[Amanda63]

Hi Lisa,
Thanks for the link! My husband and I have been doing more and more research and Palm Coast is looking better everyday. We've thought about Gainesville before too, but we'd like to be a little closer to the ocean. We live on the Gulf side of Florida now, but the beaches just don't compare to the atlantic. I was surprised at the real estate prices in PC too. Thanks for link, I'm trying to get all the info I can on PC now.
[moderator CUT]

Hi Lisa,
Thanks again for the link! Everyone is SO friendly and welcoming on that board!! If you find any interesting info on PC will you let me know? I'm trying to get my hands on as much info as possible!

[Alaska-Florida]

Daedalo, thank you for that Gainesville analysis. I have done a lot of looking into as I said, and came to a similar conclusion, but it helps to get thoughts and opinions from other people as well. I'm so excited about moving there. I'll tell my mom what you said (she and my sister are moving there also). I guess education and community values in Florida are feasable, contrary to some beliefs.

Originally Posted by daedalo

Gainesville is a medium sized city with culture and a civic activity level not matched by most of the largest Florida Cities. Jacksonville is a cultural lightweight compared to Gainesville. Jacksonville's socioeconomic profile is lower level administrative and service-oriented. Gainesville has a socioeconomic-geographic profile closer to that of New England:

a high proportion of middle class college educated professionals with high voter participation living in small autonomous towns.

Of all Florida cities the sphere of communities around Gainesville and the city of Gainesville itself is the best Florida has to offer. Gainesville is more liberal politically but that reflects its socioeconomic profile which like I said is closer to New England than nearly any other mature community its size in Florida. When people with education and community values get together in Florida it results in a much different political and cultural map than the rest of this state.

[Mike98WS6]

Originally Posted by Amanda63

Hi Lisa,
Thanks for the link! My husband and I have been doing more and more research and Palm Coast is looking better everyday. We've thought about Gainesville before too, but we'd like to be a little closer to the ocean. We live on the Gulf side of Florida now, but the beaches just don't compare to the atlantic. I was surprised at the real estate prices in PC too. Thanks for link, I'm trying to get all the info I can on PC now.
[moderator CUT]

Hi Lisa,
Thanks again for the link! Everyone is SO friendly and welcoming on that board!! If you find any interesting info on PC will you let me know? I'm trying to get my hands on as much info as possible!

Sounds like Palm Coast is sounding like a place you'd like. I did a google search on it. I've reaserched a ton of info on it.

[LM1]

Originally Posted by daedalo

Jacksonville is a cultural lightweight compared to Gainesville.

Cite examples, if you would.

Jacksonville's socioeconomic profile is lower level administrative and service-oriented. Gainesville has a socioeconomic-geographic profile closer to that of New England:

Jacksonville:

Median resident age: 33.8 years
Median household income: $40,316 (year 2000)

Jacksonville Beach:

Median resident age: 38.4 years
Median household income: $46,922 (year 2000)

Gainesville: Median resident age: 26.4 years
Median household income: $28,164 (year 2000)

Them pesky facts strike again.... (and you ought to be thankful that Ponte Vedra doesn't have a profile).
The socio-economic profile of Gainesville isn't closer to that of "New England". It's closer to that of a "College Town", which can be reliably repeated and demonstrated across the entire country whenever the primary interest of a given town is that of a large College or University.

[moderator CUT]

[daedalo]

LM, you are right about the median household incomes. However, if you compare the median family incomes for Alachua and Duval counties you will find they are almost identical. The median household income is skewed in Gainesville due to an undeniably large population of students. The percentage of PHD's and college educated in Gainesville is of course higher, and that is why I found it in many respects a more progressive community than any other city in NE Florida. Being the venue of a large university helps, but the same cannot be said for Tallahassee, or Athens, GA. Gainesville has for nearly 30 years now been very progressive toward enhancing greenspace, bikeways and trails. The transit system in Gainesville is excellent, and is one of the few Florida cities liveable sans automobile. The analogy to New England has to do not so much with wealth but with its clear pride in the town, and with the education level of the community.

Also, I do not share your reverence for Ponte Vedra. Its uncontrolled growth has totally spoiled what was once a sleepy place. My parents had their honeymoon at the Ponte Vedra Club in 1944. For those on this board who want top notch dig$ without overdevelopment you should look to Amelia Island, St. Simons Island, and Sea Island. The median household income of the census tract covering the south end of Amelia is over $167k. I haven't looked at the tract covering Ponte Vedra, but it doesn't really matter. Ponte Vedra has been Mac-mansioned and condo-ed to death. It is now merely an ugly, congested, overdeveloped "address". But afterall, this is very consistent with the development values of the City of Jacksonville/Duval County.