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After a long 6 year absence from the area, I have a possible chance at relocating back to the Jacksonville area. I was stationed in Mayport from '98-'02 and really enjoyed my time there and most things that came along with it. It was a whole new world for a born and raised small town Missourian. Just curious as to how much it has changed and how much the economic toll has taken on it's growth and building. I've already done a lot of reading in this section and have come across some good information. Just looking for opiniated folks to tell it like it is. Thanks.
Mayport Village or just Mayport Road North of Atlantic Beach?
Mayport Road is kind of dirty and rundown like always, although people are still complaining about "gentrification" because some of the particularly seedy places were bought up by developers. I guess some of the trailer parks are gone, but I'm not sure how much actual "nice" stuff has really been added in the last 6 years.
Did the Wonderwood Connector come in after 2002? Do you know about that? They built a bridge connecting A1A across the intracoastal to Monument and Ft Caroline Rds. The traffic is apparently worlds better than before.
Mayport Village is still just a sleepy half-empty little place. There are plans for a full-fledged cruise terminal and 5 story parking garage to go where one of the boatyards was. People are furious for some reason. Apparently they say it will ruin the neighborhood, although in my personal opinion I think it's mostly vocal renters who would like to keep the area as run down as possible, to keep it affordable for themselves.
Edit - I just realized that you might have been asking about the entire Jax area, and not just Mayport. Can you clarify?
Im assuming you know this already, but just in case:
1) NAS Mayport should be getting a nuclear carrier in several years, barring a surprise turn of events. Perhaps even a second one...so think the optimists.
2) Mayport will also likely be the site for Jacksonville's new cruise ship terminal. So the fishing village may indeed be transformed soon.
Somehow I missed the Joe's response. I guess I doubled what he said about village.
I left for college in '02, so I can sort of relate although I've visited home very often since. To briefly summarize the state of the municipality over the years, I'd simply say it's grown quite a bit, but still has the same friendly, mid-sized town feel. Certain areas have probably changed a lot from what you'll remember, but the city overall isn't too different.
St Johns Town Center is the mecca of retail in Jax right now...I think that might surprise you. Several nice condos along the river downtown that have added to the skyline. And plenty of new quintessential suburban development spread throughout the city. Oh, and some nice improvements to the interstate: 9A connects with 2-95 now (the loop is complete) and the interchange of I95 and I10 is massive and quite nice now.
Location: Teams in 2 locations: Jacksonville, FL & Aldie/Chantilly VA.
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Lone Sailor,
Believe it or not, but things are getting better. There's alot of road construction going on, and it eventually will sure help the traffic in the area. Bob is getting rich.....you know the orange barrels on each side of the road in the construction areas....Bob's Baricade barrels. My family laughs all the time...sure wish we had thought of selling/renting those to the city! People here in JAX still think our traffic is bad, but some of my clients that come to town, don't think our traffic is bad at all (I guess it's all relative!).
The slow economy is hurting many businesses, but again, there are still many new businesses coming to town too. The St. John's town center is amazing!! It keeps growing with more retail stores: check out the stores Simon.com - Mall Directory
It is definitly a buyers market in the Real Estate world. There are still many Short Sales, pre-foreclosures and Bank owned foreclosures for sale that you can get a good buy on. Since are alot of homes that are vacant (because sellers had to move and they arent' selling), so many of them are being offered to lease, with a lease purchase option.
Good luck with your decision! The weather is still GREAT!!!!! (Even though we had 'winter' for about 2 weeks, abit ago.
MKGolfer
You left in '02, so I don't think you'll see any dramatic changes. There are changes for sure, and a lot of projects are completed that you may have last seen in the earliest stages.
You missed a couple of years where we had a big growth spurt, but things have quieted down some now.....it's a good time to come back .
Mayport Village or just Mayport Road North of Atlantic Beach?
Mayport Road is kind of dirty and rundown like always, although people are still complaining about "gentrification" because some of the particularly seedy places were bought up by developers. I guess some of the trailer parks are gone, but I'm not sure how much actual "nice" stuff has really been added in the last 6 years.
Did the Wonderwood Connector come in after 2002? Do you know about that? They built a bridge connecting A1A across the intracoastal to Monument and Ft Caroline Rds. The traffic is apparently worlds better than before.
Mayport Village is still just a sleepy half-empty little place. There are plans for a full-fledged cruise terminal and 5 story parking garage to go where one of the boatyards was. People are furious for some reason. Apparently they say it will ruin the neighborhood, although in my personal opinion I think it's mostly vocal renters who would like to keep the area as run down as possible, to keep it affordable for themselves.
Edit - I just realized that you might have been asking about the entire Jax area, and not just Mayport. Can you clarify?
Sorry for not getting back to explain sooner folks.
