OT: Moving from Jackson to Jacksonville

[TheGoat.sixpack]

My little family of 3 has decided to pick up, pack up, and move to Jacksonville, Fl. My wife actually lived there and worked at Wolfson Children's Hospital before we met (NICU nurse) and LOVED it. My son is going into 8th grade. I'm wide open in the job market.

With that said, any SixPackers in Jax? I'm just now learning about the city and everything around it. I would appreciate any advice.

Thanks in advance.

 

[msubrave]

Sounds fun. Im sure your 8th grader will really enjoy making all new friends just in time for high school. Good luck!

 

[Palmettodog]

My son, Coast Guard, has been stationed in Jax Beach for the past 3 years, but recently moved to VA. He lived off Beach Blvd in apartments. We've visited several times and I personally don't care for Jacksonville. St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra are nice though. Lots of transients and homeless people. Traffic sucks.

 

[Diggin Out Yo Wife]

More people leaving Mississippi. SMH

 

[mstateglfr]

I definitely dont live there, but have been many times visiting relatives and for work.
Its the largest city in the contiguous US in terms of size. Take any city you have experienced and double it. You will then have half of the size of Jacksonville. Urban sprawl 50 years ago combined with all the swamps and waterways really did a number on it, geographically speaking. Tons of twisty neighborhoods that are totally cut off from the rest of everything and they all connect by way of 6-8 lane roads.

Incredible proximity to outdoors stuff- rural gravel cycling, hiking, golf, fishing, beaches, hunting, etc.

 

[HotMop]

How many pairs of Jorts do you currently own?

 

[dawgman42]

This guy approves.

View attachment 12773

 

[Shmuley]

Cool place. Slightly higher cost of living. No state income tax. School situation is better than Mississippi (not saying much). Housing costs will far exceed similar situation in jackhole. You'll have to stay away from the beaches and move inland a ways to get affordable housing with commensurate square footage, or you'll have to downsize substantially to find a commensurate housing cost. I would avoid Mayport and Orange Park. If Mama is going to work at a hospital, Shands, Baptist, St. Vincent's, Wolfson all have downtown presence. There's some gentrification occurring near downtown in an area called Brooklyn if that's your thing. The big time growing area is around Town Center off the JTB between I-95 and the beaches. Lots of neighborhoods and close to Mayo, if your wife is interested in that.

 

[dudehead]

More people leaving Mississippi. SMH

We've lost 10,000 in East MS since 2010 and MS may lose a Congressman. If this is not reversed soon, MS is going to pass so far into the death spiral of declining tax base causing further decline that it may never pull out. If nothing changes, nothing changes.

Best to you in Jacksonville; I have a good friend that moved there 15 to 20 years ago and he says it's the best decision he's ever made.

 

[Tigr2ndbase]

Lived there out of college and Tampa now. It’s still in my territory so I’m up there a lot. St. John’s and nocatee are where I would live if I moved back with my kids. Don’t know if that will work for you but if so, check it out.

 

[Barkman Turner Overdrive]

I would avoid Mayport and Orange Park. .

Not a fan of Navy towns?

 

[Shmuley]

Not a fan of the real estate market in those areas.

 

[TheGoat.sixpack]

Cool place. Slightly higher cost of living. No state income tax. School situation is better than Mississippi (not saying much). Housing costs will far exceed similar situation in jackhole. You'll have to stay away from the beaches and move inland a ways to get affordable housing with commensurate square footage, or you'll have to downsize substantially to find a commensurate housing cost. I would avoid Mayport and Orange Park. If Mama is going to work at a hospital, Shands, Baptist, St. Vincent's, Wolfson all have downtown presence. There's some gentrification occurring near downtown in an area called Brooklyn if that's your thing. The big time growing area is around Town Center off the JTB between I-95 and the beaches. Lots of neighborhoods and close to Mayo, if your wife is interested in that.

Good stuff...thank you!

 

[BrunswickDawg]

Cool place. Slightly higher cost of living. No state income tax. School situation is better than Mississippi (not saying much). Housing costs will far exceed similar situation in jackhole. You'll have to stay away from the beaches and move inland a ways to get affordable housing with commensurate square footage, or you'll have to downsize substantially to find a commensurate housing cost. I would avoid Mayport and Orange Park. If Mama is going to work at a hospital, Shands, Baptist, St. Vincent's, Wolfson all have downtown presence. There's some gentrification occurring near downtown in an area called Brooklyn if that's your thing. The big time growing area is around Town Center off the JTB between I-95 and the beaches. Lots of neighborhoods and close to Mayo, if your wife is interested in that.

