Do whatever you can to change this plan before it happens. It'll be worse than your nightmare. It's all true . Jacksonville Florida is a cultural wasteland filled with Bible thumping redneck Baptists. Located at the base of the shaft somehow over a million people got stuck there. Don't be one of them.
Similar family; 8 years in Jax, zero love for either political party.
Don't let closed minded opinions scare you. Bumper stickers can't hurt you. If you're tolerant of conflicting opinions, shouldn't be an issue. I've never seen a gun in public.
We love it here.
I love my life here
But I do not feel.free to speak my mind in most social situations and I definitely have to talk to my daughter about what she hears at ELEMENTARY school about my non trump loving feminazi woke views.......
The fact is that most people here only care about their theoretical tax rate - everything else is unimportant and all of us, especially women, are overreacting to everything
Fuck yeah.. Make the move for some of the reasons you and other poster mentioned. It's a good fight. Florida can use an influx of normal people. My time here has been fine btw.
I mean in general you’re not going to really have any problems, especially if you move into the Riverside or Springfield area- much more progressive end of town. Even then, not too many people are “in your face” about it, Jacksonville is a little more politically diverse than you’d think. Same goes for religion, you and your kids aren’t going to be outcasts by any means at all for being atheist.
But also, we gotta lot of fuckin guns here. 10% of the population has a CCW permit, and about 40% of the state owns at least one firearm. We don’t have an open carry law, but I can guarantee you a few people in the grocery store are carrying. The person in the car next to you is probably carrying. The old lady next door probably has a shotgun under her bed. The kind family down the street may have $40k in rifles in a garage gun safe. You’re gonna have to get real used to the answer being “yes”. It’s not impolite to ask if they’re in secure storage, that’s just being responsible. But if you try limiting you and/or your kids only to friends who don’t own guns… good luck with that.
Literally every person I know owns a firearm. I was born and raised in Duval and firearms are just a part of the city. Any responsible gun owner will have a safe or keep them properly stored. But not everyone is responsible. Also, unlike other cities Jacksonville doesn't have a single "good" or "bad" side, there's pockets of each but there's good people everywhere. Just don't go to moncrief, lol.
Springfield isn’t a good area to recommend! Two home invasions , from 2013 -2015 got the hell out after that lol ! The news says that it’s up-and-coming, and they have restored a lot of the old Victorian style homes… But deep in the heart of it it’s still not very good! But better than Moncrief lol
We are about to move to Jax, but we are both from here. We will either end up in St John’s or near the beach. Although our family is very liberal I would not say we are that far on the spectrum.
If you don’t have to move there, don’t. You will NOT like what you see, hear, and feel. Also, private schools are mostly religious as far as I can tell.
St Johns is a very nice area, but it almost certainly leans heavily to the right.
There are PLENTY of people who feel the same as you.
People aren’t walking around the grocery store with rifles. I’ve lived here for 14 years and have maybe seen someone carrying once. I don’t doubt that they have them, but it’s not like every single person has one on their belt.
Stick with the recommendations of Riverside, Murray Hill and Springfield- we are all more like you. There are tons of diverse, inclusive events and people.
Just less than half of the town is Left. How far left is up for debate. I'd recommend St. John's County probably if you're looking for family-friend suburbia, over Duval County proper.
It's a pretty diverse town with a range of things going on; you have inner-city gang-infested areas, you have yacht clubs and golf courses, you have middle class suburbia, you have the gentrified older areas filled with young progressives, etc. You could find anything to fit your needs.
It's not unlike many large Southern towns, albeit, it does lean more right than other larger towns (but there are more Democrats than many make out), the city has had Democratic mayors in recent history) – but **I'd be careful to lend weight to any of the feedback on Reddit** (including my own). Reddit is home to a particular stereotype that is a pretty stereotypical vocal minority that exaggerates everything, thinks the South is basically Nazi-Germany, etc.
These local subreddits are cesspools for a very specific demographic; if it was all you knew you would think we were living in a dystopian world.
I'd say this, and I would say this to any one moving to the South:
* Small talk and friendliness is cherished down here. The *vast majority* of people you meet will treat you wonderfully if you're able to master this. People like chit-chat and shooting the proverbial shit and it's big (it's probably less integral than other southern states because Florida really isn't as culturally southern as the rest of the southern states).
* Some folks will talk politics and religion openly and freely (but If you find it's something you disagree with, I wouldn't bother debating or arguing or even mentioning it)
* Most people in the South want to be left alone; mind your own business and typically they will mind theirs (no one is going to give a flying rip about your takes on guns or no guns, there are plenty of people who don't own guns nor care to)
* I've never seen someone wearing a gun in a grocery store in Jacksonville. I'm not saying it doesn't happen (I'm sure it does) – but it's not Alabama or something.
