I could use some information about Jacksonville FL.

[elf]

I started my search to move to Fl. a couple of months ago. Everyone's information has been so valuable I can't think of another place to go to get so many valuable responses and this kind of information. I started out looking into Tampa, then Orlando and now I'm looking into Jacksonville.

My dd has severe dyslexia so I need to move near a school for dyslexics. The public schools here on Long Island are not providing enough. Tutoring is over $500 a month and private schools are $25,000 a year (we are talking elementary school 3rd grade). Anyway, I just came back a couple of weeks ago from a solo trip to ORlando to check school and houses. I have a school lined up in Orlando, but after I got home, I found a nice private school in Jacksonville online. I like it better because I won't have to worry about the FCAT's year after year for her. The great thing is it's affordable for us.
I've never been to Jacksonville (just drove around it while on my way to WDW).
I'm flying in to visit the school and real estate this Tues. Can someone tell me what you like about the area and what you don't like. If you "hate" it can you tell me why. The school is on San Pablo blvd area
If you don't want to post could you PM your thoughts.
Thank you so much.

 

[parrothead365]

Used to live very close to San Pablo. It is a very nice area. Growing by leaps and bounds. Traffic is heavy during the rush hours. That area is very close to the innercoastal waterway and close to the beaches. Housing prices vary with the area you look to by in. If you specific questions ask away.

 

[elf]

Hi,
I'm interested in any communities that you might think are nice ($350,000 is our high for a house). I really wanted a family oriented community with kids and a pool. I'm not totally confident in our Real Estate agent, she was recommended but has no kids. So she didn't really know alot about schools.

Also things to do. Is Jacksville a fun city? Is it relatively safe (I feel very comfortable walking the streets of New York). I looked at lots of pictures it looks nice.

 

[heathrow42]

My friend's mom lives in Jax, and I've gone with her to visit. It's not fun in the way that NY, DC, LA or other major metropolitan cities are. It's not packed with museums, art, history and other cultural diversions. But there are a lot of nice beaches

I don't know anything about the schools. It seems like they were building lots of new little housing communities which looked very nice. Like I said there are some great beaches.. Sticky Fingers bbq is awesome They have lots of new shopping area developments, which tells me that the area is growing.

I feel safe in most places in NY and anywhere in DC .. I don't think you'd have anything to worry about in Jax.

Best of luck!
--heather

 

[TheRatPack]

We visit there during the summer, as my husbands work has an office there and we go down with him on week long biz trips (yes we okayed it with the company LOL).

Anyhow, it's GREAT. We've thought of moving there often, as we just like how convenient it is to the beach and we've been so many times now that I've gotten to know where everything is at...etc.

It's a very very large city, and at rush hour it's very hectic getting around. But, it's nice and seemed clean...etc. There are lots of new stores as well, seems like they are growing more and more every year. It's also a lot closer to Disney than where we currently live...which is a plus LOL

 

[fantasymagic]

Check into Fleming Island in Orange Park, which is a suburb on the southwest of Jacksonville. There are family oriented developments: Eagle Harbor and Fleming Island Plantation. They are safe, and have pools, tennis courts and activities. The schools are good; perhaps there is a special program that would help you out. If the school on San Pablo is definite, then Fleming Island would be quite a drive. We just moved here last June. Let me know if you have any more questions. I can suggest a realtor if you're interested.

 

[Magickndm]

I'm a native Floridian, have lived in Jacksonville for 29 years.
As someone said before, Jacksonville is huge. It's actually the largest city, land size wise, in the US.
I live in the extreme southern end of Jax so it takes almost as long to get to downtown as it does to get to St. Augustine. Downtown Jax is slowly building up, but right now there aren't too many places to go. There is the Jacksonville Landing, it has restaurants and shopping and is right on the river. Oh, downtown Jax also smells like coffee! There's a huge Maxwell plant right there. It smells wonderful (and I don't even drink coffee)!
Our biggest asset are the beaches and the fact that we are one of the final frontiers left in FL, they usually are not overly crowded. My favorite beaches are in St. Augustine which is really just a short drive away.
The housing market is just booming here....there is new development everywhere.

All in all I love it here, you can still find a nice quiet area to live in, and we are a 2 hour drive away from WDW. Close enough that we take day trips every couple of weeks, yet far enough away that we still feel like we're actually going somewhere.

 

[kbkids]

Don't live there but travel there frequently with my DH and his job. Will at some point in our life, most likely get transferred there. We love to visit. The kids love the zoo. And we enjoy the walking around on the landing. Not crazy about the beaches because we live in Pensacola, and I prefer ours - but they're still there. From all I've heard, the public schools in Jacksonville aren't great, but if you're attending a private school, that wouldn't be an issue. We would most likely live in St. John's County (a little further south) as the schools are supposedly better there. All of that is what I've heard - haven't checked into it myself. All in all, I'm fine with moving there. I know several people who have lived there, and all have loved it and would go back in heartbeat.

