Hi,
I am a new member and moving to Jax with my husband and 4 yr old kid. I lived in Manhattan and Hoboken, NJ (right across NYC) in the past ten years and love the opportunity to walk anywwhere I want and run my errands with no need to drive.
I have been reading the posts about moving to Jax on the interner in the past few days...Well, as far as I understand, the urban living is mostly in Riverside/Avondale, Springfield and San Marcos and all of them are in Duval County.
Based on my readings here, I think we have an obstacle here and I need your help. It seems that schools are much better in St Johns and Clay counties than Duval but walkable neighborhoods are all located in Duval. Now, my question is if we need to choose one over the other?
Is there any neighborhood in St Johns or Clay counties that I can at least walk to the grocery (such as Publix) and post office? Because I am running my small business from home and use USPS services all the time, I would like to be in walking distance to a post office. Of course, grocery is a must. It would be great if there are couple of restaurants, cafes, dry cleaner, and a movie theater around in walking distance...but I do not know if this sounds like a dream to have in St Johns and Clay counties.
Because my son will start the Kindergarden next year, we would like to be in a county with great schools and feedbacks about Duval county elementary schools make me hesitant to move there.
On additional note, we are looking for a rental until we get to know the city well...we may consider buying 1-2 years later once we settle down and make an educated decision to purchase.
I would love to hear your recommendations about St Johns and Clay counties, or any other if there are, with a chance to have both the urban living and good schools together...Any help?
Also, please let me know if you recommend any good realtors to help us with our rental search.
Thanks SO MUCH!
JB
www.junebeebaby.com
I don't know where the schools are however, I live within walking distance to all of the other things.
In the general area - off Southside and Beach - there are plenty of condos and a few neighborhoods as well.
Also - off Southside and Touchton - there are plenty of apartments and condos - and still within walking distance - maybe closer to Publix, movie theater, food, etc....
Not a far drive to Riverside and San Marco areas. Maybe 10 or 15 minutes.
From what I have heard the elementary schools in San Marco and Riverside/Avondale are all pretty good.
Welcome! Well sadly enough Jacksonville is the largest in the U.S. land wise, and it not walkable AT ALL. One would think a city of this size would be, but it isn't. To get anywhere here, you must drive point blank. The riverside and san Marco area are more pedestrian friendly, but don't look for anything comparable to NY or NJ. Clay county isn't walkable either. Not to sure about St. Johns county. Jacksonville is a very nice city, but we are not "urban" by any means. Jacksonville is more like a gigantic suburb. We are the poster child for " Suburbia America"
Quote from: duvaldude08 on October 08, 2010, 12:29:26 PM
Welcome! Well sadly enough Jacksonville is the largest in the U.S. land wise, and it not walkable AT ALL. One would think a city of this size would be, but it isnt. To get anywhere here, you must drive point blank. The riverside and san marco area are more pedestrain friendly, but dont look for anything comparbale to NY or NJ. Clay county isnt walkable either. Not to sure about St. Johns county.
I disagree to an extent. I walk to places all the time.
It's not the most pleasant experience given the cat calls and whistles from random drivers...and the crosswalks and lights are a little scary and dangerous however, it is possible. Especially, if you live close to things like I said above. I've gotten use to the Southside area and it's doable.
I also think if one lived in Riverside...there are plenty of places available to walk to or at least ride a bike. Grocery, food, etc....
Quote from: duvaldude08 on October 08, 2010, 12:29:26 PM
We are the poster child for " Suburbia America"
True. And off topic, but for such a huge city...the radio stations here suck. Just sayin'.
I thought there would be plenty of choices given the pre-conceived notions of a vast array of diversity that I was expecting to find in moving to a large city. I was incorrect in my assumptions.
Quote from: Burn to Shine on October 08, 2010, 12:39:51 PM
Quote from: duvaldude08 on October 08, 2010, 12:29:26 PM
We are the poster child for " Suburbia America"
True. And off topic, but for such a huge city...the radio stations here suck. Just sayin'.
I thought there would be plenty of choices given the pre-conceived notions of a vast array of diversity that I was expecting to find in moving to a large city. I was incorrect in my assumptions.
Gotta agree with you there regarding the radio stations. I don't even bother anymore. I stick to the iPod.
About walkability - there are some walkable neighborhoods, but even someplace like San Marco doesn't have a grocery store within comfortable walking distance. As far as St Johns or Clay County, I'm not familiar enough with those areas to talk about their walkability or lack thereof.