All good stuff Shumley -
I'm an hour north of Jax but would echo a lot of this. I would add that there are a lot of people who live in my area who make the commute daily to somewhere around Jax. Land in Camden County and Glynn County, Georgia is a lot cheaper, and if you are used to commuting it isn't that bad.

 

[TheGoat.sixpack]

Not a fan of the real estate market in those areas.

Right now we are thinking about the Avondale/Riverside area and sending our son to Bishop Kenny HC (I think Travis Chapman, Papelbon, and Pat McMahon went there). Or, moving into the Fleming Island area. St Johns county seems awesome, but damn, it's growing.

 

[ShrubDog]

One thing you will feel instantly is the Eastern Time Zone. It absolutely sucks man. I lived a long time in that zone and never fully adjusted. Anyway thats a cool place to live, have fun.

 

[TheGoat.sixpack]

One thing you will feel instantly is the Eastern Time Zone. It absolutely sucks man. I lived a long time in that zone and never fully adjusted. Anyway thats a cool place to live, have fun.

I've always seemed to enjoy it on vacations.

 

[dickiedawg]

My son, Coast Guard, has been stationed in Jax Beach for the past 3 years, but recently moved to VA. He lived off Beach Blvd in apartments. We've visited several times and I personally don't care for Jacksonville. St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra are nice though. Lots of transients and homeless people. Traffic sucks.

OK who else read this as if the son was named Coast Guard?

 

[dawgstudent]

I would hate it for evening pro sports. everything starts an hour later. Does the normal workday start at 9 AM in the eastern time zone?

 

[ShrubDog]

9 PM kickoffs and tipoffs will kill screen time.

 

[ShrubDog]

I've always seemed to enjoy it on vacations.

It’s a shock to the system once you settle in for a few weeks. If you’re a NFL fan its tough.

 

[dorndawg]

For this and many other reasons, I'd love to live in Pacific time zone.

 

[Trojanbulldog19]

being looking a possible move to that area as well. interested in some of the feedback. i've liked the area when i've gone to visit. Also looking at some other southern Atlantic coastal cities like Savanah, Charleston, and up to Whilmington.

 

[Madison Swinger]

being looking a possible move to that area as well. interested in some of the feedback. i've liked the area when i've gone to visit. Also looking at some other southern Atlantic coastal cities like Savanah, Charleston, and up to Whilmington.

Gulfport

 

[aTotal360]

Amen. EST absolutely blows. I hate it. I haven't gotten used to yet. Late football games end at 11:45pm. My old *** hasn't watched the end of MNF in 8 years.

 

[Palmettodog]

My wife and I thought it was a cool name.**

 

[Shmuley]

My daughter, Seabees, thought it was ridiculous.

 

[DancingRabbit]

For this and many other reasons, I'd love to live in Pacific time zone.

9am CFB kickoffs? 10am NFL kickoffs? Been there, done that. It sucks. Did 7 years in the EST - not ideal, but sucks less than pacific. Central rules.

 

[TheGoat.sixpack]

being looking a possible move to that area as well. interested in some of the feedback. i've liked the area when i've gone to visit. Also looking at some other southern Atlantic coastal cities like Savanah, Charleston, and up to Whilmington.

We did lots of research. We thought about cities like Colorado Springs, Omaha, Louisville, Overland Park, Nashville, and several in NC. We settled on Jacksonville because of amazing hospitals, large job market, it's Florida, awesome public schools (St Johns county), and it's affordable. Good mix of old south and Florida lifestyle. Crazy cheap flights from Jackson to Orlando too...for my family.

 

[bruiser.sixpack]

One benefit. About every 3 years, Mississippi State will be there playing a Football Game in late December.****

I find it interesting that Papelbon prefers Bellevue(Hattiesburg) to his hometown of Jacksonville.

If we could bottle pockets of Mississippi and sprinkle it out over the whole state, maybe more College Grads would choose to stay at home and help revitalize and re-gentrify.

