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I have a family of five (me, my husband, 17 year old daughter, 4 and 5 year old sons) that will be relocating to Florida within the next year. This is a huge deal being we are coming from Wichita Ks.
I have been wanting to move to Florida for five years now and working for Royal Caribbean, I was limited to Miami, Miramar, Fort Lauderdale, or way in Springfield OR. Thus the reason I stayed put. Those places are way out of reach when it comes to living. But now, I am more than ready to leave and have decided that as much as I love my job, I will look for something else if I could find another affordable place to stay. So I did some research on places like Memphis TN, Tulsa OK, Green Bay WI (my fave fb team), Colorado Springs CO and more, but nothing was making me feel like I just HAD to go, leaving my life as I know it behind. The very last time I pulled a search, Jacksonville popped up! So I did a comparison and the only difference between where I am now and Jax is the population, weather, the bodys of water, and a slight difference in housing. This made me jump to my feet! So I did some deep digging of Jax and fell in love even more. The people I have talked to so far are way more pleasant than here in KS. I guess my questions are as follows:
1. What are the best Public school in town?
2. Are there magnet schools that would allow me to transfer my kids who are already magnet students?
3. I had filed bankruptcy in 2015. it will be two years from discharge January 25, 2018. Who would you recommend we go through for buying a house?
4. If anyone is familiar with Intrust Bank, our biggest bank in Wichita, what bank would you recommend transferring to that would compare to this?
5. What sides of town would you stay clear from as far as "ghetto" or "hood"? Not to offend anyone, but I have moved from the hood here in KS many many years ago (only living there three years) and would rather keep it that way. I am trying to raise my kids to see better.
6. Are there strict laws on having Pit Bulls?
7. If my mother decided to come, she is on a fixed income being she is 72 yrs old and retired on SSD, what resources would you recommend for a smooth relocation?
8. Are there any Co-op condos/houses available for elderly or even my family?
8. All in all, we will not know anyone there, this is a wipe slate, start over move. What would you recommend us do in order to make the move less overwhelming?
I am accepting all the help I can get. FIVE years of wanting to move to FL and I never would have thought there would have been a comparable place there. I am super stoked about this and wish I could move today!!!
The best public schools are not in Duval County (the city). St Johns County (SE of Jax) is #1 in the state, Nassau County (North of Jax) is #2 in the state, and Clay County (SW of Jax) is pretty good. So it's common to go outside Duval if you are seeking the simple answer to good schools in the area. Within Duval, which is the 20th largest school district in the country, there are some very good schools and some very bad ones, it is hit or miss. You have plenty of magnet school options but I don't know what it would mean in regards to transferring from the corresponding magnet in KS.
3. Don't know about this.
4. I am always a big proponent of credit unions. I've been with Community First Credit Union for 20+ years and love it. We do have plenty of local and regional banks to choose from too, as well as Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo and TD.
5. This is too broad a generalization so do more detailed research, but to give you a general idea, a good portion of the Northside (north of downtown and south of the I-295 loop) is not the best area, as well as much of Arlington (directly east of downtown, north of Atlantic Blvd and west of I-295)
6/7/8- No idea.
9. If you have a religious affiliation you can connect with folks that way. Or just whatever common interests you have, there might be a meet up of some sort. I honestly do believe people in Jacksonville are friendly so that isn't an obstacle, but still having things to do and shared interests is a much easier way to meet people. And the summertime heat/humidity....not sure what you can do but that'll definitely be a serious change.
I have a family of five (me, my husband, 17 year old daughter, 4 and 5 year old sons) that will be relocating to Florida within the next year. This is a huge deal being we are coming from Wichita Ks.