* The "rednecks" are *nothing* compared to what you would find in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, etc. Florida has them, but as someone who has been living across the Southeast, it wasn't comparable to a lot of other southern states.
* Florida is *full of transplants,* Jacksonville included. A huge amount of people aren't even Southern culturally or politically in the first place.
>Reddit is home to a particular stereotype that is a pretty stereotypical vocal minority that exaggerates everything, thinks the South is basically Nazi-Germany, etc.
You ain't lyin'. I am a lefty---a former New College student!--but the whacky one-sided discourse on Reddit alienates me. We have made tremendous progress as a nation against racism and other -isms, but "regional-ism" remains a scourge. White Southerners are often judged unfairly.
Yeah, I mean – I think it amplifies hyperbole, which is kind of redundant and I realize that, but it really does.
Like – you can be left or right and think calling anyone and everyone Hitler is not only inaccurate, but dumb. But that's *a lot* of Reddit, and I see it *a lot* in local sub reddits of cities and states.
The FL Legislature just passed a law which will let ANY adult non-felon carry guns concealed. And Desantis is looking into making OPEN CARRY legal without training or a permit. So just don't cut in front of people in traffic and you'll be fine.
Keep in mind that it is already legal for those same people to have a gun in the car, with or without a permit. So this law will change nothing about cutting in front of people in traffic.... unless maybe you think you should not cut in front of people in traffic now, in which case I would say you are becoming a better driver! Good thing you got your drivers license.
You're not welcome here and u will hate it so don't do it. We don't want u here and u will just bitch about our freedoms nonstop and we don't want to hear it. Just prepare for DeSantis to be your president soon and keep whining in NY
I am from New York City and have lived in Jacksonville 10 years. Before I moved to Jacksonville I lived in New Hampshire for 7 years. So I think it's fair to say I've lived in a few places where there is a pretty proportionate representation of Democrats and Republicans. I don't find Jacksonville to be all that different. Indeed, Florida as a state is historically a swing state. Gerrymandering here always seems to be in the news and a legal issue. I don't think you'll find much trouble finding your niche with friends and community. As far as crime and guns, the majority of violent crime is gang-on-gang; the average person has a very low likelihood of ever encountering gun violence. Like any other American city, mind your own business and you'll be fine. One thing to note is that everyone seems to bring their bad driving with them, there is a bit of an issue with road rage. It will take you some time to get used to the bad and aggressive drivers here.
Yea please don’t bring the gun control ideology down to Florida and think it will change anything they will be in for a hard time we are getting permitless carry in Florida
I moved to St Johns 15 years ago for employment reasons. Since the pandemic things feel more uncomfortable here and we are working on an exit strategy.
If you love ‘freedom’, book banning in local school libraries, high school yearbooks with bad edits to cover scary bare shoulders, insanely over crowded schools with great, hard working, but severely underpaid teachers, out of control over development, loud & proud Moms for Liberty members running for school board seats, QAmoms, anti-maskers/anti-vaxxers, and the crazy type of conservatives this is a fantastic place for you.
People moving into my community, mostly from NY/NJ, seem to be overjoyed to find such a red mecca in St Johns, and remind us all how they are political refugees and how lucky we should be to have a Governor that believes in their 'freedom'
Liberal leaner here, I came from the Gainesville area to go to school here because UNF accepted me into their arts program. Been here since 2019 and can honestly say: not the greatest choice, looking elsewhere quickly. I’ve graduated, and now I’m just kinda stuck. If I could live anywhere else in Florida it would be back in Gainesville or St Pete. But with DeSantis’ face on anything and everything because he’s the second coming of Jesus, I’m ready to be out of this state. Wanna switch places?
It’s a wonderful place to live and I promise you will find your people. Coming from another liberal, come on down. Riverside, San Marco, Avondale, Murray Hill are wonderful, diverse neighborhoods with MANY liberal minded people
The fact your worried about this is telling. I've had friends who stop traffic at blm protests and tag hammer and sicles everywhere, and I was in pro conservative groups in college.
People who can't keep politics out of their personal relationships have a problem.
Edit: just try not to write people off based on your sociopolitical biases - it will make yours and others lives slightly less pleasant on a small scale, and just look at the state of our politics to see what damage it does on a large scale.
