Florida Gays, tell me about Jacksonville

That pic makes it look nice. It's not.

God, it's boring.

I'm not surprised to hear that, R1. Luckily, I'm going to be hyper-focused on my career and will also likely be preparing to get into grad school in the following year, 2018, so boring might just be fine for me.

Are you a lifelong Jax resident? Sounds like you'd move if you got the chance. Okay, let's go there...what are the worst things about living there?

Tell them you can't make it and do something nice on that week after Thanksgiving.

Florida, and Duval county in particular is too drastic of a change from So Cal and all those other places you've lived. Unless you really plan on staying inside your apartment for the whole time you live there. The extreme heat and humidity 7-8 months out of the year alone are going to drive you crazy. Not to mention you are practically going to be living in southern Georgia.

Sure, R3, I'll totally do that. So...as for my bills, will you handle them via Paypal or...?

I grew up there and I can honestly tell you that it's incredibly boring and the gay scene is sadly very small and weak compared to other places. There's maybe three or four bars there and none are that exciting or popular.

Yes it's not only very conservative but quite redneck and I wouldn't queen out too much around some guys in Jax. Try to see if you like country music or southern activities like hunting, fishing, or driving a pickup truck.

Riverside and Avondale sound about right for what you want. San Marco would be good too but it's a straight area.

You'll have no issue getting an apartment in any part of the city with that budget.

The beaches are nice... About 25 minutes east of the downtown core... Jax beach is actually not a bad place to be.

It's a very, very spread out city. People who live on opposite sides of town will rarely bump into one another unless they commute for work. It's very much a part of Jax living to specify where in the city you live : south side, mandarin, west side, beaches, north side, etc.

What brings people to Jax is if they want to be able to say they live in a city but have very low cost of living. It's a very cheap city and a lot of small town folks feel comfortable coming into Jax bc it isn't overwhelming in any way and there is some degree of southern manners and politeness. There's also a lot of families who choose to be located there because there are lots of nice new houses you can get for low prices.

The downside is that some of the older parts of the city like some of the west side, the north side , and some parts of Arlington have become ghettos where you do not want to find yourself walking alone at night at all. There is gang violence in the north side, that's prob where it's the worst in the whole city.

Jacksonville Naval Air Station is there, so you might get lucky with some hot navy guy.

The bottoms have all skipped leg work - they are really small, think Cubans or Puerto Ricans. If you have a big dick, you'll be really popular.

When I lived there I used to fly to the Caribbean or the Mexican Gulf whenever I had a long weekend. I stayed in a lovely gay resort in Tulum or in boutique hotels in St Lucia and Jamaica. Really quick flights to the islands, you could even go Friday-Sunday. That was the best part about living there. I used to go to Miami. Orlando or Fort Lauderdale for the nightlife.

lol r7.

Porn star Tyce Jaxx lived in Jacksonville, which is probably why he came up with that name. He is the perfect cross section of the city: Navy vet, Puerto Rican, crazy mutherfucker that beats his boyfriends and gets into fights all the time.

it's a true shithole

It's a much smaller city. Jacksonville till the 50s was historically the largest city in Florida. It gets four seasons and it does get cold (below freezing) at times.

Jacksonville annexed almost the entire county and became the biggest city in the US (outside of Alaska), in land area and regained the title of Florida's largest city. This had the effect of putting the suburbs in the city.

Jacksonville is the fourth largest FL metro behind Miami, Tampa and Orlando and West Palm isn't too far behind.

It's a typical medium sized city.

It'll be fine in the week, but you'll want to escape at weekends if you like a decent selection of gay bars and clubs.

I found So Cal pretty humid, sultry and foggy a lot of the time, with days and days in the high 80s and 90s during their long summer months. A Med climate is only mild in the Autumn and Winter, in the Summer it's vicious. The Pacific is always cold, for some reason, whereas the ocean off Florida is toasty and makes for fantastic swimming year round.

You won't get the fog/eddy in Jacksonville but it does rain more often to take the edge off, often at night.

The best place to ask for info is Jacksonville's Trip Advisor forum. People who are living there at the moment will give you a much more specific lowdown.

Kill yourself now OP. It's god awful.

