Nocatee?? (Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando: dermatologists, crime, how much)

[mississippimagnolia]

For me it's not the pick and drop off so much as it is being that far away from the school. I am at my kids' schools a lot. I've always been very active in PTSA and classroom volunteering. 12 miles is a long way for an elementary school. I kind of like the idea of neighborhood schools at the elementary level.

[hlauburn]

Originally Posted by mississippimagnolia

For me it's not the pick and drop off so much as it is being that far away from the school. I am at my kids' schools a lot. I've always been very active in PTSA and classroom volunteering. 12 miles is a long way for an elementary school. I kind of like the idea of neighborhood schools at the elementary level.

I agree! It's a big issue for me, but we just can't find anything we like as much as Nocatee. I figure it's just something I am going to have to deal with (or find another house) and just work into my day...eventually find a preschool in the same direction, and do my shopping while I'm out that way. It's not ideal, but something I'm willing to do for them to be at PV/Rawlings. And in the meantime, pray they start that K-8 school soon!

Good luck with your trip! Are you guys excited!?

[cmann64]

I don't think there is much that can actually compare with the beauty and planned development that Nocatee has to offer....although those benefits come higher real estate prices and no pizza parlors or ice cream shops to run to...lol

We are considering a "big" move from NJ to Florida.....with most of our family still here. My kids are not thrilled with the idea since they are so involved here with friends and sports. My husband and I have been very invloved in our community as well, and would like to continue to do so if we were to move. Its seems like the PTA's in the schools have lots of events and offer a lot of volunteer opportunities which would certainly be a nice way to meet people.

We see Florida as a great long term opportunity for our family....but still much to think about to make a decision....kind of wishing I had one of those crystal balls....lol

Are you guys that are looking at Nocatee from Florida or outside the state?

[hlauburn]

Originally Posted by cmann64

Are you guys that are looking at Nocatee from Florida or outside the state?

I am hoping that with time, there will be things like pizza and ice cream close to Nocatee, especially in the Town Center. In the meantime, there are some stripmalls a little bit down Hwy 1...not sure exactly what's out there though.

We are relocating from Mississippi. I was born in Tampa, but haven't lived in FL for a LONG time! We're excited about being so close to the beach and Disney World!

[mississippimagnolia]

Good luck with your trip! Are you guys excited!?

Really excited! We were thinking about renting first. But I think we've decided to go ahead and buy. We haven't ruled Nocatee out by any means! At least we've narrowed it down to Ponte Vedra or Julington Creek. That helps a little.

Are you guys that are looking at Nocatee from Florida or outside the state?

We are moving from out of state, cmann. My husband works for the Federal Government and we are being transferred to Jacksonville.

[donisanasfan]

Julington Creek seems inviting from out of state. I remember when we first were going to move to Jacksonville and I was looking on-line , Julington Creek seemed like one of our likely choices. When we moved here that changed quickly. I hated the access to highways, hated San Jose traffic and crime. I also just didnt like the feel of it at all, and it was a major haul to the beach. We couldn't be happier then where we are right now. I was driving back home today, and was just again noticing that with out a doubt in my mind, we live in the prettiest area in Jacksonville by far. Making the drive into PVB really isnt a big deal at all , and it's a nice drive. Driving other places is a bigger issue for me, such as going west towards US1 , but once they open up the expressway, which should be in a couple weeks ,that will get a whole lot easier.

[donisanasfan]

As to the pick up line, I do put my first and third grader on the bus from here in Coastal Oaks, but I have done parent pick up a couple times and while yes , it is a bit congested, I found it to go extremely quickly. The lines I saw when driving down Race Track Rd ( ok, I'm nitpicking here, but do you want to live in a neighborhood whose main street is named for a dog racing track ?) were insane, and seemed to move painfully slow.

[hlauburn]

Originally Posted by donisanasfan

Julington Creek seems inviting from out of state. I remember when we first were going to move to Jacksonville and I was looking on-line , Julington Creek seemed like one of our likely choices. When we moved here that changed quickly. I hated the access to highways, hated San Jose traffic and crime. I also just didnt like the feel of it at all, and it was a major haul to the beach. We couldn't be happier then where we are right now. I was driving back home today, and was just again noticing that with out a doubt in my mind, we live in the prettiest area in Jacksonville by far. Making the drive into PVB really isnt a big deal at all , and it's a nice drive. Driving other places is a bigger issue for me, such as going west towards US1 , but once they open up the expressway, which should be in a couple weeks ,that will get a whole lot easier.

I agree with you completely about JCP. It seemed like a good option for us when we first started looking online, but once we actually checked it out, we decided it wasn't right for us. We had concerns about the "accessibility" issue (specifically for my husband's job) and it seemed so huge, I didn't get that neighborhood feel I was looking for. It seemed like more of an "area" than a "neighborhood" to me. I guess someone might say the same thing about Nocatee, but I felt like the individual neighborhoods in Nocatee are at least defined even if the area is huge.

There were some other things that concerned us, too, but they seemed to be common in a lot of the neigborhoods in the area (except Nocatee). But you definitely will get a better idea of what's going to work for you and your family once you get down there and check it all out.

[cmann64]

We were also intrigued by JCP and Durbins Crossings, and the price points for homes were much more reasonable than Coastal Oaks. On our first visit there, we did really like it, but it is very much like where we live here in NJ. It seemed pretty congested and while I loved the fact that the kids could ride their bikes to school, the more I thought about that fact my mind started to wander to some unpleasant ramifications of a bike ride home. When we went back and really loooked through the neighborhoods, it seemed too cookie cutterish for us. And then when we saw the two hogs/pigs/boars come out of the woods, we all about died and ran to our cars...that was the last of Durbin for me!!

Toll is offering a great upscale home with lots of bells and whistles....do I need all of them , not so much but they are very nice to look at when you walk through the models. I love the fact that it is close to the beach and has a very tropical feel throughout the town. It seems to have all the popular eateries somewhat close by and also offers some big city type restaurants which we don't even have where we are now.

So from a purely visual standpoint, I guess we are sold. We are still struggling with the emotional side though....

[mississippimagnolia]

The proximity to the beach is what is drawing me to Ponte Vedra! I can't wait to get down there and start seriously looking!