Reloacting- many questions! (Jacksonville, Ormond Beach, St. Augustine: apartment complexes, rentals, condos)

[Karmalife]

My family and I are relocating from PA in less than a month and are unable to come down to visit the area before our big move. I have several questions and would appreciate any and all input.

The facts: We have 2 small children (under 5) and are looking to rent a home, in the $1350 price range. We would like something newer and something spacious, 3-4 bedroom, single family home. Looking for something built in the last 20 years.

My husband's work is off of San Jose Blvd, near Arrowhead. My initial thought was to stay close to his work to make his commute easier as I have heard horror stories about local traffic. We like the Mandarin and surrounding areas but it looks like our housing options are a bit limited.

Are there other areas you would recommend? We looked into Orange Park but have heard conflicting things about that area as well. Would St. Augustine be too much of a hike?

Thank you for your help!

[02blackgt]

St. Augustine would be a ridiculous commute to do 5 days a week honestly. I would expand your search into the baymeadows and gate area. $1350 is probably not going to be enough for a new home with that many bedrooms though in any of these areas.

[ARodinJax]

If you are flexible on the age of the home, you can find something in that area for that price range from the 80's. I would absolutely stay in Mandarin and avoid the commute. It's a nice part of town. I sent you a message.

[JacksonvilleNative]

Orange Park is not an option because of the commute over The Buckman Bridge. Not something you want to get into.

Stay in Mandarin or the Town Center/ Baymeadows area.

Also farther north on San Jose toward the Jewish Community Alliance might be an option. Older houses but very well kept. Not sure about rents though.

[differentworld]

Hi:
I just went through this with my son who relocated in June. If you go to realtor dot com and put in 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and max rent of $1350.00 you will find 42 rentals, some condos, townhomes with garages and of course single family.
I do agree with other posts, southside and bay meadows are very convenient. My son liked the southside and town center area. Travelling east and west is real easy. He wanted to avoid the rail road tracks that run north south along I95.
He also wanted to go the opposite way of trafic.
We searched by zip codes, 32216 is southside, 32256 is around the town center 32217 is in the area of his work.
Good luck

[JaxLover07]

We moved to Jacksonville (Jax) from Ormond Beach/Daytona area about a year ago. We had moved from Portland, OR to Ormond Beach prior to our Jax move. However, we found the Daytona area to be too small townish for our tastes. We initially looked at new homes in Mandarin. Mandarin advantages include close to Organic food stores and areas to the south of town like St. Augustine, etc. Schools were not a consideration for us. We ended up in the Southside/Tinsel Town area off Touchton Rd. The attraction for us closeness to the St. Johns Towncenter (love hanging out there), Butler Blvd. for quick access to the beach, minutes too downtown, and pockets of new home communities being built . The Jax downtown area needs some improving in terms of accessibility and attractiveness, but I think the next 10 years will bring a lot of improvements there. As far as the St. Johns Town center, the growth there is AMAZING! Restaurants, Shopping, a new hotel, apartment complexes, etc. Coming from the west coast, homes are very affordable here and the cost of living is low. Also coming from Portland the weather here is great. Winters are short to almost non existent (so far). Being a lover of warm weather, the hot, humid summers were easy for me too adapt too.
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[Turbogyrl]

Suggest staying in Mandarin if you possibly can. Great shopping off of San Jose, and its just a great central area. zip code: 32223

We were not fans of the Baymeadows area.