Retirement Communities: Jacksonville, St Augustine Area (Ocala, St. Augustine: RV parks, rental market, home)

[marliz]

We are retired and thinking of finding an annual lease or rental in the Jacksonville, St. Augustine area and planning on leaving soon in our motor home to look around.

Can you recommend gated communities with activities (we aren't golfers), in safer areas?

And if anyone is familiar with RV parks, could you recommend a nice park (gated would be awesome) for a stay of a few weeks to two months?

My husband is a motorcyclist and I'm concerned about traffic. Is it a problem?

Thanks for any help!

[madcapmagishion]

You should look at Nocatee in St Johns county, it's a development with several different communities located in it. Some are gated and some aren't.

Home - Nocatee

As far as RV Parks go, these are the only 2 in the Jacksonville area I actually know of.

Home Page - Riverfront RV Park
Flamingo Lake R.V. Resort...Florida Camping at it's Best!

While St Augustine has a multitude of RV Parks I am only familiar with 2 of them.

One whose name I can't remember, across from the Reef Restaurant in North Vilano Beach, Fl.
and the other one is ... Bryn Mawr Ocean Resort

As Far as Traffic goes If you talk to a lifelong resident the traffic here is terrible, if you talk to a transplant from the Bos/NY/NJ/DC or LA. they look at you smile and say "what traffic" it's all perspective, (what you're used to)

I'm a native Floridian but have lived all around the world during my military career, and I don't really see the traffic as being all that bad.

[ssclulow]

St. Augustine Area RV Parks: Bryn Mar, Ocean Grove, Peppertree and KOA are all on Anastasia Island near St. Augustine Beach. North Beach RV Resort is north of Vilano Beach. All are very well kept and liked by RV people. I agree with what Madcap wrote about the traffic here. St. Augustine is a very popular place for motorcycling. What price range and what size rental housing are you looking for? I live in St. Augustine and the rental market is very strong here. Finding a rental can take some time.

[marliz]

Thank you for the replies! As I remember from a stay in Crystal River, the seniors make the driving hazardous - even though I'm in that category. That was light traffic. If the rental market is strong, we might be further ahead looking in the area around Ocala or Crystal River.

Thanks for the info on the RV Parks. We hope to visit my aunt so I hope it isn't difficult to find a spot near St. Augustine during the week.

[madcapmagishion]

You will run into (pun not intended) more tourists and seniors in St Augustine than you will in Jacksonville.
Because St Augustine is more of a tourist destination than Jacksonville has ever thought of being.

[marliz]

I wonder how many snowbirds choose the St. Augustine area? I guess we are sort of half & half: tourists and snowbirds.

[Peter the Brit]

Very few snowbirds as our winter nights and mornings can be cold. They seem to stop here overnight en route south

[marliz]

Thank you. I thought that might be the case. We prefer it cooler and too far south is too warm. Ocala area was ok. I do wonder if the late fall and late spring would be cooler in the St. Augustine area.

[ssclulow]

The Atlantic coastal areas are approx. 10 degrees warmer in the cool months and approx. 10 degrees cooler in the warm months due to the moderating effect of the Gulf Stream and ocean waters. The moderating effect of the ocean is good for approx 15 miles inland, then it disappears.

[marliz]

Thank you. That is really helpful information.