Metro Jacksonville Officially 10 Years Old

[Captain Zissou]

Congrats everyone!!  I've gotten to join in for some fun stuff like Pub Crawls, Food Truck Rallies, creek cleanups, and countless meetings with interesting folks.  Thanks for all the fun times.

[Charles Hunter]

OK, beginning to feel all Twilight Zone-y. Have posted twice here, but don't see them on returning.

Anyway ... Congratulations!!!
Why is this not a holiday?  :-)
Was surprised to see I didn't join until 2007.

[fieldafm]

Echoing the same thoughts shared by everyone else.

[Pastor Eric Wester]

New to the site and grateful for the on-line connections via MJ. Appreciate the helpful relies to my initial post. Thanks for the respectful conversations.  Eric W

[cowford]

Thank you!  This site has contributed immensely to my knowledge of current events and the history of this great city.  I always point Jax newcomers to this site to learn about our great community.   Keep up the good work.  You are greatly appreciated. 

[manasia]

Happy Birthday MJ!

[Adam White]

Happy birthday.

I think the picture of the women (I don't recognize them) standing in front of the food truck perfectly summarizes Jacksonville for me - look at that rain! I've not seen rain like Jacksonville rain since I moved away (except, of course, when I have been back in Jax/FL on holiday - one year, I remember it rained for basically one week, practically non-stop).

[sheclown]

Time flies when you are having a shit fight   So glad for this site and tbose who keep it running.  What a wealth of local history and gossip, politics and the tears that occur with said politics. 

Loved every minute of it.

My FAVORITE of all time was when Stephen was attacked at Three Layers over the post on Louse DeSpain.  Where was that???  Which thread???

[Tacachale]

It's been a long, strange trip, but you guys are still as vital as ever. Here's to another great 10 years.

[AFCassidy]

Wow, 10 years is an incredible accomplishment. Congratulations!

[JaxJersey-licious]

That's intriguing that this website's 10th Year Anniversary coincides with my moving out of Jacksonville 10 years ago! April 2006 was my first full month living in the Northeastern U.S. and I can't help compare what's happened to me  since those wide-eyed days if you don't mind me getting a bit personal:  I had left my crappy job after quitting a pretty decent one, I was madly in love, I had a bunch of friends and acquaintances that seemed not to care about the state of DT JAX, and I was kind of peeved to think about all the new projects from mega-developer/urban core savior Cameron Kuhn . Today I'm quite satisfied with my present job, am single again, and pulling on my scalp perplexed how the ball has been dropped so many times on the Barnett and Laura Street Trio.

I'm sure some of the excitement, chaos, curiosity, and nervous energy I felt those first few months in my new world were felt by a lot of those responsible of the initial launch of this website. But besides that connection, there was an even better one for me attributed to this site. As much as I got frustrated  hearing about all the projects proposed and dashed over the years through this site, I also found that there was so much to learn and keep abreast of that had me wanting to strengthen my ties to my old hometown.

From my piqued interest in all things Jacksonville I also discovered that a lot of my friends and family do in fact have a rooting interests in a successful Downtown Jacksonville after all. Most people I knew in North Florida love this part of the country whether they were born here or moved here, but also a lot of them have traveled and saw Jacksonville's shortcomings compared to other urban areas. They shared my frustrations of what local leaders were doing or not doing to have Jacksonville get up to that next level. But being we were so busy or happy or drama-preoccupied in our own bucolic suburban lives, conversation about front-facing businesses or parking garages with more street-level retail  had to take a backseat.

But that changed since I left town. Spurred by the news, postings, and discussions in MetroJacksonville, I found out that many of my friends also shared an interest in other Jax issues like the need for more residential options downtown, better transit, more urban density with less sprawl, revitalized historic neighborhoods, and the importance of preserving the old buildings we took for granted when we were younger and making them a big part of the city's landscape once again.

So congratulations to MetroJacksonville! And thank you. It's been a choppy ride these last 10 years which I'm sure we all can relate in some way. This time I'll try to remember to buckle up.

[coredumped]

Happy birthday! Looks like I joined in 2008, but I recall lurking before
One day I'll make it to a meet up....

[MusicMan]

Congratulations.

Also for what it's worth saw this on MSN today:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/the-20-most-desirable-places-to-live-in-the-us/ss-BBrwDA5#image=3

Would give $5 to know how that got on there.

[fsujax]

Wow. cant believe its been 10 years since I was approached by a group of guys asking me if I wanted to join, after I spoke at City Hall regarding the Landing redevelopment plans. Time flies. Congrats to all!

[mtraininjax]

Congrats to all, you have helped me with so much being here. I may not always agree with you, but I do respect you. Thanks for being here MJ!