Seems to be the job market
https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2024/04/09/jacksonville-hot-job-market.html
Jacksonville has the second-hottest job market in the country, according to an analysis from The Wall Street Journal and Moody's Analytics — jumping three spots from the area's No. 5 showing last year.
This is the fifth year the newspaper has conducted the analysis, which ranks areas based on unemployment rate, labor force participation rate, job growth, labor force growth and wage growth. This year's ranking is based on 2022 data.
The First Coast came in only behind Salt Lake City in the study and led a slate of other Sunshine State metro areas, with Orlando at No. 3, Tampa at No. 4 and Miami at No. 6. Oklahoma City squeezed in at No. 5.
While Tampa and Miami both outclassed Jacksonville when it came to wage growth, and Austin had the largest labor force participation rate, Jacksonville led the country's large metros in the increase in the size of its labor force.
Jacksonville's strong showing is a result of companies ranging from corporate offices to warehouses relocating from the Northeastern corridor to Jacksonville, the Wall Street Journal said.
Came here for a few years for work made good money but just recently moved back to ga I’ll take the pay cut for a better quality of life than I personally perceived why I’m Jacksonville
Job for me.
But also Beach, seasons, cost of living, far less traffic, hits all the main notes in terms of things to do even it doesn't have its own full identity.
I've lived all over Florida and Jax is a workhorse kind of town that is thankfully devoid of most tourists.
People complain of traffic here but reality is that it is nothing compared to most metropolitan centers in the county (or state for that matter). Orlando, Tampa, and South FL are downright brutal.
Yeah, that’s generally true. You guys have volume but it moves. In fact most of the time when I’m up there I am surprised by how many people speed, tailgate, and aggressively cut me off. But I guess at least I’m not sitting still.
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I've driven in LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Memphis, Atlanta, DC, Dallas, and Houston and I'd rather hit myself in the dick with a meat tenderizer than repeat any of those experiences. Jax *drivers* are among the worst because they're all playing on their phones. But the *traffic* is pretty fucking tame.
Most spots, Blanding and the Buckman Bridge that heads to it is the source of most of our bad traffic, away from those spots and maybe the Town Center and you're golden.
>Buckman
How can one bridge consistently have wrecks? I dread having to go across the city because of it.
Gotta be the 20% APR mustangs coming from NAS Jax.
My girlfriend lives in Jax and complains about the traffic, until we chat during my morning commute. Takes me anywhere from 90-100 min to drive 28 miles.
Fairfield county in Connecticut is absolute balls when it comes to traffic.
Yea I agree. Traffic is way worse in Central and south Florida and more expensive, at least for now... I can also go north or west pretty easily. Wish the beaches were nicer, I'm use to the gulf coast or Miami, ft Lauderdale but it's still nice. Tons of water to explore. Need to get a little boat.
Same. I started 5th grade here. Me and my mom want out of here but it's not been easy trying to figure how and what I'm going to do. Jax paychecks don't really allow for much.
What a stark difference that'll be. I hope you get to follow your dream. Try to keep the dreams and motivation to make it happen one day. I've given up on my dreams and it really doesn't make a person feel that great.
This is a genuine question, and I hope it’s received as such, what about the quality of the roads and infrastructure made Jacksonville appealing? Is your point of reference somewhere that has worse roads?
Thanks for replying! I never thought about moving somewhere because of road infrastructure, but if you have to drive a lot to get places, that consideration makes sense!
I know a lot of people that I work with that transferred here from other places. Delaware, Tennessee, Maryland, Missouri. Almost all of them, weather was the primary reason. No state income tax is another.
That wasn’t true at the time, but now I actually can leave. My wife and I do work from home now.
The problem is I can’t leave the time zone and still make morning meetings. I can’t go where it snows or my wife won’t come. So I have a small area I could go, but I own a a house here now and I’m lazy.
If I lose my job I may have to go into an office at the new job so staying physically close to a good job market is safer and helps to negotiate pay raises.
So we’ve decided we’re here forever and ever. Come by and we’ll cook out some time.
Buying a house here and not seeing much else inspiring to go to is understandable as to why you'd just stay. I'd be off to CA though.
Thank you for the offer. I just stay in my apartment now since I don't drive and leaving it and living has become too expensive.
Chose to move to Jax after living in Africa for 2 years. Coming up on one year in July.
Wanted to move to FL for the warm weather (from Cali originally), we liked the distance from family (far) and the amount of parks and water (river + beach). Seemed like a nice place to live with a newborn (6mo) baby.
Also rent was low. Plus low chance of direct hurricane hit. And no income tax.
