[alwayszoned]

My daughter can get assigned to work at the naval hospital in either Jacksonville or Pensacola.

What would you choose?

[007.5]

I personally think Pensacola is nicer, less crime, very close to some of the greatest beeches, much more conservative christian values and ethics , easy to make friends here , good variety of things to do with Destin/Ft. Walton nearby , more nature parks , and less racism. Most likely cheaper living than Jacksonville.

[AustinTraveler]

You don't tell us anything about your daughter so it's kind of difficult to give you an opinion. But, between the two I would definitely choose Jacksonville. Pensacola is a pretty depressed area and there is quite a bit of crime, and lots of racism by both blacks and whites.

Jacksonville's location will give her the opportunity to explore other areas easier too. It's a quick trip to Savannah or to Orlando, for instance. It seems like everything is so far away from Pensacola. Plus, she'll be close to St. Augustine, a really nice place to visit.

[beachmouse]

In a lot of ways, they're similar, and I tend to think of Jacksonville as a larger version of Pensacola. I'd give the nod to Jax because there are more things going on there and as mentioned, it's closer to a lot of other big cities while Pensacola is relatively isolated unless you want to gamble in Biloxi or go to New Orleans.

[EscAlaMike]

Well, it depends on what you're looking for.

Jacksonville is MUCH bigger. Aside from the commercial sector though, the residential areas are pretty similar. You will have more traffic in Jacksonville, but it also has more going on. Pensacola is by no means lacking in amenities, but obviously Jacksonville will have more.

Outside both cities you have nice country areas, more agriculture around Pensacola though. Surrounding Jacksonville is mostly woods.

Again, it really just depends on what you're looking for.

[leecas]

quote=alwayszoned;12969606]My daughter can get assigned to work at the naval hospital in either Jacksonville or Pensacola.

What would you choose?[/quote]

Having lived in Pensacola for 15 years, and just left that area as of August 2009, I say she should go to Jacksonville. Like a few of the other people said, Pensacola is isolated, a depressed area, and not alot goes on there. We left the area 6 months ago because we lost our military contractor jobs & there were no jobs to be had.

Jacksonville for sure, she won't regret it like I think she would going to Pensacola.

[soundbreeze]

JAX! Having lived in Pensacola as well as close to Jacksonville, I'd say JAX has ALOT more going on. Have lived in NorCal for five years. Some friends moved to Jax from the San Francisco Bay Area to setup a small tech company and they love it there!

[Boricua80]

I'd say Jax. Pensacola, I have lived in, and there's not much to do, and the beaches don't mean all that much to me LOL. Jax has much more to offer and is closer to many other big cities.

[ChrisA70]

I'm looking into Jacksonville myself. I really want to get away from Southwest Florida.

[Catalyzes]

I would say Jacksonville. Pensacola crime rate is up. There are a limited amount of things to do here. The nightlife here isn't that great at all. You'll see the same people out and about everywhere you go, and just the scene in general gets redundant. There aren't a lot of cultural things going on, except for the occasional festival. There is only one mall here. (well, two, but University Mall only has 4 stores open; so that doesn't really count).

The beaches here are beautiful. The fish market (Joe Patti's) is nice. Walking around downtown is nice on a beautiful day...and that's about it. It is a nice place to come to retire to...

New Orleans is close (2.5-3hr drive) and so is Mobile and Biloxi.

I've lived here for 10 years and I think it's a hoover of a town...meaning it'll suck the life out of you...It's so depressing. This is a town where ambition comes to die.