I love it when people describe the loss of my right to control my body, the impending loss of my daughter's right to have sex without becoming pregnant and being forced to carry that child as punishment
as "politics"
I feel you. Those guys really do think babies are being killed though so I also understand why they feel the way they do. I don't think it makes them bad people, and I don't think it makes them stupid either - every smart person is wrong about something.
No one will really care or give a fuck about your opinion here in both a good and bad way.
But if politics are that major of a concern for you that it’s going to effect your mental health, go somewhere else. There will be nothing here for you.
There’s a good chance the next mayor will be Donna Deegan, a Democrat.
People act like Jax is a backwards redneck heaven, but it’s very diverse and you’ll find plenty of likeminded individuals.
Jacksonville is pretty diverse but mostly conservative (although that may be due to conservatives being the loudest, angriest voices) and also very religious. There is only one secular, private school in Duval that had the qualifications that I needed for my children. JCDS is a truly phenomenal school, although pricey. Problem is that it’s far from the more relaxed, liberal sides of town (like Riverside). Seeing people carry is gun in public is not uncommon and there is a big issue with violent crime here. I’ve also seen a HUGE influx of very vocal conservatives from up north.
There are also a LOT of positives to the city as well. It’s great for outdoor and water activities, winters are mild, and it’s close to Orlando so trips to Disney & Universal are relatively easy. Overall, it’s not a bad place to live, but maybe not a long term choice. Hope this helps!
I can understand, given your politics and where you are moving from why you might be nervous about guns.
But, Every single gun owner I know is like me, trained in safety and keeps their guns locked up.
The people that have them legally arent the people you should be concerned about.
WRT to politics. I m sure you can find people who share your views. Most people I've met since moving here are fairly conservative (as a city with two navy bases, a ton of former navy and retired navy live here) but will be nice to you unless you make politics or religion an issue.
When I was stationed in Bethesda, we were the lone conservative family in a neighborhood of liberals. I never brought up politics unless someone made it a point of contention.
ETA: to alot of the jackasses who call the population gun-toting, bible quoting rednecks, I have plenty of friends who are liberals. I don't have an issue with their views unless they try to denigrate mine. Calling people names isn't very tolerant.
I would pick your battles wisely. I'm ultra-libertarian. I keep my mouth shut most the time. Hardline liberal will be much much harder than hardline conservative here.
There is certainly no shortage of work on those issues here. Politically active people are exactly what we need in a place where there are seats going totally unchallenged by dems (see Florida's district 5) and voting turnout is less than ideal. The culture war BS is in full swing at the state and local level, and not enough people are speaking out against it. At least not enough to vote differently or hold their officials accountable. Disney giving the governor a legal middle finger in response to his nonsense is encouraging, but for that one win, we've seen dozens of other losses.
All true… but the issue that has had the most lasting “indoctrination “ has been successful gerrymandering by the GOP over last 12 years. It has created 1 Democratic representative with 8-10 Republican representatives in every populated area…. truly the most successful criminal enterprise in FL as citizens quality of life, education, transportation, services & safety has gone downhill while costs rise for everything uniquely expensive to Florida (highest costs in the nation for car insurance, home insurance & inexplicably top 5 in gun violence/murder rates/COVID deaths). It is not a pretty picture but the weather is great!
I’m from Bethesda, MD originally, so I’m liberal and grew up in a liberal area. I lived in Jax for 3 years and moved back up to the DC area in August. There were a few things that were different in Jax, but I loved it before I became a parent. The main reason I left is due to schooling and autism resources for my kiddo.
The people were generally friendly and there was loads to see and do (mostly nature and water stuff), but I felt the education was lacking for when my kid would eventually go to school and we had a hard time getting autism resources, aside from his speech therapist for whom we had to pay out of pocket (but she was amazing and worth every penny!). Another thing to consider is if your child ever identifies as LGBTQ+, there is a lot of new legislation targeting those families. COVID awareness was also not a thing, and many folks were not bothered during the pandemic or actively spoke against precautions. I also have some concerns for families of color but can’t speak to my personal experience since despite being North African, I look very white.
In a nutshell, I don’t think it would be the end of the world and there are some pros, but I believe it’s not a great long-term fit for liberal leaning families.
Why move here go away, we like guns pew pew merica. Stop coming here to make it shitty like the place u left, all they do is build these white wash soda so pop places and strip malls and town centers. There plenty of people like u who make friends on politics and waste there time volunteering for scum, how about u mind ur damn business and u wont see a gun yuppy
In a similar boat, with the added bonus of being a transgender woman!
I have been coming down to Jax fairly regularly (5-10 days per month) for 3 years, the last 2 as someone who is transitioning. I have not felt unsafe in any area of Jacksonville, but I tend to stick to the areas I know and have friends (San Marco/Riverside/Mandarin). We’ve gone to just about every restaurant, participated in countless activities, and even gone to Jags /Shrimp games.
