Whats it like living in jacksonville,fl
May 16th, 2002, 11:13 AM
#2
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Jacksonville has a different demographic than much of urban Florida. It is a black and white kind of place. There is not a large hispanic population like Miami,Orlando,Tampa etc. There is a large military population and alot of Filipinos that must accompany the military men. The beach is wide and they have totally redeveloped the whole area. Winters are chilly at times but can be refreshing. The job market is, thank god, not tourist oriented like the rest of Florida. Housing costs are cheaper than the rest of urban Florida. You can get a new home for under 100K and be 15 minutes from downtown in a decent area. I have lived here for several years and think its the best kept secret in Florida. The Florida Times-Union's www.jacksonville.com is a good place to get info on jobs/housing.
May 17th, 2002, 06:55 AM
#4
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Hi Bill - I lived in Jacksonville for two years. This was quite a while ago (early 90's) but I can tell you the things that stand out most in my memory...
The locals divide the city into four sections- Northside, Southside, Eastside, and Westside. We lived on the Southside. I had a rotten commute, to the Northside every day. I would heartily recommend living where you work, as the traffic situation was horrible, and I don't suppose it's improved dramatically in 10 years. Rush hour traffic was very slow and congested. It especially clogs up where ever you have to cross a bridge (which could be once or twice a commute!).
Summers are HOT. Don't know where you live now, but if you can't stand heat+humidity, I would definitely rethink Florida. Summer (90+ degree days) starts in April and ends in October. That said, the Winters are spectacular!!! Jacksonville is far enough north that the trees will even drop their leaves (even though it's around December when they do). So, instead of 4 seasons, you have 2. For Florida, that's pretty good!
Winter days can get cool for Florida standards. Having moved down there from Minnesota, 50 degree days were just fine for me, but anytime the temperature drops below 65, the locals drag out their heavy winter coats and gloves. It's really pretty funny to a Northern gal!
We only rented at the time, but the housing/rental situation seemed to be a bit less costly than the Minneapolis area we had come from. The job situation is very good. As Dave said, it's not based solely on tourism, and there were a large variety of companies in the area.
If you love Barbeque, then Jacksonville is the place to be. I swear there was a BBQ joint every 100 feet. Sonny's, Woody's, Bono's... the list goes on and on. YUM! For grocery stores, Winn Dixie, Food Lion and Publix were the largest. Barnett Bank and First Union were the big banks. Shopping is good with a variety of malls and stores.
The beach is wonderful, although it does get crowded on the weekends with locals and tourists alike. Jacksonville is not very well known with tourists so you really are surrounded by the people that live there, for the most part.
There were some rough areas downtown. Keep in mind this was 10 years ago, so things may have changed for the better. My husband managed a store downtown for a short time and had a problem with break ins. This was the only store in the chain with bars on the windows. I think any city has such an area, so no slam against Jacksonville intended.
Personally, I would live in or near Jacksonville in a second. Hubby is not so fond of the summertime heat.
One other note, being "northerners," we ran into people who grew up down there and considered themselves "southerners" who would tell us that "northerners are always rushing around everywhere" and that "northerners work too fast- you need to slow down!" These comments were made good naturedly, but I was surprised that there was that division- "us" and "them." After a while, I could see what they meant- many locals really do work more slowly. This is not meant to be an attack on southerners! I always thought it was because of the heat- slow down or pass out from heat exhaustion? Anyway, it came as a surprise to me, as I never expected the culture to be different. I never considered Florida to be "The South" but it really is, at least northern Florida is considered to be. I came to really enjoy being an adopted southerner and was sad when we left. I still crave sweet tea the way they make it down there!
Hope you enjoy it too!
The locals divide the city into four sections- Northside, Southside, Eastside, and Westside. We lived on the Southside. I had a rotten commute, to the Northside every day. I would heartily recommend living where you work, as the traffic situation was horrible, and I don't suppose it's improved dramatically in 10 years. Rush hour traffic was very slow and congested. It especially clogs up where ever you have to cross a bridge (which could be once or twice a commute!).
Summers are HOT. Don't know where you live now, but if you can't stand heat+humidity, I would definitely rethink Florida. Summer (90+ degree days) starts in April and ends in October. That said, the Winters are spectacular!!! Jacksonville is far enough north that the trees will even drop their leaves (even though it's around December when they do). So, instead of 4 seasons, you have 2. For Florida, that's pretty good!
Winter days can get cool for Florida standards. Having moved down there from Minnesota, 50 degree days were just fine for me, but anytime the temperature drops below 65, the locals drag out their heavy winter coats and gloves. It's really pretty funny to a Northern gal!
We only rented at the time, but the housing/rental situation seemed to be a bit less costly than the Minneapolis area we had come from. The job situation is very good. As Dave said, it's not based solely on tourism, and there were a large variety of companies in the area.
If you love Barbeque, then Jacksonville is the place to be. I swear there was a BBQ joint every 100 feet. Sonny's, Woody's, Bono's... the list goes on and on. YUM! For grocery stores, Winn Dixie, Food Lion and Publix were the largest. Barnett Bank and First Union were the big banks. Shopping is good with a variety of malls and stores.
