"the ditch" in St Augustine

[kort677]

Originally Posted by norrodh

Thanks so much for that explanation, it really puts everything in perspective. It sounds like a nice city. I know it would be bigger than AH but your comparison was great if and when we want to look around. My husband has an opportunity to transfer with UPS down there so he would make what he makes in NJ. He did not go with us to Charlotte because the job fell through at the last minute so the children and I have been down here by ourselves and we love it but we do miss being near the water. We also want him to be close to us and we don't see it happening here in Charlotte. Charlotte is a great city but not a ton of things to do and the jobs are just not here like we thought they were going to be. This way he would not have to leave UPS if we went to Jacksonville. Again thanks for your reply. I will keep you updated on our decision.

norrod

Jax on his NJ salary, you'll be fine here

[rttampabay]

I am so confused about Palm Coast. I need some honest advice from someone about this area. My family currently lives in Riverview in the Tampa Bay Area. We moved here two years ago from Indiana. It is so expensive here we simply can not afford to live here anymore. We have been doing some research and drove to Palm Coast this past weekend. I really like St Augustine and would like to live close. The problem is finding my husband a job and finding a reasonable place to rent. Please send some info my way.

[kort677]

Originally Posted by rttampabay

I am so confused about Palm Coast. I need some honest advice from someone about this area. My family currently lives in Riverview in the Tampa Bay Area. We moved here two years ago from Indiana. It is so expensive here we simply can not afford to live here anymore. We have been doing some research and drove to Palm Coast this past weekend. I really like St Augustine and would like to live close. The problem is finding my husband a job and finding a reasonable place to rent. Please send some info my way.

go to the florida forum and do a forum search on Palm Coast, you'll find many views on the place.
Personally I checked the area out and it is ok, but it is way too remote for me to have considered.
Do not even consider moving there without getting a job first

[TOC]

Originally Posted by kort677

I've only been here since January, and I didn't grow up in AH, I moved there in '82, but I do know a lot of people who did grow up there.

Comparing Jax to AH is apples and oranges, Jax is a big city and AH is a tiny town, think bigger than Leonardo or AH and compare JAX to all of Monmouth, Jax is huge, bigger than Monmouth both in size and population.
So that is how you should compare the two places, in that regard they are very similar, the beach towns: Jax Beach is like Long Branch without the ghetto and Neptune and Atlantic beach are like Belmar or Bradley Beach without the bennys, Mayport is like Highlands, and where I am, Ponte Vedra Beach is a like a mix of Elberon, Deal, Spring Lake and Sea girt.
The southside would be like freehold around route 9. Then you got the west side which is like Asbury on steroids, stay away, and the northside would be like neptune twp with a dash of tinton falls. Downtown is like a big city, think Philly without people and then their are the areas close to downtown like arlington, think brooklyn NY, and there is san marco, san jose and the river neighborhoods, they a like a nicer citified area.
then there are the rural areas which are like what colts neck was 25 years ago.

All in all if you can swing a job here grab it, the cost of living can be much lower for housing, food can be expensive, other expenses are slightly lower.
Over all it is cheaper to live here than NJ.
I don't know much about KY but I don't think it can beat JAX, the people are friendly, the weather is good ( I haven't been through the summer, but I think I have a good idea of how hot it gets, and that is HOT! and HUMID), there's plenty to do, no state income tax, and as long as you remain savvy and avoid the evil types (which we have no shortage of) Jax can be a great place to live.
good luck and if you need any info, I'll try and help or some of the other experts are sure to chime in

wow what a good explanation...i'm from LBI, NJ and i'm thinking of moving down to NE Florida within the next couple of years so hearing some one give that type of comparison really helps.

my one concern is income. I work in financial services, ie investments, employee benefits, health insurance, life insurance, etc. i am only 25 so i'm really just starting out so the switch in income cant be that huge since i'm currently not making a ton of money. i think i'll be fine as everyone always needs financial advice and i have a long time to build my business.

in your opinion since you know NJ, would some one like myself, from lbi area who is some what laid back and hates temperatures under 50(haha), and is a young professional, find NE florida to be a comfortable transition? i am almost positive i'll love it and that i'll also have to problem with my career...but hearing an opinion from someone who has also lived in NJ would be nice. Thanks in advance!

[kort677]

Originally Posted by TOC

wow what a good explanation...i'm from LBI, NJ and i'm thinking of moving down to NE Florida within the next couple of years so hearing some one give that type of comparison really helps.

my one concern is income. I work in financial services, ie investments, employee benefits, health insurance, life insurance, etc. i am only 25 so i'm really just starting out so the switch in income cant be that huge since i'm currently not making a ton of money. i think i'll be fine as everyone always needs financial advice and i have a long time to build my business.

in your opinion since you know NJ, would some one like myself, from lbi area who is some what laid back and hates temperatures under 50(haha), and is a young professional, find NE florida to be a comfortable transition? i am almost positive i'll love it and that i'll also have to problem with my career...but hearing an opinion from someone who has also lived in NJ would be nice. Thanks in advance!

since work is a 4 letter word to me, I don't know much about the job market here, I do know there are a lot of financial firms in the area, but I also hear
the pay is not all that great here. Many firms just have back office ops here and those jobs don't pay well.
The cost of housing is much less here so if you could swing living on less $$ JAX wouldn't be a bad choice

[nancyL]

Also chiming in with a thanks for the comparison of shore towns. Ive lived in NJ all my life and am planning a move to Jax next year. The area comparisons are just about the most perfect description/reassurance I could have found. Thank you so much!
Ive lived in Monmouth, Morris and Ocean counties so I could relate to all the places you described.
You've almost made it seem like home. grin.