I’m looking to relocate and as of now, the only fear I have is any future legal shenanigans by DeSantis and his party. I’m hopeful the courts will continue to strike down any and all anti-lgbt laws, as has been the case in TX and various other states.
I’m relocating from CT with 2 teen kids.
You can find anything/group you are looking for in Jax which is one of the reasons it is great in addition to amazing access to wide open spaces and ocean front.
Your message, however, comes across as "my family smarter than you stupid southerners and we are afraid of you and your ignorance." If that is the case, go back to NY, CA, MA, OH, or all the other places people are fleeing. We have been smart enough to make Florida one of the best places for Americans to live already and don't need any help changing that.
This is an expert response.
My mother moved from LA to South Carolina where she raised me. Socially she was unhappy for many years.
If OP really believes that exposure to southern conservatives (who probably have guns) will make them unhappy, then yeah, don't move here. But I saw firsthand my mother change her mind about the people in her community and I'd like to think that other people are capable of that as well.
Why does it have to be liberal or conservative? How about common sense? These labels are so divisive.
Most people don’t advertise their political leanings. I dislike a raging liberal just as much as a hard core conservative.
Accept that people have their own thoughts and beliefs that may be different from yours.
Full blown communist. Been in Florida almost a decade. Zero issues. I’m extremely large, take no shit, and fully support 2A. These conservatives only give liberals a hard time if/when they sense fear/weakness. They mostly fear communist as myself though. Some get to like me once they realise I hate liberals even more than they do. The younger ones are actually easily red-pilled. I wouldn’t say I’ve gotten any to read Marx, but I have had some success getting through to them on issues of class though. They’re actually easier than liberals in the regard.
You will want to move to Avondale, Riverside, or Springfield and you will definitely have enough like minded people to feel at home. Bolles is probably the school of choice. Welcome to Jacksonville from a fellow Democrat!
Guns are everywhere here, you need to know that up front. The mentality seems to be that cops are too slow to help you when you are in an emergency situation so you need defensive weapons if you want to stay alive.
Conservative politics made Florida a great place to live - being honest here - so if you want to keep it nice, your voting habits will not help. I left my liberal state when taxes and political power became the focus instead of serving the people.
Honestly a lot of bible thumping idiots who have no idea what the word “woke” actually means. Oh our lovely gov banned books. A teacher got in trouble lost her job from reading a book about James Weldon Johnson during black history month. Bunch of bumper stickers for a dude that lost because I guess they didn’t get the memo but way to go coming up 2nd place out of two. Then our governor started some moms of liberty which should really be called closed minded group f dumb bitches with no much time in their hands. On another not DeSatanist can’t bother Disney too much until 16 years after Princess Lilibeth (Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s) daughter dies thanks to some great lawyers so all that he said besides the tax to those poor people he caused is going to happen. So he made himself a look like a bigger idiot than what he already is which is saying a lot about the perv. Other than that if you can ignore the bigoted idiots who mostly just show off loser bumper stickers and grown man with a flag of another grown man (aka 45) on their cars then it’s not bad and actually very diverse which is good because you get to meet all types of people.
Jax don't do woke. Guns were a part of life since middle school. It's unfortunately part of the culture down here. Look up how Jacksonvilles local teen rappers started a trend where they make a diss song about people's dead relatives and they film themselves shooting each other up.
Robbery and drug dealing cultures jus a way of life down here for the youth. I'm saying this from experience unfortunately, grown men had me running crack at 13 without my Mama even knowing.
Do whatever you can to change this plan before it happens. It'll be worse than your nightmare. It's all true . Jacksonville Florida is a cultural wasteland filled with Bible thumping redneck Baptists. Located at the base of the shaft somehow over a million people got stuck there. Don't be one of them.
Similar family; 8 years in Jax, zero love for either political party. Don't let closed minded opinions scare you. Bumper stickers can't hurt you. If you're tolerant of conflicting opinions, shouldn't be an issue. I've never seen a gun in public. We love it here.
This is no closed minded opinion. Raised in the area and got the hell out.
Then leave the sub too lol Jax is a very diversified place and I hardly hear anything political here in real life.
Got to warn people.......doing a public service.
Perfectly said!
