Moving to historic district springfield in jacksonville !!! (Hollywood: wood floors, 2013)

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by maggie88

So, Chean10! Great pics. I've tried to read this thread to see if you actually bought in Springfield? If so, it seems as though you're pretty happy with the area. I may have missed the part whether you're renting or bought in the area. Do you and your family feel safe? It looks from the photos that the area is coming along but one has to feel a place first, for sure. There don't seem to be a lot of rental homes in Springfield if one would like to try the area on first before thinking of purchasing property.

I'm not afraid of urban areas or living in urban areas, but what about some of the boarded up homes like you see in FSU's photos? Are those homes where drug dealers could or have hung out in past years? Just some questions. We'll be looking at Riverside/Avondale and San Marco as well and some other areas. I feel torn sometimes between living at the beach or more in a walkable urban neighborhood and won't know until we get there. Coming from a colder climate, the beach always sounds good but I love some urban life as well so... have to see.

Always love the photos and thanks for posting Chean10 and FSU.

Neither Springfield nor the Beaches is urban or walkable (yes - you can walk around in both places - but you'll need a car to do the kind of everday stuff most normal people do in either area). The same is true for just about all of the metro JAX area.

I would never in a million years buy a house anywhere in the metro JAX area without moving here first - renting - and looking around - a lot. Not only are there many different neighborhoods - with different features - but the real estate market is not that great. In many areas - it really su**s . Plus - you will have to learn about the good - bad and ugly with Florida real estate. Taxes - homeowners' insurance problems - termites - etc. - etc. There are rentals all over town. And - once you rent - you can explore the neighborhoods that look interesting to you to your heart's content. Robyn

[Robyn55]

P.S. Be very careful of using Craigslist with Florida real estate these days. There are a lot of scams. Like someone claims to own a place and wants to rent it. Takes your deposit - you try to move in - and then you find out that the person who placed the ad doesn't own the place and has run away with your money. Or someone rents you a place they own while a foreclosure is in the works. These are statewide problems (don't have anything to do with JAX and/or Springfield in particular). Costs more to rent through a reputable agent - but it's worth it IMO these days unless you want to do a lot of homework. Robyn

[FlyiMetro]

Uptown Springfield seems to be becoming a better district than it was 10 years ago. Dont get negativity toward Springfield.

[fsu813]

Good news x 2

(1) e2ride Bike Tours (pronounced Ready to Ride.....get it?), which gives historic and interesting bicycle tours of Riverside & Avondale, San Marco, Fernadina Beach, Jax Beaches, Olde Mandarin, etc just added the Springfield Historic District (about 5.5 miles) to thier regular, featured tours as well.

=)

Here's a couple of past news features on the bike tours:

Channel 4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEiIB...layer_embedded#!

Channel 12:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYSVb...eature=related

Here's a past thread on city-data about e2ride bike tours: //www.city-data.com/forum/jacks...ksonville.html

Here's a metrojacksonville pictorial about them: Historical Bike Tours come to Jacksonville | Metro Jacksonville

Here's a Times-Union Newspaper piece about them: Eco-friendly bicycle excursions combine exercise with lessons in local history | jacksonville.com

and here's thier website to partake: e2ride - Home







(2) The plans for the new $35 million dollar VA clinic to be located on the border of the Historic District have just been released:

http://www.myspringfield.org/forum/download/file.php?id=365&t=1 (broken link)

to be opended in 2012.

I've been in a few new VA Clinics and they're always done top notch. This will be a fantastic, welcome addition.

[jsimms3]

The VA Clinic in Atlanta is more like a large hospital, but it's not top notch, it's really a sad situation. Our vets do deserve better. This new clinic does look like it will be top notch, but I think it could have abutted the street better considering it will be on Jefferson right in the core. There will also be an indoor cafeteria, but I think that cafeteria should have been placed near the exterior so that it could open out onto the street with curbside tables. The new Berg Cafeteria in St. Vincent's is an example of a cafeteria that opens out onto the public waterfront. They did a really nice job with that.