 

[tinatark]

I lived in Jacksonville until we moved 5 years ago - the whole area is exploding! You will find many nice homes in your price range....

Florida has the McKay scholarships - because your child has been diagnosed with a learning disability, you can get the $$ the state would have paid towards his public school education to apply to private school tuition.

You can find this info on myflorida.com, education... also COJ.net is the official city website, jacksonville.com is the local newspaper.

 

[andromedaslove]

WOW!!! I never knew so many people lived here in Jacksonville/Orange Park area. I was born and raised here in the Jacksonville area, and we love it. The Jacksonville Zoo is amazing, and things are getting better there each year. They actually just added the Land of the Jaguar are which the first time I entered it reminded me of "Disney". It's wonderfully themed and has music and everything. The public schools in Duval are a bit of a let down once you get to Middle School. We have decided that once our boys start middle school we will place them in private school. St. Johns County and Clay County (both just a little south of Duval) have wonderful schools.

The Jacksonville area is growing by leaps and bounds. As someone else mentioned we are the largest city "land wise" and because of that there is sooooo much room for this city to grow. As far as your price, there are plenty of very nice, new neighborhoods that you should be able to find something you like. I didn't see where you are moving from, but the cost of living here is not a expensive as alot of other places. DH and I just found a house in Clay County that was 3000 sq ft, for $239,000. If you have any questions at all about anything you can send me a pm, and I would be more than willing to help.

Take Care,
Dana

 

[elf]

Thanks everyone,
I didn't get this til after the trip. But I loved Jacksonville. I looked at houses in communities on SanPablo and "The Woods". My dd's school is on San Pablo as well as the public school. It looks clean and beautiful lots of trees. I even ventured into the city by myself and went to the Landings. I liked
San Pablo because it's so close to the city and the beaches, either way 20 minute ride. Thanks for all the information.
TinaTark--Thanks so much for letting me know about the scholarship. The only problem is you must go to a Florida pulic school for a year. So that lets me out. I'm really hesitant to move my family and pull dd out of her school she is currently in to only put her in a temporary school (public for a year) only to pull her out again for the private school. I wish we had something like that in NY the private dyslexia schools here are $25,000 a year. The one in Jacksonville in $7,500 and looks perfect for our needs.
Thanks again everyone.

 

[MMPC123]

I know this is an older thread but I would love some info too. My family is also looking into relocating south and Jacksonville is an area we are considering. To all who are living there now or who moved out recently... How hot does Jacksonville get? Are the bugs bad? What's the best thing about the area? What's the worst? Would a newer built community be more welcoming to new comers or try an older neighborhood?

I used to live in a town with 80,000 people. Lots of downtown traffic during the day. Hated the traffic but I am afraid of moving into too rural an area too. Also considering NC-- Charlotte and Charleston, Sc

Any info would be so very helpful.

 

[Magickndm]

To all who are living there now or who moved out recently... How hot does Jacksonville get? Are the bugs bad? What's the best thing about the area? What's the worst? Would a newer built community be more welcoming to new comers or try an older neighborhood?

Jacksonville gets hot. In the middle of the summer it's usually in the mid 90's, but not unusual to go higher. Add the humidity to it and it feels well over 100. August is usually the peak of summer heat here. Bugs are just something you deal with here. The palmetto bugs are the worst. It's like God said, "Now how can I make roaches even worse? Ooooh, I know...I'll put wings on them so they can fly!" You can get a pest control company to come out and spray if you want.
Best things about this area is the fact we have actual seasons here. Maybe not to the extreme as people further north, but we do have a definite winter, spring, summer, and fall.
We have beaches all over, and a pretty river running right through downtown where you can manatee watch sometimes.
Also we are sort of protected from potential hurricanes just a bit as Jax area kind of bends in a bit so most of the time the hurricanes end up skirting us. Not saying we are immune by any means, but every little bit of natural protection helps.
What's the worst? Probably the same as any city. Due to a boom in our population there is a lot of roadwork going on, so that can make driving a pain. So many people say our school system is not too great, but I grew up going to the public schools here and they were fine. My daughter is in the 10th grade and I'm thrilled with her schooling.
As far as a welcoming community, it really all depends on the people around you. I don't think it's a new vs. older thing. Naturally, if you have children and you move into a neighborhood with children, you have instant connections to your neighbors. We moved from a neighborhood full of kids to one with very few over 7 years ago and still don't do much more than the neighborly wave to anyone here.
Hope all that helps!

 

[Golf4food]

I know this is an older thread but I would love some info too. My family is also looking into relocating south and Jacksonville is an area we are considering. To all who are living there now or who moved out recently... How hot does Jacksonville get? Are the bugs bad? What's the best thing about the area? What's the worst? Would a newer built community be more welcoming to new comers or try an older neighborhood?

