Jacksonville's Most Walkable Neighborhoods
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-5400-p1110476.JPG)
According to Walk Score, there is no Walker's Paradise in Jacksonville. However, there are a few urban districts in Jacksonville that qualify as Very Walkable districts.
Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/848
This Walk Score seems to miss something. In my mind, Riverside is one of the only truly walkable areas in Jacksonville, and the sole reason for this is Publix. I can get healthy food and decent produce without a car. Does San Marco have a grocery store that folks can get to as easily? And I don't mean Matthews Market (no offense).
I just met a Health Department rep yesterday and the discussion was about the various ways wealth inequalities make us less healthy. Access to affordable, fresh, and decent food is a huge part of this.
The way it looks, areas located within a few blocks of commercial districts, such as Five Points, Park & King or Edgewood Avenue rank the highest, in terms of walkability.
1661 Riverside ranks pretty high. It comes in at an 89 out of 100. However, walkability becomes more auto-dependent north of the CSX railroad tracks. So it ends up averaging out to 71.
Looking at this, I would assume San Marco's rank is so high because the entire neighborhood is no further than a three or four block walk from a walkable commercial district when you factor in the locations of San Marco Square, Hendricks and San Marco Blvd, in regards to the rest of the neighborhood.
I've lived in San Marco for 3 years and Riverside for about one. I find myself walking far more in Riverside than I did in San Marco, mainly because of the wider variety of destinations in the area. Publix, the eateries/bars in 5 points, memorial park, Riverside park.
Then again, I didn't utilize the square very often, other than the San Marco theater. San Marco does seem a bit more compact though, has more of an urban feel whereas Riverside has always had the small town feel, even though it covers a considerably larger area.
I agree with you Lakelander, I live on the other side of the tracks and my walk score came out to a 55/100.... not very good.
I went 6 months without a car, I used my bike to go everywhere. Kent Campus, Publix (only once, that was a long ride), Five Points, Murray Hill, Avondale, etc. After BOTH bikes were stolen, I had to walk everywhere or depend on the HORRIBLE bus routes JTA has to offer. And even worse, waiting an hour for a Taxi to show up.
Ok, so I got side tracked there. Yes we are bringing you down LoL.
I'm surprised Jax beaches didn't score higher, it always seems like theres scores of people along 1st - 3rd and the whole Atlantic shopping area, jogging, biking, or skating. I assume those would all fall under walking
The areas west of 3rd Street, most likely bring the beaches down.
There are also some very walkable neighborhoods in the bedroom communities of St. Augustine, Green Cove Springs and Fernandina.
I wonder if there has been a study showing how cities that are walkable have reduced crime in those walkable areas. More eyes on the street, seems obvious... Hello Mayor Payton
Springfield is very walkable too. We have sidewalks on both sides of the street, and aside from the occasional speeding asshole, the traffic isn't crazy. In fact, that was one of the first things we noticed about SPR when we moved in was how much foot traffic there was, at least as compared to our old neighborhood in Arlington.
I live at Southside and Deerwood, by the service road. My walk score is 28..yay! Talk about car dependency!
I find Ortega to be pretty walker-friendly. The village square still has a bank, drug store and several specialty shops right in the heart of the neighborhood, several water-front parks with walking paths, and Publix, Belk, Chamblin Bookmine, and all the other stores and restaurants at Roosevelt Square Mall can be walked to either over the Hwy 17 bridge or the Ortega River drawbridge (whichboth have walk/bike lanes). Sidewalks along Herschel from San Juan will get you to Eclipse, Harpoon Louie's, Goal Post Deli and The Loop in west Avondale, too!
^ The area, north of the Ortega River is what Walkscore calls "Fairfax". Its the third most walkable area of town with a 71, behind Downtown (88) and San Marco (80).
Quote from: Bewler on July 24, 2008, 02:27:32 PM
I'm surprised Jax beaches didn't score higher, it always seems like theres scores of people along 1st - 3rd and the whole Atlantic shopping area, jogging, biking, or skating. I assume those would all fall under walking
Bewler,
I don't think this study covered Jacksonville Beach. I mean, that's across the ditch and therefore, it's a completely alien universe in which day is night and people walk and ride bikes instead of drive cars everywhere. But in all seriousness, it is a different city technically and this site tend to focus on the events in the urban core, even the new walgreens opening up in springfield!
They do have a cute subcatagories for those in the burbs though!
QuoteCity's not made for walkin'
Grab a bike helmet on the way out the door to work. Lace up a pair of sneakers to run errands. Put away a set of car keys - and don't touch them for a week.
Believe it or not, it can happen in Jacksonville.
In the midst of the urban rush, Stan and Johanna Soliday enjoy a mostly car-free lifestyle in pedestrian-friendly San Marco.
"We believe that it's better for our health and lowers stress," said Stan Soliday, 54. "We try to park the car for environmental and practical reasons."
Their neighborhood is a hidden gem in a place largely dependent on cars. Jacksonville was ranked as the least "walkable" of the 40 largest U.S. cities by walkscore.com, a Web site gaining popularity with homeowners and real estate agents.