I have been wanting to move to Florida for five years now and working for Royal Caribbean, I was limited to Miami, Miramar, Fort Lauderdale, or way in Springfield OR. Thus the reason I stayed put. Those places are way out of reach when it comes to living. But now, I am more than ready to leave and have decided that as much as I love my job, I will look for something else if I could find another affordable place to stay. So I did some research on places like Memphis TN, Tulsa OK, Green Bay WI (my fave fb team), Colorado Springs CO and more, but nothing was making me feel like I just HAD to go, leaving my life as I know it behind. The very last time I pulled a search, Jacksonville popped up! So I did a comparison and the only difference between where I am now and Jax is the population, weather, the bodys of water, and a slight difference in housing. This made me jump to my feet! So I did some deep digging of Jax and fell in love even more. The people I have talked to so far are way more pleasant than here in KS. I guess my questions are as follows:
1. What are the best Public school in town?
2. Are there magnet schools that would allow me to transfer my kids who are already magnet students?
3. I had filed bankruptcy in 2015. it will be two years from discharge January 25, 2018. Who would you recommend we go through for buying a house?
4. If anyone is familiar with Intrust Bank, our biggest bank in Wichita, what bank would you recommend transferring to that would compare to this?
5. What sides of town would you stay clear from as far as "ghetto" or "hood"? Not to offend anyone, but I have moved from the hood here in KS many many years ago (only living there three years) and would rather keep it that way. I am trying to raise my kids to see better.
6. Are there strict laws on having Pit Bulls?
7. If my mother decided to come, she is on a fixed income being she is 72 yrs old and retired on SSD, what resources would you recommend for a smooth relocation?
8. Are there any Co-op condos/houses available for elderly or even my family?
8. All in all, we will not know anyone there, this is a wipe slate, start over move. What would you recommend us do in order to make the move less overwhelming?
I am accepting all the help I can get. FIVE years of wanting to move to FL and I never would have thought there would have been a comparable place there. I am super stoked about this and wish I could move today!!!
Thank you everyone in advance!!
1. Best public schools are in St. John's county, just south of Jacksonville.
2. Not sure the answer to this question.
3. & 4. I would recommend opening accounts with VyStar Credit Union. I worked for them while living in Jacksonville. Wonderful company and truly works for the member. With the BK you will need a little help rebuilding. I would go visit on of their branches and explain your situation and see how they can help you.
5. Stay away from the West/North side. Downtown is also not a great area. Southside/Mandarin are best and if you can afford St. John's County that is best for crowd/homes/schools.
6. I don't remember there being any laws against pits - at least where I lived which was Southside Jax.
Good luck! Florida is lots of fun in the sun, that's for sure. Before you buy check out the areas. Once again, I would recommend south of Jacksonville, St. John's County if possible. It's the best area for families and low crime. St. Augustine is also a lovely little town to visit. Not sure if you are planning on working for Royal Caribbean out of Jacksonville or Port Canaveral, St. Augustine would be closer to Port Canaveral than Jax.
Thank you for the advice. This means a lot! I am so scared and excited all at the same time. I have been researching the different areas and have been drawn to the Mandarin area. What would you say about Orange Park or Sawgrass. Sawgrass just sounds scary lol.
Unfortunately, I am not able to transfer my job because it is only located in Miami, FLL, and Miramar. Far too expensive for me. I did see that there is a port of Jacksonville and job opportunities for other cruise lines. Never knew there were sailings out of Jax. I am going to look in to this a little more in depth.
I have never rented a home. In reality I have only (owned) lived in one home since leaving the nest. Renting in Jax would kill me. The whole buying a house scares me when I live so far away. I have a trip planned for this Spring Break, I know not the best time to come when there will be Spring Breakers all over the place. The purpose of the trip is to get to know more about the city and get a feel for what I would be expecting. Unfortunately, I cannot afford a home more than $80k, $90k if the payments come out in my favor. I hope this is not a mistake leaving Kansas
Few other questions:
Does anyone know the average cost of utilities (gas, water, electric), cable, internet etc.?
What are the best car insurance companies? I am currently with American Family Insurance, been with them since I started driving.
Recommended family doctor, dentist, eye dr?
I must point out that I am not a wealthy person, I am the only one in the house working with a husband who is on disability. My kids are on state insurance and get reduced lunches at school.
If I am not able to buy straight out this time next year, I will need some kind of assistance for rent. That is the only thing that is higher there than here. I would have to downsize to a one bedroom if I rent lol. oh noooooo..