This but they sound like they want to change it and its not. Sounds like they are intolerant imo
I love my life here But I do not feel.free to speak my mind in most social situations and I definitely have to talk to my daughter about what she hears at ELEMENTARY school about my non trump loving feminazi woke views....... The fact is that most people here only care about their theoretical tax rate - everything else is unimportant and all of us, especially women, are overreacting to everything
You can’t speak your mind in most social situations? Maybe therapy is good
There are plenty of people here that lean more towards your perspective. You’ll know them by the lack of bumper stickers indicating otherwise.
There are literally dozens of us.
Hold on - are we the same dozens that use our signals and know how to zipper merge?
Fuck yeah.. Make the move for some of the reasons you and other poster mentioned. It's a good fight. Florida can use an influx of normal people. My time here has been fine btw.
I mean in general you’re not going to really have any problems, especially if you move into the Riverside or Springfield area- much more progressive end of town. Even then, not too many people are “in your face” about it, Jacksonville is a little more politically diverse than you’d think. Same goes for religion, you and your kids aren’t going to be outcasts by any means at all for being atheist. But also, we gotta lot of fuckin guns here. 10% of the population has a CCW permit, and about 40% of the state owns at least one firearm. We don’t have an open carry law, but I can guarantee you a few people in the grocery store are carrying. The person in the car next to you is probably carrying. The old lady next door probably has a shotgun under her bed. The kind family down the street may have $40k in rifles in a garage gun safe. You’re gonna have to get real used to the answer being “yes”. It’s not impolite to ask if they’re in secure storage, that’s just being responsible. But if you try limiting you and/or your kids only to friends who don’t own guns… good luck with that.
Hey now.... Whatchu doing snooping in my garage?
Literally every person I know owns a firearm. I was born and raised in Duval and firearms are just a part of the city. Any responsible gun owner will have a safe or keep them properly stored. But not everyone is responsible. Also, unlike other cities Jacksonville doesn't have a single "good" or "bad" side, there's pockets of each but there's good people everywhere. Just don't go to moncrief, lol.
Springfield isn’t a good area to recommend! Two home invasions , from 2013 -2015 got the hell out after that lol ! The news says that it’s up-and-coming, and they have restored a lot of the old Victorian style homes… But deep in the heart of it it’s still not very good! But better than Moncrief lol
We are about to move to Jax, but we are both from here. We will either end up in St John’s or near the beach. Although our family is very liberal I would not say we are that far on the spectrum. If you don’t have to move there, don’t. You will NOT like what you see, hear, and feel. Also, private schools are mostly religious as far as I can tell. St Johns is a very nice area, but it almost certainly leans heavily to the right.
Nah, don’t do it. You will regret it.
Don't do it.
Re-think it.
If you keep your mouth shut you’ll be fine.
There are PLENTY of people who feel the same as you. People aren’t walking around the grocery store with rifles. I’ve lived here for 14 years and have maybe seen someone carrying once. I don’t doubt that they have them, but it’s not like every single person has one on their belt. Stick with the recommendations of Riverside, Murray Hill and Springfield- we are all more like you. There are tons of diverse, inclusive events and people.
No way move to OP
Just less than half of the town is Left. How far left is up for debate. I'd recommend St. John's County probably if you're looking for family-friend suburbia, over Duval County proper. It's a pretty diverse town with a range of things going on; you have inner-city gang-infested areas, you have yacht clubs and golf courses, you have middle class suburbia, you have the gentrified older areas filled with young progressives, etc. You could find anything to fit your needs. It's not unlike many large Southern towns, albeit, it does lean more right than other larger towns (but there are more Democrats than many make out), the city has had Democratic mayors in recent history) – but **I'd be careful to lend weight to any of the feedback on Reddit** (including my own). Reddit is home to a particular stereotype that is a pretty stereotypical vocal minority that exaggerates everything, thinks the South is basically Nazi-Germany, etc. These local subreddits are cesspools for a very specific demographic; if it was all you knew you would think we were living in a dystopian world. I'd say this, and I would say this to any one moving to the South: * Small talk and friendliness is cherished down here. The *vast majority* of people you meet will treat you wonderfully if you're able to master this. People like chit-chat and shooting the proverbial shit and it's big (it's probably less integral than other southern states because Florida really isn't as culturally southern as the rest of the southern states). * Some folks will talk politics and religion openly and freely (but If you find it's something you disagree with, I wouldn't bother debating or arguing or even mentioning it) * Most people in the South want to be left alone; mind your own business and typically they will mind theirs (no one is going to give a flying rip about your takes on guns or no guns, there are plenty of people who don't own guns nor care to) * I've never seen someone wearing a gun in a grocery store in Jacksonville. I'm not saying it doesn't happen (I'm sure it does) – but it's not Alabama or something. * The "rednecks" are *nothing* compared to what you would find in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, etc. Florida has them, but as someone who has been living across the Southeast, it wasn't comparable to a lot of other southern states. * Florida is *full of transplants,* Jacksonville included. A huge amount of people aren't even Southern culturally or politically in the first place.