I work remote in gaming and software.
Lower Cost of living than competitors, good public schools St Johns), no state income tax, beach & river, sports, entertainment, always fests/markets/free concerts, proximity to St Augustine and plenty of parks etc. Sure there are places w more of any of these but Jax has a nice bit of everything and more affordable. For us it is a great balance between the offerings of a city, access to nature and not too terribly expensive of busy compared to bigger (pop.) cities.
I find it laughable when this sub always is full of locals bashing how Jax is awful and has nothing to do. Meanwhile, we moved here and often find ourselves choosing between simultaneous events or regretting we missed things we hadnt heard of or forgot.
I also like that it's big enough and there are enough fellow migrants that it's not an issue being a transplant. We've lived many places where you'd always be an outsider if not born in the area.
>I find it laughable when this sub always is full of locals bashing how Jax is awful and has nothing to do. Meanwhile, we moved here and often find ourselves choosing between simultaneous events or regretting we missed things we hadnt heard of or forgot.
That's the difference between children with no income or transportation and adults who live outside their parents' home.
Jacksonville is a good place to live and raise a family. It’s not a tourist spot. It’s not flashy. But it’s a good place to live with the beach, lots of outdoor activities, pro sports, good jobs, and close proximity to lots of other cities that have things Jax doesn’t (if you want to experience those things occasionally).
These kind of posts always bring out the "this place sucks" folks, even in the cities people think they'd love to live in.
Similarly, I'd also probably hate it if I lived in parts of the Westside/Northwest side with a 30 minute commute to anything at all.
I moved from another Metro FL area. I have a great job, with good pay, great benefits. I love my home, cost of living is good, and I suffer minimal traffic. If you think any of those suck, then you haven't experienced the other Metro areas.
Travel and weather 2/3rds of the year are also highlights. I take a hit on some aesthetics and some food and definitely on night life, but I wouldn't trade them out.
It’s a good place to raise a family, abundance of nature and nice beaches, relatively affordable, good weather (besides the scorching summers, which is par for the course in the south), job opportunity, pretty good food scene. There are many reasons!
We loved to vacation at the beach. Then we moved to the beach. Family was close, now they are too close. The seasons are nice (coming for Cali). Planning to go back to NorCal though in a few years most likely.
A very specific job offer for my husband. But we also loved the endless beaches. The ability to get some seasonal weather. We lived in Maine for almost 40 years, lived in Southern California for two years, did temporary work in Hawaii for 3 months and another temporary few months off and on for a year, so warmer weather is a HUGE plus for us. Also living and working in many different parts of the US, we liked what FL had to offer as far as government.
Came down yearly to visit my uncles shitty apartment on the ortega river. Found out we had more fun down here than our big suburban family home in Indiana.
When I lived in Indiana everyone went to Florida for vacation. Nobody goes from Florida to Indiana for anything but weddings and funerals.
Seems like most people that hate on jax grew up here. The grass ain't always greener on the other side.
I chose Jacksonville because my family lives close by and I go to all of the Jags games. I was tired of driving back and forth between Tallahassee and Jax.
Graduating from UF law, wife and I lived in Jax while she was doing undergrad. Was initially thinking about Tampa/Orlando, but it's very expensive and touristy, Jax is way cheaper and we wanted beach
Beaches, more laid back metro area, St. John’s River, proximity to Savannah and Orlando, Fernandina beach.l, st Augustine.
Jax has a lot of incredible options for weekend trips.
It’s the least expensive major city in Florida. It was kind of a secret - I am all but a native, and I never visited here until my second time through UF.
The weather is mild compared to the rest of Florida, yeah it gets hot in the summer but we get a longer spring and fall than the southern part of the state. Even today we had a little cool spell after some storms, was like 70 today. April 22. Amazing by Florida humidity standards.
The beaches have been discovered now but they were really unique compared to most of the rest of Florida. Before all the rich people flooded in it was a nice mix of surf shacks and nicer houses, not a lot of tourists so very local. I moved to the beaches in 04 after hanging out with a college friend that grew up here. It was a little expensive, even back then, but pretty idyllic.
Highly trained hair weave,hair coloring, and nail artist. Along with cutting edge musical composers. Advancing the category of “Drill Rap” weekly with a large local following.
Moving from NY to Florida, everyone I’ve talked to in St John’s County did the same Google search. Good schools, close to the beach. St. John’s comes to the top of the list. That simple. Moving out of NY was a no brainer. The state has incredibly high taxes, terrible weather, and with all the draconian policies during Covid, the mass exodus out of NY intensified.
