I have a very strong job possibility in Jacksonville. I’m leaning towards it based on the merits of the position, but need to find out more about the area from some locals before I visit later this month.

My brother lives in Central Florida, so I’ve spent a lot of time in the state (yay for hog hunting! Boo for tiny little Florida deer) but not familiar with Jacksonville specifically. I have an impression that it’s a pretty conservative area and more of a southern vibe then elsewhere in Florida, is that correct?

Hoping the traffic isn’t as awful as Orlando too. I have a family and will likely send my kids to private/Christian school. What areas do you recommend living in ($300-$400k range)? What are the shooting/hunting prospects? Any other positive/negatives a life-long Midwesterner should know?

For housing I would look at St John's county or the Mandarin area. There's a bunch of private schools, but my kids aren't old enough to have the experience to chime in on that. There's an FOP range in St Augustine that is $168 a year and has 3 25 yard pistol bays and an 80ish yard rifle range. Good area for shooting sports. IDPA, USPSA, FDCC 2 gun matches, and I think they host a quarterly SPR match as well. I've been up here 8 years and it still grows on me. Has a small town feel in some spots but access to all the 'big city' shopping, food, and entertainment.

Where specifically will the job be located?

It's a great place.  Not northern like S FL and not traffic like Orlando.

I'm planning on moving either north or south of the city to the sticks as the city proper, spread out as is may be, is still an urbanized area.

Exact Location is still TBD since it's a new office.  I'll find out more about that within the next couple weeks.

How far out do you have to go to "get into the sticks"?  I've been spoiled by shooting on private property so would love to eventually buy some land for recreation.

Roughly 45 min.

Osceola National Forest is not far, and the Ocala National Forest is close as well.  There are a number of State Forests and WMA's close to Jax.  If you like to paddle or fish, it's a wonderful place to be.  St Johns River is amazing.
There is high violent crime in Jax, but in 'ethnic' areas.  Stay out of the West side and the North side, and the area just south of the River and down town.  Housing market is good, but better in St Johns County.  Good shopping, good restaurants.  New Bass Pro coming soon on the South Side.

Fellow Midwesterner here ...

I travel frequently for business (~2 wks per month since May 2017 and likely will continue until end of 2018). I've not had to deal with snowbirds, but JAX is quite nice. My reference is Chicago for life and the Caribbean for fun ... JAX is far enough north it lacks the typical south florida incompetence (think retail help) but far enough south it is still sunny and awesome. Also, being coastal and not 'Miami huge' you can get to the ocean relatively conveniently. Speaking of which, personally I'd see if a seaside residence has the other pieces you require.

One observation; it is growing crazy-fast and city planners don't understand that space is a premium. So they consume 2 acres for what would be built on one acre elsewhere. As the area grows, this will be exacerbated.

I live in the Southside area near Tinsel Town and the St. John’s Town Center. Been here since 9/2006. I kinda wish I bought in St. John’s county. Schools are much better there. Fairly quiet where I live, but the bad areas are just a quick 15-20 minute drive. Traffic has gotten worse since 2006 but nowhere near Orlando/Miami traffic. We actually measure distance by miles...not time, like in Miami and Orlando.

The traffic isn't as bad but the drivers are worse, in my experience.

I used to commute from Kissimmee to Orlando and traffic was stifling. The occasional loon would be encountered, but was uncommon.

I commute from Orange Park to Jacksonville daily and people in general drive terribly.

I get down there on business quite regularly. It's not my favorite place in Florida but it has it's charms. The good news is there are lots of great places to live outside the city. I usually stay with friends in Ponte Vedra. Lots of great places to go and things to do outside the city as well.

If I wanted the job, I wouldn't hesitate to move down that way.

I just came here to post pretty much the same question. I've been offered a job at NAS Jacksonville and wanted to know good places to live. My wife and I like the Mandarin area neighborhoods from a search on Realtor.com. I will probably be out there this Thursday to get a first-hand look at the area. Any other places I should look at? If I do move there I will probably rent a house for about a year and then look to buy.

The big consideration is whether you have kids or not. The Jacksonville/St. Johns county district is the best in the State for public schools. The Duval system is terrible. So, many people with kids live in the St. Johns district. It's a fast growing area, with lots of people that choose the area because of the school. I moved to Jacksonville in 2012 and have really loved it. We started out in St. John's Forest on 210 and eventually have moved out to Ponte Vedra Beach. Both in the St. John's school district. We've been very happy with the move. If you like to shoot, there are a lots of clubs, ranges, and matches. I used to shoot more in matches, but not as much lately. Have been playing quite a bit of tennis recently.

Anyways, there are some crappy areas as well, but overall we've loved living in FL. We've saved a lot of money as well not having to pay state income tax.

Good luck to you, whatever you choose.

depends on budget.  Ortega and Ortega Forest would be extremely convenient especially with traffic. Cheapest houses in there maybe $250k w/o a ton of work.

I have rentals in lake shore.  Basic starter homes if you’re looking to rent something like that.