[quote]When I lived there I used to fly to the Caribbean or the Mexican Gulf whenever I had a long weekend. I stayed in a lovely gay resort in Tulum or in boutique hotels in St Lucia and Jamaica.

Gay men who go to Jamaica are idiots.

Fuck you, spaz head R14. I go where it's beautiful; I'm not defined by being gay every moment of every day.

No, you're just giving your dollars to one of the most homophobic places in the Western Hemisphere. You probably eat at Chick-Fil-A and shop at Hobby Lobby, too.

Dont do it. It is a small city. Your nearest escape is Atlanta 5hrs, Orlando 3-4hrs. If you are determined to go there live on the beaches. Major activities will be jogging, bike riding, beer drinking and going to the movies. Insufferably hot, humid count on 95-100* average July, Aug, Sept. Guns, God and Insurance Companies. Thats it.

Their gay pride parade seems rather folksy.

I lived in Jax for a few years back in the 90s. The gay scene is small, but what set the city apart were the genuineness of most of the gay guys I met there. Over 20 years later, the guys I met there are still my closest friends. Lots of eateries, beach is close. The main complaint nowadays is the horrific traffic there.

The beach is great there; sea is always warm and turquoise.

I found it a completely unremarkable sprawling mess that is very anti-intellectual and lacking culture. The worst of Floridas cities.

This is the DL and no one has said it..it's a hellhole.

The downtown side of the river is very poor and crime ridden. Expect to live south and east of the river or at the beaches. Housing prices are low, but the infrastructure is poorly maintained and subject to flooding. Jacksonville was built on a swamp, but without the kind of infrastructure that New Orleans has. That means flooding is always a problem. Its military prominence means a constant supply of hot guys, but the gay community is a bit weak. You definitely don't want to live on the outskirts as then you will be IN the swamp. There are more bugs in Jacksonville than anyplace I've ever been to. You will actually need to budget for frequent car washes during love bug season or kiss you car goodbye as the bug debris is damaging to your car. Always check for termites if you buy. Bear in mind that Trump actually slightly won Duval County.

It's not a place you would be proud to show off to people from L.A. but it can offer an inexpensive and very sort of old-fashioned middle class lifestyle if you have a decent income.

Jacksonville sounds perfect for you OP. It's the asshole of Florida, and you're an asshole, too.

Doesn't it smell like coffee there? Someone told me that one time.

Yes both Coffee on the Beaches and sulfur stink ass paper mill in town... though I haven't been there for years. Maybe someone can verify this for me.

Jax is a sophisticated and very cosmopolitan city, probably one of the most high class cities in Florida. Many people compare its beach areas to living on the French Riviera. The biggest plus is its very large and active gay community, with some of the nicest people you will ever meet. And most of the guys are hot looking. You will fall in love with it, OP.

Banking and insurance are still big there, although without the local control they had when they had three home-grown big banks, Barnett, Florida National, and Atlantic National, now all part of conglomerates. Florida National was actually a du Pont family bank.

Lots of corporations for a small city, with everything that implies.

[quote]There are more bugs in Jacksonville than anyplace I've ever been to.

Evidently you've never been to Miami, West Palm or SW Florida..

Thanks guys, keep the feedback coming!

Is Riverside a relatively safe neighborhood?

Go to City-Data (dot) com or better yet, I'll do it for you....

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Jax is gay heaven.

Their channel 12 keeps switching between NBC and ABC.

[Quote]As noted in [R27], Jacksonville No1 for hottest guys.

How is that even POSSIBLE?

[Quote]The beach is great there; sea is always warm and turquoise.

YAASS for the turquoise!

Certainly not. Gainesville and Tallahassee have hotter men and they're just a few miles away.

Jax has cinch bugs and mole crickets too

Okay, I watched a propaganda video on Riverside. Greenwich Village it is not. Montrose Houston it is not. Just because people can walk around Riverside does not mean they do. In most places, Riverside would be considered suburban scale. Pleasant enough, but very quiet I think this video gives a better feel.

Let's see the propaganda video, R39, so we can compare.

Propaganda video

Another propaganda video

Welcome to the swamp. Make sure you review how to drive in standing water without losing your brakes.