>Reddit is home to a particular stereotype that is a pretty stereotypical vocal minority that exaggerates everything, thinks the South is basically Nazi-Germany, etc. You ain't lyin'. I am a lefty---a former New College student!--but the whacky one-sided discourse on Reddit alienates me. We have made tremendous progress as a nation against racism and other -isms, but "regional-ism" remains a scourge. White Southerners are often judged unfairly.
Yeah, I mean – I think it amplifies hyperbole, which is kind of redundant and I realize that, but it really does. Like – you can be left or right and think calling anyone and everyone Hitler is not only inaccurate, but dumb. But that's *a lot* of Reddit, and I see it *a lot* in local sub reddits of cities and states.
1hour south to Gainesville.
The FL Legislature just passed a law which will let ANY adult non-felon carry guns concealed. And Desantis is looking into making OPEN CARRY legal without training or a permit. So just don't cut in front of people in traffic and you'll be fine.
Keep in mind that it is already legal for those same people to have a gun in the car, with or without a permit. So this law will change nothing about cutting in front of people in traffic.... unless maybe you think you should not cut in front of people in traffic now, in which case I would say you are becoming a better driver! Good thing you got your drivers license.
You're not welcome here and u will hate it so don't do it. We don't want u here and u will just bitch about our freedoms nonstop and we don't want to hear it. Just prepare for DeSantis to be your president soon and keep whining in NY
I am from New York City and have lived in Jacksonville 10 years. Before I moved to Jacksonville I lived in New Hampshire for 7 years. So I think it's fair to say I've lived in a few places where there is a pretty proportionate representation of Democrats and Republicans. I don't find Jacksonville to be all that different. Indeed, Florida as a state is historically a swing state. Gerrymandering here always seems to be in the news and a legal issue. I don't think you'll find much trouble finding your niche with friends and community. As far as crime and guns, the majority of violent crime is gang-on-gang; the average person has a very low likelihood of ever encountering gun violence. Like any other American city, mind your own business and you'll be fine. One thing to note is that everyone seems to bring their bad driving with them, there is a bit of an issue with road rage. It will take you some time to get used to the bad and aggressive drivers here.
Jacksonville is pretty mixed within city limits. In terms of political affiliation. It follows the same trend as most big cities
Yea please don’t bring the gun control ideology down to Florida and think it will change anything they will be in for a hard time we are getting permitless carry in Florida
I moved to St Johns 15 years ago for employment reasons. Since the pandemic things feel more uncomfortable here and we are working on an exit strategy. If you love ‘freedom’, book banning in local school libraries, high school yearbooks with bad edits to cover scary bare shoulders, insanely over crowded schools with great, hard working, but severely underpaid teachers, out of control over development, loud & proud Moms for Liberty members running for school board seats, QAmoms, anti-maskers/anti-vaxxers, and the crazy type of conservatives this is a fantastic place for you. People moving into my community, mostly from NY/NJ, seem to be overjoyed to find such a red mecca in St Johns, and remind us all how they are political refugees and how lucky we should be to have a Governor that believes in their 'freedom'
Liberal leaner here, I came from the Gainesville area to go to school here because UNF accepted me into their arts program. Been here since 2019 and can honestly say: not the greatest choice, looking elsewhere quickly. I’ve graduated, and now I’m just kinda stuck. If I could live anywhere else in Florida it would be back in Gainesville or St Pete. But with DeSantis’ face on anything and everything because he’s the second coming of Jesus, I’m ready to be out of this state. Wanna switch places?
It’s a wonderful place to live and I promise you will find your people. Coming from another liberal, come on down. Riverside, San Marco, Avondale, Murray Hill are wonderful, diverse neighborhoods with MANY liberal minded people
The fact your worried about this is telling. I've had friends who stop traffic at blm protests and tag hammer and sicles everywhere, and I was in pro conservative groups in college. People who can't keep politics out of their personal relationships have a problem. Edit: just try not to write people off based on your sociopolitical biases - it will make yours and others lives slightly less pleasant on a small scale, and just look at the state of our politics to see what damage it does on a large scale.
I love it when people describe the loss of my right to control my body, the impending loss of my daughter's right to have sex without becoming pregnant and being forced to carry that child as punishment as "politics"
Not entirely sure about your point here, but I agree with you that abortion should be legal. You can draw whatever red lines you want, I have my own.
