The Underappreciated Side of Riverside - Part II

[The Compound]

Yeah there are a lot of offices up there. Its kind of creepy, feels like going back in time.

[north miami]

Couple thoughts:

It's amazing that Lee High School is rated a "D" school. Most of the well-to-do folks in that area, and there are lots of them, send thier kids to a private high school rather than Lee for some reason. If they would just send them to Lee, it would improve the school ten fold.

I recall considering a Riverside home purchase in the mid 80's-the realtor's response to my question aboutr schools was to the effect-they are not very good,which is a reason people are attracted to the affordable neighborhoods-by design they simply place their children in private schools.

My heart lies in Riverside/Avondale.Forced to flee my once idyllic native North Miami due to declining neighborhood in the late 70's,here in "Jacksonville" there was at that time a concerted anti Duval theme,so like so many others,I settled in Clay county.And like so many- made the daily commute to Duval! Luckily work places were located in Riverside,which really came to represent to me my personal neighborhood identity.The semi rural Middleburg Black Creek place became less enchanting.I rented an apartment at Riverside & Aberdeen-the cool looking place with the front porches on the NW corner.Now in the country so to speak in far soutwest Avondale.When I purchased my home about ten or eleven years ago there was a frantic rush by beaches transplants who also wanted to move close in.
And why not-the beaches are handy,as well as significant rural public lands complex to the west.

[floridaforester]

The Willowbranch quadruplex (picture just under the Riverside Christian Church) is a great property and directly adjacent to Willowbranch park. Someone is getting a steal on it for around $200k (currently in pending status).  It is huge (5100 sq ft) and has all the original architecture and floor plans, but does have some serious old termite damage.   Either way, someone with vision is getting a great deal.  

[Ocklawaha]

I graduated from Lee High School in the late 90's back then the school wasn't too bad. We had our problems back then, but it appears to have gotten worse there...sad. Your are right many of the people who live around Lee send their kids to private schools. I never understood why the DCS chose Paxon for the second advanced study school, I always thought it should have been Lee.

LEE? That explains a lot FSUJAX!  (as Nathan Bedford smiles...)

That whole neighborhood virtually screams "S T R E E T C A R !"  God, can you imagine the powder keg that would be set off with a heritage car line eminently more beautiful then New Orleans...??

OCKLAWAHA

[fsujax]

Thats right OCK, I am a General!

[Fallen Buckeye]

You guys got a pic of my next door neighbors and another of my friend's apartment. People are absolutely spot on about Willowbranch Park. It would be great if that little creek could somehow be cleaned up there. And while they're at it, maybe having some rose bushes in the "rose garden" across the street would be great. At any rate I'm grateful for the easily accessible green space. I don't really have a yard, so it's nice to be able to stretch my legs in the park from time to time. I think that the fact that the mayor is trying to work those park spaces into his downtown vision is a positive, too.

I also want to say that I really dislike the way some of the newer chain businesses have constructed their buildings. I like to walk the Walgreen's on Park and King, but since it's set back from the road and the parking is in front rather than behind I am constantly dodging cars. Or when I'm walking past the BK it can be hard to tell whether someone is coming out of the drive thru and when you're the one in the drive thru it's hard to see whether pedestrians are getting ready to come across. Poorly planned space. Especially when compared to Whiteway Corner where they accommodate both driver and pedestrian to some extent with some street parking and parking in the rear.

Overall I like the area though. It's a nice place to live. Kinda cool to learn a little more about it.