[maggie88]

Thanks FSU and Robyn -- I'm surely enjoying learning about Jax and the varied lifestyles.

FSU - I will be checking out those sights and I've loved so much of what I've seen. Getting there and feeling it is now our next steps but it appears that Springfield is up and coming. No doubt. I'm into diverse living. The only thing I care about are good and nice people where ever we are. I've moved a fair amount and I find great people everywhere. Jax folks seem really great and I miss the south. We had thought about New England at first but no way. Too much cold and snow and it's not the south -- that's for sure.

Thanks Robyn for the sage advice. I've been looking a rentals on line now for several weeks and probably will go through an agent. I've been around the block a few times and hopefully, but one never knows! would never fall for a scam but I know they're clever. I would only put down money in person, with a lease right there -- nothing less, wherever we choose to start out. We will rent for sometime until we explore the whole area. I haven't ruled out beach areas.

The photos and links are just fantastic. They are really helpful to those who are learning about the area.

[fsu813]

HI Maggie yes my hubbie and I decided to bring the family to jacksonville alsmot a year ago <we moved from Atlanta> and we moved into the neighborhood and its been thumbs up for us i think you should defineitly look in riverside and springfield but choose whatever area is right for your family tthis web-page is good if your looking at houses i think Springfield's Resident Realtors | mySpringfield but just do your homework!!

[WilliamGriffin]

Originally Posted by maggie88

So, Chean10! Great pics. I've tried to read this thread to see if you actually bought in Springfield? If so, it seems as though you're pretty happy with the area. I may have missed the part whether you're renting or bought in the area. Do you and your family feel safe? It looks from the photos that the area is coming along but one has to feel a place first, for sure. There don't seem to be a lot of rental homes in Springfield if one would like to try the area on first before thinking of purchasing property.

I'm not afraid of urban areas or living in urban areas, but what about some of the boarded up homes like you see in FSU's photos? Are those homes where drug dealers could or have hung out in past years? Just some questions. We'll be looking at Riverside/Avondale and San Marco as well and some other areas. I feel torn sometimes between living at the beach or more in a walkable urban neighborhood and won't know until we get there. Coming from a colder climate, the beach always sounds good but I love some urban life as well so... have to see.

Always love the photos and thanks for posting Chean10 and FSU.

I recently moved to the Historic part of Springfield myself. About 3 months ago. We love it! There is something going on almost every weekend. My wife is part of the Springfield Mommies group and they are always doing something fun for the kids. I have to admit being that I grew up in Jacksonville, when Springfield was the wild west, I had the wrong perception of Springfield. When my realtor took us there to show us around, we instantly fell in love with it. Before the house was finished being built, we already knew every single person on the block. I can't say that about where I used to live. I lived 10ft from someone and never knew their name. Although we have only been here for 3 months we haven't had a single problem with crime. Me, the wife, and the kids go for walks almost everyday and have never been bothered either. I'm sure someone on here will come and say differently but how many of those actually live there? Come to a block captains meeting and ask, get involved with SPAR, follow the forums of people who actually live there.

[FlyiMetro]

I never would have though that so many people would be this jealous of the progress Springfield district is making. Almost as if they want Springfield to stay a dump & not accept what it is actually becoming. Uptowners do your thing.

[maggie88]

Sounds like a cool place to me. I think I read somewhere in one of the articles maybe that FSU posted that the area is becoming the "Greenwich Village" of the south. Sounds good to me -- I love Greenwich Village. I know not to expect NYC or San Fran but we're not looking for that. To know your neighbors is a rare experience these days, I've found. Miss that part of life. I saw a very pretty house for rent in the area -- all baths and kitchen redone, hardwood floors, fenced back yard. We will rent first before making any decisions. Great info! Thanks.