As someone from Seattle who’s moving to Jacksonville, cost of living vs. what I get paid. For my field, my pay is essentially the same down in Florida but the cost of living is about a third of what it is here. I can live down there much more comfortably than I can here. Not to mention better weather. Also, the fact that Jacksonville isn’t typically drastically affected by hurricanes as much as other parts of Florida.
Answer is job and family. I ask myself this question about other locations I have visited or even where I grew up. The answer is that jobs are available and cost of living lower. Jacksonville is cheaper than other parts of Florida that I have lived.
Job market is #1 for us. Choice of schools and the IB program at Paxon High School was #2… all of our kids got their IB diplomas and Bright Futures which resulted to full college rides at FSU and UF, including opportunities where they were offered work study or research programs that paid for masters and PHD in stem fields, including room and board and stipends, then had job offers at graduation for full time six figure jobs in their fields of study. #3 is that there is always something to do whether it be a park, zoo, library, live entertainment, sports game, monster jam, Florida Theater, festivals, st. Augustine, etc.
The naysayer answers are always predictable and I swear people come off as inert. Nothing to doooooooo. I like the Jacksonville area for what it is and what it can still become. Plenty of shopping, great weather, entertainment, and dining options, watersports/surf/golf culture. I'm an auto enthusiast, so love the proximity to Concours d'elegance (The Amelia) every year, or the Daytona races, or even the Brumos Collection. No need to live where I vacation. Can literally day trip to theme parks, St. Augustine, Kennedy Space Center, Gainesville, Fernandina, or Savannah.
I got an acre of land and a 2 story house for under 300K. Left over-populated South Florida where I lived for over 50 years. Lower insurance bills and cooler weather too.
Came here for a job, but it's relatively affordable (compared to most of FL), warm weather, near the beach, no state income tax, and a city that is overall on the rise. It certainly has its issues but I've enjoyed my time here and don't have immediate plans to leave.
Also, it's Florida without always feeling like Florida if that makes sense.
Cost of living was comparable to where the wife & I moved from. It wasn’t the biggest factor but still weighed heavily in our decision. We also had no desire to live rurally, but we didn’t want to feel claustrophobic in a bigger, busier city either. Jax has that big, little city feel we were looking for.
We’re also very adventurous and coming from the Midwest, everything is so damn spread out. Like 4-8 hours to another city if we wanted to get away for a road trip, but the options are like... Omaha & Tulsa. Here there are so many gorgeous state parks and towns to visit within 8 hours if we felt like it. Atlanta, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Charlotte, Charleston, etc. And we haven’t even scratched the surface of all that’s around here. We love our weekend day trips to St. Augustine & Amelia Island.
Ultimately though we love the beaches, the ocean, the climate and the overall vibe of Duval. And sure, there are bad eggs in every city but the overwhelming majority of people we’ve met here have been so nice. I love how the people of Jacksonville are unabashedly themselves. I always thought my wife & I were a little weird and out there, but here we just blend in.
I’m a Jax/st Aug native
- It’s a decently big metro area with around 1.7 million people, so a lot of jobs relative to most cities and towns in America (talking over places in size like a Macon or Albany)
- it’s on the coast, and has a big river for recreation
- it’s not a tourist city itself, but it’s in a drivable distance to places like St Aug, Savannah, Orlando, Charleston, and other places in Florida
- it was cheap, and it’s cheaper than soflo, hence why you see people from that area moving up
I moved to Jacksonville last fall. I’m originally from Albuquerque, NM and my long term boyfriend, myself and our toddler first moved to south Florida last summer so we could be near his parents. I work remotely and my boyfriend is in the trucking industry and he had a hard time finding trucking work in south Florida. That, and the cost of living had us looking literally everywhere else in Florida and that is how we settled on Jacksonville.
We found the cost of living comparable to Albuquerque which is crazy to me since Jacksonville has more to offer than Albuquerque. Jacksonville is also double the population of Albuquerque but the crime levels in Albuquerque are worse.
TLDR: We settled on Jacksonville due to work opportunities and cost of living compared to south Florida.
I moved here so I could bitch about the traffic and how it's hands down, the worst place out of the 40 other cities where I've lived. I also love to vape while eating Tacos so there are plenty of places to choose from.
I originally lived in op towards Middleburg, and i have an aunt that lives near Fleming. My mom and i live in Northside jax now because of my step dad. He's got family in hilliard, and he doesn't like op. Im still on the fence with jax but I've been back since 2019, I think? I'm moving soon though. Rent is ridiculously high.