Joe -
Not really just Mayport, but the overall Jax area. I haven't been given the exact location of the possible job relocation, only the Jax area. I was told by a trusted source that it could be anywhere from Mayport/Neptune/Jax Beach to near Whitehouse Filed NAS. That said, there is a lot of prospective area to consider for residence. Reason I asked particularly about Mayport is because as a military member I worked hand in hand with citizens of mayport and Atlantic Beach frequently. They were always happy to lend a hand as well. The support we had from them was terrific, which made living there great. It also has a real small town feel to it, but you are still close enough to know you're not far from anything you could ever want or need. I also really miss having the accesibility to fresh seafood at my beck and call. Hard to come by in these parts. Course they claim it's fresh, but freshly unfrozen isn't my thing.
No, Wonderwood had not been completed before I left, but that is awesome news to hear. I know it made a huge difference in getting on the base with all that traffic. Of course no that the Kennedy is gone, there certainly is probably about a 50% decrease in base traffic alone, but if there is one or more carriers returning, that will make all the difference. Wish I would have had a chance to use it, instead of sitting at the light at Atlantic and Mayport road for what seemed like hours trying to get to work on the days I stayed with friends.
I guess if the opportunity was there, I would attempt to find residence in the Mayport area, as long as it wasn't a rundown area. Perhaps on the east, beach side. I like having the convenience of the Commissary and Exchange services right there on Mayport road as well(unless they've moved).
Im assuming you know this already, but just in case:
1) NAS Mayport should be getting a nuclear carrier in several years, barring a surprise turn of events. Perhaps even a second one...so think the optimists.
2) Mayport will also likely be the site for Jacksonville's new cruise ship terminal. So the fishing village may indeed be transformed soon.
Somehow I missed the Joe's response. I guess I doubled what he said about village.
I left for college in '02, so I can sort of relate although I've visited home very often since. To briefly summarize the state of the municipality over the years, I'd simply say it's grown quite a bit, but still has the same friendly, mid-sized town feel. Certain areas have probably changed a lot from what you'll remember, but the city overall isn't too different.
St Johns Town Center is the mecca of retail in Jax right now...I think that might surprise you. Several nice condos along the river downtown that have added to the skyline. And plenty of new quintessential suburban development spread throughout the city. Oh, and some nice improvements to the interstate: 9A connects with 2-95 now (the loop is complete) and the interchange of I95 and I10 is massive and quite nice now.
If another Carrier, or even two, were brought in to be stationed at Mayport I wouldn't have a problem with that, if I lived there. Yes it brings in more traffic and congestion, but it also brings in more business to the area. That will be one of the things that will help the small surrounding communities.
Sounds like the Town Center has made a nice impact. Glad to hear it. Although I wasn't known for going there much myself, I'm sure I would give it a whirl though. Also good to hear that they finally connected 9A and 295. I can only imagine how nice the 10-95 interchange is now also. It was a huge pain from what I remember. It sounds like some nice improvements have been made for more traffic friendly drivers. Not that it is anywhere NEAR as bad as half the larger cities in this country, but still pleasant to get those additions that make driving a little nicer.
Lone Sailor,
Believe it or not, but things are getting better. There's alot of road construction going on, and it eventually will sure help the traffic in the area. Bob is getting rich.....you know the orange barrels on each side of the road in the construction areas....Bob's Baricade barrels. My family laughs all the time...sure wish we had thought of selling/renting those to the city! People here in JAX still think our traffic is bad, but some of my clients that come to town, don't think our traffic is bad at all (I guess it's all relative!).
The slow economy is hurting many businesses, but again, there are still many new businesses coming to town too. The St. John's town center is amazing!! It keeps growing with more retail stores: check out the stores Simon.com - Mall Directory
It is definitly a buyers market in the Real Estate world. There are still many Short Sales, pre-foreclosures and Bank owned foreclosures for sale that you can get a good buy on. Since are alot of homes that are vacant (because sellers had to move and they arent' selling), so many of them are being offered to lease, with a lease purchase option.
Good luck with your decision! The weather is still GREAT!!!!! (Even though we had 'winter' for about 2 weeks, abit ago.
MKGolfer
Thanks for the info. I would feel safe with a job move that puts me in the area. They have a strong foundation, so I don't think they will be going anywhere. It's sad to hear that so many are having financial hardships with their homes. I know it is happening all over, but never what you want to hear. I'm sure if we decide to go we will look hard into buying as our first option, and go from there.
What kind of temperatures are you seeing right now? Should still be getting cold during the night if I remember correctly. Seems like about March through November was reasonable in the temperature category.
You left in '02, so I don't think you'll see any dramatic changes. There are changes for sure, and a lot of projects are completed that you may have last seen in the earliest stages.
You missed a couple of years where we had a big growth spurt, but things have quieted down some now.....it's a good time to come back .
Hopefully I left during some of the worst construction times.
We would love to come back, but only time will tell. A guy can always hope can't he?
Thanks everyone for the replies. It helps me feel a little more secure if I was to make the decision tomorrow. I guess the only other thing would be finding and making all new friends again. Never easy, but it's part of life.
There are a great bunch of folks here on the forums
We get together for pizza every once in a while
if you do relocate here you will have to join us
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