jacksonville or fayetteville (Charlotte, Raleigh, Fort Bragg: crime, construction, good schools)

[iamhadley]

my husband just recieved 2 job offers in construction. one is in Jacksonville, the other in Fayetteville. we are from the west with 3 teenagers. Which place would be better to settle in. We have been to neither. We are concerned about crime and education. We would like a real community feel with beautiful parks and scenic places. Being from the desert we are anxious fro the green, yet we are not real crazy about humidity. Any help would be appreciated.

[urbancharlotte]

Originally Posted by iamhadley

my husband just recieved 2 job offers in construction. one is in Jacksonville, the other in Fayetteville. we are from the west with 3 teenagers. Which place would be better to settle in. We have been to neither. We are concerned about crime and education. We would like a real community feel with beautiful parks and scenic places. Being from the desert we are anxious fro the green, yet we are not real crazy about humidity. Any help would be appreciated.

Well, first you must remember that it is 1 a.m. here right now. Charlotte is the only city in this state that is still up at this hour. I am only kidding with you. Welcome to North Carolina! I think you will enjoy it here. Both cities are very family friendly and relatively cheap to live in. Fayetteville has the higher growth potential of the two however (thanks to Fort Bragg's current and future population boom). Also, Fayetteville is closer to the state's second largest city (Raleigh). Jacksonville is MUCH closer to the ocean though.

Again, I would choose Fayetteville over Jacksonville. However, if you don't need to be around a lot of "city things" and you love the ocean, Jacksonville is your town.

Good luck and welcome!

[faabala]

The Fayetteville area (really the five counties surrounding Fort Bragg) will have as much or more to offer than Jacksonville except being closer to the beach.

Look as some of my old posts for positive things about the area. There are plenty of activites for everyone if you want to get involved.

[iamhadley]

i read someones post about Fayetteville being a little seedy and run down, is that true? As far as Jacksonville is concerned, is it a ocean town that is clean or is it more like galvaston TX. Is it crowded and conjested or is it far enough away from the water?

[Xdeth]

Originally Posted by iamhadley

i read someones post about Fayetteville being a little seedy and run down, is that true? As far as Jacksonville is concerned, is it a ocean town that is clean or is it more like galvaston TX. Is it crowded and conjested or is it far enough away from the water?

You'll have to visit to see for yourself, both are Military towns and all that entails, but I much prefer Jacksonville due to the beach and adjacent waterways, I was stationed there for 7 years, good times.

[LRoyal10900]

Originally Posted by iamhadley

i read someones post about Fayetteville being a little seedy and run down, is that true? As far as Jacksonville is concerned, is it a ocean town that is clean or is it more like galvaston TX. Is it crowded and conjested or is it far enough away from the water?

Parts of Fayetteville are seedy and run down. What town DOESN'T have areas like that??

Jacksonville is also a "military town"....they both have their share of pawn shops, tattoo parlors, & girly bars.

Don't know about Jacksonville, but Fayetteville has made HUGE strides in changing their image and building a town worthy of the motto "History, Heroes, and a Hometown Feeling." We have museums, schools of higher education, good schools, and shopping (many of the stores are #1 or #2 in their chains NATIONALLY). It's no Rodeo Drive or Madison Ave., or even Raleigh, but we make do!

Fayetteville is NOT a bad place to live or raise a family!

Jacksonville is not "on" the water...you have to "go" to the beach to actually get on the sandy beaches.

[macjr82]

^^^^^^^^

Jacksonville is on the water. The only problem is the all of the ocean front property is owned by the base. so if the job offer is from someone on base or for on base construction that's a non issue. Otherwise EI is only a heartbeat away. An wilmington and myrtle beach not too far beyond that. That said, both of those latter places aren't terribly far from fayetteville either.

[ncfootes]

We moved to Fayetteville 15 years ago from Long Island and haven't regretted our decision once. Tons of parks, tons of activities for kids, and plenty of opportunities to get involved in the community. Like someone above said - every town has its seedy area.

I work for the Visitors Bureau and I hesitate to tell people that because I'm afraid people will think I'm not a genuine endorser of the community because of where I work. The truth is I work for the visitors bureau because I am love where I am.

Here's our webstie - that details tons of the cool stuff here. Keep in mind - most of our stuff is geared toward the visitor - not residents. I've also included the parks & rec website so you can find out more about the parks - I think we've got 50+ parks.

www.VisitFayettevilleNC.com - Visitors Bureau site. Calendar of events, attractions, shopping. etc.

www.fcpr.us - Parks & Rec. Please take time to explore this site. Tons of parks, tons of green spaces, bunches of activities.

www.ccs.k12.nc.us - cumberland County schools.

[melbern]

Jacksonville. Actually, not Jacksonville itself, but surrounding areas. Fayette-Nam...no thanks. The areas around Jacksonville are really nice if you like the coast. If you don't like the coast, go to Fayetteville, as at least you'll be closer to the Triangle.

[Crazyland]

Do you like the Army or Marines better? lol
We first lived in Jacksonville and now live on the other side of Fort Bragg, not Fayetteville side. I would personally choose Jacksonville over Fayetteville.
Both though have great areas. Both have pros and cons. Hurricane damage in Jacksonville is one of them. Once while we were living there Jacksonville became an island due to the tidal surge and excess water. It was interesting! lol
We just took a trip to Jaxs just to go shopping and visit the beach. Good times for us and the kids had a blast.