JAX - hell for single professionals? (Jacksonville, Orlando: rental car, transplants, rental)

[robertpolyglot]

Wow, there are concurrent threads for redneck and tolerant. That doesn't look very forward thinking.

I went there on a JAX/Panhandle/ATL vacation several years ago. I stayed in Baymeadows. I had a rental car. On the map, the layout looks really cool, with beaches on both sides of the Dames Inlet ... Fernandina to the north, and Neptune/Jax/Ponte Vedra to the south. The only inland neighborhood I liked was Mandarin, and San Marco was kind of established. The downtown looked sleepy and there were many empty lots.

People were really, really friendly. Mostly, I ran into northern transplants among the non-natives. I wound up meeting two people from San Diego, of all places, probably because of the military thing, at a store and at a car dealership. They said that it was nice living there, but it was really "Southern," verbatim. They also warned about the Westside being hit and miss.

At any rate, I couldn't see JAX as having any kind of quantity of "discerning" singles. I would imagine it's a place people move to and move out of, for that reason. Am I about right? A big sprawling southern city in coastal Florida with a smaller white collar base?

[FlyiMetro]

Most cities have that revolving door effect, it really depends on the seeds that get planted. The Navy is probably the biggest family importer for Duval. Orlando seems. To get the areas college kids especially the two schools in Tallahassee. UF kids mostly move to Jax or orlando evenly. It depends on the jobs for them I guess.

[fsu813]

Originally Posted by robertpolyglot

Wow, there are concurrent threads for redneck and tolerant. That doesn't look very forward thinking.

I went there on a JAX/Panhandle/ATL vacation several years ago. I stayed in Baymeadows. I had a rental car. On the map, the layout looks really cool, with beaches on both sides of the Dames Inlet ... Fernandina to the north, and Neptune/Jax/Ponte Vedra to the south. The only inland neighborhood I liked was Mandarin, and San Marco was kind of established. The downtown looked sleepy and there were many empty lots.

People were really, really friendly. Mostly, I ran into northern transplants among the non-natives. I wound up meeting two people from San Diego, of all places, probably because of the military thing, at a store and at a car dealership. They said that it was nice living there, but it was really "Southern," verbatim. They also warned about the Westside being hit and miss.

At any rate, I couldn't see JAX as having any kind of quantity of "discerning" singles. I would imagine it's a place people move to and move out of, for that reason. Am I about right? A big sprawling southern city in coastal Florida with a smaller white collar base?

Young professionals flock to a few hubs...not Mandarin, that's for sure.

- The Beaches
- Downtown & the historic neighborhoods surronding it (Riverside, Avondale, Springfield, & San Marco)
- St. Johns Towncenter

That's where the critical mass is, anywhere else....not so much.

[robertpolyglot]

Originally Posted by fsu813

Young professionals flock to a few hubs...not Mandarin, that's for sure.

- The Beaches
- Downtown & the historic neighborhoods surronding it (Riverside, Avondale, Springfield, & San Marco)
- St. Johns Towncenter

That's where the critical mass is, anywhere else....not so much.

Is "Five Points" one of those neighborhoods? I remember a nice Starbucks there.
Whereabouts is St. John's Towncenter?

But lastly, do those who transplant from another area find it ok, or is being single there more doable for regional folks who wouldn't be caught in any "culture shock?"

Thanks.

[fsu813]

Five Points is a small commercial district in Riverside.

SJTC is a big mall shopping complex with restaurants in the burbs.

I don't really think it matters where you are from when trying to meet people. It's all English.

[projectmaximus]

Originally Posted by robertpolyglot

Is "Five Points" one of those neighborhoods? I remember a nice Starbucks there.
Whereabouts is St. John's Towncenter?

But lastly, do those who transplant from another area find it ok, or is being single there more doable for regional folks who wouldn't be caught in any "culture shock?"

Thanks.

I can't speak to how transplants should feel, but I think it's pretty much ok for young professionals. This city will never be confused with the largest and most urban areas, but for a little over 1 million pop in the metro area it's what you'd expect. I think the hardest issue to adapt to is that everything is spread out. The aforementioned hubs for young professionals (Jax Beach, urban core, and SJTC) would make for a more than decent and lively district if they were close to each other. Instead, you have to pick and choose, and these distinct neighborhoods lends itself to each one being a bit too insular.

For what it's worth, I returned to Jax after a handful of years away at a major college town and a major city, and while Jax was a major adjustment the transition was much better than expected.

[cricketfan]

Originally Posted by robertpolyglot

Wow, there are concurrent threads for redneck and tolerant. That doesn't look very forward thinking.

I certainly don't want to start another thread on "redneck" or "intolerant" but I gotta tell ya, if you follow these threads and come away with the impression that every opinion reflects the truth about Jacksonville and that the whole population is not "very forward thinking" then you are not that smart. Topics like these bring out the worst in some people who hide behind their screen names to spew their hate speech and poison. The funny thing is I have noticed that most of those people don't even live in Jacksonville and by now we have gotten to know who they are.

[madcapmagishion]

Originally Posted by cricketfan

I certainly don't want to start another thread on "redneck" or "intolerant" but I gotta tell ya, if you follow these threads and come away with the impression that every opinion reflects the truth about Jacksonville and that the whole population is not "very forward thinking" then you are not that smart. Topics like these bring out the worst in some people who hide behind their screen names to spew their hate speech and poison. The funny thing is I have noticed that most of those people don't even live in Jacksonville and by now we have gotten to know who they are.

Well stated!

[Parkerclassof72]

Originally Posted by madcapmagishion

Well stated!

Ditto

[fsquid]

yup