Suburbs are dying....Urban living is growing (Jacksonville, Miami: lofts, new house)

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by fsu813

Jimbo,

The article references suburbs vs. city living. In Jacksonville, the "urban core" aka city living is made up of Riverside, Springfield, Downtown, San Marco and strecthes to included Avondale as well (since Riverside & Avondale share many characteristicsm and lay next to eachother). If you would like referencs to this, or futher explanation, just ask. These are the areas where "bright flight", as it's called has occured and continues to occur presently. Riverside & Springfield are the best examples of that: From 2000 to 2008 they changed significantly.

Robyn,

I'm sorry, but you are incorrect as to your "best i can tell" assumptions. I should start keeping count.

You are correct in that I am an advocate for the historic, urban core of neighborhoods in Jacksonville. I listed them above. They are the most unique and enjoyable in the city, IMO, and everyone (thankfully) is slowly coming around to that. Some quicker than others. Hence the compartively rapid rise in property values, the % of value kept through economic hardships, the ever-increasing popularity of them with Jacksonvillians, and the increased focus/emphasis on them by COJ.

If web growth is a indicator, it shows there too. www.metrojacksonville.com (a website which mostly focuses on urban core issues, mass transit, and smart infrstructure) has been gaining by leaps and bounds and is a real media player in the City now. The online media presence, really.

If you would like links to, jeez, 20 articles both local and national, referencing this I'll be happy to post them. I have quite a library by now, you know. =)

I agree Springfield, Riverside & San Marco are Jacksonvilles urban neighborhoods. But it will mostly fill with people below the ages of 35....most home owners over the age of 35 will have lil interest in the urbancore. Downtown everywhere is becomin "Sex in the City" the Burbs are like "Leave it to Beaver" some like "Leave it to Beaver" better.

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by donisanasfan

I agree with joninclay, there is a broad appeal for crime and the crappy schools are just icing on the crack cake.

ignorance

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by fsquid

I've seen plans, "focueses" and "visions" in many locales throughout the South (we have a division in our company that focuses on urban renewal projects). Some work and some don't. I'm more of a "shut up and show me" kind of guy. Would love to see it, but with the economic downturn and some of the attitudes in the area, I wouldn't put money on it. I may be over simplistic, but I believe that if there was a magic potion for the public high schools in the core, there would be a flock to the core.

High Schools in Jax Core are

Lee High School
Douglss Anderson High School
Stanton

Lee is the only issue school I see.

San Marco kids would go to Englewood or Mandarin im thinking.

Springfield kids maybe Jackson or Stanton?

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by Robyn55

So you rule out all the poor African American neighborhoods that are much much closer to downtown than Avondale? This really isn't a proposal for improving the urban core of Jacksonville IMO - but simply a [words kind of fail me here - you can fill in the blanks]. IOW - let's spend a lot of money on a few areas that will mostly benefit white people with money - and forget about who really makes up the urban core of Jacksonville. Perhaps this is the 21st century equivalent of the Jax/Duval County consolidation (which - if you recall - was done to insure that an African American could never be elected Mayor of Jax). In any event - if I lived in "suburban" Jax - or "inner city" Jax - I really couldn't see spending 10 cents over what everyone else in Duval County gets to do anything in the areas you define as the "urban core" (except perhaps in downtown to maintain what few cultural institutions exist there). Robyn

Robyn? Keeping a black person out of civic office? That seems a bit much. Can you explain this claim?

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by FlyiMetro

Robyn? Keeping a black person out of civic office? That seems a bit much. Can you explain this claim?

It's kind of an old story - although my POV is not the only POV - and economic factors came into play too:

Keeping the faith: race, politics ... - Google Books

P.S. Even Nat Glover couldn't be elected Mayor in consolidated Jax/Duval County.

[riveree]

It's threads like this that drive newcomers out to the boondocks where developers sell their swampland.

I live in one of the areas mentioned multiple times in this thread, the 32207 "San Marco" zip. 32207 is actually comprised of Downtown's Southbank and multiple neighborhoods but it usually all gets lumped under "San Marco Area".

The area is anything but poor, predominantly white and has one of the best public schools in the entire city. Crime is a non-issue for the vast majority of residents in this area. The MAYOR lives here, and he can afford to live anywhere he wants. He left Ponte Vedra for San Marco .

