Safe areas relative to where I will be working? (Jacksonville: apartments, rental)

[Acent]

Hello! I will be moving to the area and I'm just wondering what are some good areas to consider in relation to where I will be working (this question probably gets asked a lot, i apologize) I will be working in the Cecil Commerce area, near the Cecil Airport in SW Jacksonville. I am currently looking near Orange Park, or the Baymeadows area... are these safe areas? any recommendations? I would start with an apartment and would like to keep it under 1k/month. Thanks!

[Florida2014]

You're unlikely to find anything safe in ANY areas if you're paying under $1,000/mo and in a rental apartment building.

My best advice would be to look to Zillow or hook up with a good rental realtor and find a condo or townhome to rent. At least that way you're upping your odds a bit by having neighbors who are mostly homeowners.

I personally would not/could not live in Orange Park.

[projectmaximus]

Orange Park and Baymeadows area both have plenty of good areas and bad areas. So you'd have to zero in a bit.

I disagree about the $1000 price point I am pretty certain there are tons of safe areas under that price point for a one bedroom. But sure it becomes a little trickier, and they are definitely more like 8-unit block apartments than a big complex with nice amenities.

[projectmaximus]

This is just a random search result I noticed was very close to Cecil Field and looks pretty good at just under $1k.
https://www.apartments.com/addison-l...le-fl/txzkkz9/

I am not personally familiar with Orange Park and Cecil Field areas, so I can't give you much more info.

[Gromicide]

least expensive=more sketchy. Dont 'find' a place you think looks cute and is cheaper on your list. It usually ends up being least expensive for a reason. Might be better of renting a house for similar money in an actual neighborhood with more responsible neighbors.

[mawipafl]

It's often recommended that anyone relocating here should, if possible, make a visit to see Jacksonville (and surrounding area) first-hand. Depending on where you're coming from the traffic here could be a breeze or a nightmare, and an area could look sketchy or look just fine. It's all about personal perspective and opinion in those regards.

If you can't make a visit, then do some virtual driving with google streets and use satellite views of areas in which you find apartments that seem doable. Landlords can be adept at using the most favorable photos of apartmemts when the realities are different.

You can also use spotcrime or crimemapping and plug in an address to get a sense of the safeness of an area.

[Acent]

thanks for the responses! Greatly Appreciated