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Old 07-22-2014, 02:56 PM
 
17 posts, read 23,916 times
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Hi. My family and I are looking to relocate to the JAX area in 2015. Husband and I are in our early 50s and my 78 yr old mom lives with us. We are looking to spend between $400 and $600k. We are looking to avoid 'city life' while still being somewhat close to shopping, sporting events, beach, fresh air concerts, and good restaurants. We very much enjoy Amelia Island Plantation, but are wondering if we can find the same atmosphere closer to JAX and with more bang for our buck. Please share your local insight. Thanks.
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Old 07-22-2014, 05:10 PM
 
Location: Nokomis Fl
1,008 posts, read 2,635,679 times
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You sound a perfect fit for a home in Nocatee
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Old 07-22-2014, 07:03 PM
 
Location: Jacksonville, FL
3,528 posts, read 8,280,641 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jobal View Post
Hi. My family and I are looking to relocate to the JAX area in 2015. Husband and I are in our early 50s and my 78 yr old mom lives with us. We are looking to spend between $400 and $600k. We are looking to avoid 'city life' while still being somewhat close to shopping, sporting events, beach, fresh air concerts, and good restaurants. We very much enjoy Amelia Island Plantation, but are wondering if we can find the same atmosphere closer to JAX and with more bang for our buck. Please share your local insight. Thanks.
Avondale & San Marco are (mostly) upscale neighborhoods with probably the best combination of local unique restaurants and shopping in the city.

They're also close enough to the Downtown sporting events, concerts, etc to enjoy a very easy drive.

Very walkable/bikeable with lots of parks and character.

Check out www.riverside-avondale.com (Avondale is half of the Riverside & Avondale historic district)




And www.mysanmarco.com and www.smpsjax.com




Both neighborhoods are extremely popular and hold their value exceptionally well. Pretty much everyone loves them. : )
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Old 07-22-2014, 08:03 PM
 
Location: Ponte Vedra Beach FL
14,617 posts, read 21,496,591 times
Reputation: 6794
Quote:
Originally Posted by jobal View Post
Hi. My family and I are looking to relocate to the JAX area in 2015. Husband and I are in our early 50s and my 78 yr old mom lives with us. We are looking to spend between $400 and $600k. We are looking to avoid 'city life' while still being somewhat close to shopping, sporting events, beach, fresh air concerts, and good restaurants. We very much enjoy Amelia Island Plantation, but are wondering if we can find the same atmosphere closer to JAX and with more bang for our buck. Please share your local insight. Thanks.
What didn't you like about Orlando? And what do you think dear old mom will do here? What would you like to do here for that matter? Robyn
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Old 07-22-2014, 08:08 PM
 
Location: Ponte Vedra Beach FL
14,617 posts, read 21,496,591 times
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Originally Posted by Peter the Brit View Post
You sound a perfect fit for a home in Nocatee
78 year old mom in Nocatee? Sure (rolling eyes). And I appreciate fsu's message about every bit as much as yours. One size doesn't fit all anywhere.

These people moved to Orlando about 3 years ago - and apparently don't like it. Why not - and what are they looking for here?

FWIW - my father lives in a pretty decent senior place in JAX - the Carriage Club. Think Mom might like it a lot more than living in Nocatee or near downtown JAX. Robyn
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Old 07-23-2014, 05:20 AM
 
17 posts, read 23,916 times
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Moving to Jacksonville because work is requesting it. What do we like about Orlando? We like that it is centrally located (family, airport). We like that we are so close to activities, but in Lake Nona (where our house is), it is also less populated and we don't feel like we are in the city... What don't we like about Orlando? We don't like the crime, heavy traffic, and sometimes the noise (we are close to airport). We like going to all the surrounding parks (nature and amusement), we like walking around at Disney and seeing the fireworks, eating out... Not big on chain restaurants, like local things... Hope that helps. Mom likes to shop and get together with friends (hopefully new ones!) and go to the beach.
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Old 07-23-2014, 07:09 AM
 
Location: Ponte Vedra Beach FL
14,617 posts, read 21,496,591 times
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Where will the job in JAX be? The metro area is very large. And - although our traffic isn't anywhere near as bad as you'll find in a lot of the Orlando metro area - you can wind up with some pretty long (miserable) commutes if you work "here" and live "there".

What will work out for you may not work out for your mom. I'm older than you are. And have gone through the aging/death of parents. IMO - age 80 or so is usually the dividing line between "junior" seniors (who tend to be healthier and more active) and "senior" seniors (who have more limitations). Unlike a lot of Florida - we have pretty normal age demographics here. IOW - fewer seniors than you'll find elsewhere. Also - people your mother's age (give or take perhaps 5 years or so) are often transitioning between living in their own single family houses and moving to more "senior friendly" places.

When it comes to shopping - the center of that here these days is the Town Center area (a little north of Butler Blvd. near Gate Parkway). The easiest beach access points are in JAX Beach. There isn't much in the way of beach access in other places (Atlantic Beach/Neptune Beach/Ponte Vedra Beach) that isn't overcrowded on summer weekends. But it's usually ok at other times.

In terms of making friends - that can be hard for seniors. Have you looked into any kind of senior residential places? Also - seniors can make friends through things like churches - community activities - etc. My father has made some friends as a result of taking courses at OLLI at UNF - near the Town Center (UNF - Continuing Education - OLLI Homepage).

But - overall - it's going to be challenging. FWIW - where I live - my husband and I (late 60's) are the oldest people on our block. And the parents of many of our newer neighbors are about our age - or even younger than we are. The same is going to be true in a lot of other neighborhoods here. And - I don't see many parents living with children. OTOH - we do have senior residential facilities in the area - a senior center - etc. here. And we're reasonably close to the beach - shopping - etc. (golf too - important for us - not for your mom). So our area works for us. Might not work for you.

Note that it's not especially easy to get good primary care physicians here if you're on Medicare. That may be something else to throw into the equation.

I'm not sure you'll get more/much more bang for the buck than you'll find on Amelia Island these days in most parts of the metro area. The real estate market - although not in a pre-bust frenzy yet - certainly isn't in the doldrums anymore. Robyn

P.S. You didn't mention schools. Perhaps you don't have children (or any children you have have already graduated from high school).
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Old 07-24-2014, 04:33 AM
 
17 posts, read 23,916 times
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Robyn55, thank you very much for the information you provided! I'm surprised about the lack of good primary care physicians accepting Medicare. That is really disappointing. I think I will be working at a downtown location - North Laura St. No kids at home... graduated and married... Mom has no interest at this time of living in a senior residence...
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Old 07-24-2014, 06:42 AM
 
Location: Ponte Vedra Beach FL
14,617 posts, read 21,496,591 times
Reputation: 6794
In terms of working downtown - I'd probably venture as far east as the beaches - and as far south as parts of Southside. I'd also look at the areas fsu813 mentioned - and I'd add Riverside as well (although they're less convenient to the beach and shopping).

Also note that Duval County has much better public transportation than St. Johns County. Although it's far from excellent. As your mother gets older - driving may become an issue.

The shortage of Medicare PCPs is pretty much a national problem - not only a local one. Also forgot to mention that you definitely want traditional Medicare here with an excellent Medigap supplement - not Medicare Advantage. Don't know what your mother has in Orlando. FWIW - Medigap supplements cost about 30-40% less here than they do in south Florida (and I'm pretty sure Orlando is part of the "south Florida" rating area). Robyn
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