Recommendations on a family friendly close knit community (Jacksonville: rentals, homes)

[Matt_11]

Hello All:

My wife and I are planning a move from Chicago to Jacksonville sometime in 2009. We need help narrowing down a few areas that best fit our needs to the benefit of raising our children, 28 months and 12 months old. We are seeking a young (primarily catholic) community in a safe neighborhood (with sidewalks) with lots of kids and a sense of community. Preferably within 30 - 45 minutes from the beach, and the commute to downtown is not an issue. We plan on renting for the first year or two and our bugdet is around $2,000 a month.

I found this photo online and looks like what we are looking for in a neighborhood, except it lack toys and kids in the front yards !

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ASvIEJuOwN0/R8...w/P1410439.JPG

If anyone can help, it would be greatly appreciated in what neighborhood they would recommend - so we can utilize our time wisely when we come down.

[projectmaximus]

The link didn't work for me. I went from to Jax to Chicago and love it, but I'm much more of a city guy. If there's one major positive that I see in my hometown, it's that it's an ideal place to raise a family.

Anyway, I really don't know of any Catholic neighborhoods, but there's a huge Catholic Church (aren't they all?) close to where I lived at the border of the Mandarin and Southside areas. I'm sure others will come soon with more advice.

[riveree]

The link did not come through Matt. Maybe you can describe what was in the picture?

Catholic is a minority religion here, as you probably already know. There are some very nice well-established Catholic churches though. I can't think of all the names right now (and my sidekick has left the room), but I've been to weddings and funerals at some nice Catholic churches downtown and in Arlington. There is also a nice one on San Jose Blvd in the south end of San Marco.

For a sense of community, I think you can go 2 ways. You can find a traditional established neighborhood with the things you are looking for, or you can choose a new master-planned community where there is a Homeowner's Association that plans neighborhood events.

I'll leave the latter for others to recommend, but for the traditional established communities I like San Marco, San Jose, Beauclerc on the Southside of the city. On the Westside there is Avondale and Ortega which are really nice.

If you plan to spend $2k a month on rent, I would take a look at San Marco and San Jose first (zips 32207 & 32217). These neighborhoods will keep you 5-15 minutes to downtown and 25-30 minutes to the beach. These are great river neighborhoods with some beautiful older architecture .

[Matt_11]

Thanks to both of you for your comments, they will be very helpful. My catholic comment was to steer anyone away from mentioning a predominantly religious community other than my own faith. A little diversity is OK as long as its not too much in one direction. The older neighborhoods look nice, but we would like to steer away from congested areas close to downtown, and prefer a more suburban spread out (breathing room) type atomosphere.

Thanks again all !

[riveree]

Originally Posted by Matt_11

Thanks to both of you for your comments, they will be very helpful. My catholic comment was to steer anyone away from mentioning a predominantly religious community other than my own faith. A little diversity is OK as long as its not too much in one direction. The older neighborhoods look nice, but we would like to steer away from congested areas close to downtown, and prefer a more suburban spread out (breathing room) type atomosphere.

Thanks again all !

Well, you will probably find all of Jacksonville to be predominantly Southern Baptist no matter where you live. You'll have other faiths mixed in, but Southern Baptist is very prevalent here. I am from up north (NYC) so I was not at all familiar with the religion until I moved here.

If you wanted to live in an neighborhood that had more Catholic neighbors, you'd probably find that in the more urban neighborhoods. I don't know if you've been to Jacksonville yet, but even our more urban neighborhoods are "suburban" in nature - they are mostly single family homes and they are some of our most expensive homes (these urban-like neighborhoods are highly desirable here).

If you'll consider living somewhat close to downtown, I'd recommend San Jose (32217) or Beauclerc (32257). You can easily find a large home on a large lot (1/2 acre, even a full acre depending on your budget). These areas have some Catholic and Jewish enclaves that you won't really find anywhere else in Jax.

I think some of the things you're looking for will be conflicting in Jacksonville. You'll probably want to give yourself some time to come down and take a good look around.

[projectmaximus]

Yes, Jacksonville is part of the Bible Belt with a predominantly Southern Baptist flavor. Don't worry though, I've never felt too much of a particular religious vibe permeating any of the residential areas of town.

Those historic neighborhoods close to downtown are something to consider, but if you are seeking even more "breathing room" and dont mind a generic planned community, then that's the way to go. There are dozens of gated golf communities in Jax that fit the bill (probably no rentals though), as well as numerous other cookie-cutter suburban neighborhoods. A realtor will have too many options for you if thats the case.

Commute into DT will be a piece of cake compared to Chicago, so if you don't mind a little stop and go traffic in the morning, you can live almost anywhere. And I'd say most of the city is within 45 min. of the beaches as well, as long as traffic is not bad. As a starting point, you can look around the San Jose and Mandarin areas, the Southside and Baymeadows areas, and move eastward towards the Beaches. Of course, there are pockets all over the city that can offer you a safe, family-friendly, spread out neighborhood, but that should help you start somewhere.

As for rental costs...I really don't know anything about price ranges.