[riveree]

I can answer some of your Q's in relation to Jacksonville:

Originally Posted by leavingCT

1. Traffic/commute not much of an issue as I work from home

Traffic is not so bad here anyway. There are really just a couple of spots where I would consider it "bad" and I'd avoid living there.

2. I will be renting, not buying

Plenty of rentals to choose from, a lot of them are brand new construction too.

3. I'm single and would like to live in a city where there is a decent amount of under 40 professionals

The median age for Jacksonville is 33/34...we have a younger-aged population than the average Florida city; plenty of young professionals here (many work in banking, insurance, etc.).

4. Want to live in a SAFE neighborhood

Our "unsafe" neighborhoods tend to be clustered together, and mostly in one region of the city, so it's pretty easy to find safe neighborhoods once you eliminate that region.

5. Really, really really want a place that has a fenced in yard--even a small one

You might want to rent a house then.

6. Prefer a newer home/townhouse if possible

Over the last 5 years or so, Jacksonville has had a ton of new construction all over the city, so it's very easy to find something "newer". The construction is slowing down now, as it is everywhere.

7. I don't mind driving to grocery shopping, restaurants, etc.--just don't want to be too rural (think Lehigh Acres if you know Ft Myers at all)

Stick to the dense areas of Jacksonville, since you prefer "newer":

1) Intracoastal West area

2) Southside area

8. I do not want a high rise or a condo. I want a small house or townhome.

Even in our dense areas, we have a primarily "suburban" look with plenty of homes and townhomes to choose from.


My first thoughts were:

Tampa
Fort Lauderdale area (Hollywood? Pembroke Pines?)
Or maybe Jacksonville? I have spent time in both Tampa and Ft Lauderdale, but have only passed through Jax.

I liked Fort Myers but it was too quiet for me. I'm looking for more variety in things to do and people my age.

There's plenty to do in Jax, but we're no Miami . There are nightclubs, the beach scene (bars), young professional bars, wine & tapas bars, hookah clubs, a decent sized art & gallery scene, etc., but we could never compare to the scale of Miami, just so you are aware.

Oh, and I'd like to spend under $1500 a month. I only "need" a 2 bedroom but would love a 2br + den or a 3br.

$1500/mo. would rent you a good-sized house in Jacksonville, easily a 3 or 4 bedroom house. You could spend even less ($1300 or so) if you wanted to and still find a nice, pretty big house to rent.

Any ideas?? I am a little overwhelmed by the options. I can live anywhere in Florida but would prefer to be closer to the water.

Thanks in advance!!!

Hope that helps!

[compelled to reply]

JAX has hookah lounges? Just kidding, but is it a big thing up there? Hollywood (both downtown and the beach) in South FL has a huge concentration of hookah clubs. I tried it one time in NYC and liked it but as a certified health nut, it's hard for me to breath that much smoke in my lungs.

Seriously though, tell me more about Jacksonville's nightlife scene, I'm pretty ignorant to it.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

JAX has hookah lounges? Just kidding, but is it a big thing up there? Hollywood (both downtown and the beach) in South FL has a huge concentration of hookah clubs. I tried it one time in NYC and liked it but as a certified health nut, it's hard for me to breath that much smoke in my lungs.

Seriously though, tell me more about Jacksonville's nightlife scene, I'm pretty ignorant to it.

We have a few of them, they seem to be pretty popular with the 20-something crowd (I'm just a little past the "20-something myself !). We don't have a huge concentration of anything in comparison to South FL, I think that's a disappointment for some people who relocate here, that's why I brought up the Miami comparison earlier .

We have all the things you'd expect - no shortage of bars, different types of clubs, music venues, music festivals, concerts, art, theater, etc.

We just don't have nightlife overflowing onto the streets. There are a few concentrated areas where nightlife is clustered together (San Marco, Riverside, The Beaches...) but a lot of our nightlife is scattered throughout the city and people who relocate from larger cities might find that frustrating.

We also have plenty of "country" bars and clubs, so that's a different flavor than South Florida . If that's not your scene, it's easily avoided though.

The best thing for you to do is to visit here and pick up a Folio Weekly, this is one of our best resources for all the nightlife and events in Jacksonville (there are other Jax entertainment papers and magazines, but this is the old standby and it's still really good).

Here are some recent and upcoming events, clubs, etc., in no particular order, just as they come to mind (to give you an idea of the spectrum):

Jack Rabbits- Northeast Florida's Home For Live Music

Leopard Lounge and Plush

Marks - Downtown Jacksonville Nightclub & Lounge

Lynch's Irish Pub

http://www.bourbonstreetstation.com/

Freebird Live - Premier Live Concert Venue - Jacksonville Beach, FL - Home Page

http://www.jaxbars.com/search.php

Jax Irish Fest 2008

Wanee Music Festival - April 11th & 12th Live Oak, Florida

TALLEYRAND MUSIC FESTIVAL 2007

Jacksonville Film Festival

http://www.jaxevents.com/index.php

MOCA Jacksonville | Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville

Downtown Jacksonville: Home

ExperienceJax

[leavingCT]

Originally Posted by riveree

I can answer some of your Q's in relation to Jacksonville:



Hope that helps!

Thank you so much!!!

OK, first of all, what's a hookah club???

Second....just to give you some context, I am not expecting Miami. I just want to live in a city with more activity and culture than Fort Myers, which I don't think would be hard to do...

What you describe sounds pretty good.....I'm going to look around online before I make a trip....any particular neighborhoods that you think I should look into? Any places where I should NOT consider?

Thank you!