Infrastructure problems.

Can someone please do a lurker a big favor and start a similar thread on Atlanta? My partner is about to get a job offer there and as a native Manhattanite, I am pretty anxious about it. My only experience with Atlanta is with the airport, so I don't know it at all. But it sounds as though it's just like Dallas or Houston or any other sunbelt city with lots of traffic, strip malls, and shopping centers.

Please?

You'll be pleasantly surprised at how pretty it is Manhattan guy, until you get to know the people. Robert Sepulveda is not an outlier.

Here

You'll have to learn the local English variant.

The best and worst parts of the feedback here bring to mind Long Beach, CA., esp if you substitute redneck with white trash.

I've lived here for two years, ask me anything. I work in the back office of one of the bulge brackets, I wonder if you will be working the same? Will you be working in Southside?

I've been all over Florida, my experience is that with the exception of the city of Miami, there is a great deal of "sameness" to all the cities. With regards to Jacksonville, it is bland but in an inoffensive and somewhat appealing way. The best comparison I can give you is to imagine the suburbs west of Chicago (think Naperville) relocated to a humid Southern saltwater marsh. A lot of the construction in areas like Southside is new so you have a lot of new grocery stores, shopping, housing, libraries, etc.

[quote]So, where should I be looking for an apartment?

It depends if you want a five minute commute or a fifty minute commute. Growth has not kept up with infrastructure and rush hour traffic is worse than Hitler.

[quote]What will be the biggest cultural adjustments?

You will be living among Southerners and Floridians. Those are two different species, BTW. Research both diligently.

[quote]What do you enjoy doing in Jacksonville?

Sitting in my apartment reading.

[quote]Where do you go for a day trip or weekend trip out of town?

Savannah is two hours away and St Augustine is one hour. Those are your options. Orlando and theme parks are around three hours.

[quote]What are the best oudoorsy things to do?

The whole "Salt Life" culture is very big here.

[quote]What about the best "indoorsy" cultural attractions?

Netflix.

[quote]Will I get lynched for listening to Kylie or referencing a Joan Crawford film?

I read somewhere that Jacksonville's LGBT population was determined to be among the ten largest in the country. That being said, you will see Confederate flag bumper stickers.

[quote]What are the "beaches" like?

Decent by Florida standards.

[quote]I've spent 90% of my life in Southern California and have gotten so used to our mild, Mediterranean like climate.

Yeah, forget about that. Summer starts in April and ends in October. There will be daily highs in the 90s for months on end (and it's getting worse). October-November and March-April are lovely. December through February temperatures can over around 50 which by Florida standards make us the ice planet Hoth.

It rains torrentially every afternoon in June through August around 3 or 4 for an hour or two so you need to adjust your schedule so that you don't have to travel during that time.

The summer storms are actually not that bad compared with other parts of Florida. In fact we had a very dry summer this year. The retention lake in front of our office was drying up until the hurricane.

Also the rain has salt in it so you need to wash your car a lot more often.

Whoever compared Jax Beaches to "living on the French Riviera" has clearly never been to the French Riviera.

You have to be really careful in Jax when it rains heavily, as the alligators get flushed out of the swamps and appear on the beaches.

[quote]What are the "beaches" like?

Not as nice as the white-sand beaches on the Gulf, but OK.

[quote] Bear in mind that Trump actually slightly won Duval County.

[bold]!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/bold] /thread closed.

Nearly every urban region goes blue. Jacksonville did not, it is a city that voted for Trump. If that doesn't completely tell you everything you need to know about the city and the personality of the city I don't know what to say.

That most likely can be attributed to the huge military presence in the city.

Duval has been trending bluer for some time. The Republicans won the county in 2012 by 14,800 and in 2016 by 6,400. In 2004, the Republican won 61,500 votes.

should be "won by 61,500 votes"

That's nice it is trending slightly more blue, but the reality is the reality.

Jacksonville is the 5th most conservative city in the country. That is a big deal and an important thing to point out.

That was a really badly construed research study which assumed the number of locally elected Democrats meant that a city was liberal. That's why you have black-majority cities like Oakland, Detroit, Baltimore, St. Louis and New Orleans ranking above Los Angeles.