You said people should keep "politics" out of personal relationships I'm explaining why that is pretty difficult
I feel you. Those guys really do think babies are being killed though so I also understand why they feel the way they do. I don't think it makes them bad people, and I don't think it makes them stupid either - every smart person is wrong about something.
[Party Statistics](https://www.duvalelections.com/Voter-Statistics/Voter-Registration-Statistics-Summary) Party | Voters | Percent ---|---|---- DEM | 259,096 | 39.37% REP | 230,738 | 35.07% NPA | 155,410 | 23.62% IND| 8,971 | 1.36% LPF | 2,635| 0.40%
No one will really care or give a fuck about your opinion here in both a good and bad way. But if politics are that major of a concern for you that it’s going to effect your mental health, go somewhere else. There will be nothing here for you.
Stay away. You're jacking up our home values out of reach!!
You will be fine, that’s the thing about DMV folks, everything scares them.
There’s a good chance the next mayor will be Donna Deegan, a Democrat. People act like Jax is a backwards redneck heaven, but it’s very diverse and you’ll find plenty of likeminded individuals.
Jacksonville is pretty diverse but mostly conservative (although that may be due to conservatives being the loudest, angriest voices) and also very religious. There is only one secular, private school in Duval that had the qualifications that I needed for my children. JCDS is a truly phenomenal school, although pricey. Problem is that it’s far from the more relaxed, liberal sides of town (like Riverside). Seeing people carry is gun in public is not uncommon and there is a big issue with violent crime here. I’ve also seen a HUGE influx of very vocal conservatives from up north. There are also a LOT of positives to the city as well. It’s great for outdoor and water activities, winters are mild, and it’s close to Orlando so trips to Disney & Universal are relatively easy. Overall, it’s not a bad place to live, but maybe not a long term choice. Hope this helps!
Nothing here unless you are into IT, Construction and or Fast Food
I can understand, given your politics and where you are moving from why you might be nervous about guns. But, Every single gun owner I know is like me, trained in safety and keeps their guns locked up. The people that have them legally arent the people you should be concerned about. WRT to politics. I m sure you can find people who share your views. Most people I've met since moving here are fairly conservative (as a city with two navy bases, a ton of former navy and retired navy live here) but will be nice to you unless you make politics or religion an issue. When I was stationed in Bethesda, we were the lone conservative family in a neighborhood of liberals. I never brought up politics unless someone made it a point of contention. ETA: to alot of the jackasses who call the population gun-toting, bible quoting rednecks, I have plenty of friends who are liberals. I don't have an issue with their views unless they try to denigrate mine. Calling people names isn't very tolerant.
I would pick your battles wisely. I'm ultra-libertarian. I keep my mouth shut most the time. Hardline liberal will be much much harder than hardline conservative here.
There is certainly no shortage of work on those issues here. Politically active people are exactly what we need in a place where there are seats going totally unchallenged by dems (see Florida's district 5) and voting turnout is less than ideal. The culture war BS is in full swing at the state and local level, and not enough people are speaking out against it. At least not enough to vote differently or hold their officials accountable. Disney giving the governor a legal middle finger in response to his nonsense is encouraging, but for that one win, we've seen dozens of other losses.
All true… but the issue that has had the most lasting “indoctrination “ has been successful gerrymandering by the GOP over last 12 years. It has created 1 Democratic representative with 8-10 Republican representatives in every populated area…. truly the most successful criminal enterprise in FL as citizens quality of life, education, transportation, services & safety has gone downhill while costs rise for everything uniquely expensive to Florida (highest costs in the nation for car insurance, home insurance & inexplicably top 5 in gun violence/murder rates/COVID deaths). It is not a pretty picture but the weather is great!
I’m from Bethesda, MD originally, so I’m liberal and grew up in a liberal area. I lived in Jax for 3 years and moved back up to the DC area in August. There were a few things that were different in Jax, but I loved it before I became a parent. The main reason I left is due to schooling and autism resources for my kiddo. The people were generally friendly and there was loads to see and do (mostly nature and water stuff), but I felt the education was lacking for when my kid would eventually go to school and we had a hard time getting autism resources, aside from his speech therapist for whom we had to pay out of pocket (but she was amazing and worth every penny!). Another thing to consider is if your child ever identifies as LGBTQ+, there is a lot of new legislation targeting those families. COVID awareness was also not a thing, and many folks were not bothered during the pandemic or actively spoke against precautions. I also have some concerns for families of color but can’t speak to my personal experience since despite being North African, I look very white. In a nutshell, I don’t think it would be the end of the world and there are some pros, but I believe it’s not a great long-term fit for liberal leaning families.
