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Old 02-20-2008, 04:12 PM
 
Location: Northern Florida
27 posts, read 152,266 times
Reputation: 27

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Hello Jax Locals! I'm moving to town in the next year from Norfolk, VA. I have +/- 350k to spend on a home. What are pros and cons to FIP/Eagle Harbor in Orange Park compared to Mandarin in Duval?

Important things to me: school for 8 yr old, commute to large potential employers (I'm in the IT field), proximity to restaurants (more than the average chain-food types), proximity to parks for biking, walking... pools.

Please confirm or deny: land lots are typically larger in Mandarin. Taxes appear to be less in Mandarin. Schools rate about the same. How else should I compare these two locales?
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Old 02-20-2008, 04:55 PM
 
Location: Deerwood
725 posts, read 2,560,514 times
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You picked two good choices. I visited Fleming Island High School recently. It's a really nice school. Mandarin is nice too.
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Old 02-20-2008, 07:09 PM
 
Location: Beautiful place in Virginia
2,679 posts, read 11,696,094 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LibertyCedar View Post
Hello Jax Locals! I'm moving to town in the next year from Norfolk, VA. I have +/- 350k to spend on a home. What are pros and cons to FIP/Eagle Harbor in Orange Park compared to Mandarin in Duval?

Important things to me: school for 8 yr old, commute to large potential employers (I'm in the IT field), proximity to restaurants (more than the average chain-food types), proximity to parks for biking, walking... pools.

Please confirm or deny: land lots are typically larger in Mandarin. Taxes appear to be less in Mandarin. Schools rate about the same. How else should I compare these two locales?
What type of house are you planning to buy?

I live in FIP. A lot of the houses are relatively newer (<6 to 8 years by my estimate). The schools are excellent. Your child would attend Thunderbolt Elementary which is very good. We are part of Clay County. To me, the cost of electricity seems higher but water/sewage seems cheaper than Duval. There is a bike path from FIP that leads to a park. Pools are a party of FIP and Eagle Harbor. Both FIP and Eagle Harbor have CDD fees - to factor into the cost of your annual expenses.

Mandarin has a lot of restaurants nearby - as well as shopping. There are a lot of older houses.

Most of the employers are in Duval County.
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Old 02-20-2008, 09:56 PM
 
Location: Northern Florida
27 posts, read 152,266 times
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Regarding type of house... 3 or 4 bedroom iw/2 bath is all we need. I do not want to really reach out my kitchen window and touch the neighbors however. I know some of the lots in FIP can be mighty snug. But I'm trying to weigh the trade off for the "planned community" environment.

So commuting out of Orange Park has not impacted your lifestyle...? Is it true that Thunderbolt already has a crowding issue. Are there still portable classrooms on the property? What about FI Elementary?
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Old 02-21-2008, 12:47 AM
 
Location: St. Augustine FL
1,641 posts, read 5,008,500 times
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Not all lots in Mandarin are larger, it just depends on the neighborhood. Also keep in mind that larger lots in general go with slightly older homes, so you'll want to factor that in as well. You can get a very nice 4/2 in Mandarin for $350K. You won't have CDD fees unless you move into Bartram Springs - but I believe the lots in BS will be too small for you. There are several parks in Mandarin, and two very large ones, one off of Mandarin Rd., and another off of Hood Rd.
Good luck with your move.
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Old 02-21-2008, 05:25 AM
 
Location: Black Hammock Island
4,620 posts, read 14,914,985 times
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Both areas are great to consider. To help you choose, it would be my advice to base your choice on your commute. Presuming the job will be somewhere in Duval, if you chose Fleming Island, you'd have to deal with I-295's Buckman Bridge and Rt 17 which can be thick during rush hour. For us, we don't mind -- it's not that bad. But for others it's a commute that's not fun. All depends on your personal preference.

As for living on small lots, I laugh because that was one of the things we told our real estate agent - no lots in which we could reach our arm out a window and pass a cup of sugar to our neighbors through their windows. But funny enough, that's what we ended up choosing! The trade-off was worth it. We really like the planned community thing - lots to do, many people (adults and kids on bikes or walking dogs) always out and about, great relationships with neighbors, less yard for yard work but enough to stretch out in. We have our privacy on our back patio, but of course the rest of the yard is in full view of our neighbors. However, we quickly got used to that and don't mind it at all. (We came from a rural neighborhood in PA and had over an acre of land, so this lot is the opposite!)