You can quibble about the methodology of the study, but I don't know what point you are trying to make....? As cities go Jacksonville is shockingly conservative.

That can't be contested, I was just using the fact that it voted for Trump and that organizations study to demonstrate that point. Anybody moving to Jacksonville should be aware that odds are, the vibe of it will be different than other cities they might be used to.

Jacksonville is shockingly conservative? And your basis on this is a Pew Research poll... as opposed to somebody who actually lives here?

Look, it has beaches and the sea is warm year round. Think of it as a vacation destination. I live in London and would LOVE to be transferred to work there for a year. It sounds like there are plenty of nice men coming in from the naval college. Rent an apartment overlooking the sea, several floors up so you don't have to worry about the alligators or the flooding. Who cares about Trump voters.

[quote]Jacksonville is shockingly conservative?

For a city, of course.

[quote]And your basis on this is a Pew Research poll...

An independent study that uses real data points to compare cities? Yes, it one quick example to make a point.

[quote]as opposed to somebody who actually lives here?

Living somewhere gives you no ability to compare it to other cities, maybe you are well traveled, I don't know or particularly care.

I can't believe you are arguing that one of the few cities to vote for Trump...is not among the most conservative cities. Do you hear yourself?! That's great you love Jax, I did not even diss it it in my posts unlike other people who posted here. I am just pointing out facts about how it compares to other cities.

Even if you compare it to other southern cities like Charlotte, Raleigh, Birmingham, Nashville, Houston, Dallas...none of them voted for Trump.

If you compare it to the other Florida cities. Tampa, Orlando and Miami did not vote for Trump.

Once again, this is just one easy example, and again, Jacksonville does stand out as being conservative for a city.

It seriously boggles my mind you are debating me about this.

I'm not a Florida gay. I HAD to move to and take a job in a theatre in Jacksonville for 6 months. It is a beautiful place, but overrun with redneck hillbillies. ICK! Never again.

Let me explain the flaw in the Pew methodology

St Louis, Missouri, and Baltimore, Maryland are, as everyone knows, parochial backwaters. Yet the Pew poll rates it more liberal than Los Angeles, Philadelphia, or Denver. Why is that?

The city of St Louis is a mere 66 square miles. The city of Baltimore is 92 square miles. Both cities were divorced from their identically-named counties at earlier points in history and function as independent cities. With deindustrialization and white flight, the independent cities were left with a predominately African-American core which is governed by a Democratic machine and votes heavily Democratic in presidential elections. This is why the Pew study characterizes them as liberal.

The city of Jacksonville did the opposite. Because it was suffering from white flight, in 1967 it amalgamated the city and county. Therefore, the city of Jacksonville is 874 SQUARE MILES. I repeat, 874 SQUARE MILES. By comparison, New York in 468 square miles. Los Angeles is 503 square miles.

With a small Southern city absorbing its hinterlands, you are going to have a strong conservatizing presence in the local government and in elections. That is why the Pew study considers Jacksonville so conservative.

R32 Yeah, that's if you like fug rednecks.

Everyone knows that Los Angeles has the most attractive guys (mostly vapid) in any given city because of the movie and modeling industry. I've been all over and that's what I've found to be true.

[quote]predominately

Oh, dear.

I would be concerned about those alligators on the beaches.

There are no alligators on the beach. They cannot tolerate salt water.

You are in greater danger in Miami Beach, because the saltwater American crocodile is local to there.

Yes I understand that r68, but election results are also reported on a county basis.

I looked around for a good comparison and lets take Wake County in NC, it is the county that Raleigh is in, another Southern city. Both Duval (874.6 sq mi) and Wake (857 sq mi) are very large counties, nearly the same size.

Clinton carried Wake County by 10 points.

Which is a lot of work to make my point, that yes as cities go Jacksonville is on the conservative side.

Is the sea usually rough there? Any good for just normal swimming?

Wake County is the seat of a state government and home of a major university. A comparable county, Leon (Tallahassee), saw Clinton win by 25 points.

I'm not arguing that the city isn't on the conservative side. I'm just saying that it's wrong to characterize it as an extremely conservative city based on the Pew Research study or by last Tuesday's election results.