I used to live in a town with 80,000 people. Lots of downtown traffic during the day. Hated the traffic but I am afraid of moving into too rural an area too. Also considering NC-- Charlotte and Charleston, Sc

Any info would be so very helpful.

It's still Florida - it gets hot. And humid. If you aren't used to it, it can get to you. Very similar weather to Orlando or anywhere else in the state except the Keys. Jacksonvilel DOES get cold in the winter (we've had single digit temps before, and I've seen snow here more than a few times in my life - not great heaping piles of it, but sometimes an inch or two - very rare.)

Bugs? Again, it's Florida - there WILL be bugs. Ants, roaches, palmetto bugs, moquitos, gnats... the usual. Love bugs in May and September can be annoying if it is a busy year, but they've not been as bad the last couple of years.

Best things? The weather, the outdoor activities (tons of golf, boating, fishing, beaches, parks, etc.) Sports (NFL Jaguars, a very good minor league baseball team) A great symphony and perofrming arts center.

Bad things? Traffic is bad, the city is spread out all over creation and it takes time to get anywhere. Very few places have housing, jobs, and retail/food in the same area. Mostly those areas are all segregated around town, so you live in one place, work in another, and eat/shop somewhere else. Lots of driving involved in living in and around Jax. A road construction is constant and slow.

Neighborhoods in Jax can be tricky - a lot of people in town are new, stay for a short time, then move (it is still a big Navy town). So some neighborhoods are established and have lots of "locals" that stay and are generally friendly and welcoming. Other neighborhoods might be full of short timers that might not be as open, but not to say unfriendly.

Going from a town of 80,000 bear in mind that the great Jacksonville area is over 1 million... quite a difference. But Jax still has a bit of small town South feeling about it, even though it has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade.

But for all its faults it is home and I love it. Of course, it helps that I am addicted to NFL football and we have a team.

 

[froglady]

I've been in JAX for almost 25 years (1982) and love it.

Yes, it's hot in the late spring/summer/early fall. But I do get a chance to wear a few winter things every year...sometimes more than I would like.

I live in an old, historic neighborhood, so have a different take on things than those in the suburbs. I also knew that any children we had would be attending private school, so planned accordingly.

I have seen areas mushroom! DH used to work in Palatka, so I'm familiar with the Flemming Island area. (We lived in Orange Park before buying a house) That area had almost nothing 20 years ago...it was truly rural. So one warning I have for anyone moving here is that if you think you're buying a home "away from it all" you may be surprised a few years down the road.

We bought an old home because we wanted a neighborhood that wouldn't have a lot of new development. Our neighborhood has only gotten better over the last two decades, with people buying and renovating more homes, opening more shops, restaurants, etc.

I live within walking distance of shops, restaurants, an art museum, a small Publix, drugstores, parks, playgrounds, a library, etc and wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[MMPC123]

Thank you Froglady, Golf4food and Magickndm for your personal and honest insights.

I don't know how to express how I am feeling these past few weeks. Highs and lows about moving south. On one hand, I would LOVE to never drive during an ice storm to get to work-- on the other, hate the idea of my girls not riding a sled down a hill every winter.

Friends and co-workers are also considering the move south to better home life and ease the struggle with keeping up with the huge taxes and over priced housing we are all fighting. Traffic woes are nothing new to us north Jersey girls! The 5 miles to my work could take better than 1/2 hour during peak drive time and 7 traffic lights. The same 1/2 hour drive now takes me home to a more southern part of Ocean county with only 3 traffic lights but added 21 miles to my commute.

We are looking into NC and SC too but I am very conserned that it will be a huge adjustment to the much quieter life style. I want to have options for my free time and not have to be content with watching the grass grow.

Our next step seems to be to come on down and visit Jacksonville. Oh, what is the best hospital ? I work in health care (tech- not RN) and would be looking for work in such. Any one better than others? I don't want to get exciteded about a job in a "bad" hospital

Thank you all again for your help.

 

[bcvgal]

I know this is an older thread but I would love some info too. My family is also looking into relocating south and Jacksonville is an area we are considering. To all who are living there now or who moved out recently... How hot does Jacksonville get? Are the bugs bad? What's the best thing about the area? What's the worst? Would a newer built community be more welcoming to new comers or try an older neighborhood?

I used to live in a town with 80,000 people. Lots of downtown traffic during the day. Hated the traffic but I am afraid of moving into too rural an area too. Also considering NC-- Charlotte and Charleston, Sc

Any info would be so very helpful.

I've lived in both Jax and now in Charlotte. Pm if you would like.

 

[doxdogy]

Another life long Jacksonville resident. I have lived here for over 40 years. As mentioned in previous posts we are a big city. Fortunately we are surrounded by interstate. So when the traffic is not heavy you can get from one end of the city to to the other in good time. If you are lucky enough to work my hours (730-330) traffic is not heavy. I live in the Mandarin area and it is growing by leaps and bounds. Can't tell you much about the school system. Any other questions feel free to pm me.