[movingsoon]

We have an opportunity to either move to Jacksonville or Tampa. I would love to hear your opinions on either places. My husband and I are in our early 30's with a 1 year old daughter. We currently live in DC, but houses here are really expensive and we would like to have a house and a yard.

[dizliz0925]

Hi there...I posted earlier on the other Jax or Tampa site, so if you would like to read my complete rant, you can check there.

Have visited Tampa a few times, Yankees spring training is there.
I am in my early 30's, have lived in Jax since 9th grade and have a 21 month old daughter.

Here's what I know....If you are looking for a more 'Northern' section of town, then I would suggest Riverside-Avondale. It's the historic district here, and most homes are in bungalow style built from 1940's and earlier. (you can check out the preservation society site at www.rap.com)

I am originally from NY, and this area reminds me the most of that area...actually, Riverside was the filming location for the new John Travolta movie Lonley Hearts, which takes place in Long Island suring the 1940's.
Depending on what you are looking for, houses can be moderate to expensive in Riverside, anywhere from 250k for a 3/2, up to 500k for a 3/2.

Other than R-A, San Marco is another historic area. Jacksonville is in Duval County. The whole county was incorporated into the city during the 60's. Other than these two areas, Jacksonville is basically Generica (Generic-America). Wal-Mart's, Chili's, Target's galore! Mandarin area, where I grew up is nice, but is getting crowded.

So is the beaches area, near UNF/KERNAN RD.

A note, althogh the elementary schools are pretty good, the middle and high schools are horrible here. I'd think about private school. Either that, or Northern St. John's County/Julington Creek area.

Feels free to ask specifics and I will do my best!

[movingsoon]

I have read some of the other responses on the other site about Jacksonville & am getting VERY nervous! Is it really that bad there??? One woman said that is was a "redneck" town. I am originally from upstate NY & currently live in northern Virginia, so this makes me a bit nervous. How are the people? It sounds like there is a lot of people moving down there & prices of the homes are going up. The prices in Tampa seem to be higher & you also get less land there. That's why we are thinking about the Jax area. We love the water and love to go out and do things. Thanks so much for the advice in advance!

[hdaddy]

Used to live in Tampa and attend USF there. I really liked the area. Your nicer places to live are on the outskirts of Tampa. Home prices are going up all over Florida and you are going to get less than what you pay for. Try looking into areas like Brandon, Riverview, and Valrico. There is even an area called New Tampa that is only about 5-6 years old that is nice.