When it comes to schools, I don't have kids, just memories of going to schools in the 1980s and 90s. There are definitely some excellent schools in the Duval County School System, but you gotta find 'em. Hendricks Avenue Elementary near San Marco has a good reputation. For high schools, Douglas Anderson and Stanton both have good records. Not sure about other schools. I've always thought 90% of what a kid gets out of school is going to be what he/she puts
into school.
I would recommend Riverside/5-points. It has everything you are looking for.. grocery store , parks, stores, and great restaurants. There are nice apartments for rent across the street from a nice Publix anchored shopping center, whish is next to Memorial Park on the river. Unfortunately the closest post office in a couple of miles in Murray Hill.
Also the elementary schools are fine, once you get past that Duval County has a fantastic magnet program, such as Paxon abd Stanton 2 of the top 10 high schools in the country.
sorry about the spelling, I wasn't in the magnet program... I guess you can see why.
I lived in NYC for awhile, so I kinda know what you want.
My best bet is to move around Avondale/Riverside/5 Points. That, or San Marco. W/ Avondale-5Pts Area, you can walk to the dry cleaner, grocery store, movie theatre, 7-11, Chinese place, sushi, coffee, all within a few blocks.
As far as school--if you can afford it--the most quality education for Private school would be Bolles (about five-ten minutes outside of San Marco)
Don't mean to sound snobbish, but I'm not too sure what there is in the way of public schools...
Oh--and I do not recommend the Southside/Baymeadows/Touchton area....AT ALL. While there is some dense stuff in the way of urban amenities...it's probably the farthest away you could get from a NYC atmosophere. NO WALKING whatsoever on that side of town. Suburban nightmare.
I just had my girlfriend move down from Tribeca NYC. I know how it goes....again, your best best would be Avondale, Five Points, or Riverside....you have the added benefit of 'urban core' w/ historic buildings. Also, not to repeat myself, but San Marco is also very nice, but to enjoy many of that part of towns benefits, you'd need to live behind the stores and very close to the center of the square--kinda expensive
Don't mean to overpost, but again--I was in this situation w/ my girlfriend earlier this year.
I don't really agree that the better schools are in St. Johns County.
Duval County has Bolles, Episcopal, Bishop Kenny, etc. And I'm not an expert on public schools in the neighborhood, but I know Stanton is consistently a top 10 in the nation school.....Paxon is another good school, also in Duval county-Not St. Johns.
Outside of Duval? Not a chance. They barely exist within Duval, and even then, without a car, USPS will be a hassle as will groceries, unless you live at the Publix intersection. As mentioned previously, Riverside/Avondale/San Marco would be your best bet; however, education will be the sticking point. Quality middle/high schools do exist. As for elementary education, you will get a fair to middling education at any of the schools in those neighborhoods, and mostly your child's success will depend on your involvement and encouragement. As for Bolles, you'll get an equal education at Stanton without the cost or snobbery. But, I am a Stanton grad, so I am a little biased.
Quote from: CG7 on October 08, 2010, 01:23:19 PM
I would recommend Riverside/5-points. It has everything you are looking for.. grocery store , parks, stores, and great restaurants. There are nice apartments for rent across the street from a nice Publix anchored shopping center, whish is next to Memorial Park on the river. Unfortunately the closest post office in a couple of miles in Murray Hill.
The elementary schools in this area are very good and Riverside Presbyterian Day School in 5 Points is a feeder school for all of the private high schools and magnet high schools in the county.
There is also an excellent UPS store near the Publix that can do most of the USPS stuff for you too.
Quote from: ben says on October 08, 2010, 01:59:48 PM
Oh--and I do not recommend the Southside/Baymeadows/Touchton area....AT ALL. While there is some dense stuff in the way of urban amenities...it's probably the farthest away you could get from a NYC atmosophere. NO WALKING whatsoever on that side of town. Suburban nightmare.
I agree. It's definitely not a hipster area for sure but it does have what you need in the way of shopping and postal services - all within walking distance. I pretty much live about 10 or 15 minutes away from everything else - Downtown, Riverside, San Marco, the beaches....
Like I said above, I walk around Southside all the time - not without some small degree of fear though LOL. If had a choice, I'd move to Riverside or somewhere down near the beaches. Maybe Springfield, MAYBE. I still have my reservations on Springfield.
springfield's awesome--just avoid the cops and people with SPAR signs on their houses, and you're good.
Southside has its plus's and minus's.........intersection of Bay Meadows and 9A has all of what your looking for except a Movie house! Same for Southside and Bay Meadows.............if you travel up (north that is) on Southside then your in the vicinity of Tinsel Town (movie house and other amenities) Riverside and San Marco is alot more pedestrian friendly and still has what your looking for! Do a Google for the Movie House and then go down till you can see what is around! Beaches may even be an option but not sure about the school end since I don't have school children! AAA High School was just built out there, newest one in 20 years, but your out aways for that yet!
yep CS...unless of course you're looking for a walkable neighborhood!