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by leavingCT

What you describe sounds pretty good.....I'm going to look around online before I make a trip....any particular neighborhoods that you think I should look into? Any places where I should NOT consider?

Thank you!

To riveree or to me? Down here just try to rent west of University Dr and out of condo conversion complexes and 100 dollars says it's fine. There are nice areas east too but you don't get the consistency at all. There isn't one large "bad area" but there is a large good area, which is why the crime index will show lower than the other counties. However, I would stay out of Pompano Beach, the back streets in Lauderhill and Lauderdale Lakes, anything west of State Road 7 or south of Pembroke Rd in Hollywood, the backstreets of Hollywood between US1 and I-95, the Sunrise Blvd Corridor in Ft. Lauderdale, anything in Ft. Lauderdale between I-95 and the turnpike, and Oakland Park. It sounds like a lot of areas but when you consider how small these areas are it really isn't. The place isn't some giant festering ghetto like some would make it out to be, in fact it doesn't even have one.

So basically, there are five bands running lengthwise through Broward. You have east of US1, which is the coastal areas, upscale, fairly safe with a few exceptions although property crime can be a problem in some spots. Then you have between US1 and I-95. In the south part of the county, this area is mostly worn, however there are nice spots mixed in with not so nice in the north part. I wouldn't be afraid to stop for gas during the day in this area but at night it's very "sleazy". Then you have between I-95 and the turnpike. This is where most of the neighborhoods that I would not feel safe in during the daylight reside. However those said neighborhoods are away from major streets and hard to access, and even if you get in, you are out before you know it. There are a few very nice pockets in this zone (mostly in Hollywood but a few in Deerfield Beach and Pompano Beach too) but generally speaking it's very inconsistent. Between the turnpike and University is mostly working class. Not "bad" but not great. Then west of University Dr it is 99% suburban USA, the worst you will encounter is a few iffy condo complexes in Sunrise, Pembroke Pines or Tamarac that I wouldn't live in but are not unsafe to be around.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by leavingCT

Thank you so much!!!

OK, first of all, what's a hookah club???

Second....just to give you some context, I am not expecting Miami. I just want to live in a city with more activity and culture than Fort Myers, which I don't think would be hard to do...

What you describe sounds pretty good.....I'm going to look around online before I make a trip....any particular neighborhoods that you think I should look into? Any places where I should NOT consider?

Thank you!

Here's one of the local Hookah clubs, check out their "history" link, it explains what they are pretty well (pics too):

.:: Welcome to the Casbah Cafe ::.

I'm not familiar enough with Ft. Myers to compare, but from what you're saying, I think you'd be fine with the nightlife here in Jax . We're not a snowbird city and we're not a retirement city, we're just a good-sized Southern city.

The areas I'd recommend for you to look into, in this order, are:

1) San Marco
2) The Beaches
3) Southside/Intracoastal West

You'll also probably get recommendations for Riverside/Avondale. This is a beautiful area, but you need a decent tolerance for crime, moreso than the 3 areas I listed above, IMO.

There are other nice areas of Jacksonville, but many of them are geared towards families and not young singles, so watch for that as you check areas out....you said you don't want to be bored, so it's really best to stick to the beach or along the river/downtown .

[leavingCT]

Originally Posted by riveree

Here's one of the local Hookah clubs, check out their "history" link, it explains what they are pretty well (pics too):

.:: Welcome to the Casbah Cafe ::.

I'm not familiar enough with Ft. Myers to compare, but from what you're saying, I think you'd be fine with the nightlife here in Jax . We're not a snowbird city and we're not a retirement city, we're just a good-sized Southern city.

The areas I'd recommend for you to look into, in this order, are:

1) San Marco
2) The Beaches
3) Southside/Intracoastal West

You'll also probably get recommendations for Riverside/Avondale. This is a beautiful area, but you need a decent tolerance for crime, moreso than the 3 areas I listed above, IMO.

There are other nice areas of Jacksonville, but many of them are geared towards families and not young singles, so watch for that as you check areas out....you said you don't want to be bored, so it's really best to stick to the beach or along the river/downtown .

Thank you so much!! This is exactly what I needed to know. I'll start researching....

[mec1212]

i find it funny, everyone who lives in florida hates it, but everyone who lives everywhere else hates it too. let me tell you, i was in west palm the last two days on job interviews, i drove from boca to the airport last night at 5pm, rush hour, everyone was talking about how terrible traffic is. let me tell you this, live in Rhode island or boston, where to go 5 miles takes 2 hours because you sit dead stopped for hours not moving. traffic is tame here. throw in a major snow storm and see how it takes you six hours to get home. no kidding.

let's talk prices, it is cheaper in fl than in New England. right now, a 2300 sq. ft house is valuated at $465,000K, property taxes on that are about $7000 a year, property taxes on a typical two car family is about $1000, a water bill for those that have lawn sprinklers here, that only wanter from may to sept. is about $1000 a year, to heat the house in the winter from oct. to april is about $300 a month, electric with air on in the summer is about $250 a month. schools are in disrepair, over crowded full of asbestos, roads are full of potholes, bridges are falling apart, and the state is in a $500 mil deficit. the solution.....raise taxes again and on top of that we were the only state in the country this past year to loose population....oh yeah and we get charged a state income tax in our pay checks, and TDI, temporary disability insurance so other people can live off us.

I'll take FLORIDA ANY DAY...and hopefully will soon!

[Alphaman]

Was born and raised in Rhode Island I know exactly what you are saying.

Glad to be in florida.

[MissingFlorida]

If you choose jacksonville, look into Fruit cove/Switzerland/Julington Creek Plantation area....VERY SAFE area...I grew up there. JCP has brand new townhomes with yards and garage