Don't move here -you've been warned
-
1/25/2018
I relocated here 6 years ago for a job and can't wait to leave. I live in Avondale, which is a beautiful neighborhood with great neighbors, however, housing is quite expensive here.
Crime is bad across the whole city- the better neighborhoods are not immune to robberies and murders. I do not stop for gas anywhere in the city after 10 pm.
Duval County Public Schools are terrible, and even the much lauded magnet program isn't particularly good; it's just less terrible than the traditional schools.
The city does have many public parks, but they are poorly maintained. Several large medians in my neighborhood are counted as 'parks,' and many of the nicer parks are filled with homeless people. Some parts of town have no parks at all.
Don't be fooled by the low housing prices here. Wages are low and utilities are high. Utilities will be even higher if the mayor goes forward with his plan to sell the public utility company.
The ignorance here is astounding. Astounding. But it's coupled with pretension, which is even more annoying. The music scene here is awful; there aren't enough mid sized venues and most bands will skip right through town. There is no classical music scene here whatsoever. Neither of the two museums in town have any significant pieces. The "Arts Market" is a mediocre craft fair. But the residents of Jax don't seem to know or care. To them, the Cummer is just as good as the Guggenheim. But most of the residents won't ever go to any type of cultural event at all.
The public transportation here is so bad it's virtually unusable. A trip that is 20 minutes by car will take 2 hours by bus.
There really isn't much to do. The Landing is dirty and depressing, Hemming Park has removed all seating in an effort to drive away the homeless, and nothing is ever updated, so it's always same sad old thing.
The racism and sexism here will break your heart. Black neighborhoods are some of the least cared for by the city. People on the Northside are living in condemned homes.
It's a city full of run down strip malls and sleazy strip clubs. Don't believe me? Drive around it.
I heard this once, and as a 6 year resident, I can attest to it's accuracy- Jacksonville: Where taxes are as low as the quality of life.
J | Jacksonville, FL