Your best bet is definitely in the San Marco/Riverside area. Aside from being far more walkable, schools in the area are arguably better than those in St. John's county. I went to a public school in Ponte Vedra for elementary school, spent middle and most of high school at Bolles, and went to Stanton for my senior year. If you can afford private school, Riverside Presbyterian is a great option. Hendricks is public and just as good as the schools in St. John's, if not better. As far as high school, Stanton/Paxon for academics, Bolles for athletics, and Douglas Anderson for the arts.
Outside of Duval, I would suggest the historic neighborhoods of St. Augustine. True, Publix is not there but small stores and businesses are there. If you can arrange to shop weekly, then driving to the grocery store can be easily done. The one complaint I've heard from people who live there is the influx of tourists. The residential areas extend north of the Castillo de San Marcos and south toward Flagler Hospital, Lincolnville and across the bridge to Davis Shores. Here's a nice link to a map of the neighborhoods:
http://www.ci.st-augustine.fl.us/residents/documents/NeighborhoodAssocs.pdf
Dear group members,
First of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH for your replies...It's great to have the feeling that there are some nice folks out there in Jax helping new residents. I heard so bad stories about crimes, robberies, etc. about the city that I have started to have some nightmares even before moving there. BecauseI have a l ittle one, I am even more scared about the safety of the city.
So, it's really comforting to get some friendly feedback and support from you. Thanks a lot!
As you know, I am pretty clueless about the school system in Jax...I am trying to educate myself as much as possible.
My husband's office is in Riverside and I understand that the area is the most walkable neighborhood. It seems that Riverside could be a good option but I have couple of concerns in mind:
1 - Is it really safe there? I think there are not any gated communities in Riverside, correct?
2 - Are there any new buildings with a pool? Due to my son's health issues, his pediatrician recommended water therapy and swimming exercises, so we really need it. Here in NJ, swimming pool is in walking distance and it's very nice and clean but I do not have the same option in Jax. Because I don't drive, my only chance would be to rent a place with a pool...I mean, like a community pool. Do you think it is possible to find it in Riverside?
3 - Would you be able to give me an idea about the yearly cost of a private elementary school?
4- Also, could you help me to understand my preschool / kindergarden options in Riverside? For example, what are the top ten elementary school public vs private? Do they have a preschool program? Is there a way to access all this valuable information on a website??
5 - I am also trying to explore the magnet school programs...Do they start in kindergarden? Is it by lottery or do the kids take a test? I mean, how do you get accepted to a magnet school?
6 - A few people recommended me St Johns Town Center area...What do you think about this option in terms of walking distance grocery and good elementary schools?
7 - Any opinions about Julington Creek?
I will fly to Jax to look for apartments with my husband and need to complete the process within a week when I get there. My concern is to sign a lease and then end up with a serious school issue because we are late with the registration. I mean, the schools could be full and we may end up with no placement at nearby schools.
I think I need to check each and every zip code of the aparments shown to me and call the closeby schools to check availability...However, it would be very helpful to learn about the top ten public vs private elementary schools in the area, right?
Anyway, I think I have lots of stuff loaded in my mind before making this move...Sorry that I cannot stop talking about it :)
Any recommendations about Duval, Clay, St Johns and St Augustine counties will be very helpful. Also, please let me know if you have any good realtor suggestions who is knowledgable about the school system there.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
June
www.junebeebaby.com
the duval county school system is basically made ov poop. that is all.*
i don't know anything about the school systems ov the surrounding couties, though.
*cue 'hur hur yeah they couldn't even teach you how to spell "ov"' comments from the peanut gallery
June,
I think you are quite fortunate that people have share so much incredibly valuable information with you about Jacksonville and its various neighborhoods. I'd like to toss in my own two cents here, but please keep in mind I do not have children so the school system was and is not an issue for me.
My life-partner and I relocated to Jacksonville five and a half years ago. Like you, we did not know the city at all and flew down here to check things out. At the time we relocated here from Boston, we rented a new house in one of the sub-divisions out in Southside/ICW (Intercoastal Waterway). It is a nice neighborhood, but has become quite built up in the past few years. Lots of traffic (Intersection of Atlantic & Kernan Blvd). There are sidewalks on Atlantic and Kernan, so walking to all of the shops and retail in that area is doable. Many of these sub-divisions and gated communities have swimming pools. Most of the apartment complexes have pools as well.
