Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I recently became interested in possibly moving to St. Johns County (SJC) mainly because I discovered that it's the #1 healthiest county in Florida and has quality and quantity medical care, which is very important to me. I just want and need to live in an area again where there are walking/biking trails and where most of the residents have healthy behaviors (like not smoking, diet and exercise, etc).
I'm now really focused on SJC, but someone on another thread stated that SJC has lots of flooding so I'm looking for the best area in SJC that's newer, upscale with beautiful and maintained surroundings and isn't a few miles from the water like I understand Nocatee is. Is there a really nice/upscale area in SJC that has new construction or newer homes that aren't in a flood or evacuation zone so I don't have to worry about storm surge or flooding and that has underground utilities?
I also want/need to live in an area again that's really safe, things are convenient and there's plenty of nearby grocery, shopping, restaurants, doctors and medical facilities, etc., and anything else I need or want.
I like the idea that apparently the JAX airport is way out somewhere so I assume air traffic noise isn't an issue in SJC.
I'm single and in my early 60's, but I like the idea that SJC's average age is 44 years old instead of 69 where I unfortunately moved to two years ago. I just don't want to be totally surrounded by all young families and there aren't any young retirees like me or that I'm paying for tons of amenities like splash parks, water slides, etc., that I won't benefit from when what I really want would be to have great walking/biking trails and a workout facility when it comes to amenities.
Does anyone live in St. Johns County now or at least familiar enough with that area to point me in the right direction? I've been doing research on that area but I feel I'm going around in circles since I'm not familiar with it. Thank you so much for any suggestions.
The ”lots of flooding” is mostly St Augustine. Any of the newer master planned communities wouldn't be an issue, which is what is sounds like you want. I also do not consider Nocatee to be that close to the water, its on the other side of the intracoastal from the Ocean.
You also didn't give anyone a budget... so maybe places like Shearwater or Rivertown? Both are further from the coast, Rivertown is along the St Johns river, but does not flood. I would say Palencia based on our description, except for the close to the water part.. its closer than Nocatee. You could also look at Silverleaf, although its not as developed. There are lots of 55+ communities being built as well out there if you don't want all the kids around you. Up in Nassau county you could also consider Wildlight, it has a gorgeous new Del Webb being built in it and is quite a distance from the ocean.
Most of the new communities like Nocatee contain lots of families attracted to the amenities. If you want a newer, nicer upscale community near the water in SJC, I suggest you look north of SJC. The main attraction of SJC, for many, is the top rated schools system. Since that is not a concern for you, its better you look north of Jax. All the planned communities in northern, SJC are miles from the ocean. There might be something around St Augustine, which can be flood prone, but you are far from Jax. Best to contact a Realtor with your concerns and they can do a better job than us unpaid volunteers. Good luck.
P.S. the biggest problem we have with flooding is all the people flooding in here from up North
Last edited by Thundarr457; 11-27-2022 at 09:03 AM..
I'm single and in my early 60's, but I like the idea that SJC's average age is 44 years old instead of 69 where I unfortunately moved to two years ago. I just don't want to be totally surrounded by all young families and there aren't any young retirees like me or that I'm paying for tons of amenities like splash parks, water slides, etc., that I won't benefit from when what I really want would be to have great walking/biking trails and a workout facility when it comes to amenities.
Problem is, those young families are exactly who are moving to St. John's Co. and those splash parks, etc. are a draw. If you are seeking a place where the avg age is 44, this is what you get.
If you want to surround yourself with "youth", expect to be surrounded by youth. Your comment above is rather bewildering.
The ”lots of flooding” is mostly St Augustine. Any of the newer master planned communities wouldn't be an issue, which is what is sounds like you want. I also do not consider Nocatee to be that close to the water, its on the other side of the intracoastal from the Ocean.
You also didn't give anyone a budget... so maybe places like Shearwater or Rivertown? Both are further from the coast, Rivertown is along the St Johns river, but does not flood. I would say Palencia based on our description, except for the close to the water part.. its closer than Nocatee. You could also look at Silverleaf, although its not as developed. There are lots of 55+ communities being built as well out there if you don't want all the kids around you. Up in Nassau county you could also consider Wildlight, it has a gorgeous new Del Webb being built in it and is quite a distance from the ocean.
Thanks for the very helpful information. It's good to know that the newer master planned communities won't be an issue as to flooding, even in St. Augustine. I assume you're referring to the fact that builders raise the elevation, etc., but I wonder how accurate they are and if they really raise a property's elevation properly. It seems it would be best to buy in a community where the property isn't in a flood zone or low-lying area to begin with or known to be flood prone or too close to the beach, river, etc.
I'm a bit confused about Nocatee. Google shows it's only 2.5 miles from the beach. That sure seems close to me, but I really don't have enough knowledge of the area yet to understand it. I've pulled up a few addresses there, and they show a major risk of flooding.