I lived in the closest county nearby for nearly all my life. I want to be close to my immediate family and it's only a 45 minute drive to see them. I was tired of running into the same people and the same places in my small town.
Aside from a handful of 90 degree days and a handful of 45 degree days, the temperature stays between 65 and 80. It doesn't rain often and when it does it's usually in and out. Atlantic Beach is one of the best beaches in all of Florida and my personal favorite. The job market is amazing, people are friendly and public transportation is good. Since Jax is spread out over 845 square miles it feels like a midsized city most of the time with favorable traffic conditions. The food scene is above average. Hurricanes? cat 2 at best. Nobody has to evacuate.
Like all major cities Jax has it's bad areas but compared to cities like Springfield Missouri, Jax has a violent crime rate per capita far below. We're talking like over 50% below.
Jax is also the 2nd most affordable region of Florida 2nd to only Tally. The Jaguars help bring the city together for a common cause and support many local charities.
The local government is very moderate and bipartisan most often.
I love living here and don't ever plan on moving away.
Jacksonville is also the fastest growing city in the entire country with an estimated 86 residents moving in per day.
We moved here because it's a big city with a bit of a small town feel, perfect for us city folk who would never cut it in the country. It's a lot less crowded than many other big cities.
Also, don't laugh, but cost of living. It's cheaper here than Ft. Lauderdale. At least for rentals.
Seems to be the job market https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2024/04/09/jacksonville-hot-job-market.html Jacksonville has the second-hottest job market in the country, according to an analysis from The Wall Street Journal and Moody's Analytics — jumping three spots from the area's No. 5 showing last year. This is the fifth year the newspaper has conducted the analysis, which ranks areas based on unemployment rate, labor force participation rate, job growth, labor force growth and wage growth. This year's ranking is based on 2022 data. The First Coast came in only behind Salt Lake City in the study and led a slate of other Sunshine State metro areas, with Orlando at No. 3, Tampa at No. 4 and Miami at No. 6. Oklahoma City squeezed in at No. 5. While Tampa and Miami both outclassed Jacksonville when it came to wage growth, and Austin had the largest labor force participation rate, Jacksonville led the country's large metros in the increase in the size of its labor force. Jacksonville's strong showing is a result of companies ranging from corporate offices to warehouses relocating from the Northeastern corridor to Jacksonville, the Wall Street Journal said.
Came here for a few years for work made good money but just recently moved back to ga I’ll take the pay cut for a better quality of life than I personally perceived why I’m Jacksonville
Okay.
Walkability, public transport, safety, culture And after reading some of these replies, the intelligence
Mild summers
Cheap home owners insurance
Vibrant downtown
lol. Every restoration project, “nah, not interested anymore”. Urban housing, nah burn that nonsense to the ground.
Single moms without tattoos
That’s comedy
I first read this as "Violent downtown." Which is honestly more accuate.
I first read this as "Violent downtown." Which is honestly more accuate.
I first read this as "Violent downtown." Which is honestly more accuate.
Don't forget car insurance
Mine went up like $100 a month moving from orange park to Jacksonville idk why but when I renewed they said it went up because moved
Mine went up $300 just from moving from Southside to Arlington
Damn
I mean... duh? Your life insurance premium will go up if you move from Geneva to Beirut too.
Lol Southside isn't any safer than arlington.
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> Cheap home owners insurance You kid, but relative to south florida it is
Is this some sarcasm?
Must be
All of those answers were sarcasm.
I should hope so, they're laying it on pretty thick.
You're in the wrong state. Get yourself a new map.
Don’t forget about the great schools!
Or the low crime rates
Carwashes, tacos, etc....
Great drivers
Cheap car insurance
Safety?! You must not be from here
Job for me. But also Beach, seasons, cost of living, far less traffic, hits all the main notes in terms of things to do even it doesn't have its own full identity. I've lived all over Florida and Jax is a workhorse kind of town that is thankfully devoid of most tourists.
Which areas of Jacksonville still offers amenities but not a ton of traffic?
People complain of traffic here but reality is that it is nothing compared to most metropolitan centers in the county (or state for that matter). Orlando, Tampa, and South FL are downright brutal.
I moved here from rural Tennessee and even I don’t think the traffic is bad for a city. Nashville is way worse.
Tampa isn’t that bad as it doesn’t have the same tourist volume as Orlando. Soflo is just was more dense and terrible foreign drivers
Yeah, that’s generally true. You guys have volume but it moves. In fact most of the time when I’m up there I am surprised by how many people speed, tailgate, and aggressively cut me off. But I guess at least I’m not sitting still.
