Thinking about moving to FL from Cali (Jacksonville, Tampa: insurance, safe neighborhoods)

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by Robyn55

The general deal with Charleston and Savannah is they are small cities - affluent white centers (OP couldn't afford them) - poor African American communities surrounding - then kind of middle class people in the outer ring (the suburbs). I know some people who live in these cities - but they are basically professionals (doctors and college professors and the like). As bad as the pay is here - for most young people - I think Charleston and Savannah would be worse. Just a suspicion on my part - would be a good idea to check it out. Robyn

I was thinking the same thing. I also get the vibe that Savannah (and possibly Charleston) is the type of place where, outside of specific professions (doctor, nurse, lawyer), it's hard to get a job if you weren't born there. I have a friend who moved to New Orleans who had that problem. They wanted to know what high school he went to (even though he graduated from college). That was their code for eliminating non natives from their job applicants (This was before Katrina and the current recession).

Of course, the OP should find out for herself and not take my word for it. But that's one way in which the culture of the South is very different from CA.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by dspenc8888

I grew up in St. Petersburg, and it is a great place to live. Lots to do and not just older people. Living in Jax/St. Aug. now, I do sometimes miss St. Petersburg beaches. But Jax has a smaller town feel and isn't as crowded. Jax is about 10 years behind the St. Petersburg area in development, but we're getting there. The chance of hurricanes here seems less than St. Pete/Tampa area, otherwise summer heat is about the same, but seems Jax area has a little cooler winters. For jobs, it depends on what industry. Also, in St. Pete, it is spread out and for jobs you could find yourself having to commute to Clearwater or Tampa.

Yes, that's true. I have a friend in St. Pete who really hates that about the area. You have to drive everywhere and it is very spread out, making it tough to centrally locate yourself close to employment centers.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

I was thinking the same thing. I also get the vibe that Savannah (and possibly Charleston) is the type of place where, outside of specific professions (doctor, nurse, lawyer), it's hard to get a job if you weren't born there. I have a friend who moved to New Orleans who had that problem. They wanted to know what high school he went to (even though he graduated from college). That was their code for eliminating non natives from their job applicants (This was before Katrina and the current recession).

Of course, the OP should find out for herself and not take my word for it. But that's one way in which the culture of the South is very different from CA.

It's actually not a southern thing. More a local thing IMO. Worst problem a friend of mine had getting a job was in Hawaii (her husband was a native - she wasn't). Robyn

P.S. I see you're from San Jose. We had a really good trip to your neck of the woods a couple of years ago. Needed to do a mileage run - and it was less than $200/RT to San Jose. Lots to do/see and good eats as well. Robyn

[nicnacterry]

how is Middleburg, orange Park, crystal springs, argyle communities, are they a descent place to live

[nicnacterry]

do you know anything about Middleburg, orange park, argyle, crystal springs neighbor hood outside of jacksonville? are they safe neighborhoods? descent place to live?

[Robyn55]

Hi Nicnactery - Why don't you start a new thread instead of attaching your question to this one? And tell us a bit about yourself (will help people to gve you better information). Robyn

[eureka1]

Jacksonville has a lot to offer but the horrible traffic is a disincentive to taking advantage of what there is,since the city is spread out like LA..Also,the weather is either too hot or too cold (December on) for my taste. You MUST come visit before making a decision. Good luck!

[abvavgjoe]

Jacksonville has a lot to offer but the horrible traffic is a disincentive to taking advantage of what there is,since the city is spread out like LA..

Bad example. People in LA fantasize about traffic like Jacksonville. Compared to LA and the surrounding metropolitan area, Jacksonville is an overgrown bus stop.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by abvavgjoe

Bad example. People in LA fantasize about traffic like Jacksonville. Compared to LA and the surrounding metropolitan area, Jacksonville is an overgrown bus stop.

Agreed. We were in Los Angeles about 10 months ago. A bad day here looks like a dream for people who live in Los Angeles (except perhaps when a major highway like I-95 is shut down due to a major accident). Robyn

[joninclay]

Temecula is BEAUTIFUL! If I were inclined to live in CA (which I'm not, but IF I were...), Temecula would be my choice.

That said, I think you see here that there is no shortage of opinions about Jax. I love it here, some folks don't, and I guess that's to be expected. To answer your questions:

Can you please tell me what the main differences are between Jacksonville, St Petersburg, and Boca Raton?

I can't speak much for St. Pete, since I've only been there once. Boca is expensive compared to Jax, and the city consists mainly of northeastern and New England transplants (whether good, bad, or indifferent is a matter of opinion). Jax has more of a "Southern" feel as a whole, though it doesn't necessarily define the whole city or its suburbs. Jax is much less expensive than Boca. Boca has nice beaches. Pros and cons on both sides.

Can you tell me a little more the weather and natural disasters? How dangerous is the tornados/hurricanes there? Is it worth not living there??

Jax had a hurricane in the 1960's, then didn't have any again until 2004 (and it was a Category 1, the weakest). We had a tropical storm last year, too. In other words, we seldom get hurricanes and tropical storms here. South FL (Boca, Miami, the Keys, etc.) gets them much more frequently than North FL. We seldom get tornados here, either. And of course, we're not on a fault line, so we get no earthquakes.

How is your unemployment rate? How hard is it to find jobs in this area? Just average wage jobs?

The economy s#cks everywhere, and Jax is no different. All in all, it depends on what kind of job and in what industry you seek.

Good luck!