Is there any one else out there who truley hates the place they live?? (Jacksonville: foreclosures, insurance)

[KerryB]

Places like NYC/Manhattan are the extreme though. Its possible to get almost that same type of living (not exactly of course, there's only one NYC) & still have a lot of the luxuries we take for granted here in Jax. Now, I don't think you can get that here in Jax. Its just not that type of city, far from it. But I think there are places that are somewhere in between.

Chicago is one of them. So is DC, Portland, Seattle, parts of Austin, Louisville, etc. I know a lot of people think of Chicago & DC as huge cities, and they are, but you can still live in them modestly out in the "sticks" but have almost immediate access to all the big city stuff. Its still expensive, but not crazy expensive like it would be in NYC. Thats on a whole nother level.

[agreatlife]

The housing stock is crap
It’s darned humid too
The beaches are just ok
And Urban sprawl rules; boo hoo
... Jacksonville


That seems to about sum it up?

[apanda]

Originally Posted by agreatlife

The housing stock is crap
It’s darned humid too
The beaches are just ok
And Urban sprawl rules; boo hoo
... Jacksonville


That seems to about sum it up?

Haha! You crack me up, agreatlife!

[cricketfan]

I don't think it is ever necessary to defend the reasons to like living in a place but I do think that when people don't like where they live they need to share their reasons with other people who hate it equally. This is an important thread because in some weird sense it is comforting to some people to know that other people are equally unhappy although I don't think this is exactly the case with the OP. The OP doesn't hate Jax, just finds it "blandly pleasant".

Earlier in this thread I was ridiculed by the OP for not expressing even one negative view for fear of being struck dead, so here are a few ...

away from lots of family - several generations worth. You now have to make connecting flights to get back home, there are fewer mom and pops and lots of chain stores/restaurants. You may now be living with a HOA, CCD fees, landscape police for the first time. Your kids have been uprooted. The weather is fair for most of the year - but then gets oven hot during summer vacation

... and there's lots more.

But these are negatives that I can live with. On balance the things that I like about this place (Jax/St. Aug) outweigh the things that I hate. I like living near the ocean, I like hot weather with some seasonal change, I like being away from the rat race and the incivility of big cities and I like being able to get to JFK in a little over 2 hours if I feel the need to catch a Broadway show or major league game. But these are my reasons, nobody else's, we are all different with different personalities and different priorities.

So it all comes down to negatives we can live with and positives we can live without. Every place has it's pros and cons. For example, I love Chicago restaurants but 5 - 6 months of winter in Chicago to me is torture. I love Seattle, but when will it ever stop raining? I love LA, but I don't particularly care for the unhealthy air. As for NYC, been there, done that.

And I already told you why I hate this place ... but I'm staying put for as long as I can because I also like it here.

[LauraLaw]

Lots of times I get tired of Jacksonville Beach. But then I think where would I go? I sure don't want to be in The cold weather or all those midwesterm floods. So I will just stay right here and make the most of it. I guess the good outweights the bad I always hoped to meet someone nice once again to share my life with..but most of the men are looking for gold..like everywhere else..maybe worse.. Hey, I met a handsome Hispanic who broke my heart..I'm NOT GOING THERE....!! lol

[LauraLaw]

I will never forget the first time I heard the term Urban sprawl.. I thought it meant a southern porstitute..!! LOL

[grsPAFL]

I was bracing myself for the overly positive J-villains. I hadn't fully comprehended the message in your post when I responded.

Having taken the opportunity to let off steam - Jax, at its best, is blandly pleasant. However, come the heat of July-Sept - I'm looking for a bell tower and a rifle.

It is a tricky justification to move from 'blandly pleasant' to Chicago - knowing very well the upheaval involved with cross country moves.

Also, there is an unrealistic amt. of positive feed about jax. I've lived in ID, PA, TX, IL and now FL. NOWHERE has it been almost demanded that I love a place - simply because it's Florida.

People are looking for honest information before the sell, move and uproot kids. Realistic info to these people will get them thru it - forewarned is forearmed.