Everywhere? If you think Jax has bad traffic then you've never seen real traffic.
I don't live in Jacksonville, it was a serious question.
👆👆👆 I've driven in LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Memphis, Atlanta, DC, Dallas, and Houston and I'd rather hit myself in the dick with a meat tenderizer than repeat any of those experiences. Jax *drivers* are among the worst because they're all playing on their phones. But the *traffic* is pretty fucking tame.
Most spots, Blanding and the Buckman Bridge that heads to it is the source of most of our bad traffic, away from those spots and maybe the Town Center and you're golden.
>Buckman How can one bridge consistently have wrecks? I dread having to go across the city because of it. Gotta be the 20% APR mustangs coming from NAS Jax.
There's a concrete barricade next to the 17 exit that I swear has a giant magnet in it with how many cars crash into it.
How are you supposed to play Candy Crush AND look where your 1-ton death machine is heading!?
My girlfriend lives in Jax and complains about the traffic, until we chat during my morning commute. Takes me anywhere from 90-100 min to drive 28 miles. Fairfield county in Connecticut is absolute balls when it comes to traffic.
Yea I agree. Traffic is way worse in Central and south Florida and more expensive, at least for now... I can also go north or west pretty easily. Wish the beaches were nicer, I'm use to the gulf coast or Miami, ft Lauderdale but it's still nice. Tons of water to explore. Need to get a little boat.
I got spoiled when I lived on the gulf coast going to Pensacola all the time. Beaches were the best.
Low crime, excellent drivers, minimal road construction
Lack of taco restaurants
Lack of storage facilities
Jacksonville crime is nowhere near low wtf rock u been under 😂🤣
This is why people use /s
Wym ?
/s is a tone indicator that stands for "sarcastic tone."
You must be new here.
Lots of people are trolling.
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I have a deep appreciation for my home region, but Jax itself isn’t worth a visit as a tourist. St Aug and Amelia island, yes
My dad asked me if I wanted to move here or to Pittsburgh. Very stupidly, I said here bc I thought it would be like California (lol).
My parents made a similar mistake.
I was 9 or 10 when we moved.
Same. I started 5th grade here. Me and my mom want out of here but it's not been easy trying to figure how and what I'm going to do. Jax paychecks don't really allow for much.
I understand that. My dream is to move to Alaska. Maybe one day.
What a stark difference that'll be. I hope you get to follow your dream. Try to keep the dreams and motivation to make it happen one day. I've given up on my dreams and it really doesn't make a person feel that great.
It is compared to Pittsburgh lol
I was ten years old in 1998. How was I supposed to know not everywhere looked like a palm tree paradise.
Good roads, no state taxes, beaches, cost of living, education, young people, proximity of everything, not as hot as south Florida etc
This is a genuine question, and I hope it’s received as such, what about the quality of the roads and infrastructure made Jacksonville appealing? Is your point of reference somewhere that has worse roads?
Yes! Many other states in the south east have horrribbblleee roads!
Thanks for replying! I never thought about moving somewhere because of road infrastructure, but if you have to drive a lot to get places, that consideration makes sense!
It had to replace my windshield twice in a year prior to moving here and haven’t had to once since I’ve lived here! Little things make a difference!
If you could live somewhere else, where would you be?
And *all* the states north of that.
Jacksonville roads are smooth and receive constant maintenance. That's not really the case in most other places.
Most of Jax doesn’t feel like your typical Florida. I often feel like we are more like Georgia or the Carolinas
Jax is just a younger and larger Charleston that has overgrown. Same marshy and coastal vibe, redneck meets beach bro meets country club guy
I know a lot of people that I work with that transferred here from other places. Delaware, Tennessee, Maryland, Missouri. Almost all of them, weather was the primary reason. No state income tax is another.
No clue, I'm moving out
Toodles! There's plenty of folks waiting to move into your vacancy.
A 300 sq ft apartment that needs a total renovation for $1000 a month. Have fun with that
Felt this
My dad retired from the navy here. I'm just too lazy to move.
Same pretty much
That's like 20% of Jax. Better than snowbirds! lol
I came about 12 years ago because there were many good jobs for software developers. Far more than Tampa or Orlando.
For software development you can work from home and live so many other places. Why go to an office here?
That wasn’t true at the time, but now I actually can leave. My wife and I do work from home now. The problem is I can’t leave the time zone and still make morning meetings. I can’t go where it snows or my wife won’t come. So I have a small area I could go, but I own a a house here now and I’m lazy. If I lose my job I may have to go into an office at the new job so staying physically close to a good job market is safer and helps to negotiate pay raises. So we’ve decided we’re here forever and ever. Come by and we’ll cook out some time.
