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I agree with the prior post. Jacksonville was an unmitigated disaster back in the 70's and 80's. I can still remember the endless seedy stream of "take money from grunt parlors" It was disgusting then, but it is a LOT better now. It is not perfect, but not a lot of those places, this side of a heartbeat.
Folks that "don't like marines" can go to you know where. The economy is strong, there is lots of stuff to do, and it just ain't that bad.
Glad you are enjoying Jacksonville, if you cycle, Jake Kane's is a world class bike shop, by the way!
lln
Oh Snap! I know Jack Kane personally. 909 N. Marine Blvd <-- from memory LOL
But there's something to be said about the old days. I used to work on Court Street (retail not prostitute). We wore ties and if you bought a pair of slacks you got a fair price and we gave you free alteration that you could pick back up in an hour. Hard to find service like that nowadays.
Hey my name is lauren and i plan on movin to Jville within the next month... please i want to know how u like it.. im sharing a room with a marine for now until another friend of mine comes back from afghanistan to live with right outside of jacksonville.. im a 20 year old female from boston, and i pretty much know what to expect here.... marinesss... i know haha. no prob there.. but let me know what u think, moving down by myself might be a little overwhelming because i am not going to know anyone or anything... email me if u want... [email]laurenhannigan@yahoo.com[/email]
-lauren
Avoid this town if at all possible. It's the metaphoric toilet town. While the rest of America cheeses over it's "few and the proud" Jacksonville civilians have to put up with their antics. They're not all bad, but the ratio of tolerable to intolerable is bad.
If you're not receiving BAH, I hope you have a great job. The town has a military centered economy that hinges almost exclusively on what they make, so the average joe makes $9.00 per hour and is basically screwed.
Don't get me started on the horrible infrastructure. The supposed bypass does no good unless you're boarding Camp Johnson. Otherwise, it conveniently dumps you in the middle of the headache.
If you can find that quiet, remote spot and be yourself maybe it's not so bad. I just hope you like strip clubs, tattoo parlors and restaurants. Did I mention the two tallest buildings in town are the hospital and the jail? What does that say?!
It's been awhile since posting, so I figured I'd chime in. Lauren, if you are a 20 year old woman moving to Jacksonville and you're not gay, then Jax will be up your alley as far as dating is concerned. You need only look at the Guy to Gal ratio on the stats to figure it out. That said, another reason you may enjoy it is because the city is very, very young. 23 is the average age here.
Thedude86's post is rather bitter; although he is accuarte on some of his points. The rents in this town are all outrageous; because they are targeted to Marines drawing BAH...... meaning that a decent 1 bedroom apartment will run you approx. 850-1000 dollars. That's no joke......If you are not a Marine, Federal Civilian, or a contractor: You will find limited employment opportunities here besides the lower paid service jobs: Working the restaurants, bars, pawn shops, shopping center outlets..........or twirling half-naked around a pole.
Jacksonville does not have a conventional "downtown" area like most cities; Western Blvd., route 17, and route 24 running along the base hold most of the businesses that cater to the community. This is a G.I. town through and through; although the crime her is over-exaggerated. I've been here 14 months, and never encountered a problem yet. What WILL greatly annoy you is the crowding and horrible traffic patterns; there are only a few entrances to Camp Lejeune, and that causes horrible congestion throughout the whole city during morning rush (5-8) and the evening (3-7). This city was built to support no more than about 40 to 50 thousand people; and it's currently pushing just over 80k. Translation: Annoying crowding, especially on the weekends.
That said, I am leaving Jacksonville soon to transfer out to Asheville and it's beautiful mountains. I do not look bitterly on my time here in Jax; I can think of far, far worse military-oriented cities to live. (Like Fayetteville or Columbus, GA. for example.) Lauren,considering your age and demographic; you shouldn't be too uncomfortable. Just remember what I said about the job situation and rent costs...... Good luck!
I actually never liked Jacksonville, just because I've always gelt it was just too many people in too small an area. Still somehow I often find myself defending it on this board agianst the outright liews and misinformation. Good post, I just wanted to expound upon a few things you said.
2. Jobs - No one can complain about their being no jobs in Jacksonville. Jacksonville has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the State. If all you can find is a service job get some education and apply for a job on base. Heck, there are jobs on base that start close to $12/hr that don't require a degree. There is actually a shortage of skilled workers in Jacksonville which is why there have been several threads over the last several months from people being transferred to Jacksonville for DOD or contractor jobs. If all you have is a HS diploma all you're going to get is service jobs. There are no manufacturing or high dollar blue collar jobs. Even the management jobs in the service industry are snatched up by people who get out of the Marine Corps so there is not even an ability to work your way up in the service/consumer industry for the most part.
3. Traffic - If you think traffic is bad now. Back in the late nineties/early aughts the intersection of Western and US 17 was the busiest intersection in the State by volume. It's what spurred the building of the bypass. If you think it's bad now, it has nothing on what it was.
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackandgold978
Hello, all-
It's been awhile since posting, so I figured I'd chime in. Lauren, if you are a 20 year old woman moving to Jacksonville and you're not gay, then Jax will be up your alley as far as dating is concerned. You need only look at the Guy to Gal ratio on the stats to figure it out. That said, another reason you may enjoy it is because the city is very, very young. 23 is the average age here.
Thedude86's post is rather bitter; although he is accuarte on some of his points. The rents in this town are all outrageous; because they are targeted to Marines drawing BAH...... meaning that a decent 1 bedroom apartment will run you approx. 850-1000 dollars. That's no joke......If you are not a Marine, Federal Civilian, or a contractor: You will find limited employment opportunities here besides the lower paid service jobs: Working the restaurants, bars, pawn shops, shopping center outlets..........or twirling half-naked around a pole.
Jacksonville does not have a conventional "downtown" area like most cities; Western Blvd., route 17, and route 24 running along the base hold most of the businesses that cater to the community. This is a G.I. town through and through; although the crime her is over-exaggerated. I've been here 14 months, and never encountered a problem yet. What WILL greatly annoy you is the crowding and horrible traffic patterns; there are only a few entrances to Camp Lejeune, and that causes horrible congestion throughout the whole city during morning rush (5-8) and the evening (3-7). This city was built to support no more than about 40 to 50 thousand people; and it's currently pushing just over 80k. Translation: Annoying crowding, especially on the weekends.
That said, I am leaving Jacksonville soon to transfer out to Asheville and it's beautiful mountains. I do not look bitterly on my time here in Jax; I can think of far, far worse military-oriented cities to live. (Like Fayetteville or Columbus, GA. for example.) Lauren,considering your age and demographic; you shouldn't be too uncomfortable. Just remember what I said about the job situation and rent costs...... Good luck!
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Good post, I just wanted to expound upon a few things you said.
