School me on Jacksonville, FL

[Eurodriver]

I'm very familiar with the state, climate, etc. Looking specifically for Jacksonville info.

I'd be working in the Wells Fargo building downtown Mon-Fri 9-5.

I know Jacksonville is pretty rough in some areas. I was just there last weekend and I've seen some bad places in Hialeah, South St. Petersburg, Tampa, etc but Jacksonville seemed to be all over the place. For example, St. Petersburg's "bad" area is probably 30x30 blocks. Hialeah is a suburb of Miami and easily avoided. It just seemed like the threat of robbery never ended as I got off I95 and made my way through the entire city and even north into the suburbs.

Anyway, my questions:

Where is a safe, nice place to live that won't result in me living next to Section 8 hoodlums and won't take an hour to get to work every day. Does such a place exist? Looking to buy a home in the $250,000 range but can go higher if it means peace of mind.

What is there to do in Jacksonville that won't result in me getting robbed or my car stolen? Miami has nice places on the beach, St. Petersburg and Tampa have nice downtown areas. Are there nice upscale dining/bar places in Jacksonville?

I'll probably eventually get married and have kids. What are the schools like?

P.S. I love "Public School Number Four" on the side of the interstate.

[Dobie]

The bad - Lots of crime and poverty. Over 100 murders average a year. Was the murder capital of the state for over a decade, not sure its rank today but must be in the top three. Industrial city not a vacation spot. Find a home on the south side or beaches areas. Stay off the West, North and downtown areas for a home. Get alarm system with CCT and a safe. CCW everywhere.
The Good - cost of living isnt high, $250K will get you a nice house. Coastal so beaches near by. North Florida fishing is good if your a boat owner. Hurricanes stay away, last direct hit 1964. Got the Jaguars if you a NFL fan.

[Failure2Stop]

Healthy shooting crowd.
Lots to do just down the 95.
I can't talk much about J-Ville, I pretty much only stop in to visit Gun Gallery when I'm heading north.
Good stuff within easy driving distance: ranges with good matches, Savannah, Orlando, St Augustine, New Smyrna, Daytona. If you aren't super into Jacksonville, there's plenty to keep you occupied.

Can't really vouch for the living conditions of that specific area though.

Oh, no state income tax is pretty nice, roll that $ straight into your 401K if you the responsible type, straight into beer and ammo if you're like me.

[cop1211]

It's where I live and police. It's had the highest crime rate in every major category in the State for the past decade.
Just had a biker shoot out last night at a nice eatery at the beach at 8:00pm.
The schools suck, they are overcrowded and full of thugs. The school board police officers are highly discouraged from making any arrests unless it's a felony.
The area you want to look for a home is in the east near the beaches. You can try Neptune or Ajax Beach but you will get a lot more house if you look 15 minutes away.
Jax Beach is where everyone comes for the nightlife tons of bars in a small area. The area has a lot of festivals.
If you have a wife and kids aid look at St. John's County. Much nicer area to live. Much lower crime and A rated school system. There is the best range in the area in St. John's county as well. The owner is good to go and isn't a stand over your shoulder range nazi type. If you look at northern St. John's your commute isn't going to pretty probably 45 min to an hour, but the quality of life for your wife and kids would be worth it.
Anything else I can help you with let me know. If you end up here let me know, free ride along with me and my police K9.

[Eurodriver]

Thanks for the info. I've lived in FL almost my entire life so I'm familiar with everything and the surrounding areas. I'm quite literally just trying to figure out if I can maintain a normal suburban lifestyle without being murdered or having my wealth redistributed from the likes of that Corrine Brown idiot. I drove passed her re-election billboard on I95 and almost threw up.

Edit: Thanks for the offer cop1211, we must have posted at the same time.

I've applied to a pretty big financial firm in several Florida cities, West Palm, Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville. I think I have the best shot at Jacksonville but that city has always scared the shit out of me. I'm not sure if it's as well deserved given that my hometown has a pretty serious crime problem as well but I think they just do a better job of masking it from the media down here to avoid worrying tourists.

[ucrt]

.

Avoid the "Jacksonville Bypass" route that some guy gave me and a buddy taking a high school road trip ...40+ years ago.

Took us something like 3 hours to go 50 miles. We learned...

.

[cop1211]

Most of the violent crime is dirt bag on dirt. Also Jacksonville has around a 800,000 -900,000 people. The county is officially Duval but the city if Jacksonville makes up the entire county sans the 3 beaches which make up about 15 miles long by 3 miles wide. Avoid the north side and west side at all cost. Look Far East and far south and you should be fine.
I live 15 minutes from the beach. My house is 1,500 square feet, neighborhood isn't bad, plenty of houses for sale for around 130,000-150,000. From my house I could get to where you would work in 35-45 with the rush hour traffic.
Let me know if you end up here we can get together and go shoot.
There is a nice quality carbine club that goes down to the range in St Johns the last Sunday if the month. No fuuds or herp-derps allowed.

[bullittmcqueen]

Get a condo or house at Jacksonville beaches. Both my brother in laws live there and the beaches area is the only part of town I would live in.

[Palmguy]

Family friend lives in the area around 295 east of the St Johns on the south end of town, it's pretty nice down there. About 20 miles to downtown. From what I know about the area, I'd echo the geographic recommendations you've received so far.

[tgizzard]

I avoid that place like the plague! But it seems that you've been given some good local info if you end up moving there. To bad one of those other cities doesn't work out. I live up the road from West Palm and it's nice here on the Treasure Coast!