Moving to Jacksonville (Atlantic Beach, Villas, Springfield: best neighborhoods, real estate, apartments)

[SFtoATL]

Hi everyone,
My husband and I are moving to Jacksonville in a couple of months. We are currently living in San Francisco, and are moving to Jacksonville for a temporary (2-3 years) job opportunity my husband is pursuing. We are looking for places to rent, but are unsure about the areas and would appreciate any help. We would love to live in a place that is more urban, has things close by that you can walk to, some sort of a nightlife, more liberal demographic and nearby parks. WE keep hearing about the San Marco and Riverside areas, but can't find too many apartments to rent there through regular online searches. Do you have a couple of property names that you could recommend to us in those areas? What kind of a rent can we expect to pay there for a 2 bedroom apartment? WE found the Villas at St. Johns as one of the options, but were wondering if you had any thoughts of that place? We will be visiting the area in a couple of weeks, but will only stay for a weekend to finalize the move (rent a place, etc.), so any help is greatly appreciated!
We are open to other areas as well that fit our needs, but it seems that those two are probably most likely to work for us from what I have been reading.

Thank you!! We are very stressed out about this whole move and are trying to convince ourselves that we won't miss the SF life THAT much after all. Sigh!

[abvavgjoe]

I don't think SF and JAX could possibly be more different.

Regarding your quest for an apartment, how much are you willing to spend?

Based on your criteria, Riverside sounds like a good fit. San Marco's good if your willing to spend more. There are a ton of rentals in Riverside. Most are duplexes and small apt. buildings, although there are a few larger complexes. Check here for some Riverside listings:

jacksonville apts/housing for rent classifieds "riverside" - craigslist

[SFtoATL]

Yeah, we are trying to adjust our expectations, hoping that we can still find things to do in Jacksonville and the whole of Florida while we are there to compensate for the abundance of things that we will be missing here in SF. We are trying to imagine it as an extended Florida vacation, but we realize that there will be differences in our daily life which may be hard to deal with. I do have major doubts and worries though as we have always lived in big metropolitan areas...Thank you for link!

As far as rents are concerned, we are looking for a place around $1300.00 (which is ridiculously cheap compared to SF rental rates!).

[abvavgjoe]

Well, that's one difference you'll like. Real estate is dirt cheap here compared to SF. You should be able to get quite a place for $1300/mo here. What part of town will your husband be working in? Depending, you might want to think about the beaches (Atlantic, Jacksonville or Ponte Vedra). Atlantic Beach and Ponte Vedra are very nice areas indeed. These areas would probably be the most Californiaish neighborhoods you'll find around here.

[jaxrehabtech]

I think the Southside area would be nice for you. There are a ton of nice rentals both condos and apartments there that are well within your price range...look around Touchton Rd and Gate Parkway. The Southside area is very urban and hip (for Jacksonville) with a bunch to do within walking distance if you're in the right complex...nice up-scale restaurants, shopping, bars, entertainment, movie theaters, etc...And you're a short commute to downtown or the beach.

The Riverside and San Marco areas would be good for you too. San Marco can be a bit more posh and pricey. I don't really understand the Riverside area that much. Some parts of it are very nice and urban and artsy and safe and hip, but some parts of it are still a bit run-down with some crime going on.

If you're looking for a nice, safe, big complex with a lot to do nearby, I think the Southside area or Atlantic Beach areas have the most to choose from. That being said, if you might want to be in a smaller complex or rental home, parts of Riverside or San Marco might fit well.

[jaxrehabtech]

Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach are nice, cool areas...even Jax
Beach (but some parts of it are a bit trashy). I wouldn't really include Ponte Vedra very much. It's a very nice area, but mostly a place to retire...no night life or things to do. Atlantic Beach might be right for you. It's beachy and safe and liberal-ish and artsy and urban at the same time...a bunch of nice up-scale hangouts, a laid-back atmosphere, good food and plenty to do...Either that or the right part of Riverside (wherever that is) or again the Southside area.

For you I'd suggest Riverside/Avondale, Atlantic Beach, or Southside.

