Moving from the Midwest! What do you wish you would have known before moving to Jacksonville? Thank you for the advice in advance!

This is hometown for me but I'd say most important is probably knowing your way around town and sorta figuring out what areas and places best support your preferred lifestyle. You can probably find what you're into if you look close enough or drive far enough.

It's spread out, some people would rather die than drive across town. If that's you, it's even more critical to get planted in the right plot.

Beyond that it really depends on what's important to you specifically.

I would say that we have everything, but nothing is the best. You want shopping, zoo, downtown, beach, hiking/nature, state/national/local parks, decent roads, free city events, sense of community, etc? We have it all. But it isn't the fanciest shopping or the best zoo or the whitest sand beach or the most spectacular hiking and parks views or good public transportation (coming from Orlando the roads are amazing tho), or the most top tier city events etc.

In my opinion though to be bored in Jax you have to not be trying. There is always something happening and usually inexpensive or even free.

Never stay on the west side of the town.

Jacksonville is culturally slow but it’s very easy to find friends and meet people with similar interests.

I've lived here my whole life. You're going to find it's not your typical big city. People here are friendly and our values are pretty conservative. Wishing you all the best with your move. Let me know if you need anything.

Let me know if you’re trying to make friends, OP. We could grab drinks or something

Moved here from south Florida in November. I would recommend not moving here lol

I moved here in January and I just got my degree. And I lived here before I love this city

We moved here from Columbus,OH in 2020. I love living in Jax..You should know that the city is very widespread and it takes like 30 mn to get anywhere. The food scene is not great but there are some good spots. The Southside is the best side of town. Drivers are a little bit crazy but that's part of the deal. It is really hot. Like really hot and humid but I will take that over snow any day. Welcome to Jax!

You'll have a lot of different perspectives on "which side of town is the best to live in"....There are pros and cons to each - from cost of living, to amenities, to drivetime, to bridges, to safety. The city is growing and changing a lot...maybe a little slower than many of us would like, but it is changing.

Lots of things to do no matter if you're single, or a family. It does take about 30 minutes (on average w/o "rush hour traffic") to get to each part of town.

We're about 6 hours from Atlanta, 2 hours from Savannah and Orlando, 1 hour to St. Augustine, and 5-ish hours to Miami (depending on how fast you drive).

If you're looking for not too much of a city vibe, I'd recommend Middleburg, FL (which is on the edge of Orange Park, FL and Jacksonville).

Again, these are my thoughts...and each person has their own perspective :)

My degree is in computer science

When you live in North North Jax you can work and play in Nassau Co and it is awesome there