OT - Jacksonville Anyone???

Hi Laura,

I'm 27 and live on the southside of Jacksonville.  That's the area recommended to you based on where the BOA campus is (the Baymeadows, Southside, Gate Parkway area).  The biggest thing that people our age seem to struggle with in Jacksonville is the night life.  There's no shortage of cool bars and clubs, but they are all very spread out.  Jacksonville isn't a place where you hail a cab for a night on the town.  You have to drive everywhere, literally.  Driving puts a damper on a night out on the town.  We have cab services, but they're outrageously priced.  Imagine paying for a 15 or 20 MILE cab ride one way.  Yep, it's expensive.  Sooooo....you pretty much always need a designated driver. I like the Southside, because it's close to work, great shopping, great restaurants and great bars.  We're wine bar kind of people and there are quite a few in our area (less than 2 miles away).   Baymeadows is an older part of the Southside.  Many of those apartments are undergoing renovation.  They're more affordable, but also attract a large population of non-english speaking residents.  That's more of a FYI than anything.  Those places don't have anymore crime than the next place.   If you're seriously considering Jacksonville just remember how large the city is.  It really is the ENTIRE county, which means long commutes if you live on one side of town and work on another.   Good luck

Oh man, now I REALLY feel old!!!!!! LOL  "Older part of the Southside"  No, no, that would be San Jose, San Marco!!!!!!!  I moved to the Baymeadows/Deerwood area when I was nine years old (born and raised in Riverside).  That was 39 years ago.  There was NOTHING there!  Just two, two lane roads (Baymeadows and Southside) and a flashing light.  The area that is now Tinsletown consisted of old phosphate mines.  Miles upon miles of sand that we used to four-wheel on.  Hard to believe huh? I now live just south of Jax/Duval County in St. Johns County.  It is very much like Baymeadows/Deerwood was 40 years ago.  Of course they are now building the "Town of Nocatee" so it won't be long before urban sprawl makes it's way down here.  At least they made sure to make the roads nice and accomodating for a lot of people BEFORE the people came, not after! I usually have about a 30 minute commute into town but I don't mind it at all as I'm usually lost in thought anyway so the time flies by.  My daughter goes to Nease High School and loves it there.  To show you how fast this area is growing, they are building THREE new high schools in the area! The areas that were suggested to you are nice if you want to live in the middle of everything.  If you prefer to live on the outskirts and commute then I would suggest St. Johns County.  If you sign a lease, make sure it is just for one year so you can take some time and get a feel for the area before you decide where you really want to settle. If you like fresh or sal****er activities you will find no shortage of them here.  Boating, jet skiing, wind sailing, fishing, kayaking, and anything else involving the water is available.  If you like motorcycles there is no shortage of them around here.  Both my husband and I ride and if the weather is nice it's like bike week around here.  If you like horses there is a huge equestrian center over on the westside.  You also have the surrounding towns of St. Augustine, Fernandina, Daytona, Gainesville, etc. which all have various things to offer.  Savannah is a couple of hours to the north and is a must for St. Patrick's Day.  There is really a lot to do around here, you just have to explore. Good luck in your move! Karen

Hi Laura,  I'm also 24 and have lived here my entire life.  I went to school in Orlando for a year but preferred Jax so I moved back.  I live about 5 miles from the Southside BOA campus and it's about a 5-15 minute drive depending on traffic/time of day.  I don't know what your budget is, but the apartments where we live a comfortable and quiet (the place we used to live had notices of breakins every other week.  Here?  Not a single problem in over a year).  We have a two bedroom with washer/dryer hookups and it's 860/month.  I think the 1 bedrooms are about 680.  That's the going rate in my part of Mandarin. Tinseltown, Deerwood and Town Centre are about the same distance away but much more expensive.  They are newer areas of town that attract the younger, upwardly mobile set.  If your budget allows it, they are nice places to live but you don't have to pay so much to be close to work.  I would agree to stay away from Baymeadows.  It used to be the "nice" area to live in but it seems to have a lot of young college kids and yes, non-english speaking people (I don't mean that offensively, its a fact).  My friend used to live in a complex in the area and I did not feel comfortable leaving my car overnight but that's just me. As stated above, nightlife can be a little slow BUT you can find stuff to do if you're willing to drive.  Google Folio Weekly Jax, it should have a good amount of info about the nightlife here.  The publication itself is quite liberal, but they are also one of the best at letting people know what's going on where.  If all else fails, St. Augustine is about 30-45 minutes away from that campus, Daytona is about 1 hour and Orlando is 2 hours. All in all, I really like living here.  Yes, the crime rate is higher than some places but it's actually fairly concentrated to the Northside, unfortunately for the people who live there.  The traffic can get ugly around rush hour but it's still better than Orlando. If you have any questions for me don't hesitate to ask.  Oh yeah, Memorial Hospital is a bariatric center for excellence (that's where my dr. is based) if that is a concern of yours.  We also have other bariatric dr's within 45 minutes (Ocala). Personally, I like it here

Jax is a nice area. All depends what part of town. Check with Jax Sherriff's Office for low crime areas. If you have kids in school you may want to consider Clay or St. Johns Counties. Much better schools. Living in the other 2 counties, taxes are lower and both are about 45 minutes from downtown. I live in Orange Park and work downtown just off I-95. My route is Blanding Blvd to I-295N to I-10E to I-95N then exit Kings Rd. Sounds like a lot but 40 to 45 minutes. Been doing this for the last 12 years since I retired from the military. BofA building. Need an address Always glad to help  tommyg

It seems like the crime in Jax isn't all that random... It is usually over drugs or people that have an existing relationship to each other of some kind. Tinseltown area/ Gate Parkway is a nice area for BOA.  I'm at Citi and I have a friend at BOA.  Tinseltown/Gate pkway has movies/restaurants/15 minutes from the beaches/and close to the st. Johns Town Center and Avenues Mall.  Rentals are not cheap in this area, but now is a good time to BUY anyway!  More expensive nicer apartments with less crime though if you want safety. Reduced prices on homes and great interest rates! No need to go to St.Johns or other counties if you are concerned about good schools.  Jax has a GREAT magnet school system... My daughter has been in the Arts for Elementary and Middle School so far and loves it.  There are all sorts of great schools! ~Kim Welcome to the First Coast!