Californians in Jax? How do you like it? (Jacksonville, Palm Coast: condo, mortgage)

[anitasum]

Are there any ex-Californians living in Jax? If so, can you discuss what your experience has been like?

Thanks for any responses.

[agreatlife]

Well, I am an ex-Californian by way of NY, NJ & PA. You couldn't pay me enough to get me to move back to CA. Having said that, you're in for a shock with the flatness of Florida. My brother comes out to visit me frequently, and he cannot believe how flat it is.

He likes the heat of the summer here though, says he's like a lizard, and can only come out when it's warm. Very different environment than the liberalness of CA, and to me the very fast paced life of CA.

[Sailorbutch]

I lived in San Diego for a while. Mom, brothers, and other relatives are still in San Diego. Jacksonville is not San Diego. Both cities have their own identity. I chose Jacksonville over San Diego mainly because of financial considerations. Being on a fixed income as a military member, I can't own a house in San Diego and still enjoy life, if you know what I mean My mortgage payment in San Diego would be so high that two or more wage earners in my family are required. If not, then da wife and I must work longer hours to make ends meet. Quality of life, which is very important to us, suffers. Please understand that I am just talking about average families here. I bought a house here in one of Jax's prime locations for $255k and it's 2300 sq ft. I can only imagine how much the same house would cost in San Diego.

If money is no object, then I would chose San Diego. I'm an Asian and I feel "at home" in San Diego. Being in the military is another factor. However, Jacksonville is not a bad alternative, when money (lack thereof) becomes a factor. I can also assimilate and there's also a big military community here. People here are nice as well, just like San Diego. The weather is different. San Diego weather is nicer, but Jacksonville is not bad either. We both don't have to worry about snow, I guess, unless you are way up north of Cali.

Now for the similarities (for me): beaches, military community, asian ethnic stores, good universities (cheaper too), state govt that is receptive to veterans, nice and tolerant people, big/spread out city, big malls, traffic, etc, etc. I'm sure other posters will butt in and help me out.

My two cents. Thank you.

[MovintoJax]

Me! I'll try to answer but it's hard to make an exact comparison because I did not have any children when I lived in LA and I now do, which means my priorities have changed a bit! I also think it depends on WHICH part of California you are coming from...

Beaches: some would say a beach is a beach, but...water is warmer here, sand seems to have more rocks/shells (maybe that depends on the beach, though?). I thought West Coast beaches seemed a bit prettier because you could look down the beach and see the mountains!

Housing prices: MUCH cheaper! Can get a huge, new house here with tons of amenities for the same price as a tiny condo in LA!

Weather: Love it here so far! Haven't been through a summer, which I hear is very humid, but winter here seems warmer!

Bugs: MANY more here! We never even used screens in our windows in LA, I'm constantly being bitten by some tiny little things (no-see-ums?) in the early evening here

Natural disasters: Well, I'm not nervous about earthquakes here or mudslides...but you are trading them for tornadoes, wicked thunderstorms and possible hurricanes (although I hear hurricanes are rare in JAX)

Things to do: by virtue of being a smaller city, I do think JAX has less than LA -- but there is a great zoo and I am sure you could always find something to do here

People: Much nicer! Our neighbor actually baked us something to welcome us to the neighborhood! I always hated going places in LA and being sized up to see if I looked right or was "somebody" -- that'll never, ever happen here. You can dress just as casually as in CA, but I don't think you have to worry about having the right brand of sweats or flip-flops...

Shopping: Well, I miss some of those trendy shopping streets (Montana Ave, Melrose Ave, etc.) -- there is a little bit of that here, but not as much...but St. Johns Town Center is fabulous and there are plenty of places all around JAX to shop

I still long for CA -- but I truthfully do not know about the "kid-friendliness" of areas like LA and I suspect Jacksonville is more welcoming in that respect -- less likely to get annoyed looks from diners if you have kids in most restaurants...

[CBB]

On Feb 2, 2007 there was an article in the NYT, written by Julia Lawlor. Headline: "Snowbirds Flock Together for Winter". It was on the fact that "Florida winter arrivals clearly like to settle in clumps. Even in the sunny South, they seem to want to be among their own - occupying turf in the company of their clans, their neighbors, their golf buddies and, in general, people who share the cadences of their accents and the colors of their license plates."

It goes on and on with who settles where. Towards its end this:
"Perhaps the most surprising development, however, has been the arrival of Southern Californians in Jacksonville. The Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville published a story about the phenomenon last year, and Jim Doyle, a Jacksonville developer, first noticed it a bit earlier. A new house in the Jacksonville area costs about a third of a price of a comparable house in San Diego, he said. "Our California buyers have been doing back flips at how much more affordable prices are here."

Bob Hamburg, 52, and his wife Carol, 58, left San Diego in 2004 and bought a four-bedroom, three-bathroom house with a pool in Palm Coast, Fla., an hour south of downtown Jacksonville, for $600,000. "This house would cost $2 million in San Diego," Mr. Hamburg said. Word has gotten out - two other houses on their block have been bought by Californians."

[anitasum]

Thank you all for your responses.