Full Article:
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/080208/met_312620877.shtml
Walkers, cyclist, and fit people UNITE! There are people driving in the school zone twice daily on Cherry Street between Park Street and Oak Street at full speed. The crosswalks are not connected to the sidewalks at this junction. Although it is within the safety net of a school zone, there are no crossing guards. Watch for debris obstructing the crosswalk, standing water, parked cars on the actual crosswalk, and drivers ignorning the posted school zone speed limit. Today I witnessed cars blowing through the stop sign at the bottom of Herschel Street and Cherry Street where people walk their dogs, their children to school, or even the lone cyclist who left their gas sucking SUV in the garage that day, have difficulty accessing the Willow Branch Public Library, West Riverside Elementary School (Public) without being run down by a car. I beg people to slow down during the peak times of school and to watch where they park their cars, so that children can access the somewhat treacherous sidewalk conditions because the streets are no place for children during this time.
My good friend was knocked off his bike one month ago by a driver who did not stop for a stop sign in this area. Although he is back commuting by bike to and from work, nothing has been done to assure the safety of non-motor vehiclist. The driver wasn't even ticketed.
Yesterday, I called the non-emergency JSO and reported the speeders and asked for an officer. Then I contacted the County Council Representative Jim Minion, who oversees this district with a watchful eye and a pure interest in assuring the safety of the children of WRES especially. Then I contacted the Principal Smith of WRES to ask him to assess the danger and add a crossing guard. NOTHING has been done. School has been in for nearly 3 weeks. Florida Statute 235.19(5) is supposed to protect the children on sidewalks, especially on their way to and from school.
I ask all who walk, ride or just simply have respect for pedestrians to see this for yourself. Please go and take pictures, call the non-emergency, ask the Principal Smith for crossing guards. I cannot do this alone and the price of even one child's life is too high.
Sincerly,
Renee Reed
I guess it's that time again for Walkscore.com - I'm still trying to determine if this is actually an improvement from last year :-[. On a side note, I wonder why we don't commonly refer to the "Fairfax" area as Fairfax(?).
QuoteJacksonville ‘least walkable’ city in U.S.
Jacksonville Business Journal
Jacksonville is the least walkable city in the nation, according to a Web site that measures walkability.
Walkscore.com ranked the largest 40 cities in the nation on a scale of zero to 100 based on how easy it is to live a “car-lite†lifestyle. Jacksonville, at number 40, had the lowest ranking on the list with a score of 36. According to the Web site cities that scored between 25-49 were car-dependent with only a few destinations within easy walking distance.
The few walkable neighborhoods in Jacksonville, according to the Web site, are Downtown, San Marco and Fairfax.
San Francisco ranked No. 1 on the list with a score of 86, followed by New York at No. 2, Boston at No. 3, Chicago at No. 4 and Philadelphia at No. 5. The four cities ranking at the bottom just above Jacksonville were Oklahoma City at No. 36, Indianapolis at No. 37, Charlotte at No. 38 and Nashville at No. 39.
Jacksonville was the only Florida city on the list. The state with the most cities on the list was California, with a total of eight.
just remember that this list is only the 40 largest cities...so Miami, Orlando, and Tampa aren't even on it.
Quote from: tufsu1 on July 08, 2009, 09:54:53 PM
just remember that this list is only the 40 largest cities...so Miami, Orlando, and Tampa aren't even on it.
I'm glad someone pointed that out!
Also, if you notice 3 of the lowest ranked have Metro governments. OKC is spread over 4 counties and has enormous annexation to thank. Charlotte is spread out quite well too, they're almost a metro government with Mecklenberg County as well.
Rankings aside, how walkable do you consider Jacksonville to be? Can you compare it to other places you have lived or visited?
Riverside and the downtown area near the landing are the most walkable, with San Marco coming in just behind them at third imho.
But Jax is what it is - cars first predominantly.
Riverside & Avondale are the most walkable b/c of the pockets of cafes, botiques, and restaurants.....
1) 5 Points
2) Park & King area
3) Shoppes of Avondale
4) area where Herschel & St. Johns meet
&
1) College & Stockton
2) Barr & Riverside Ave
are soon to follow.....
I live in Avondale and ride my bike quite a bit, and one thing I've noticed is how FEW people walk or ride bikes around Avondale/Riverside. Don't get me wrong there are a lot of people who walk or bike from there home to the little shopping areas around the area, but I would expect more.
Compared to the beaches I think they have a bigger bicycle community. It just seems that whenever I'm at the beach I see more bikes then I do around Riverside.
I've attached a link to the 3rd of a 4-part series on "Walking in America" from Slate. This one discusses WalkScore. If you check out the slide show in the middle of the article you'll see they've included the walkability heat map for Jacksonville because it is allegedly the least walkable of the 50 largest cities in the U.S.
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/walking/2012/04/walking_in_america_how_walk_score_puts_a_number_on_walkability_.html