Moving to Jacksonville

[ProjectMaximus]

Welcome again, Ambitious. I saw you on citydata yesterday...

You need to come to town and check it out yourself. You'll probably pick up the vibe of each area within a few hours and know what feels right. My preference is Riverside, but as I said on the other website, the area where you work is quite attractive as well. And the beaches can be exciting, but probably would get old if I was out there every night. Walk around Riverside (start with Five Points or Avondale), drive around Tinseltown and the St Johns Town Center, and then hit Jax Beach. There are other nice spots as well, but you'll probably be able to start (and end) your search with the above.

[fieldafm]

Jacksonville is like one big suburb (this is coming from someone from Chicago).  I currently work in the same general area.  The area around St. Johns Towncenter is for the young soon to be or transitioning to affluent set.  So if that's the crowd you're part of perfect place to be.  

Not the crowd I am part of. Riverside does sound better based on your description. I also want to be able to run around where I live. Any recommendations of apartments in Riverside?

Riverside/Avondale was made for running. 
As has been said, Riverside/Avondale offers a lot of multi-family residences for rent.  As far as apartment complexes.. Villas of St Johns is great.  Clean places in the heart of Riverside.
There are a few buildings on the river near St Vincents Hospital... can't recall the names offhand but I'll driveby on the way home from work.

[Clem1029]

I'm probably going to be the far minority opinion here...but working at JTB/9A and living in Riverside? Really? That strikes me as a little crazy. After living here for 5 years and about to move around town for the 4th time, the #1 rule I've learned about this city is that you should think long and hard about putting the river in between where you live and where you're going to travel to the most. Personally, I work near that area and I wouldn't even consider living in Riverside.

The Tinseltown area on Southside might be worth looking at (Tapestry Park in particular depending what you're looking for). There's also some great places to rent from the south end of Southside and the northeastern part of Mandarin. There's also a ton of townhomes in the area that people are putting up for rent at great rates (I've seen some incredible deals on great sized 3 bed/2 bath places in Bartram Park for the same rent as some apartments around town want to charge for small 2/1s).

[rjp2008]

The JTB/9A/Southside area is loaded with apartments and condos, most of which are very new. This area is also the most like WPB area if that's what you're interested in. Riverside is a very long drive from there doesn't seem very practical.

[duvaldude08]

I'm probably going to be the far minority opinion here...but working at JTB/9A and living in Riverside? Really? That strikes me as a little crazy. After living here for 5 years and about to move around town for the 4th time, the #1 rule I've learned about this city is that you should think long and hard about putting the river in between where you live and where you're going to travel to the most. Personally, I work near that area and I wouldn't even consider living in Riverside.

The Tinseltown area on Southside might be worth looking at (Tapestry Park in particular depending what you're looking for). There's also some great places to rent from the south end of Southside and the northeastern part of Mandarin. There's also a ton of townhomes in the area that people are putting up for rent at great rates (I've seen some incredible deals on great sized 3 bed/2 bath places in Bartram Park for the same rent as some apartments around town want to charge for small 2/1s).

I agree. Im not a fan of driving and rush hour traffic. I did it for 5 years. I stayed on Dunn ave and worked in Baymeadows. WHOO UPON MY SOUL. That was a 30 minute drive there and back every morning, and lets not count an accident. I now work in downtown and stay in Baymeadows, so my drive is about 10-15 at the most during rush hour. Which isnt too bad.

[finehoe]

Where did you live in WPB and do you want a similar 'hood here?

[Fallen Buckeye]

If you're looking for places around Riverside, I'd recommend finding a realtor who knows the area. There's MLS listings similar to what is available for when you're buying a home, they can help you find a few options, and then drive you around to see them since you aren't familiar with the area. They usually do this for free since they often receive a stipend no matter what realty company manages the property. It lets you see a lot of properties at once with the guidance of someone who is from here.

[JaxNative68]

JTB/9A is a 15-20 minute commute from the beach, which has a good night life for 23 year old single male and a lot of eye candy on the weekends.

[Ambitious]

Haha okay after thinking about the commute, I'm changing my mind on Riverside. I've been researching the Tinseltown area, it looks pretty nice and is close to work, and it isn't too far from the city or the beach.

Prices do look a little high, but maybe that's because I'm used to places from college that were $400/month? I'll definitely take the advice and go up there for a couple of days when I get the chance.

In West Palm Beach, I pretty much live in Greenacres/unincorporated area around there, about a 15 min drive West of downtown.