Of course, if “progress”, a possible by-product of re-gentrification, means turning from Faith in Christ and Him Crucified and Risen, I’d just as soon Mississippi stay the “backwards” Bible Belt State that it is now. So I guess “progress” is a relative term.

 

[Cat Duck]

One benefit. About every 3 years, Mississippi State will be there playing a Football Game in late December.****

I find it interesting that Papelbon prefers Bellevue(Hattiesburg) to his hometown of Jacksonville.

If we could bottle pockets of Mississippi and sprinkle it out over the whole state, maybe more College Grads would choose to stay at home and help revitalize and re-gentrify.

Of course, if “progress”, a possible by-product of re-gentrification, means turning from Faith in Christ and Him Crucified and Risen, I’d just as soon Mississippi stay the “backwards” Bible Belt State that it is now. So I guess “progress” is a relative term.

It would be nice if we made it very difficult to make that choice, by number 1, keeping homegrown companies here, and 2, recruiting more job-creating employers.

I have no idea about the OP's motivation but it seems job-related.

 

[Chris Mannix]

One benefit. About every 3 years, Mississippi State will be there playing a Football Game in late December.****

I find it interesting that Papelbon prefers Bellevue(Hattiesburg) to his hometown of Jacksonville.

If we could bottle pockets of Mississippi and sprinkle it out over the whole state, maybe more College Grads would choose to stay at home and help revitalize and re-gentrify.

Of course, if “progress”, a possible by-product of re-gentrification, means turning from Faith in Christ and Him Crucified and Risen, I’d just as soon Mississippi stay the “backwards” Bible Belt State that it is now. So I guess “progress” is a relative term.

No offense dude, but Mississippi would be a much better and more inclusive place if we could get people to understand that not everything has something to do with religion. Bringing in new people would be a great thing for Mississippi, but we need new ways of thinking, not more people that the answer to every problem is more religion.

Why don’t young college educated professionals come to Mississippi? The easy answer is lack of jobs. Another answer that might play into it is that maybe they do not want to be told they have a demon in them if they are gay or want to have an abortion. Or believe in global warming. Given that this age group is the least religious in the country, and many of them are not looking for a church home it might be time to go after them in a different way.

All I am asking of my religious friends is first, please leave your faith at home or in your church where it belongs. Second, stop thinking that religion will solve the problems of this state. We have praying for a while and things do not seem to be getting better.

If you want to help realize that most of the ideas that modern Christian religion is based on are intellectually embarrassing Bronze Age myths. It is amazing to me that people will say I believe in Jesus but not global warming. One of these things has almost no factual basis for proven existence, the other is global warming.

Now rip me apart for being an atheist, or tell me that you will be praying for me.

 

[Madison Swinger]

No offense dude, but Mississippi would be a much better and more inclusive place if we could get people to understand that not everything has something to do with religion. Bringing in new people would be a great thing for Mississippi, but we need new ways of thinking, not more people that the answer to every problem is more religion.

Why don’t young college educated professionals come to Mississippi? The easy answer is lack of jobs. Another answer that might play into it is that maybe they do not want to be told they have a demon in them if they are gay or want to have an abortion. Or believe in global warming. Given that this age group is the least religious in the country, and many of them are not looking for a church home it might be time to go after them in a different way.

All I am asking of religious friends is first, please leave your faith at home or in your church where it belongs. Second, stop thinking that religion will solve the problems of this state. We have praying for a while and things do not seem to be getting better.

If you want to help realize that most of the ideas that modern Christian religion is based on are intellectually embarrassing Bronze Age myths. It is amazing to me that people will say I believe in Jesus but not global warming. One of these things has almost no factual basis for proven existence, the other is global warming.

Now rip me apart for being an atheist, or tell me that you will be praying for me.

wow that is some legit hostility!

not saying you are wrong tho, I definitely do not Pinelake

 

[Chris Mannix]

wow that is some legit hostility!

not saying you are wrong tho, I definitely do not Pinelake

Didn’t mean to sound hostile, at all. I was also not trying to say anything bad about Brusier. Just my thoughts on the subject, I am most likely wrong and will be easily dismissed.