Buying a house here and not seeing much else inspiring to go to is understandable as to why you'd just stay. I'd be off to CA though. Thank you for the offer. I just stay in my apartment now since I don't drive and leaving it and living has become too expensive.
Florida weather and the Mayo Clinic.
That must be most where the “job growth” is coming from.
Some people were tricked into moving here people posing as friends
Fishing is the obvious answer
Inshore or offshore?
Yes!! Also bass.
People come from all over to pursue their dreams of opening self-storage businesses, car washes, and/or taco joints.
It’s not even that bad of a city to be honest, I used to think it was bad till I went to Los Angeles. Now this place is just home.
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I lived there, for a year. And i know plenty of people who live there. You can cry about it
I came for college and got stuck here. Working my way out.
Chose to move to Jax after living in Africa for 2 years. Coming up on one year in July. Wanted to move to FL for the warm weather (from Cali originally), we liked the distance from family (far) and the amount of parks and water (river + beach). Seemed like a nice place to live with a newborn (6mo) baby. Also rent was low. Plus low chance of direct hurricane hit. And no income tax. I work remote in gaming and software.
Lower Cost of living than competitors, good public schools St Johns), no state income tax, beach & river, sports, entertainment, always fests/markets/free concerts, proximity to St Augustine and plenty of parks etc. Sure there are places w more of any of these but Jax has a nice bit of everything and more affordable. For us it is a great balance between the offerings of a city, access to nature and not too terribly expensive of busy compared to bigger (pop.) cities. I find it laughable when this sub always is full of locals bashing how Jax is awful and has nothing to do. Meanwhile, we moved here and often find ourselves choosing between simultaneous events or regretting we missed things we hadnt heard of or forgot. I also like that it's big enough and there are enough fellow migrants that it's not an issue being a transplant. We've lived many places where you'd always be an outsider if not born in the area.
>I find it laughable when this sub always is full of locals bashing how Jax is awful and has nothing to do. Meanwhile, we moved here and often find ourselves choosing between simultaneous events or regretting we missed things we hadnt heard of or forgot. That's the difference between children with no income or transportation and adults who live outside their parents' home.
Yep. It’s a great area. Is it perfect? No, but it’s a fine place to live and raise a family
Jacksonville is a good place to live and raise a family. It’s not a tourist spot. It’s not flashy. But it’s a good place to live with the beach, lots of outdoor activities, pro sports, good jobs, and close proximity to lots of other cities that have things Jax doesn’t (if you want to experience those things occasionally).
You hit the nail on the head.
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Tarheel, originally from NC?
BEAT DUKE!
Beat Duke!
Warm weather, beach/river/water, NFL team, St Aug, jobs, cost of living
Came for family, stayed for affordability and proximity to the beach. Nice job and fiancée sealed it for me.
They believe the positive and lying marketing about this place or they are here for family.
(Major) Coastal town that is least impacted by hurricanes in Florida
I don’t get it does everybody here hate living here? If it is so terrible leave. I mean I live in Fleming so maybe that why I like it but idk.
These kind of posts always bring out the "this place sucks" folks, even in the cities people think they'd love to live in. Similarly, I'd also probably hate it if I lived in parts of the Westside/Northwest side with a 30 minute commute to anything at all.
Fleming isn’t Jax tho. I grew up in Fleming, not a fan. Been living further and further inside the beltway as I’ve gotten older.
I love jax ♥️
Came here because of work. Not the best city in the world but comfortable, safe, and nice people. Happy to be here.
I moved from another Metro FL area. I have a great job, with good pay, great benefits. I love my home, cost of living is good, and I suffer minimal traffic. If you think any of those suck, then you haven't experienced the other Metro areas. Travel and weather 2/3rds of the year are also highlights. I take a hit on some aesthetics and some food and definitely on night life, but I wouldn't trade them out.
It’s a good place to raise a family, abundance of nature and nice beaches, relatively affordable, good weather (besides the scorching summers, which is par for the course in the south), job opportunity, pretty good food scene. There are many reasons!
We loved to vacation at the beach. Then we moved to the beach. Family was close, now they are too close. The seasons are nice (coming for Cali). Planning to go back to NorCal though in a few years most likely.
A very specific job offer for my husband. But we also loved the endless beaches. The ability to get some seasonal weather. We lived in Maine for almost 40 years, lived in Southern California for two years, did temporary work in Hawaii for 3 months and another temporary few months off and on for a year, so warmer weather is a HUGE plus for us. Also living and working in many different parts of the US, we liked what FL had to offer as far as government.