The majority of sub-divisions are families w/kids who are in the school system.
If you are looking for a neighborhood with a good walk score, Riverside/5 Points has one of the best in the area and actually, in the country.. www.walkscore.com/score/1661-Riverside-Avenue-Jacksonville. My partner and I purchased a condo in the Arlington area of Jax in 2007. Arlington has all its plus's with retail, affordable housing, etc.
Given that you are coming from NY/NJ, have lived in an area where walk-ability is not a problem, and you don't drive, I think Riverside is definitely something to keep in mind. You probably won't find gated communities in this part of town...none that I know of....you may find a few in the Ortega neighborhood.
The Riverside/Five Points Neighborhood is walkable, has a large grocery chain (Publix), restaurants, movie theater, shops, cafe's, a couple of banks. two major parks, and lots of charm. San Marco is another great neighborhood with good walkable streets, but it currently lacks a grocery store like Publix (although one is supposed to be built at the corner of Hendricks and Atlantic Blvd).
In Riverside, there are a couple of high-rise buildings where rentals exist that have pools. Keep in mind there is a local "Y" in the neighborhood that you could join and where your son could use the pool.
I can guarantee you that in Southside/Baymeadows/Arlington/ICW you can find a nice community, affordable rental w/swimming pool, etc. The only thing you will run into is the ability to get to a lot on foot and without ever driving a car.
There is a nice apartment complex called the Villas at St. Johns. They have a pool, are located directly across the street from Publix, Starbucks, UPS Store, Dry Cleaners, Suntrust Bank, Restaurants and more.
http://www.thevillasatstjohns.com. The complex offers indoor parking, storage rooms, washer and dryer in the unit, etc. I don't live in this complex, but in another one across the street. Unfortunately, we don't have a pool.
Springfield has its benefits as well. Older historical homes, great people, etc. You in all likelihood won't find a "Knots Landing" style home (McMansion), but many of the neighborhoods are nice.
If any of this info is repetitive of what others have said, my apologies. I love Riverside, but have also become fond of Springfield.
I recommend looking through the neighborhoods section of this site to get a feel for each area before you come down: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/neighborhoods/
Here are a few articles to get you started:
San Marco
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2008-oct-san-marco-a-walking-oasis-in-an-unwalkable-city
Murray Hill
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2008-jul-a-murray-hill-photo-tour
Park and King
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2008-may-a-walk-through-park-king
Springfield
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2008-apr-a-springfield-photo-tour
Avondale
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2008-feb-urban-neighborhoods-avondale
Lake Shore
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2008-mar-urban-neighborhoods-lake-shore
Ortega
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2008-feb-exploring-ortega
Five Points (Riverside)
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-sep-urban-neighborhoods-five-points
I have read the entire thread, and this is my recommendation: https://www.firstcoastrentalfinders.com/rs_apartment_details.php?propertyid=6335
You mentioned gated community, which you won't find in Riverside or Avondale. This is at the most walkable area in the city. Two (small) blocks from the 5 points intersection. The complex sits on the riverfront. There is a pool, and I believe it may be heated so your child can use it year round. (It is an outdoor pool, as are most in Florida) Click the link for floor plans and pricing which is in the "Property Details" tab. These are relatively new apartments (less than 10 years?). There are some condos in the area that are quite nice and similarly priced.
Publix, one of our favorite grociers (a regional chain) is a 150' walk... door to door. Plenty of restaurants and fast food in the area too. As Dog Walker mentioned, there is a UPS store right there too. They will handle most USPS services free of charge.
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RPDS: (Riverside Presbyterian Day School) http://www.rpds.com/uploaded/Admissions/documents/2010-2011_Tuition_Schedule.pdf
http://rpds.com/
Call it a $Grand$ per month and you aren't far off the mark. I would recommend this school over the public schools in the area for your little one. (They only grow up once, you know)
I've already spent about $2500 per month of your money. ($1500 for rent and $1000 for school)
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There is also Atlantic Beach that has a nice walkable feel, but the commute for your hubby would be a monster. (1 hour each way)
You could also check out the Strand (apartments) and The Penninsula (condos next door, but many for rent at bargain prices due to condo "glut") if you prefer Hi Rise apts. Groceries are tougher without a car. The skyway gets you to the public library downtown (awesome) and each building has a heated pool.
http://thestrandsouthbank.com/html/floor-plans.htm
http://thepeninsulacondos.com/
You won't find this type of apartment in the US for these prices. Jaxons don't know the awesomeness available to them. ;)