Right now I'm looking at renting for the first year that I live out there and then buy once I get to know the area better. My budget is $2k/mo max on rent, pet friendly, 3 bd, 2 ba, around 2,000 square feet. If I do take the job out there I may stay in a 1 bedroom place for the first month or so before I move my family out there. It's my wife and our daughter. She's home schooled, so the school district isn't terribly important, but could be if she ever goes to public school. Currently we live in the Pensacola area, so we aren't changing states, making the home school process and moving my NFA toys easier.

https://jacksonville.craigslist.org/apa/d/huge-house-in-old-ortega/6452265486.html.

Something like the above is very hard to find in that neighborhood.  Very few rentals.  If the job were a go I'd jump all over that.

For the short term, I have a friend and his wife who have an airbnb.  Both .mil pilots.  1 bed w/ separate entrance. No kitchen though, but can probably use theirs.

Joining in because we are considering moving there as well.

I'm retiring from the USAF. We have 3 elementary school aged kids. From what I've been told, Clay county schools are excellent as well. Is that not the case and we should look into St. John's?

It’s more about the location of the job(s), then finding a house in relation to them. It’s a spread out city.

Very true. I lived in Orlando for my senior year of high school, and then was stationed in Tampa for my first base, so I'm aware of how Florida spread-out cities work, which I tend to prefer over north-eastern cities.

As a retireee, the plan is to still have the option to use the Tricare Prime health plan, which requires one to live within 40miles of a military treatment facility. In this case it would be the Navy Hosiptal at JAX NAS. I don't mind communting up to an hour, and from what I could tell with crime stats, flood maps, and school districts, its seems Clay county seems ideal.

Any info/thoughts on the Lake Asbury area and Clay High School?

Clay county schools are GTG.

Like others have said depending on where you work you may want to live closer to work.

I looked at Clay and St Johns when I was home shopping. You can get more in Clay.

Thanks for the input. We are looking at Clay and St Johns counties.

OMG, another Yankee.

My youngest is graduating from Clay High this year, the schools are good. I have family in the Lake Asbury area, it's pretty nice. The area between Green Cove and Orange Park is growing fast.

OP is from Nebraska. Are you referring to me? If so, what every gave you that idea?

Oklahomians are good people. I will vouch for most* of them.

*Toby Keith is excluded.

That's been my observation while being stationed here.

You guys PM me for my phone number. I'd be happy to fill you in on Cowford sometime tomorrow (3/5).

I am from the North but I definitely do NOT identify as a "Yankee".

I decided to pass on the job, btw- but thanks for all the replies. Hope Florida doesn't go retard on Gun Control

Clay county would be good. But not Duval. I recently moved from the orange park area to Hilliard, just north of jax.  I used to be right beside NAS JAX (Orange Park) and saw a tremendous change in crime getting worse the in just the first year I was there. Middleberg and Green cove are a little bit of a drive but worth it to stay out of the city. You might want to look into Callahan or Hilliard just north east of Jax. Both are smaller towns with a 45 minute drive to NAS Jax. way too many shootings, rapes, and your stuff being stolen to move to Jacksonville.

Clay is good. I live in the southern top of clay. Wife is a clay county teacher.

Sheriff is no nonsense guy, and very pro second admendment. In this day and age that's an important thing to factor in.

I went to high school in Jax in the late 70s, moved away, then came back permanently in 1990. I wouldn't live anywhere else, except in the nearby towns.

I love this part of Florida. It's still sub-tropical, as you'll find out in the summer. Lots of outdoor activities, lots of water for your enjoyment, be it the beaches, the river, intracoastal waterway, marshes, etc. There's water everywhere.

Housing is still affordable, but it's climbing in price and scarcity. The best places to settle are in the Southside, Mandarin, Intracoastal West area and the beach towns. St. Johns and Clay Counties are very good places to settle. The schools and housing are very good, but the prices can be higher in some neighborhoods. Ponte Vedra in St. Johns Co. is very highly priced. All of this area, including Nassau and Baker Counties, is called the First Coast and it has grown immensely in the last few decades. There are apartments and housing areas going up everywhere.
Also be aware of lots of road construction. It seems they're constantly widening roads and building new ones to accommodate the growing suburban areas. Traffic is still better than Miami or Orlando.

Nearby St. Augustine is a touristy little town that has lots of history. It's a good way to spend the day walking its streets.

If you like to shop, we have a huge shopping area called the St. Johns Town Center. It has hundreds of stores and restaurants. There's going to be an even bigger shopping center coming to north St. Johns Co. It'll be anchored by a Bass Pro Shop.

There's some good gun stores in the area. They keep me broke most of the time. We could use some more outdoor shooting ranges.
Oh, and we have the Jaguars, who are finally winning again after a decade of losing.

Jax is still a southern city at heart. It's spread out, conservative leaning, with lots of retired military folks, as well as those military members at the two navy bases.

if you move here, you'll have to learn the local battle cry: DUUUUVAAAALLL!!

I hate duuvvvaaaaaaalllll

Despite the current legislation and the status of the Florida GOP, I am looking foward to moving there.

Two words;

Lynyrd Skynyrd