alone policy.

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by Magnolia Bloom

There is an initial registration fee for out-of-state vehicles. The DMV website shows it as being $225.00. License tag fees are set by weight.
Florida DHSMV Dealer Licenses

Auto insurance varies by location (in addition to the routine age, driving record, number of miles driven, etc.) You'll be happy to learn that Jacksonville has lower rates than south Florida and some other areas. Progressive Insurance has the rate calculator that compares theirs to other companies and should give you some idea of what to expect. I think that it has become more competitive here, as I receive many mailings encouraging me to change companies. I'm using the same company as my HO insurance, not Progressive, so can't comment on which companies are best for a stand alone policy.

For insurance, I have USAA and am a satisified customer. I can probably handle the insurance.

The $225 don't sound too bad. My 01 accord can't weight that much (only when i'm in it .)

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by tercel95

You might like Jacksonville, I'm a 22 year old software developer/average Joe... I came from the DC/Metro area to escape the oppressive laws, taxes, and high cost of living...

JAX has a lot to offer, you can live by the beach, in a historic town, in a white picket fence suburb, etc... You can easily find something in your price range, I am paying $800/month for a 1200 sq/ft 2 bed 2 bath in a nice part of town... There is lots to do here, clubs, bars, shopping, etc... but I'm like you, I like to sit at home and chill or play xbox with friends... The nice thing about JAX is that its so cheap so you can get that bigger TV and surround sound you always wanted...

I know about the ridiculous car taxes in VA and there is no such thing down here... There are no vehicle inspections and no emissions laws down here... The registration is a bit expensive and you have to renew it once a year but its not that bad... Also my car insurance went down moving from MD to FL...

If I pull the trigger on Jacksonville you want to play NCAA Football on 360 at my crib?

I'll soon be a former frustrated DC area resident. The only saving grace I have here is that I live on the VA side which is very sane compared to DC/MD.

The car stuff sounds great!

[tercel95]

Originally Posted by Alanboy395

If I pull the trigger on Jacksonville you want to play NCAA Football on 360 at my crib?

I'll soon be a former frustrated DC area resident. The only saving grace I have here is that I live on the VA side which is very sane compared to DC/MD.

The car stuff sounds great!

I'll definitely take you up on that... If you have any more questions about the area let me know... Moving to JAX was the most difficult but also the best decision I have ever made... It was life changing... The cost of living in the DC/Metro area just stifles people our age... Its nice to have a little dough left over after you pay the rent...