Former Buffalonians/Western New Yorkers who have moved to the JAX area? Experiences? Comparisons? Recommendations? (Jacksonville: appointed, section 8)

[newbie09]

I've been searching on this forum for a while & seen postings from former Buffalonians/Western New Yorkers who have moved to the Jacksonville area. But many of those postings are from a few years back, hoping for more current opinions. Since I'm considering relocating to JAX & will be in JAX Beach very soon to explore the area (for 6 days starting March 10th), would like to hear from those who have spent time living in Buffalo/Western NY about your experiences here in JAX, opinions of area, cost of living comparisons, where to buy Buffalo-type foods, etc.

-- any sports bars which show Buffalo Sabres/Buffalo Bills games (and maybe serve good pizza?)

-- seems like the Riverside area near Downtown JAX resembles the Elmwood Ave/Elmwood Village area of Buffalo in terms of historic architecture, "artsy" atmosphere, mixture of independently owned, nonchain stores, boutiques, restaurants, coffee shops, art galleries and even a large art museum, would you say that's true?

-- the waterfront area of the St Johns River at Riverside and Downtown JAX with the waterfront park (Memorial Park?) looks to me like a better version of the Downtown Buffalo waterfront, would you agree? Is there a nice riverwalk at Riverside/Downtown that goes on for a while & actually takes you somewhere, good for biking also?

What has surprised you about the Jacksonville area after living in Buffalo/Western NY? Positives/Negatives, Pros/Cons? (I know that weather and economic/employment issues will be brought up the most here!) Has the weather during summer months felt real oppressive to you? Lots of giant insects?! I've already moved out of Buffalo, been in Charlotte NC for about 2 years now so I've already experienced a few Southern summers but wondering how much more extreme it is further south in Northeast Florida!

As you might be able to tell, I'm more oriented towards urban/city living as opposed to life out in the suburbs-- I'm single, no kids, over 45 & lived for over 20 yrs in the North Buffalo & Elmwood Ave areas, prefer an "artsy" atmosphere. Therefore, I'd especially be interested in hearing from other city-dwelling former Buffalonians who've been living in "city" areas of Jacksonville. However, any & all feedback would be welcome & appreciated, even from those in the 'burbs! Thanks.

[newbie09]

Hey, where's all the former Western New Yorkers? Any here in this forum, in Jacksonville? Hoping for some replies.

[fsu813]

You'll reach a MUCH higher concentration of people that live in and around Donwtown and it's more urban, historic neighborhoods at www.metrojacksonville.com. It's a very popular site for city-minded Jacksonville residents. So your questions will get informed answers, in short order, there.

I've never been to Buffalo, but it sounds like you're on the right track: Riverside & Avondale and San Marco would be your favorite neighborhoodsin Jax. If you're looking for more bang for your buck, try Springfield (a similar up & coming area).

[krb2012]

Hello!

I lived in Buffalo for 12 years (high school through early 20s) and my husband and I moved to Jacksonville, FL about a year in a half ago. We LOVE the area. We have found there are more jobs in this area than Buffalo and the homes are more affordable. We live in the Fruit Cove (St Johns area).

I heard there's an irish pub in St Augustine that a Buffalonian owns and they serve beef on weck.

Yes, the riverside area definitely is like the elmwood strip. Lots of museums, galleries, restaurants, etc.

The summers are hot, but they're manageable as long as you have access to a pool and ice cold lemonade. We get a little bit of cold weather Nov-March which is nice. Fall and Spring are the BEST seasons here! I've had a few cockroaches in my house, but nothing I can't handle.

All in all we absolutely love it there. We're 40 minutes from St. Augustine (my favorite place), near beaches, 2 hours from Orlando, 2 hours from Cocoa Beach, and 2 hours from Savannah. Jacksonville has a little bit of everything.

We'd love to meet others from Buffalo in the Jacksonville area.

[02blackgt]

Hi and welcome!!! I am originally from Buffalo, been here about 2 years. My first piece of advice and most important is do NOT move down here expecting it to be even remotely similar to Buffalo b/c you will be very disappointed. This is not NY or the northeast in any way, but as long as you have a free mind you will be just fine! I read through your questions so let me give you my experience and hit on the things that I am able to.

1- Riverside is awesome! It is fair to compare it to Elmwood. Tons of bars, restaurants, and outdoor things to do. Also some of the best architecture in the south! This area is very safe and you can get a rental here for a very good price. When i moved here this is where i lived at first. I absolutely loved it and only moved out b/c of a roommate situation. I am in the process of trying to move back ASAP when my lease at my current apartment is up.

2- Jax has 2 paths downtown; a northbank and a southbank. Both are great for running and give beautiful views the whole way. I prefer the southbank though b/c there are never people begging like on the northbank. Both are completely safe though and great to take advantage of.

3- The pace of life is much slower down here. People drive ridiculously slow btw, so that take some adjustment. However, drivers are also much more polite, sometimes almost too polite. To this day i still cannot believe how many people stop and wave pedestrians on (like there supposed too).