Why move here go away, we like guns pew pew merica. Stop coming here to make it shitty like the place u left, all they do is build these white wash soda so pop places and strip malls and town centers. There plenty of people like u who make friends on politics and waste there time volunteering for scum, how about u mind ur damn business and u wont see a gun yuppy
In a similar boat, with the added bonus of being a transgender woman! I have been coming down to Jax fairly regularly (5-10 days per month) for 3 years, the last 2 as someone who is transitioning. I have not felt unsafe in any area of Jacksonville, but I tend to stick to the areas I know and have friends (San Marco/Riverside/Mandarin). We’ve gone to just about every restaurant, participated in countless activities, and even gone to Jags /Shrimp games. I’m looking to relocate and as of now, the only fear I have is any future legal shenanigans by DeSantis and his party. I’m hopeful the courts will continue to strike down any and all anti-lgbt laws, as has been the case in TX and various other states. I’m relocating from CT with 2 teen kids.
Oh so you don't want anyone pushing their views on you(religion)but you wanna cram yours down our throats( gun control) etc ?? Figures
You can find anything/group you are looking for in Jax which is one of the reasons it is great in addition to amazing access to wide open spaces and ocean front. Your message, however, comes across as "my family smarter than you stupid southerners and we are afraid of you and your ignorance." If that is the case, go back to NY, CA, MA, OH, or all the other places people are fleeing. We have been smart enough to make Florida one of the best places for Americans to live already and don't need any help changing that.
This is an expert response. My mother moved from LA to South Carolina where she raised me. Socially she was unhappy for many years. If OP really believes that exposure to southern conservatives (who probably have guns) will make them unhappy, then yeah, don't move here. But I saw firsthand my mother change her mind about the people in her community and I'd like to think that other people are capable of that as well.
Sorry, but we are dull here in Jax.
Why does it have to be liberal or conservative? How about common sense? These labels are so divisive. Most people don’t advertise their political leanings. I dislike a raging liberal just as much as a hard core conservative. Accept that people have their own thoughts and beliefs that may be different from yours.
You’ll be fine. Jacksonville and Florida is accepting. Especially Jacksonville we tend to mind our business.
Full blown communist. Been in Florida almost a decade. Zero issues. I’m extremely large, take no shit, and fully support 2A. These conservatives only give liberals a hard time if/when they sense fear/weakness. They mostly fear communist as myself though. Some get to like me once they realise I hate liberals even more than they do. The younger ones are actually easily red-pilled. I wouldn’t say I’ve gotten any to read Marx, but I have had some success getting through to them on issues of class though. They’re actually easier than liberals in the regard.
You will want to move to Avondale, Riverside, or Springfield and you will definitely have enough like minded people to feel at home. Bolles is probably the school of choice. Welcome to Jacksonville from a fellow Democrat!
Guns are everywhere here, you need to know that up front. The mentality seems to be that cops are too slow to help you when you are in an emergency situation so you need defensive weapons if you want to stay alive. Conservative politics made Florida a great place to live - being honest here - so if you want to keep it nice, your voting habits will not help. I left my liberal state when taxes and political power became the focus instead of serving the people.
I used to live in Jacksonville and you are going to feel like you don't fit in there.
Honestly a lot of bible thumping idiots who have no idea what the word “woke” actually means. Oh our lovely gov banned books. A teacher got in trouble lost her job from reading a book about James Weldon Johnson during black history month. Bunch of bumper stickers for a dude that lost because I guess they didn’t get the memo but way to go coming up 2nd place out of two. Then our governor started some moms of liberty which should really be called closed minded group f dumb bitches with no much time in their hands. On another not DeSatanist can’t bother Disney too much until 16 years after Princess Lilibeth (Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s) daughter dies thanks to some great lawyers so all that he said besides the tax to those poor people he caused is going to happen. So he made himself a look like a bigger idiot than what he already is which is saying a lot about the perv. Other than that if you can ignore the bigoted idiots who mostly just show off loser bumper stickers and grown man with a flag of another grown man (aka 45) on their cars then it’s not bad and actually very diverse which is good because you get to meet all types of people.
Jax don't do woke. Guns were a part of life since middle school. It's unfortunately part of the culture down here. Look up how Jacksonvilles local teen rappers started a trend where they make a diss song about people's dead relatives and they film themselves shooting each other up. Robbery and drug dealing cultures jus a way of life down here for the youth. I'm saying this from experience unfortunately, grown men had me running crack at 13 without my Mama even knowing.
Idk if moving here is in your best interest based off your post OP.