 

[dorndawg]

Sounds fantastic to me but I'm a morning person who is thrilled to be in bed by 8:30pm

 

[BrunswickDawg]

being looking a possible move to that area as well. interested in some of the feedback. i've liked the area when i've gone to visit. Also looking at some other southern Atlantic coastal cities like Savanah, Charleston, and up to Whilmington.

I'd chose any of those 3 over Jacksonville in a heartbeat. But, I'm also a big fan of more historic, walk-able cities. Jacksonville is incredibly sprawl-oriented and very disconnected because of the river. It's kind of like Atlanta in that depending on where you live you have to drive everywhere. But, if you are a water oriented person - either boating, beaches or both, its a good place to live.

 

[RotorHead]

I grew up in MS and was constantly looking for a way to move back until recently. Just got tired if trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. After flight school, I relocated my family to Huntsville, AL due to a job. Not the job I wanted or the location I'd always planned on, but it was a job that could provide. Fast forward two years. I've tried multiple times to find a job closer to where "home." Each time has failed...either due to lack of qualification, interest, or plain, old-fashioned "good ol' boy" politics. Fine, I'll quit my bitching and settle here in HSV. The schools are DRASTICALLY better, the quality of living is DRASTICALLY better, the city itself is MUCH cleaner; and I've got a skill-set which can grow here. MSU/OM/USM are churning out graduates that are qualified in areas which MS barely supports. If MS does support that job market, much better options are available to the graduates than Jackson (just using the city as a reference.) Sure, there's small niches of opportunity if your timing is right...but overall, there is nothing in the state that is enticing enough for them to stay there.
You can't tell me, don't get me wrong...I love my homestate, but you can't tell me that if you live in Jackson/metro area, you don't purposefully avoid areas due to high crime or just overall trashy appearance. You don't go out after a certain time of night and, if you do, you keep it short/sweet/to the point. If you do live in the area, you can't tell me that you haven't had at least one occurrence of thinking, "if I could get out of here, I would."
Why would a college graduate, who has all the opportunity in the world, decide to stay in Jackson and risk having to career-hop due to a declining atmosphere?
People can ***** and moan all they want about "oh, there's more people leaving MS...." Yeah, they're leaving...the state is tanking, can you blame them? would you leave if you had the opportunity?
My father in law said it best. "It's great to be FROM Mississippi....its ain't great to be IN Mississippi."
Leaving is hard, but would you rather roll the dice and see if you can make it somewhere else or put all your eggs in one basket and tie yourself to a potentially sinking ship?

 

[Trojanbulldog19]

i mentioned those because of a little research we have done, and I have work connections near all of those that would make it easier to move. We like coastal places. we like the gulf coast, but we don't have as many work connections for what we do along on the gulf coast. We also like the historical walkable areas with old houses, buildings, restaurants, and live oaks mixed in with updates and renovations and of course newly developed areas not far off. We also like being closer to orlando area for all the parks and things because we go down there quite often.

 

[ShrubDog]

No offense dude, but Mississippi would be a much better and more inclusive place if we could get people to understand that not everything has something to do with religion. Bringing in new people would be a great thing for Mississippi, but we need new ways of thinking, not more people that the answer to every problem is more religion.

Why don’t young college educated professionals come to Mississippi? The easy answer is lack of jobs. Another answer that might play into it is that maybe they do not want to be told they have a demon in them if they are gay or want to have an abortion. Or believe in global warming. Given that this age group is the least religious in the country, and many of them are not looking for a church home it might be time to go after them in a different way.

All I am asking of my religious friends is first, please leave your faith at home or in your church where it belongs. Second, stop thinking that religion will solve the problems of this state. We have praying for a while and things do not seem to be getting better.

If you want to help realize that most of the ideas that modern Christian religion is based on are intellectually embarrassing Bronze Age myths. It is amazing to me that people will say I believe in Jesus but not global warming. One of these things has almost no factual basis for proven existence, the other is global warming.

Now rip me apart for being an atheist, or tell me that you will be praying for me.

Did you just say there is almost no factual evidence of Jesus? There is more factual evidence on Jesus than any other man on earth. Can you explain how myths become facts through prophecy?

I am not going to rip you apart for being atheist but for being factually distorted.

So is it fair to keep evolution out of schools?

To the OP, sorry this went sideways.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

delete