Jacksonville, FL is a city located in northeast Florida that offers visitors a variety of activities and attractions to explore. It is known as the largest city by area in the contiguous United States, and some of its most popular attractions include beautiful beaches along the Atlantic coast, pontoon boat tours of nearby rivers, and historic city parks with centuries-old live oak trees. Jacksonville’s art scene has been growing in recent years with its various galleries and performing arts centers. Visitors also come to take part in outdoor activities such as kayaking or paddleboarding in the St. Johns River or catching a game from one of the city’s professional sports teams. Reviews of Jacksonville, FL are generally positive due to its large selection of attractions, activities, and events for all ages. Tourists from around the world take advantage of Jacksonville’s pleasant weather and enjoy spending time on its many beaches or exploring its downtown area which offers numerous restaurants and shops. Whether visitors are looking for an exciting nightlife scene or peaceful nature trails to explore, Jacksonville has something for everyone!
based on 174 ReviewsGet to know Jacksonville with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Jacksonville
Jacksonville is better than most cities it’s size - 7/15/2019
I was raised in Jacksonville. Lived there from 1980-1991. In the area, Clay County, from 1991-1997. Family and friends still lives there, I visit regularly. I plan to retire there. Of course smaller communities surrounding Jacksonville has better schools, housing, and crime rates cause they are smaller. The fact is and it may offend some but those surrounding communities are run almost entirely by republicans. Jacksonville may be considered “republican” but it’s in the middle. Republicans in the surrounding communities seem to be more pro business growth, proactive in law enforcement, low taxes, more funding for schools, more fire and ambulance protection, better park maintenance and park expansion, quality of the community,
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Think twice, it may not be the place for you - 2/2/2019
After living in Jax for over 20 years, I am heading north for retirement. This is mostly a personal decision. However, there are local factors which led me to this decision. Summer heat - lasts from mid-May to mid-Oct. I'm talking about the 90+ temp and high humidity with no relief at night. Hurricanes - there have been two medium ones that hit over the past three years and the geography is not conducive to quick recovery. Think flooding. God help the city if a Cat 4 or 5 were to hit with any type of storm surge. Lack of small, affordable housing for seniors - if you want to downsize in a nice neighborhood for reasonable cost - forget about it. Many of the other issues voiced by other reviewers are also true, so I won't repeat them here. My other big complaint is that the local and state government have their heads in the sand when it comes to environmental issues. This state is facing a major catastrophe with respect to climate change. Tallahassee is leaving it up to the
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Be my guest. - 1/9/2019
Been here 15 years. It’s like night and day from when I moved here to now. It was a midsize city with average crime for the size of the city, pretty great commute times, and a good place to raise a family. Now... horrific crime rivaling Detroit even in the high end areas, hub for illegals, failing school system, low paying jobs for young adults (definitely not a place to start a career),roadways were built for a much lower population (although they are expanding the roads the completion date is years away), and long commutes. This is a horrible loss as Jax previously had a completely different atmosphere. If you want to see the local news just look up actionnewsjax of news4jax on twitter, facebook or their websites. JSO (the sheriffs office) also has a facebook. It will seem like a dream if you come from a place that has more expensive housing but Jax has become a dead end for increasing your income. The city isn’t robust in that regard. We all have degrees so if you come down here
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RUN!! - 10/28/2018
Lived in the hell hole for 10 years and is one of the most racist towns I have ever lived in!! Move here at your own risk!! The people here are very clickish and closed minded. It was prob the worst 10 years of my life
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Don't move here - 7/17/2018
Only thing good about Florida is Disney World, Universal, Island of Adbusters, Lego Land, Colleges, and 95. As a mom, you must do your research on K-12 schools. Alot of places are F, D, and C rated schools. Extended stay for kids that have parents that work is expensive. In Jacksonville you would want to be in the Southside/Mandarin area for schooling or just in general. People can not drive here. Traffic can get pretty bad. The economic market here is still bad after the recession. Florida is considered
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What is a good income? - 7/12/2018
It seems like there are a lot of negative reviews but 800,000+ people still live here.
How well can a couple live on a household income of $75,000? $100,000? Is this the income range for 2 newish vehicles and a $250,000 mortgage ($300k home)?
Compared to NY, I can't imagine the traffic is that bad...
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Jacksonville is Up & Coming - 7/7/2018
While there is truth to the other reviews, it saddens me to see continued negativity against this city. There are many people working very hard to improve the issues listed and if more citizens took action, Jacksonville would see improvement even faster. Many crime rates are down and the sheriffs office has a lot of community partnerships and initiatives working to continue that decrease. A new bus station was just built near a skyway terminal and the skyway is being expanded and transformed. Downtown is clean and accessible and a lot of improvement and renovation projects are underway. Duval County is funding charter schools and they are improving the quality of education. There are citizens planning committees for every area of the city where residents can bring concerns and get answers. The music scene is increasing with the addition of Daily's Place and Shad Khan has a plan to revitalize the entire shipyards area on the north bank. The arts scene is increasing with murals all over
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Not a Good Choice - 6/29/2018
The job situation in Jacksonville is very poor. There are several call center and low-mid salary positions, but you will have difficulty matching salary or opportunities from nearby Atlanta or even Orlando. If you aren’t moving with a job you will be disappointed in what Jacksonville has to offer.
Crime is bad everywhere. You will need to be both highly selective in where you live and vigilant about where you socialize.
The beaches are very lovely and easily accessible. The downtown river area is pretty, but also somewhat run down.
Commuting is terrible and public transportation is non existent.
The area in general draws a lowbrow crowd from the north and southeast.
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overcrowded military town - 2/1/2018
Moved here 2/17 and rented nice townhouse but then owner decided to sell. I was forced to find other housing. Found out prices for townhouse
rentals went thru the roof. The agents are all out to rent homes that are unfit to rent. They have units that have "as Is" clause and overpriced. Found
myself having to store my furniture and live in hotel. I have excellent credit
and steady income. The young military family are targets. Sad place.
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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.
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