Jacksonville Strengths & Weaknesses Per A "Competitor"

[Deuce]

lacks some of the amenities and the quality of life image now being demanded by the creative class

That's exactly what I have been talking to people about since I became familiar with Florida's book (no relation to the state) several years ago.

rising tide lifts all boats

I had a boss who used this expression a lot. It is an apt expression for the redevelopment of Springfield.

Our continued efforts to attract jobs to our ports and the complementary logistical jobs that they create (trains, shipping companies, logistical software) is vital to JAX's future growth. But we should also be trying to attract other high tech jobs to the area. Believe it or not technical job salaries in JAX are extremely competitive with other large cities, made so more by the low cost of living. This is something I researched heavily before I moved here 4 years ago. Now that might have changed in the intervening 4 years, but it's a good impetus to try to attract more large technical consulting companies or software development companies.

[macbeth25]

Is Jacksonville competing to become a space port?  Posters are probably aware that Cecil Field at least was one of the places being considered for horizontal launch of space vehicles. They would take a version of the space shuttle to altitude piggyback on a large aircraft.  I think some other city has been chosen but is there anything we can do about that?  Now that would be something I'd like to see.  I also think it would bring jobs to the area, some pretty high tech.

[Jason]

Yes, Cecil is still in the running to become a comercial spaceport.

Read about it here...

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php/topic,5621.0.html

[Jason]

Here is what a reporter in Amarillo, TX thinks about Jacksonville....

From the travel section...

Jacksonville

36 miles S of the Georgia border, 134 miles NE of Orlando, 340 miles N of Miami

Once infamous for its smelly paper mills, the sprawling metropolis of Jacksonville -- residents call it "Jax," from its airport abbreviation -- is now one of the South's insurance and banking capitals. Development was rampant throughout Duval County during the 1990s, with hotels, restaurants, attractions, and clubs springing up, especially in suburban areas near the interstate highways. Aside from that, there are 20 miles of Atlantic Ocean beaches upon which to sun and swim, championship golf courses, and an abundance of beautiful and historic national and state parks to roam.

Spanning the broad, curving St. Johns River, downtown Jacksonville is a vibrant center of activity during weekdays and on weekend afternoons and evenings, when many locals head to the restaurants and bars of Jacksonville Landing and Southbank Riverwalk. These two dining-and-entertainment complexes face each other across the river and have helped to revitalize the downtown area.

Source: http://www.newschannel10.com/global/story.asp?s=10707623