When I first sold my house in October of 2020, I anticipated spending about $400k maximum. This thread will explain my unfortunate and sad story and what's happened since my disastrous decision to sell my house
The good news is the real estate market is going through a reset now, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this trend continues.
I appreciate you suggesting some communities, and I'll definitely look into those. Someone else mentioned Shearwater and Silverleaf on my other thread, too. I don't think that Nassau County is something I'd be interested in. The main reason that I'm interested in St. Johns County is because it's supposedly the number one healthiest county in Florida, and there's quality healthcare nearby. Being in an area where health and wellness is a priority is important to me. I wish that Wildlight was in St. Johns County because Del Webb has a model in several of their communities that I love. The problem is always the community or area itself.
Most of the new communities like Nocatee contain lots of families attracted to the amenities. If you want a newer, nicer upscale community near the water in SJC, I suggest you look north of SJC. The main attraction of SJC, for many, is the top rated schools system. Since that is not a concern for you, its better you look north of Jax. All the planned communities in northern, SJC are miles from the ocean. There might be something around St Augustine, which can be flood prone, but you are far from Jax. Best to contact a Realtor with your concerns and they can do a better job than us unpaid volunteers. Good luck.
P.S. the biggest problem we have with flooding is all the people flooding in here from up North
Thanks. I want a newer, nicer upscale community in SJC but NOT near the water so it sounds like northern SJC might be my best bet based on the feedback so far. Even though I don't have kids, living in a good school district is still important because it can help increase a home's value. My house that I sold was in a great school district, and my community was very family friendly.
I do intend to contact a Realtor, but I wanted to first leverage the collective wisdom of experts and people that are familiar with that area to give me some idea of what I'm dealing with.
Mickler Beach is the closest beach directly from Nocatee and my Google maps puts it at 6 miles, which is more what I was thinking.
I was surprised so much of St. John’s County is in flood zones but there are sections west of I95 and even US 1 that are in flood zone x, the best zone. I’d just google some homes that look interesting to you and see what zone they’re in.
Problem is, those young families are exactly who are moving to St. John's Co. and those splash parks, etc. are a draw. If you are seeking a place where the avg age is 44, this is what you get.
If you want to surround yourself with "youth", expect to be surrounded by youth. Your comment above is rather bewildering.
I understand what you're saying, but, as a young retiree, I'd prefer not to have to pay all these really high HOA and other dues and be forced to subsidize the younger generation's recreation when maybe a gym (something that I'd use) isn't even an amenity. My generation didn't have these luxuries way back when we were having kids.
All I'm saying is that I just wish these builders would make it more fair and institute a carte blanche model that's dependent on your individual circumstances, but I realize that's not our reality today so I have to live with it.
The average age in the city/town where my home that I just sold is 44.8. The average age is 43.7 in my prior actual community/neighborhood and about 29% are non-families. I loved and appreciate even more now (after being around mostly old people here) the healthy mix of all ages. They built a very expensive park many years after I moved there, which brought even more families, although we didn't have splash pads or water slides. So, I'm used to paying for family amenities, but I lived in a very upscale and highly-sought after beautiful community with a 24-hour manned gate, which made paying those quarterly dues a lot easier to pay because I wasn't just paying for that million dollar plus park (or whatever ridiculous amount they paid for it).
Mickler Beach is the closest beach directly from Nocatee and my Google maps puts it at 6 miles, which is more what I was thinking.
I was surprised so much of St. John’s County is in flood zones but there are sections west of I95 and even US 1 that are in flood zone x, the best zone. I’d just google some homes that look interesting to you and see what zone they’re in.
I appreciate your input. When I searched "how far is Nocatee from the beach," Google's result was
"Nocatee is located just minutes to the closest public beach, Mickler's Landing. From the Eastern end of Nocatee the beach is 2.5 miles away." Either way, 2.5 or 6 miles, is probably too close for me. I was born and have lived in Florida pretty much my entire life so living that close to the beach or any body of water doesn't get me as excited as people moving from up north.
My house that I unfortunately sold was in Zone X and that's definitely what I'm looking for again. I have been looking at various addresses in SJC trying to gain a better understanding of the flood and evacuation zones there. It's a little more difficult when it comes to new construction.
I really think you should take a ride up to Nassau County to visit Wildlight. Scottamemnon is right that Nassau County has a lot to offer.
We have excellent medical both on and off Amelia Island and it is an easy drive to medical in Jacksonville if need be.
UF is right there at Wildlight and they also have a large footprint at River City. There is a brand new Publix nearby and it is 12 miles to the beach so flooding would not be a problem in Wildlight which I believe is Zone X.
Demographic wise we are getting a tremendous amount of retirees relocating here in addition to families.
While we are not as big as Saint Augustine, Fernandina has a great downtown, lots of mom and pop restaurants and has a lot to offer as far as things to do. We have small community theatre, jazz festival, sounds on centre each month, farmers markets at Wildlight and downtown.
Good luck!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