My theory - people who LOVE IT here are older (I'm done raising kids), don't like to travel (they can come visit me, I'm not coming to them), and affluent.

[riveree]

I don't know, Grs, I still think your reasons for not liking it here are more personal than general.

Maybe because I've lived in a few different cities and because I have travelled a lot, I'm not seeking in the same way someone younger might seek. Whether someone likes Jax or not really can be perspective.

Within my own parameters, I don't have a lot of cities to choose from. I won't even consider not living East Coast. I've lived out West, and it's nice, but I'm East Coast . I won't even live on the west coast of Florida - no gulf for me.

Really, if I was to move, I'd like to move to Europe. But I have my own family obligations here in the States and as long as I'm going to be stuck in the States, it's going to be East Coast and it might as well be Florida because I've done the NorthEast and I don't want to live the NorthEast lifestyle on our current income - it would be a lifestyle setback in matters of housing, etc.

Is there too much positive press for Jacksonville? I hadn't noticed that . I think Jax gets slammed all the time for not being Miami, not being Atlanta, etc. You'd think you'd be stepping over bodies in the street the way people talk about crime in Jax. Our schools get completely dissed - rightly or wrongly. Jax is too redneck, too suburban, too whatever. I think we have a lot of complainers in Jax .

Moving can be a huge upheaval, I think you're right. Before moving out of a city, maybe people should consider moving within a city - move to a completely different part of town. If you're feeling life is too suburban, move to Riverside. If you feel a lack of culture, start going out to eat at independent restaurants 3 or 4 nights a week, start gallery-hopping on the weekends, check out some street fairs, do a day trip to downtown St. Augustine or Savannah. We have all of this available to us right here, but if you don't take advantage of it, you can end up bored.

[cricketfan]

Originally Posted by grsPAFL

I was bracing myself for the overly positive J-villains. I hadn't fully comprehended the message in your post when I responded.

Having taken the opportunity to let off steam - Jax, at its best, is blandly pleasant. However, come the heat of July-Sept - I'm looking for a bell tower and a rifle.

It is a tricky justification to move from 'blandly pleasant' to Chicago - knowing very well the upheaval involved with cross country moves.

Also, there is an unrealistic amt. of positive feed about jax. I've lived in ID, PA, TX, IL and now FL. NOWHERE has it been almost demanded that I love a place - simply because it's Florida.

People are looking for honest information before the sell, move and uproot kids. Realistic info to these people will get them thru it - forewarned is forearmed.

My theory - people who LOVE IT here are older (I'm done raising kids), don't like to travel (they can come visit me, I'm not coming to them), and affluent.

grsPAFL, now that we understand each other, when I said that "I hate this place" that was tongue-in-cheek. There are lots of things that I miss from back north and new things that I am still trying to get used to. But, overall I have gotten to like it here and I wouldn't dream of going back to digging my car out of 14 inches of snow or wearing a sheepskin 5 months of the year or paying $13K/year in taxes.

That said, I am not sure what the opposite of "blandly pleasant" would be. Could it be "exciting"? Well, I suggest that anyone moving to Jax for excitement is just plain out of his mind. On the other hand, anyone looking to escape the rat race, the stress and the high cost of living in the BIG CITY, Jax is perfectly fine as long as you are selective in where you choose to live in Jax. Certainly away from the crime-ridden parts of town.

Still I can understand why you would sense an unrealistic amount of positive feed about Jax. It might also be the fact that this Jax forum is a fairly happy-go-lucky place compared to other forums, especially in Florida. (Between you and me, is Riveree part of this positive feed? You can say it.) Well anyway I guess it's because we don't compare Jax with Chicago or NYC. It's just what it is, JAX - a morphing of city and suburb all in one.

So grsPAFL, I may be having a love/hate relationship with this part of Florida but for now the love side is winning. And if you decide to make the move back I do wish you well.

[like2fish]

Jax is big enough. I dont wanna even think about livin' in a place like Chicage or NYC. Thank goodness we aint like them cities.