The beach is wonderful, although it does get crowded on the weekends with locals and tourists alike. Jacksonville is not very well known with tourists so you really are surrounded by the people that live there, for the most part.
There were some rough areas downtown. Keep in mind this was 10 years ago, so things may have changed for the better. My husband managed a store downtown for a short time and had a problem with break ins. This was the only store in the chain with bars on the windows. I think any city has such an area, so no slam against Jacksonville intended.
Personally, I would live in or near Jacksonville in a second. Hubby is not so fond of the summertime heat.
One other note, being "northerners," we ran into people who grew up down there and considered themselves "southerners" who would tell us that "northerners are always rushing around everywhere" and that "northerners work too fast- you need to slow down!" These comments were made good naturedly, but I was surprised that there was that division- "us" and "them." After a while, I could see what they meant- many locals really do work more slowly. This is not meant to be an attack on southerners! I always thought it was because of the heat- slow down or pass out from heat exhaustion? Anyway, it came as a surprise to me, as I never expected the culture to be different. I never considered Florida to be "The South" but it really is, at least northern Florida is considered to be. I came to really enjoy being an adopted southerner and was sad when we left. I still crave sweet tea the way they make it down there!
Hope you enjoy it too!
May 17th, 2002, 09:50 AM
#6
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Contruction on I-95 is coming to an end so the traffic situation is nowhere as bad as it was 10 years ago with the drawbridge. Downtown has been redeveloped. The Landing is a nice place to spend some time along the river downtown. They now finally have the peoplemover public transit system and it even crosses the river. Barnett Bank is long gone. It went from Nationsbank to Bank of America. First Union is changing now to Wachovia. Florida is becoming NC as far as banking goes. Ponte Vedra is very nice and near the beach. St Augustine is more of an old Florida town. It may seem kinda trashy or historic to you, depending on what you are used to, plus the commute is far and all on I-95.
May 18th, 2002, 02:06 AM
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Dave says "There is a large military population and alot of Filipinos that must accompany the military men." Do you realize how racist that sounds? All those Filipinos are most likely serving our country. There is a large Filipino population that defends our freedom. How about you? Bill did not ask to hear your racial views.
May 18th, 2002, 03:04 AM
#9
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To XXX- the racial makeup of a community is one of the factor factors shaping a town. Each group brings in their own unique culture (good and bad depending on your likes and dislikes). Jacksonville is no different.
I think the large black population in JAX has a impact on the culture of the city.
I think the large black population in JAX has a impact on the culture of the city.
May 18th, 2002, 06:22 AM
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I am not a racist but I also feel like the number of blacks in Jacksonville has a impact on the crime rate and general feel of the community. Facts are facts- cities with a high percentage of blacks have more crime and poverty. Jacksonville has alot of both!
May 18th, 2002, 01:14 PM
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I resent being called a racist. I enjoy multiculturism. I was just trying to portray Jacksonville as compared to other Florida cities. People think that Florida is very hispanic, which is great, but in the Jacksonville area it isn't like that. As I said, the black/white culture is the dominant way of life here. The only noticable minority that I see is Filipino's and I appreciate what they add to our area and enjoy living amongst them. I assume, from the many I have talked to, that they are in this are because of our large Navy Base. The US had a large base in the Phillipines for many years, Clark? I think it was named, and many US service people stationed there met Filipino spouses and married. Many service people are stationed here and then even retired in this area. Florida, as a whole, has very little asian population, so this is an interesting point regarding our demographic in Florida's First Coast.
May 21st, 2002, 07:27 AM
#14
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To Nan And Dave- no need for apologies. The xxxx politically correct man can't handle reality. Your observations about race, etc. are absolutely TRUE. Jerks like XXXX can call white people "hicks" but cannot handle comments about hispanics, blacks, etc. Tough. Get used to it xxxx-you ignorant politically correct coward. Sorry, PC bulls... cannot make up for instincts and what we see on the street on a daily basis. Check your crime statistics XXXX and you will see NAN and Dave are right. You can't ignore reality.
Jun 29th, 2002, 07:52 AM
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My husband and I moved to Jax last year (He is a navy pilot). We like it here for the most part (but we came from San Diego-impossible to beat!). I would recommend living in St Johns County (which is where St. Aug, and Ponte Vedra are located). We live in NW St. Johns in a huge community called Julington Creek. Beautiful, new houses from the low 100's to the 600's. Top schools, some of the best in the state (I teach for the county and the schools are great-especially in PV and Julington Creek). It is a big family area, the schools are great and lots of people who work in Jax move here because of the great schools (Duval is not known for the great schools, compared to the surrounding counties). If you need more specific info I'd be glad to help with any other questions.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Jan 16th, 2012, 11:40 PM
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I know all these post were written some time ago but I might also find myself moving very soon to Jacksonville from Los Angeles and your post have been overall very helpful. Can someone help me know where the safest best areas to look for a 1br apartment might be? Also is there any community colleges near? By what I read there are not a lot of latinos/hispanics (I am Mexican) I have been reading other cites and people really seem to focus on race and it has me a bit worried, are people friendly and excepting?
Jan 17th, 2012, 05:51 AM
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