[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Arcenal813

Huh??? The Tampa Bay metro added 400,000 people between 2010-2020. From 2.7M to 3.1M.

Orlando city limits are very small. A more comparable figure would be to measure Orange County vs Duval (which is basically the entirety of the city of Jacksonville.) Orange County, despite being geographically smaller, saw a near 300,000 increase during that timeframe.

Your comparisons are way off…
Particularly your number for the Tampa Bay Metro.

The problem with the numbers you're quoting and see plastered in headlines is that they don't represent NET migration numbers since many are in fact moving out. The population number I gave it turns out was for Tampa proper.

Population, Census, April 1, 2020 384,959
Population, Census, April 1, 2010 335,709


Tampa Metro Area Population 1950-2022
Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Tampa metro area from 1950 to 2022. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

The current metro area population of Tampa in 2022 is 2,945,000, a 1.17% increase from 2021.
The metro area population of Tampa in 2021 was 2,911,000, a 1.18% increase from 2020.
The metro area population of Tampa in 2020 was 2,877,000, a 1.23% increase from 2019.
The metro area population of Tampa in 2019 was 2,842,000, a 1.25% increase from 2018.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

The problem with the numbers you're quoting and see plastered in headlines is that they don't represent NET migration numbers since many are in fact moving out. The population number I gave it turns out was for Tampa proper.

Population, Census, April 1, 2020 384,959
Population, Census, April 1, 2010 335,709


Tampa Metro Area Population 1950-2022
Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Tampa metro area from 1950 to 2022. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

The current metro area population of Tampa in 2022 is 2,945,000, a 1.17% increase from 2021.
The metro area population of Tampa in 2021 was 2,911,000, a 1.18% increase from 2020.
The metro area population of Tampa in 2020 was 2,877,000, a 1.23% increase from 2019.
The metro area population of Tampa in 2019 was 2,842,000, a 1.25% increase from 2018.

And the Duval County population grew at an even slower pace during the year 2020-2021, at 0.4%.

It’s not as backwoods of a place as some might suggest, but it certainly isn’t on the level of Orlando and Tampa in terms of big city and cosmopolitan amenities.

And the plethora of abandoned lots throughout its inner core are not indicative of a thriving city.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Arcenal813

And the Duval County population grew at an even slower pace during the year 2020-2021, at 0.4%.

It’s not as backwoods of a place as some might suggest, but it certainly isn’t on the level of Orlando and Tampa in terms of big city and cosmopolitan amenities.

And the plethora of abandoned lots throughout its inner core are not indicative of a thriving city.

Perhaps not but it's getting there through its diversified economy and the realization of new leadership for addressing downtown infill. This should change downtown and its environs considerably...

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/...oving-forward/

https://www.jacksonville.com/picture...um/7179386001/

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/e...le/9617855002/

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/...-landing-site/

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/artic...in-development

[germanoricua]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Perhaps not but it's getting there through its diversified economy and the realization of new leadership for addressing downtown infill. This should change downtown and its environs considerably...

Then hopefully better luck this time! They were saying the same thing in 2006 when we moved to Jax (that was 16 years ago!). But things became worse instead of better while we lived there. During that time the Landing deteriorated, Metropolitan Park became abandoned, nothing happened at the shipyards etc. Already then, Khan and the Jaguars were supposed to be the "saviors".

If things keep going the same way as they have since 2006, we all might be dead by the time those plans materialize...

[Spartan Burger]

I'm a former Jax resident and have heard all the blah blah about Jacksonville being "bland", "just like South Georgia", "full of rednecks", "boring. I moved there in 1983 and heard it all then. Most of that garbage comes from the South Florida crowd.
Tell you the truth Jacksonville is a hell of place to live. Location, beaches, history, shopping, dining, economy (job opportunities galore), culture, convenience, weather (more of the four seasons than other places in Florida), and much more.

Jacksonville is so big you have plenty of options: upscale beach communities, hipster beach communities, funky beach communities, close-to-downtown communities, westside, northside, Riverside, Orange Park, Mandarin, Arlington, Mayport, Southbank, Fernandina - I could go on forever.

The one downside is that downtown has yet to fulfull its promise. That's not to say that downtown is dead or crime infested, its not. There's more work to be done to make it a destination.

[cjairo191]

Originally Posted by Spartan Burger

I'm a former Jax resident and have heard all the blah blah about Jacksonville being "bland", "just like South Georgia", "full of rednecks", "boring. I moved there in 1983 and heard it all then. Most of that garbage comes from the South Florida crowd.
Tell you the truth Jacksonville is a hell of place to live. Location, beaches, history, shopping, dining, economy (job opportunities galore), culture, convenience, weather (more of the four seasons than other places in Florida), and much more.

Jacksonville is so big you have plenty of options: upscale beach communities, hipster beach communities, funky beach communities, close-to-downtown communities, westside, northside, Riverside, Orange Park, Mandarin, Arlington, Mayport, Southbank, Fernandina - I could go on forever.

The one downside is that downtown has yet to fulfull its promise. That's not to say that downtown is dead or crime infested, its not. There's more work to be done to make it a destination.

I have lived in Central and South Florida my whole life and every time I drive North on 95 I never stop in Jacksonville. I don't know why, but just never thought of a need to. What does it have that the lower part does not have already?

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by cjairo191

I have lived in Central and South Florida my whole life and every time I drive North on 95 I never stop in Jacksonville. I don't know why, but just never thought of a need to. What does it have that the lower part does not have already?

I was recently in the Fort Myers area, and to me, it feels similar to it, without the tropical vibe. It's a fine place, but nothing about it stands out. It's "just another town (yes I know it's a fairly large city, but it doesn't feel like one) in Florida..." with a nice riverfront. Nothing wrong with it, but your post sums it up... What does it have?

[Spartan Burger]

Originally Posted by cjairo191

I have lived in Central and South Florida my whole life and every time I drive North on 95 I never stop in Jacksonville. I don't know why, but just never thought of a need to. What does it have that the lower part does not have already?

I won't debate you on the the merits of south and central Florida. Both areas are great in many respects. I'd simply ask you to spend some time in Jacksonville. Find a neighborhood (recommend San Marco) to land - its just off I-95 south of downtown. Jax is too sprawling a city otherwise.

[gypsychic]

I agree with the majority here that Tampa (or the Tampa Bay area) is a better fit. As a native Floridian, nothing about Jax has ever appealed to me, it feels more like Georgia than Florida. Not necessarily a bad thing for many folks, but I like the more "Florida vibe" which to me is lacking in Jax. JMO of course.

[davephan]

Jacksonville, and the panhandle of Florida can get pretty cold in the wintertime! If you don’t like the cold winter weather, then you need to be at, or below the Tampa to Orlando latitude. Central Florida, such as around Orlando is hotter in the summertime and colder in the wintertime. One downside of Orlando is the toll roads are all over the place. We considered living in the Orlando area, but we’d probably have to spend at least a couple hundred dollars a month on toll roads there. The road congestion around Orlando is very annoying!

You might also consider areas south of the Tampa area, such as Bradenton / Lakewood Ranch / Sarasota. But your budget is probably a little low for the nice areas south of the Tampa Bay Area. If you’re working remotely, you should also consider areas that have decent high speed Internet service. We have 500 megs up and down, with no data caps. We could get 1,000 megs up snd down, up 500 megs is plenty of speed for us.