Call it urban, call it urban-suburban, call it a first ring neighborhood (probably the most appropriate), it really doesn't matter. But to paint all the "urban" neighborhoods with the same broad brush is just inaccurate. The closer you get to the city core, the more complex things become.

Throw a few zips into Moderator cut: link removed to gain some perspective on just how different reality is from some of statements made earlier in this thread.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by FlyiMetro

High Schools in Jax Core are

Lee High School
Douglss Anderson High School
Stanton

Lee is the only issue school I see.

San Marco kids would go to Englewood or Mandarin im thinking.

Springfield kids maybe Jackson or Stanton?

Reckon 99% of the people here know this - but Douglas Anderson and Stanton are both magnet schools - pretty hard to get into - with not a whole lot of students. So if your kid doesn't get into one of those (it's a competitive process - with various groups you're probably not a member of given priority admissions) - what then? Robyn

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by riveree

It's threads like this that drive newcomers out to the boondocks where developers sell their swampland.

I live in one of the areas mentioned multiple times in this thread, the 32207 "San Marco" zip. 32207 is actually comprised of Downtown's Southbank and multiple neighborhoods but it usually all gets lumped under "San Marco Area".

The area is anything but poor, predominantly white and has one of the best public schools in the entire city. Crime is a non-issue for the vast majority of residents in this area. The MAYOR lives here, and he can afford to live anywhere he wants. He left Ponte Vedra for San Marco .

Call it urban, call it urban-suburban, call it a first ring neighborhood (probably the most appropriate), it really doesn't matter. But to paint all the "urban" neighborhoods with the same broad brush is just inaccurate. The closer you get to the city core, the more complex things become.

Throw a few zips intoModerator cut: link removedto gain some perspective on just how different reality is from some of statements made earlier in this thread.

If I recall correctly - Mayor Peyton moved from PVB to Jax because - as Mayor (or perhaps as a candidate for Mayor) - he has to live in Duval County. You can correct me if I'm wrong. I'm not sure his kids are old enough to go to school yet - but - if they are - I suspect they're in Bolles - not any public school. FWIW - if I had kids here - I'd send them to Bolles too (people I know here who care about education send their kids to Bolles - or boarding schools outside the area). What public non-magnet high school do kids in San Marco go to (just asking - I don't know)? Robyn

[riveree]

Originally Posted by Robyn55

If I recall correctly - Mayor Peyton moved from PVB to Jax because - as Mayor (or perhaps as a candidate for Mayor) - he has to live in Duval County. You can correct me if I'm wrong. I'm not sure his kids are old enough to go to school yet - but - if they are - I suspect they're in Bolles - not any public school. FWIW - if I had kids here - I'd send them to Bolles too (people I know here who care about education send their kids to Bolles - or boarding schools outside the area). What public non-magnet high school do kids in San Marco go to (just asking - I don't know)? Robyn

Right, Peyton had to move to Duval county - anywhere in Duval. He chose San Marco. Point being, it can't be too shabby of an area, but I think we all get that. I believe his older son is school age now. I have no idea where his children will be attending school but they are zoned for Hendricks Elementary. Hendricks is a consistently A-rated public school. There is a Magnet program in Hendricks but your child does not have to be enrolled in the Magnet program to attend Hendricks, your home simply has to be zoned for that school/live in the area. If Peyton chooses the public school route, they would attend DuPont and Wolfson after that.

There are many reasons why people choose private schools over public. For some, it's tradition. My husband graduated from one of our local prep schools and if/when, the tradition aspect is a strong pull towards going with that school. It's not always because the local schools are "crap".

[riveree]

Originally Posted by Robyn55

Reckon 99% of the people here know this - but Douglas Anderson and Stanton are both magnet schools - pretty hard to get into - with not a whole lot of students. So if your kid doesn't get into one of those (it's a competitive process - with various groups you're probably not a member of given priority admissions) - what then? Robyn

Not to derail this thread with a discussion of the Jacksonville Magnet program, but the above is one of the biggest misconceptions.

Here is a list of all the Jacksonville Magnet schools:

Duval County Public Schools Magnet Programs

Nearly all of the schools listed are open to non-magnet students. Mandarin High School is a *regular* high school which happens to have a Magnet program. If you live in Mandarin, your kid goes to Mandarin HS. If they get in the Magnet program, great, but either way, they still go to Mandarin HS.

From the website:

Magnet schools are just like other Duval County Public Schools - with one big difference. Each school emphasizes a particular area of study, giving its students new insight and more opportunities to explore what interests them most.