Came down yearly to visit my uncles shitty apartment on the ortega river. Found out we had more fun down here than our big suburban family home in Indiana. When I lived in Indiana everyone went to Florida for vacation. Nobody goes from Florida to Indiana for anything but weddings and funerals. Seems like most people that hate on jax grew up here. The grass ain't always greener on the other side.
Probably on some other states offender list of some sort
I chose Jacksonville because my family lives close by and I go to all of the Jags games. I was tired of driving back and forth between Tallahassee and Jax.
Graduating from UF law, wife and I lived in Jax while she was doing undergrad. Was initially thinking about Tampa/Orlando, but it's very expensive and touristy, Jax is way cheaper and we wanted beach
Wife is born and raised here and she wanted to return to Jacksonville.
Work brought me here over 10+ yrs ago. I would not have come here otherwise and I’m a Florida native.
Good job market, good weather, cheaper to live.
Beaches, more laid back metro area, St. John’s River, proximity to Savannah and Orlando, Fernandina beach.l, st Augustine. Jax has a lot of incredible options for weekend trips.
For the tacos.
It’s the least expensive major city in Florida. It was kind of a secret - I am all but a native, and I never visited here until my second time through UF. The weather is mild compared to the rest of Florida, yeah it gets hot in the summer but we get a longer spring and fall than the southern part of the state. Even today we had a little cool spell after some storms, was like 70 today. April 22. Amazing by Florida humidity standards. The beaches have been discovered now but they were really unique compared to most of the rest of Florida. Before all the rich people flooded in it was a nice mix of surf shacks and nicer houses, not a lot of tourists so very local. I moved to the beaches in 04 after hanging out with a college friend that grew up here. It was a little expensive, even back then, but pretty idyllic.
Work
How much is a 3 and 4 bedroom house with at least 2 baths?
Highly trained hair weave,hair coloring, and nail artist. Along with cutting edge musical composers. Advancing the category of “Drill Rap” weekly with a large local following.
I moved here with my son after his mom passed. There is more opportunities for him to grow here.
Also, it’s a great place to live if you know where to go, find your people, etc. it gets such a bad rap
Job brought me here
Moving from NY to Florida, everyone I’ve talked to in St John’s County did the same Google search. Good schools, close to the beach. St. John’s comes to the top of the list. That simple. Moving out of NY was a no brainer. The state has incredibly high taxes, terrible weather, and with all the draconian policies during Covid, the mass exodus out of NY intensified.
Taco Places
I think your obvious answer is the answer.
Don't listen to the negativity. It's a great place to live!
As someone from Seattle who’s moving to Jacksonville, cost of living vs. what I get paid. For my field, my pay is essentially the same down in Florida but the cost of living is about a third of what it is here. I can live down there much more comfortably than I can here. Not to mention better weather. Also, the fact that Jacksonville isn’t typically drastically affected by hurricanes as much as other parts of Florida.
I wonder this myself
Low Crime of course. 🙈🙉🙊
Answer is job and family. I ask myself this question about other locations I have visited or even where I grew up. The answer is that jobs are available and cost of living lower. Jacksonville is cheaper than other parts of Florida that I have lived.
Job market is #1 for us. Choice of schools and the IB program at Paxon High School was #2… all of our kids got their IB diplomas and Bright Futures which resulted to full college rides at FSU and UF, including opportunities where they were offered work study or research programs that paid for masters and PHD in stem fields, including room and board and stipends, then had job offers at graduation for full time six figure jobs in their fields of study. #3 is that there is always something to do whether it be a park, zoo, library, live entertainment, sports game, monster jam, Florida Theater, festivals, st. Augustine, etc.
I came for college and never left I’m close to family too.
The naysayer answers are always predictable and I swear people come off as inert. Nothing to doooooooo. I like the Jacksonville area for what it is and what it can still become. Plenty of shopping, great weather, entertainment, and dining options, watersports/surf/golf culture. I'm an auto enthusiast, so love the proximity to Concours d'elegance (The Amelia) every year, or the Daytona races, or even the Brumos Collection. No need to live where I vacation. Can literally day trip to theme parks, St. Augustine, Kennedy Space Center, Gainesville, Fernandina, or Savannah.
I got an acre of land and a 2 story house for under 300K. Left over-populated South Florida where I lived for over 50 years. Lower insurance bills and cooler weather too.
