I'll say this....Look at "News4Jax" daily on the internet. Crime has exploded. Shootings every day. Just 2 days ago, someone unloaded 20 rounds at people in a stopped car at an intersection. The Beaches / Ponte Vedra are nice but $$$$$$. Nice neighborhoods in Jacksonville are fading fast.....IMO Me and my Wife would REALLY like to move OUT. Cleveland Georgia area is where we'd like to go.
Tampa has a LOT more going for it. It too has its rough areas but there are a LOT more pluses over Jacksonville. Personally, I'd recommend Punta Gorda. That is an hour or two drive South of Tampa but VERY quiet..
I was born n raised in Jacksonville. Family has been here since my Great Grandmother came here from Liverpool, England, around 1900. Just 30 years ago, I was VERY proud of my hometown. But now??? So many nice areas have turned trashy and some down right dangerous.
With that said, as a newcomer, it might be fine to you. But for me, the decline of the last 25-30 years has flat out pissed me off.
