If you’re looking for a reason to call Jacksonville home, we’ve got a handful of them. Along with the ever-present sunshine and beaches, there are plenty of other things here that give Jacksonville a leg up on so many other cities. Read on to see what makes it a great place to live.
Limitless Food Options
You’ll never get bored with the food in Jacksonville. The city boasts food influenced by North Florida’s Mediterranean and Latin American population, plenty of seafood restaurants specializing in locally-caught fish plates, and spots serving up classic American food and Southern BBQ. Try Gilbert’s Social–an American restaurant offering a modern take on Southern fare. Its impressively designed menu items contain, among other things, some of the best brisket and BBQ in Jacksonville.
North Beach Fish Camp is a go-to spot for fresh seafood and is famous for their inventive daily pudding offerings. Check out Takeria Mix for tasty Honduran and Central American fare, and get take-out shawarma, homemade hummus, and kebabs at local favorite Karam’s Mediterranean Grill. You won’t need to go far in Jacksonville to find something unique to eat.
The Land of Parks
With 80,000 parks in the area, Jacksonville is home to the largest urban park system in the nation. Locals get to explore the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens, a 120-acre urban woodland with seven different walking and hiking trails. Big Talbot Island State Park is where to go if you just want to get away for the day. It features miles of paved and unpaved roads, wildlife and bird-watching areas, and picnicking areas, all nestled along the coast where you can fish, kayak, and go out on the boat.
There’s also the 46,000-acre Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve. Here, salt marshes, hardwood hammocks, and coastal dunes provide the perfect setting for learning about the history behind a lost colony (Fort Caroline), a plantation (Kingsley), and a beach that was once one of the only ones African Americans could use during segregation (American Beach).
Arts, Entertainment, and Culture
The completely free, annually-held Jacksonville Jazz Festival, is a staple for any Jacksonville local. This festival began back in 1981, and has since become a three-day experience covering 10 blocks of downtown with two stages of live jazz, local food and drink vendors, and shopping booths.
World class museums like the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens and the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville are both great options for art-aficionados. WasabiCon and CollectiveCon, two anime and comic book conventions, are held annually in Jacksonville, as well as THE PLAYERS Championship PGA golf tournament.
Outdoor Lover’s Dream
Outdoor adventures await in Jacksonville, a city that’s home to more shoreline than any other city in the state. Hit up the Jacksonville Beaches area and check out Neptune, Ponte Vedra, and Atlantic Beaches. Grab a beer at Pete’s Bar on Neptune Beach and drink where Ernest Hemingway once did, or lounge at Hannah Park on Atlantic Beach where you‘ll find beachcombers, surfers, bicyclists. There’s also Mayport, a seven-block-wide fishing village with a seaside market, U.S. Coast Guard station, marina, and boat launch.
Aside from its massive shoreline, Jacksonville also boasts designated fishing areas, hiking and running trails, and plenty of options for boating, paddle boarding, and bird-watching. It’s also a hot spot for diving and snorkeling, kayaking, and horseback riding along the coast. There’s not much you can’t do in Jacksonville, especially if you’re an outdoor enthusiast.
Cheap Cost of Living
To top it all off, living in Jacksonville is quite affordable. Median rental prices for a one and two bedroom are $1,000 and $1,050, respectively, making 49 other U.S. cities more expensive to rent in than Jacksonville. A meal for two at a mid-range restaurant will run you around $50, on average, and a beer at a bar will cost you just $4-6.
If you didn’t have a reason to move to Jacksonville before, now you have plenty. Be sure to find your next apartment before you move so you’re all set to start enjoying all the perks of living in Jacksonville.
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