I have been looking on both Zillow and Trulia and found very few rentals less than $1,500 per month. Our original target price range was $1,300 - $1,400 for a 3 bedroom home and this almost seems unrealistic for Mandarin. I don't need anymore than 1,500 sq feet and would like to stay out of the quadrant near Ricky Street because of the apartments. Can anyone shed any light on whether this cost is unrealistic or not?
I have been looking on both Zillow and Trulia and found very few rentals less than $1,500 per month. Our original target price range was $1,300 - $1,400 for a 3 bedroom home and this almost seems unrealistic for Mandarin. I don't need anymore than 1,500 sq feet and would like to stay out of the quadrant near Ricky Street because of the apartments. Can anyone shed any light on whether this cost is unrealistic or not?
I have found that Mandarin is not in my price range. This is okay because I have found other nice areas. The only thing is at this point, I am so ready to move that I am willing to take anything. I know this is bad, but my family and I do NOT want to be in KS anymore.
2. Are there magnet schools that would allow me to transfer my kids who are already magnet students?
3. I had filed bankruptcy in 2015. it will be two years from discharge January 25, 2018. Who would you recommend we go through for buying a house?
4. If anyone is familiar with Intrust Bank, our biggest bank in Wichita, what bank would you recommend transferring to that would compare to this?
5. What sides of town would you stay clear from as far as "ghetto" or "hood"? Not to offend anyone, but I have moved from the hood here in KS many many years ago (only living there three years) and would rather keep it that way. I am trying to raise my kids to see better.
6. Are there strict laws on having Pit Bulls?
7. If my mother decided to come, she is on a fixed income being she is 72 yrs old and retired on SSD, what resources would you recommend for a smooth relocation?
8. Are there any Co-op condos/houses available for elderly or even my family?
8. All in all, we will not know anyone there, this is a wipe slate, start over move. What would you recommend us do in order to make the move less overwhelming?
I am accepting all the help I can get. FIVE years of wanting to move to FL and I never would have thought there would have been a comparable place there. I am super stoked about this and wish I could move today!!!
Thank you everyone in advance!!
1. Paxon, Stanton, James Weldon Johnson, Kirby Smith, Jax Beach Elementary....I'm sure I'm missing some, but those are some of the best.
2. It's a definite possibility and one you should explore thoroughly.
3. Rent first, make sure you like the area of town you choose. Jacksonville is pretty massive landwise. Once you get your bearings, and your credit fixed, do some heavy research on clarkhoward.com for the best avenues. He's an expert.
4. Big banks are a total ripoff. Use a credit union for your main banking, and if you have investments with them, use a discount broker like Charles Schwab. You'll get a checkbook and a credit/debit card just like a regular checking account, with $0 ATM fees anywhere in the world. Why anyone still uses a big name bank at all is completely beyond me.
5. Northside, parts of the Westside, Mayport Village, parts of Jax Beach....you can find rough parts of down just about anywhere really, but there are lots of great areas to offset them.
6. Sometimes.Depends on the housing you choose. If renting, yes, almost always
7 & 8. I am clueless about
8. You listed #8 Twice----so this is for #8, part II - Have a job and housing lined up, and have some extra money saved for unexpected occurrences. If you have warrants, change your identity, cut & dye your hair, maybe some plastic surgery.
#9. Someone just checked to see if you listed a #8 twice. And found out I was right..
Lastly, I would advise tempering your expectations. Picking up and starting over will be hard no matter where you go. Happiness comes from the inside, so make sure you aren't just "running" from something, but rather running "towards" your future. Best of Luck to you.
All information is helpful and I agree on the happiness is within. My family have recently made our visit to Jax and other parts throughout Florida. We found that our hearts have stayed in Jax! I am super excited on this decision to relocate and have been doing more and more research. We will more than likely be there within the year. During the visit, we did find that there are rough parts all over the city no matter which side we were on. Unlike here in Wichita where you can pinpoint a certain side to not stay on.
I actually found an area near Englewood High that I liked. I also fell in love with Orange Park. But to be honest I loved the city as a whole. The people we were in contact with were much more different than what we are used to here. Maybe that was us just being new, but we loved it! There is so much more opportunities there for my kids than here in KS.
I just wish we could have met more people/friends during our week and a half there. We did find a couple in Georgia who we still keep in contact with.
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Renting in Mandarin