Houses properly sited on small lots can be livable. You will find lots that back up to other's backyards and that didn't feel comfortable for us, so we choose a house that backs up to the driving range with a line of trees inbetween us and it. Other small lots back up to preservation areas, and others sit on ponds. These things make the yards feel bigger.
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Old 02-21-2008, 05:25 AM
 
Location: NE Florida
17,833 posts, read 33,009,688 times
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LibertyCedar
A early welcome to Jax
Another area you might want to look at is just down a bit from Mandarin in Fruit Cove which would be St Johns County schools. My husbands boss lives there the homes were probably built in the late 80's early 90s and the lots are close to an acre.
I don't remember the name of the neighborhood but can ask if you want.
She would commute from there to downtown everyday. I can also ask what her commute times were.
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Old 02-21-2008, 07:10 AM
 
Location: St. Augustine FL
1,641 posts, read 5,008,500 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mawipafl View Post
Houses properly sited on small lots can be livable. You will find lots that back up to other's backyards and that didn't feel comfortable for us, so we choose a house that backs up to the driving range with a line of trees inbetween us and it. Other small lots back up to preservation areas, and others sit on ponds. These things make the yards feel bigger.
That's a good point. And Fleming Island seems to have done a very good job trying to maximize conservation areas in it's many subdivisions. It is a nice nice area, and I agree, the commute may or may not be a factor.
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Old 02-21-2008, 08:28 AM
 
Location: Middleburg, FL
754 posts, read 2,803,041 times
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Fleming Island is a great location. It may not be for everyone, but I sure like it a lot.

Lots of bike paths, jogging paths, nature, golf course, etc. Great schools, especially for an 8-year old (my kid is 9 and goes to Thunderbolt). There is a pool at the YMCA and a HUGE pool at Eagle Harbor Plantation. There may be others, too, but I know only of those two off the top of my head. Join the Y, and you'll have all kinds of activities, plus they have a Parents Night Out every other Friday from 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m., where you can drop your kid off and they'll provide food (usually pizza) and games while you and the Mrs. enjoy some quality time without the children!

As for restaurants:

Yes, there are chain restaurants: McD's, Wendy's, McAlister's Deli, Longhorn Steakhouse, IHOP, Steak N Shake, Chili's, TGIFriday's, Ruby Tuesday, Sonic, etc.

There are also chains that are here but probably not where you are: The Loop (Chicago-style pizza, plus sandwiches, burgers, salads, etc.), Mellow Mushroom Pizza, Larry's Giant Subs, Maggie Moo's ice cream, Kan-Ki Japanese Steakhouse, etc.

However, there are also non-chains available: Corky Bell's Seafood, Venice Pizza, Blu Grotto (Italian with a healthy flair), Kobi Japanese Steakhouse, Santioni's (Italian with a not-so-healthy flair), La Napolera (Mexican), Box Seats sports bar & grill, to name a few. There are also a couple of Chinese food joints (buffet and carry-out/delivery). In other words, no shortage of good food that will clog your arteries or send you into a diabetic coma! :-D

As for the commute, it definitely depends on where you work. It's a healthy drive to downtown Jax, especially if you get stuck in traffic on Hwy 17 (and if you live in Fleming Island, that's the way you'll go). It's also a healthy drive to the Southside, but not nearly as bad (unless you're stuck in that traffic, too, in which case it can be uncool). Me, I work on the Westside (Cecil Field), so I'm lucky in that the traffic is minimal compared to Downtown and Southside. (BTW, I'm in the IT field, too. You already have a job lined up?) As mawipafl said, it depends on your perspective.

I can't speak on Mandarin, since I don't live there. But life in Fleming Island is pretty nice!
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Old 02-21-2008, 06:29 PM
 
Location: Jax
8,200 posts, read 35,335,304 times
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There are a lot of similarities between the 2 choices really - both are very suburban-family-focused areas.

If you are in the area, pick up this month's issue of "Jacksonville" magazine. They did a profile on Mandarin highlighting the good and bad aspects of living there - it was a pretty good article.

For $350k, you should be able to pick up a decent sized lot in Mandarin. I know someone who bought appx 2 years ago for less than that and picked up a 2000 sq ft house on an acre that was built in the early 90's. So, like Agreatlife said, not all the lots in Mandarin are going to be big, but I think a good-sized percentage of them are (seem to be when I drive through there).
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