Pinellas County, FL, home of St Petersburg which is considered cosmopolitan by Florida standards, also saw Trump win by a similar margin to Duval (1.1 to 1.5 points). Monroe County, FL, home of what is arguably the most socially liberal, LGBT friendly city in Florida, Key West, saw Trump win by 7 points.

[quote] Can someone please do a lurker a big favor and start a similar thread

anyone who can post, can start a thread, they don't need to ask someone else to do it.

Hey all - any restaurant recommendations in / near / adjacent to downtown?

Here, OP.

OP here. So, last year I declined the employment offer with the company in Jacksonville in favor of another job here in California. Then, less than 6 months later the CA company had a major restructuring and my position was eliminated. The Jacksonville company came courting again and, this time, I'm probably not going to say no.

The compensation is nearly double my comp in my last job, the company pays 100% health benefits, a pretty generous 7% dollar-for-dollar 401k match, 2 weeks paid vacation for the first year, 3 weeks paid vacation in the second year, 10 days of sick / flex time a year, an 18% bonus opportunity, cell phone allowance, free gym membership, up to $25k/yr tuition reimbursement (been considering an MBA for a while now). Taking all of that into account -- not to mention no state income tax, the dramatically lower cost of living and a team that I genuinely like and could learn a lot from, it's going to be very hard to turn this down.

The lack of culture, the oppressive humidity and the more conservative politics may just need to be bitter pills for me to swallow. I could never see myself putting roots down here, but I could see myself putting in a solid 2-4 years gaining great experience for the resume and getting my savings in solid shape.

I know, I know. I'm insane for even considering living in this burning hellhole.

For fuck's sake, OP/R79, get a friend.

Why would you turn down such a good offer? Take it and live there awhile. If you hate it move on in a couple years. Like any city it is what you make of it. Plus you work indoors so why is the weather so important?

R81 - I likely won't be turning it down. I have two more final interviews today and early next week -- one in NY and one in LA -- and have nearly two weeks to accept the Jax job. If I receive another offer, I'll have to weigh my options. But even if LA or NY match the generous compensation package, the cost of living + state income tax will mean I won't be saving as much. LA and NY will still be fun to visit!

As for the weather. Well, on the weekends I tend to be an outdoorsy person and I find that Florida humidity just so oppressive, so I guess I'll stick to being indoorsy person for a couple of years!

Looking for Nirvana is like looking for a unicorn. Doesn't exist. Every city has its issues. You learn to cope.

OP you learn how to deal with the heat and humidity. It's safe to say November thru March is not humid. That's when you are living in paradise. It's the summer months that are rough if you are not used to it. Plan your vacations for the summer months to get away from the heat.

Sounds like a good opportunity to save money.

I've lived in San Diego and Jacksonville. Jacksonville is full of trash. The people, I mean. If you want to pursue the job for its own sake, that's fine. But have no illusions about what you're giving up in terms of quality of life.

Jacksonville gay(s), how's your hurricane prep going? My eventual move to Jax was actually delayed a couple of weeks because of 2017's Hurricane Irma. This is my first official hurricane. I'm on the 7th floor of a mid-rise apartment building in downtown a little under a mile inland of the river, so I think I should be fine. I'm actually more worried about an extended power outage.

Oh, and I've survived two years in Jax and haven't turned in a Trumpkin. Some of the... natives are actually good eggs and there are a surprisingly large number of transports from all over the country (and world) I've met -- including fellow Californians. I even found a surprisingly good taqueria and it turns out that their main cook is from... San Diego. It's the little things, ya know.

*transplants

I predict many weekend getaways to quaint, relaxed St. Augustine in your future, OP.

R88 - there have actually been a couple of those. But, also, because of the great cost of living, I've been able to afford more frequent and exotic travel than I could when I lived in California and NY. I doubt I would have made it to parts of Europe, Southeast Asia and India in the past two years if I still had the COL I did in California.

Good for you OP. You can always find interesting things in new places. A year or two anyplace is fine. I found the Hispanics in Jax to be hot. A little trashy - and some serious ghetto areas. But there are worse places. Visited for work a few times. At least they have gay bars. They had a surprisingly big St Patrick’s Day celebration.