[fsu813]

Originally Posted by SFtoATL

Hi everyone,
My husband and I are moving to Jacksonville in a couple of months. We are currently living in San Francisco, and are moving to Jacksonville for a temporary (2-3 years) job opportunity my husband is pursuing. We are looking for places to rent, but are unsure about the areas and would appreciate any help. We would love to live in a place that is more urban, has things close by that you can walk to, some sort of a nightlife, more liberal demographic and nearby parks. WE keep hearing about the San Marco and Riverside areas, but can't find too many apartments to rent there through regular online searches. Do you have a couple of property names that you could recommend to us in those areas? What kind of a rent can we expect to pay there for a 2 bedroom apartment? WE found the Villas at St. Johns as one of the options, but were wondering if you had any thoughts of that place? We will be visiting the area in a couple of weeks, but will only stay for a weekend to finalize the move (rent a place, etc.), so any help is greatly appreciated!
We are open to other areas as well that fit our needs, but it seems that those two are probably most likely to work for us from what I have been reading.

Thank you!! We are very stressed out about this whole move and are trying to convince ourselves that we won't miss the SF life THAT much after all. Sigh!

Yes, you heard right. Riverside & Avondale Historic District and San Marco are the two neighborhoods that are walkable/bikebale, electic, and full of culture, nightlife, cafes, and pretty vibrant. Riverside & Avondale is #1 by far, followed by San Marco. The Springfield Historic District is somehwat similar, but is still going through gentrification, and while there are certainly things to enjoy there, there's not as many. They are all close to downtown and it's amenities, and eachother to boot.

Most of the apartments/homes in these areas will not be large complexes, but rather smaller, independent buildings. www.traditionsjax.com is a decent place to look, but no where even close to a complete inventory. Craigslist is also very good to use.

Here's some info on all these places...

Riverside & Avondale historic district
www.riverside-avondale.com
Great Places in America: Neighborhoods
FT.com / House & Home - Perfectly preserved
Residents already know how great Jacksonville's Riverside-Avondale area is | jacksonville.com

San Marco (hasn't had as much press of late, but is an awesome area)
www.mysanmarco.com
www.smpsjax.com

Springfield historic district
www.myspringfield.org
The South's Best Neighborhoods - Southern Living
(sign-in to read this great article) Stats about all US cities - real estate, relocation info, house prices, home value estimator, recent sales, cost of living, crime, race, income, photos, education, maps, weather, houses, schools, neighborhoods, and more

and here's a thread from just last week about a Chicago Sun-Times article about Riverside & Springfield:
https://www.city-data.com/forum/jacks...ksonville.html

These realtors will probably know of houses for rent, too (they specialize in these areas):
www.dwellingsjax.com
www.intownjacksonville.com


These are my favorites neighborhoods in Jax, so I have a LOT of info on them (maps, venues, specific pockets inside these neighborhoods etc). Just ask. =)

Welcome!

[SFtoATL]

Great links! Thanks so much! It seems that the Riverside neighborhood would best fit us based on what I have read. We'll definitely check it out when we go for the visit. My husband will be working in the Gate Parkway area, but the commute is not a big deal to us (having lived all over the Bay Area we are used to it). We are mostly looking for a fun neighborhood with a diverse profile of people. We hear all kinds of stories about Jacksonville being very conservative, close minded, etc., but I assume that we wouldn't find that in the more affluent social circles.

[fsu813]

Most of Jax is pretty conservative. The Beaches and the urban core (which include all of those areas described above) are the 2 most noteable exceptions. Those areas are relatively progressive.

[projectmaximus]

San Marco and Riverside-Avondale should be your top places to look. I'd lean towards Riverside-Avondale (which is a very large area with good and bad, safe and less safe, parts) but has more diverse options. Chelsea Lofts near Five Points might have rentals in your price range.

You could also consider Tapestry Park (condos) and Tatersall (apts) or across the street Deerwood Place and Montreux (both condos). These would offer some convenient walkability in the middle of a nice suburban area with lots of amenities. The nicest shopping complex in town would be a very short drive away. This would also be right where your husband works. The negative is that the area is mostly devoid of any character...it's all very new.

Other possibilities to consider are the beaches...start with Jax Beach but check out Neptune and Atlantic as well. The vibe out at the beach is soo different though so you'll want to experience it first.

Lastly, you might also consider downtown itself. It ain't pretty but it's coming around (very slowly) and the view from a place along the river might just make up for it.

Are you visiting during Memorial Weekend? You might want to swing by the JazzFest which will give you a false but very favorable impression of things downtown, lol. But that might make it hard for you to get everything else done. Good luck! Maybe followup once you move with some things you'll miss from San Francisco. Cause I'm sure we'll be able to suggest possible replacements...Jax has a decent amount of things to offer, it's just mostly hidden.