4- Jax is huge in comparison to metro Buffalo, and there are a lot of great areas but there is also a lot of bad. Avoid anything in the northwest and the bulk of the north part (excluding Springfield) as a rule of thumb.

5- The beaches are beautiful down here and easy to get in and out of. I LOVE how they are not flooded with tourists 24/7. Atlantic beach is great for families and Jax beach is great for partying. There is also some great nightlife at the beach as well, however I am going to be blunt and say your probably a bit out of the age range for Jax beach nightlife.

6- Its hot down here compared to Buffalo!!! Be prepared for humidity but don't let it stop you. Once you get adjusted its honestly not that bad. Bring sunscreen to the beach especially in the summer (April-October) b/c otherwise you will burn badly. I compare Florida sun to a tanning bed. You can literally feel your skin burn some days while you lay there.

7- Jax is very diverse compared to Buffalo. The solid white cookie cutter suburbs are very few and far in-between here compared to Buff. I hate to admit it but it took me some time to get used to. Not b/c i am racist, but simply b/c the northeast so much more segregated.

8- My biggest complaint is the crime down here. It is not like Buffalo where 99% of it occurs on the eastside. It is very spread out. Yes some areas are much worse than others (NW Jax) but on average the truth is crime is much more frequent in the nice areas of Jax then in the nice areas of Buffalo. Odds are this will never affect you, but i just want to be upfront so your not freaked out when you read the news.

9- a follow up to #8, gun violence specifically is off the freaking charts down here. I never lived in a place with so many shootings. VERY VERY few are random, but still it happens way to much. Gun laws are very relaxed down here as compared to NY. I actually just bought my first gun a few weeks ago. Honestly i never felt the need for one in Buffalo, and while i am not scared for my life every day here, I do acknowledge it is a bit "wilder" down here. In simplest terms, i can see myself needing to use it here long before in Buffalo, this is just the simple truth.

10- The roads are god sent down here compared to up north. Potholes are few and far between, it is amazing to me. You really start to understand the wrath winter puts on roads when you get to Florida.

11- I am sure this will offend someone but i don't care. Check before you rent somewhere for section 8. It is very spread out in Jax and you do not want to be near it. I don't think there is really any of it in Riverside though so you should be good there.

12- This is personal advice, but avoid Arlington. It used to be a beautiful area but is unfortunately in decline in many parts.

13- Everything you need in this world with the exception of Kohls is at the st johns town center. This is the best area for shopping in the area.


If you have any mroe questions always feel free to Private Message me, I am more than happy to help!!

[02blackgt]

Let me follow up on the gun violence thing Bc I don't want to scare you. Jax has a bigger gang problem than buffalo. It's nothing crazy at all like Chicago but it is bigger here. 90% of shootings here are just those morons shooting each other thankfully. You would think they would do us all a favor and elimate themselves but unfortunately it's a never ending cycle. This will likely never have any effect on your daily life outside of reading the news and being disgusted in humanity lol.

[Fl1150]

Originally Posted by 02blackgt

Let me follow up on the gun violence thing Bc I don't want to scare you. Jax has a bigger gang problem than buffalo. It's nothing crazy at all like Chicago but it is bigger here. 90% of shootings here are just those morons shooting each other thankfully. You would think they would do us all a favor and elimate themselves but unfortunately it's a never ending cycle. This will likely never have any effect on your daily life outside of reading the news and being disgusted in humanity lol.

According to what statistics ?

[02blackgt]

Originally Posted by Fl1150

According to what statistics ?

Is this a serious question? Obviously no one is going to waste there money studying the amount of gang shootings in buffalo versus jacksonville. It's a general observation of day to day life having lived in both cities

[new2jax2015]

Originally from Buffalo as well. Partner and I moved here with son and we are moving out to Jax Beach area. We love it so far and are open to making new friends from Western New York area.

[Maggieairkat]

I'm going to be moving to the Riverside area in Jacksonville in about 2 months and will be working full time in my secretarial business on line. I'm 62 years old and hope there will be people around my age (who aren't old) and am hoping there will be New Yorkers here. Although I'm from Atlanta, Georgia, I have always loved "Yankees" and almost every man I've ever dated has been from the Midwest (Chicago) and New York. The most interesting man I've ever known was from Buffalo. He was my employer when I temped for an insurance company and we became friends.


When I've visited south Florida, I've found there have been a lot of New Yorkers. I dated several and almost married a man living in St. Pete who was from Manhattan. I'm hoping there will be a lot of people my age from up north who have moved to Jacksonville. If there aren't, I'm moving because I've always wanted to be near the ocean although I know the beach is 18 miles from Riverside. I intend to drive there several times every week.


I just found out also that a brand new 11,000 sq. ft. Anytime Fitness is in walking distance from Riverside. You can walk 3-1/2 miles on the walkway that goes beside the St. Johns River right into downtown Jacksonville. The gym is only two blocks from the end of the walk.