Jacksonville Problem (Miami, Tampa, Clearwater: countertops, condo, mortgage)

[NuName]

Originally Posted by riveree

I'd be curious to see if he follows through. I adore Boston, but I think it's easier to move from Boston to Jax than it would be to move from Jax to Boston. Housing, career, taxes, weather - all these things are a greater struggle in Boston than they are in Jax.

Absolutely, not that Jax is a quiet and rural town, but it does have some southernness to it, a lot actually, and I just cant see how someone from N FL could move up to Boston

[fastninja500]

As I replied to Lawstudent's DM, (whose opinions I higly respect, by the way): be careful what you wish for - You plan for growth, the MILLIONS will come. You're already getting a little taste of this growth: higher cost of living, traffic congestion, etc...

It depends on what the Jacksonville citizens want: to grow into a major, first-tier city ? Or to remain a relatively laid back, southern town? Both have their pros and cons.

I'm sure there are a lot of people in Jacksonville who want to pursue first-tier city status and all that entails.

Me, I picked Jacksonville for the great weather, the beaches, its friendly people, a more relaxed and stress-free life, a very nice job situation, and potentially, an even more promising future. Not necessarily in that order.

If I need a fix for the big-city-life, I head for Jacksonville's quaint, little uncrowded airport and fly to NYC, Chicago or Washington DC. A few days or a week later, I find that I can't wait to get back to Jacksonville.

Some say that growth and overpopulation is inevitable in Jacksonville. That I am deluding myself it won't happen. Well, if it does happen, I guess I have another search-n-relocation in my future for that quiet, laid back, "big little city", with great weather and friendly people.

Boy, I can't wait to see Jacksonville grow into a big city like NYC, Miami, Orlando . Or, since it so geographically similar, even Los Angeles ?! Think of all the freeways. Or San Francisco, with our own BART-like mass transit system.

Lawstudent and I respectfully disagree with each other. That's okay. That's American. And like most everyone here, I look forward to his other posts.

Man, can you believe this great weather?! I gotta get back out there. Have another great weekend everyone!

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by jwolfer

I looked at Jacksonville as Los Angeles would have been over 50 years ago: spread out, sparsely populated, good-potentially-great beaches, with still a lot of space and relatively cheap land in the outskirts of the city.



I talked to a guy at a gas station one time. He grew up in Los Angeles. He said the same thing. Jax reminds him of LA back in the 1960s. When I was at University of North Florida in the early 1990s I had some friends from Miami and and Orlando. They liked Jacksonville better. Orlando was build around Disney and filled with tourists. The guys from Miami said when Jax fills up it will be crazier than Miami. ( that being a good thing.)

There may not be the same number of clubs and bars in Jax like in Orlando but what we have here is genuine and real not glomming of tourists from elsewhere

I actually like the tourists. I've lived the majority of my time in FL on the SW Coast, and I really enjoyed the tourists. Albeit, the driving scene sucked when they were here, but it was nice to see all the people clammering to be in "my town". It generates tons of revenue, and always felt alive with hustle and bustle of people happy to be away from their "non-vacation" mundane lives. Just MO. I miss them.

[rtt]

The family who're thinking of moving for Boston aren't all from here. She is, but he was raised in the midwest and went to college in Mass. He has a different perspective.

[agreatlife]

I moved here, not because of anything about Jax, but because of the AT&T Universal Card (relocation)!

Having said that, I was so pleasantly surprised at the beaches, at the affordability of housing, at the great weather (well, ok, so the summers are kind of LONG!), and all this water everywhere! Yup, I thought the St Johns River was quite cool.

And really, that's why a lot of folk move here - relocation. And if that's the case, then I think that folks just need to look for the things that will make them happy.

So happy.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by jwolfer

I looked at Jacksonville as Los Angeles would have been over 50 years ago: spread out, sparsely populated, good-potentially-great beaches, with still a lot of space and relatively cheap land in the outskirts of the city.


I talked to a guy at a gas station one time. He grew up in Los Angeles. He said the same thing. Jax reminds him of LA back in the 1960s....

That's much of what I mean when I say that Jacksonville is a city of the future.

Years back, someone (it might have been the economist Richard Florida? ) summed up today's Florida as being the 'California of the 1970's'.

Is it so bad being here before the city has reached its' potential? I don't think so.

[cbatte10]

Jacksonville has many nice qualities. The weather is not quite as humid as New Orleans, the people seem to be laid back, the beach is a nice place to be in summer or winter. There are bands around the city and on the beach. I do not think that a city needs "something to identify with" as a whole in order to be considered a nice city. It definitely is a family city. I guess it all depends on where your focus is.

[jwolfer]

..... remember JAX started out named Cowford. That's when the St. John's river was shallow enough for cows to walk across it at low tide. Check me out on this if you don't believe it.[/quote]


Being a Transportation or distribution point is how most cities start. NYC had a good harbor, Atlanta was originally called Terminus because thats where the railroad ended, London and Paris began and river side trading posts essentially.

[jwolfer]

Originally Posted by LewLew

I actually like the tourists. I've lived the majority of my time in FL on the SW Coast, and I really enjoyed the tourists. Albeit, the driving scene sucked when they were here, but it was nice to see all the people clammering to be in "my town". It generates tons of revenue, and always felt alive with hustle and bustle of people happy to be away from their "non-vacation" mundane lives. Just MO. I miss them.

Tourists are not bad. It can be fun mingling with people from all over the world ( i.e. Orlando). The point I am making is what we have here in Jacksonville is organic and homegrown(not quite cripee). In touristy areas the clubs/bars seem a bit "fake" or over-done. I was able to go to Mardi Gras a few years ago and we stayed w a New Orleans resident and native. She showed us a real neat, non-tourist Mardi Gras experience beyond the French Quarter

[riveree]

Originally Posted by jwolfer

..... remember JAX started out named Cowford. That's when the St. John's river was shallow enough for cows to walk across it at low tide. Check me out on this if you don't believe it.

[/quote]


I knew we were Cowford, but never researched the source of the name...cool, thanks!