[finehoe]

In West Palm Beach, I pretty much live in Greenacres/unincorporated area around there, about a 15 min drive West of downtown.

Tinseltown is more similar to that area than Riverside is.

[RockStar]

I live in Riverside and previously worked in Ponte Vedra. I could make it door to door in 25min...usually while texting and never using my signal, unless it was my signal finger. (lol, j/k see other thread about driving) And no, I don't have a magical car and tend to keep it about 5-10 over the limit when possible. But best advice is, as the others said, come out for a couple of days and check out the different areas. My number one priority is there being a bar I can walk to, not drive, walk...in other words, quality of life is more important than commute time. If I love where I live, I'll drive forever to work. (Besides, live too close to work, and you're always right there...close to work.) Just my opine...

~j.

[9a is my backyard]

I agree with everything posted ahead of time.  Couple questions: what's your monthly price range and what type of place are you looking for?  By the last question I mean do you want something new/relatively new, a gated community, a home, a duplex, a neighborhood, a charming older home, etc.  Both of those can help us narrow down what might be best suited for you.

I spent 5 years living in the Southside/Tinseltown area (lived on campus at UNF for 3 years, 1 year in a townhome near the Town Center and another year in an apartment near the Town Center) and now I work near the JTB/9A interchange.  To me, there's nothing really bad about that area, but nothing really great either.  You're close to a lot of things, but you have to drive everywhere. 

I moved to Riverside about two months ago and, so far, I really like it.  I'm not wild about the commute, but it's not awful - about 20 mins door to door.  I love being able to walk around to bars, restaurants and shops and there are a lot of people around my age in the neighborhood (I'm 23 btw).  It's definitely not for everyone though; most of the buildings are from the early to mid 1900's and some haven't been renovated.  Whereas the Southside has the same general amenities in all their apartments (i.e., practically all of them have central air, dishwashers, ice makers, etc), there's far more variety in Riverside/San Marco/Springfield.  Some places have been recently renovated and have all the modern conveniences while others require window A/C units and don't have on site laundry facilities. 

It sounds like you're leaning towards the Tinseltown area, which can be a good base for your first few months/year.  Like you said, the location is good and you're convenient to a lot of other places in Jacksonville.  You can do some exploring and when your lease is up you'll have a better idea of where you want to live. 

In my experience, it can be a little easier to find a place on the Southside just due to the fact that the apartment complexes are so big.  You can look at the model unit and tell if you like it, select the floor plan you want and then see what they have available around your moving date.  When you visit a complex, you're essentially checking out 5-10 vacant units.  If you want to see that in Riverside, you have to look at 5-10 different units.  Plus, apartment complexes usually have someone on site during business hours, so you can basically drop in as opposed to having to call ahead and make an appointment.  Just something to think about since you're doing your search from out of town.  If you do choose Riverside or one of the downtown neighborhoods, I would definitely recommend using a realtor or similar service.  That said, I have to commend you for finding MetroJax...it may be the most useful resource at your disposal

Welcome to Jacksonville, it really can be a cool place to live.  Keep the questions comin' if you got'em!

[Ambitious]

Hmm..for monthly payments, I have no idea really. Salary is 50 k...I am pretty much just going to show up with a few bags and a car. I don't have any payments on anything, and I don't really know what it costs for a single guy to live. What do you recommend that I spend on housing?

I should probably live in an apartment. One problem is that I don't have any furniture, I wonder if any of these places are already furnished? I should probably buy my own furniture, but all I know is that I will be there for about 2 years minimum. I could be moving shortly after those 2 years are up or I could be staying for 5-10 years.

Do you guys recommend living alone? I've lived with either family or roommates all of my life. I've had good and bad experiences.  I'm definitely leaning towards Tinseltown but I'll be sure to check out Riverside when I visit too.

[uptowngirl]

Springfield to Soutside where it ends at Philips -17 miles and about 25 mins each way, I don;t think that is bad at all, of course now I hardly ever have to go in the office ;-)

[JaxDiablo]

I should probably live in an apartment. One problem is that I don't have any furniture, I wonder if any of these places are already furnished? I should probably buy my own furniture, but all I know is that I will be there for about 2 years minimum. I could be moving shortly after those 2 years are up or I could be staying for 5-10 years.

On your way up drive through Tampa, rent a Uhaul /w a car tow, spend $1-2k at Ikea and furnish your place fairly well, turn the u-haul in at your local Uhaul rental in Jax, thank me.