Tampa vs. Jacksonville (find a job, buyer, school)

[Soccerdad32]

My family and I are looking to move from PA to Florida. We are focusing our efforts in either Tampa or Jacksonville. It looks like my wife (social worker) will be able to find a job before I will. I am a manufacturing manager with 10 years of management experience and I have my MBA.
I'm wondering how the economy is in both of these areas?
Will it be easier for me to find a job in Tampa or Jacksonville?
I have applied to a number of jobs but no luck with interviews .
I'm hoping that moving down there will generate more opportunities.
We are looking to move before the start of the school year in the fall.

Thanks for looking and providing any feedback.

[EngGirl]

Jax compare to Tampa is not a great place... Read news on daily basis and see if you want to move there.. I hate that city...

[The Villages Guy]

Originally Posted by Soccerdad32

My family and I are looking to move from PA to Florida. We are focusing our efforts in either Tampa or Jacksonville. It looks like my wife (social worker) will be able to find a job before I will. I am a manufacturing manager with 10 years of management experience and I have my MBA.
I'm wondering how the economy is in both of these areas?
Will it be easier for me to find a job in Tampa or Jacksonville?
I have applied to a number of jobs but no luck with interviews .
I'm hoping that moving down there will generate more opportunities.
We are looking to move before the start of the school year in the fall.

Thanks for looking and providing any feedback.

I can't speak to the economy or anything about Jacksonville. I can say we prefer being further south for the warmth and also prefer being on the gulf coast. Your mileage may vary, though.

Regarding the Tampa Bay economy, it is much better than I initially thought it was prior to moving down. Of course, it always matters what field you are in no matter where you live. I notice a ton of nursing jobs here, plenty of inventory jobs, plenty of buyer jobs, plenty of call center jobs, plenty of retail jobs, plenty of collections jobs, plenty of county government jobs and surprisingly a good number of manufacturing jobs.

The response to job applications was very good for me. Better than I have ever experienced before. I was also of the mindset that pay was much lower here, but it does not appear to be as bad as I thought. Although, with anything, it depends on what you do and where you come from. I don't know how it will match up from PA.

[gypsychic]

I personally don't care for Jacksonville; my reasons are I don't like the look of the city, and it is so far north in Florida that it feels like Georgia to me, and definitely has a more southern and conservative vibe. That doesn't mean it might not be a great place for YOU, however, depending on what you like in a city.

Really, it might just come down to where you can get a job. The economies of both cities are probably pretty similar. Again, I am partial to the Tampa Bay area. Maybe you should visit both and see what appeals to you more.

Good luck!