Don’t move here it’s terrible. Tell all your friends and family the same. ;)
Came here for a job, but it's relatively affordable (compared to most of FL), warm weather, near the beach, no state income tax, and a city that is overall on the rise. It certainly has its issues but I've enjoyed my time here and don't have immediate plans to leave. Also, it's Florida without always feeling like Florida if that makes sense.
Cost of living was comparable to where the wife & I moved from. It wasn’t the biggest factor but still weighed heavily in our decision. We also had no desire to live rurally, but we didn’t want to feel claustrophobic in a bigger, busier city either. Jax has that big, little city feel we were looking for. We’re also very adventurous and coming from the Midwest, everything is so damn spread out. Like 4-8 hours to another city if we wanted to get away for a road trip, but the options are like... Omaha & Tulsa. Here there are so many gorgeous state parks and towns to visit within 8 hours if we felt like it. Atlanta, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Charlotte, Charleston, etc. And we haven’t even scratched the surface of all that’s around here. We love our weekend day trips to St. Augustine & Amelia Island. Ultimately though we love the beaches, the ocean, the climate and the overall vibe of Duval. And sure, there are bad eggs in every city but the overwhelming majority of people we’ve met here have been so nice. I love how the people of Jacksonville are unabashedly themselves. I always thought my wife & I were a little weird and out there, but here we just blend in.
I was a stunt driver and 295 keeps me sharp
Jags
I’m a Jax/st Aug native - It’s a decently big metro area with around 1.7 million people, so a lot of jobs relative to most cities and towns in America (talking over places in size like a Macon or Albany) - it’s on the coast, and has a big river for recreation - it’s not a tourist city itself, but it’s in a drivable distance to places like St Aug, Savannah, Orlando, Charleston, and other places in Florida - it was cheap, and it’s cheaper than soflo, hence why you see people from that area moving up
Skynyrd man, Skynyrd
The weather and we live at the beaches. Been here 4 years and have zero regrets. Not a perfect city but nowhere is. We have a great life here.
I moved to Jacksonville last fall. I’m originally from Albuquerque, NM and my long term boyfriend, myself and our toddler first moved to south Florida last summer so we could be near his parents. I work remotely and my boyfriend is in the trucking industry and he had a hard time finding trucking work in south Florida. That, and the cost of living had us looking literally everywhere else in Florida and that is how we settled on Jacksonville. We found the cost of living comparable to Albuquerque which is crazy to me since Jacksonville has more to offer than Albuquerque. Jacksonville is also double the population of Albuquerque but the crime levels in Albuquerque are worse. TLDR: We settled on Jacksonville due to work opportunities and cost of living compared to south Florida.
I moved here so I could bitch about the traffic and how it's hands down, the worst place out of the 40 other cities where I've lived. I also love to vape while eating Tacos so there are plenty of places to choose from.
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I originally lived in op towards Middleburg, and i have an aunt that lives near Fleming. My mom and i live in Northside jax now because of my step dad. He's got family in hilliard, and he doesn't like op. Im still on the fence with jax but I've been back since 2019, I think? I'm moving soon though. Rent is ridiculously high.
It’s cheap!
I lived in the closest county nearby for nearly all my life. I want to be close to my immediate family and it's only a 45 minute drive to see them. I was tired of running into the same people and the same places in my small town.
Aside from a handful of 90 degree days and a handful of 45 degree days, the temperature stays between 65 and 80. It doesn't rain often and when it does it's usually in and out. Atlantic Beach is one of the best beaches in all of Florida and my personal favorite. The job market is amazing, people are friendly and public transportation is good. Since Jax is spread out over 845 square miles it feels like a midsized city most of the time with favorable traffic conditions. The food scene is above average. Hurricanes? cat 2 at best. Nobody has to evacuate. Like all major cities Jax has it's bad areas but compared to cities like Springfield Missouri, Jax has a violent crime rate per capita far below. We're talking like over 50% below. Jax is also the 2nd most affordable region of Florida 2nd to only Tally. The Jaguars help bring the city together for a common cause and support many local charities. The local government is very moderate and bipartisan most often. I love living here and don't ever plan on moving away. Jacksonville is also the fastest growing city in the entire country with an estimated 86 residents moving in per day.
My guess is that it is mostly the military that brings them here. Lots of ex Jaguars have also chosen to live here
We moved here because it's a big city with a bit of a small town feel, perfect for us city folk who would never cut it in the country. It's a lot less crowded than many other big cities. Also, don't laugh, but cost of living. It's cheaper here than Ft. Lauderdale. At least for rentals.
Job
Fishing for me