Is Jacksonville really this affluent now? (Miami: condo, how much, house)

[jsimms3]

LoL I dropped one name that isn't exactly news to anyone who watches ESPN, watches the local news, or lives in the community in which he moved to and reads the neighborhood publication. He was a bad example of someone who receives no press as he is somewhat of a celebrity, but I was just trying to point out that people have this opinion that Jacksonville is so backwoods and impoverished and why would anyone move here, but in reality our per capita income is the highest of all major metros in the state and was even higher than Charlotte's and Atlanta's last year, though I don't know about this year. We also have a more highly educated population than every other major metro in FL with the exception of Palm Beach, if you go by bachelor's degrees, graduate degrees, and number of adult nonfiction book sales. Basically, we are a big secret that only people who live here know about. And big deal dropping one name when maybe 100 people are going to see it...

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by CanesFan81

I moved down here from Miami about a year ago and I am taken back by how many Range Rovers, Mercedes S550s and BMW 7 Series I see roaming the streets here every day. I mean its as if these cars are as common as Honda Civics here(Just like Miami). When did this type of culture hit Jacksonville? When I visited 10 years ago it was full of pickup trucks. I know Jacksonville is a developing city, but have incomes increased that much as to where I'm seeing luxury cars, Starbucks, and upscale neighborhood developments in abundance everyday? If so, looks like I need to change occupations! What do you guys think about this?

Right up my alley. I say blame the internet, the ocean & the weather. The only state that really rivals Florida is Cali...RIch people like water, Jax has plenty of that. Jax has a lot of blackwater that is in a weird way becoming attractive. Miami has Blue water, Tampa has greenish blue water & jax has the black water, kinda swapy but flowing. Also in time people upgrade their style & modernize. A small minority of people are thinking progressively & globally, making them more competitive natuarally. I love competition, these thinkers feel the same way. Ever see old pictures (70s 80s) of women in Jax they all look like Daisy Duke or some gal from Hee Haw, now the women look more like Carrie Bradshaw & crew. Still southern bells, but the diva is coming through & I support that change. I always check for how the women look in any city I visit. Women, Automobiles, Fashion, Buildings, etc of course you will find those that can careless on how the world around them looks. In a progressive city visuals are important.

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by KerryB

Nah, like a lot of Florida, you'll probably seeing some "fake wealth" being thrown around here these days. We're just late to the poser party.

Anyways, I never usually equate expensive cars & big houses with true wealth. Usually means big car loans & big mortgages.

KerryB....why you sound Jealous....its just material...if someone wants to ruin their credit...let em.

[FlyiMetro]

Simms I like you man, but hate your takes on this topic lol....sooooo conservative. A lot of what you say is true, people do hide their wealth in Jax, Especially those Ortega people. When I drove taxi cabs those Ortega fares were very interesting. I bet no one would think people in Ortega or Mandarin used taxi cabs...but they did. Houses were MASSIVE..cars regular never flashy. They went to Jax Beach or JIA, I had one group of girls/women use me whole night to party hop. They said they liked me because my cab was clean & I played good music (95.1)...I made like 400 that night just driving those 3 rich girls around the city from bar to bar. And were not ugly chicks either, one was a lil chubby, but Id poke her. I never worked PVB area, but I assume they have the same types of people as Ortega or Mandarin....maybe not. Where is Robyn?

[BabyBoomers2]

We've seen numerous "Beemers", Jags, Lexus since we moved here a couple of years ago. More than we ever seen in the Charlotte, NC and Denver, CO areas! We aren't rich by any meaning of the word "rich", but we do have two vehicles and a boat. But, we live in an apartment. Our vehicles are a '97 RAM truck and an '05 Durango and the boat is a '92. Those years sure wouldn't make us "rich folks" by any means.
There is definitely "money" in the Jax area and that doesn't bother us at all.

[fsquid]

I'm surprised Cower is here. I know he has a home in Raleigh and Bald Head Island in NC. Maybe he got tired of those taxes too?

[JBtwinz]

With his wife's passing, he might have wanted a little change.

[KerryB]

Originally Posted by FlyiMetro

KerryB....why you sound Jealous....its just material...if someone wants to ruin their credit...let em.

Yeah man, you got me, I'm super jelous & want nothing more than to drive a big expensive ride & live in a McMansion. My life would be so complete, mmm.

Actually dude since you brought it up, I'm the exact opposite & a minimalist. I think our 1500sf house is too big. Hell, I don't even want A car, let alone the two we have. But nice try.

[Ryde41]

Driving an expensive ride is overrated. The owners have to park miles away from stores to hide from people that sling open their doors and mindlessly dent cars. Also, the dangers of the occasional mother carrying an infant in her arms who sees nothing wrong with pushing her cart right into your vehicle so her cart won't roll away. ~Defense! Defense! ~ lol.
No, I don't drive one of those cars. Just an observation.

[LookinForMayberry]

We were there in early 2009 and like almost every other area we visited it seemed to have a few very nice areas, and a lot of other not so nice areas. There are worse places in the country, and nicer, but it didn't really stand out one way or the other.