Moving to Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is considered by many to be Where Florida Begins. Travelling south from the Georgia border, it’s the first Floridian city to offer pristine beaches and a centralized downtown, and it touts many of Florida’s other claims to fame, like alligators, swamplands and seafood.

However, though Jacksonville is very Florida, it has a lot in common with northern cities, too: It has a blossoming economy built on the financial and insurance industries, and a culture built on the simply joys of football and rock and roll.

Geography of Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville is located on low-lying, marshy land near the Atlantic Ocean. It is divided by the St. Johns River and the smaller Trout River, which drain into the Atlantic, and the surrounding area is populated by a number of lakes and alligator-filled swamps.

Jacksonville is the largest city proper in terms of size; it is 847 sq. miles. Compare that to San Francisco, which is 7! Additionally, Jacksonville is the largest city in Florida, though the greater metropolitan area, which includes St. Augustine and Fernandina Beach, is home to just over 1.3 million people, which is less than a quarter the size of the Miami metro. Jacksonville surrounds the smaller, independent city of Baldwin.

Positives of Moving to Jacksonville, FL

Weather – Jacksonville has great weather in the winter months, with average temperatures in the 60’s and 70’s. Though summer months can get very hot and humid, they generally top out around 90 degrees, putting Jacksonville summers on par with many more-northern cities, like Raleigh and Washington D.C. Additionally, though it’s located on the Florida coast, Jacksonville rarely experiences hurricanes.

Ocean – Beaches abound in Jacksonville. And these isn’t your run-of-the-mill muddy, rocky beaches. Many are white, crystalline beaches fronting bright blue waters. They’re great for boating and sunbathing alike.

Parks – Though the stat is slightly misleading due to Jacksonville’s over-all size, it is the city with the most parkland in the U.S. Additionally, there’s the epic Treaty Oak, a number of riverwalks, and the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens.

Economy – Jacksonville started as a port city, and it still maintains the largest deepwater port in the American South. However, its economy today is based on the insurance, banking and retail industries. Many large corporations headquarter operations in Jacksonville, making it a great place to find a job. Paired with a low cost of living, Jacksonville’s strong economy is making it one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S.

Southern Rock – The home of the Allman Brothers Band and Lynard Skynard still maintains its dedication to a distinctively southern musical vibe.

Football – Jacksonville is home to the Gator Bowl and the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, but even the pro team bows down to one of the greatest college football traditions in the nation: the Largest Cocktail Party on Earth. Every year, the University of Georgia and the University of Florida meet in Jacksonville to do battle, and tens of thousands of people hold a dedicated, slightly debaucherous tailgate before flocking to the field.

Negatives of Moving to Jacksonville, FL

Pay – Jacksonville might be an easy place to find a job, but many of those jobs are in call centers for some type of bank or insurance company. The pay is poor, and the quality of work is even poorer.

Sprawl – Jacksonville spreads out massively in its large area. It’s very much an endless, suburban sea of strip malls, stoplights, highways and subdivisions, which leads to a…

Lack of Big-City Appeal – Jacksonville’s skyline pales in comparison to those of most mid-sized cities. And underneath that skyline, the centralized area offers little that resembles a New York night out. Jacksonville is a city of suburbs, not a real city.

Transportation – Jacksonville has a mono rail that covers 2.5 miles downtown. Jacksonville, as mentioned above, covers 847 square miles. Yeah. Get ready to drive, a lot. Even getting to the beach can take an hour, depending on how far inland you live.

Are you moving to Jacksonville? Time to check out some Jacksonville moving companies. You can find them for free right here: Jacksonville movers.