Prefer to watch? The full video is on our YouTube channel: Is Jacksonville Growing Too Fast? We Asked the Locals. The written version is below.
Jacksonville is changing, and everybody has an opinion about it. New neighborhoods keep popping up, new restaurants keep opening, and every time you leave the house there seems to be another traffic cone and another community with a name you can barely pronounce.
Here's what's interesting. People who just moved here tend to say they love where the city is headed. People who've been here 20 or 30 years are more likely to look around and wish everyone would stop talking about it.
We've seen the comments: "Of course he likes Jacksonville, he's a realtor." Fair enough. So for this one we took ourselves out of it, hit the streets, and asked the people who actually live here. No scripts and no sales pitch.
The short answer: it depends on where you stand. Locals we talked to like the new restaurants, parks, events and jobs that came with the growth, and they're frustrated by traffic, rising home prices and crowding. Newer residents mostly see opportunity; longtime residents feel the city losing some of its small-town feel.
What's changing the most in Jacksonville?
When we asked what's changed the most, the same few answers came back again and again:
- Downtown,
which several people pointed to first.
- The housing market,
usually said with a laugh that wasn't really a laugh.
- Traffic,
along with more crowding in stores and on the roads.
- Walkability and outdoor space,
with more people getting out and living an active lifestyle.
One person summed up the mixed feeling well: they don't love change that comes too fast, but change for the better is always good.
What do locals like about Jacksonville's growth?
The positives were specific. More restaurants, especially on the water. One local who loves being out on the boat was happy to see more of them popping up. Excitement about the new stadium and the hope of a sports and entertainment district downtown. New businesses, more events and more to do on a weeknight.
Several people mentioned the city investing in parks and outdoor spaces. One longtime resident called out job opportunities and said the city is pushing itself to the next level, with higher-end hotels, new restaurants and new entertainment venues coming in.
If you want the broader version of why people keep choosing this city, we covered it in Jacksonville has changed, but people are still moving here.
What are the downsides of living in Jacksonville right now?
Traffic was the number one complaint, by a wide margin. One person put it plainly: the roads weren't built for this, and adding lanes to every road seems to create even more traffic. A few people simply said the drivers are aggressive. Others said "defensive." We'll let you decide.
Home prices came next. More than one longtime resident talked about how fast prices climbed. One said their son had to buy much further out than he'd planned to make the numbers work. Crowding in certain parts of town came up too.
The quieter concern was feel. Jacksonville has always been known as a big city that feels like a small town, and some locals worry it's starting to lose that.
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If locals ran Jacksonville for a day, what would they change?
We asked everyone what they'd do as mayor for a day. The answers were refreshingly practical:
- Put more restaurants on the water, whatever it takes to get there.
- Build public transportation, ideally a train from the beaches to downtown.
- Add gyms and parks in Northwest Jacksonville.
- Widen J. Turner Butler Boulevard or add better routes across the city, since only a few main roads connect the beaches to town.
- Add more fully accessible housing, and more single-level options for people who want to downsize closer to the urban core.
Where is Jacksonville growing?
The Northside is one answer we hear a lot. We call it the New North: ZIP codes 32218, 32219 and 32226 in North and Northwest Jacksonville. A few years ago much of it was open land. Today neighborhoods are going up, infrastructure is going in, and the job corridor is building out. Some of what locals asked for is already happening out there.
For a look at where growth is showing up across all four counties, see our guide to what to know before moving to Jacksonville.
What don't newcomers understand until they move here?
One answer was the heat. People don't realize how hot it gets in summer until they're standing in it. Another was the size of the city. Jacksonville covers a lot of ground, and we tell people the average drive across town is about 34 minutes. Locals we asked guessed anywhere from 20 to 30.
The other answer was the mix. Jacksonville has palm trees and big oaks, a Southern feel and a laid-back beach side, all inside one city. It really is hard to understand until you live here.
And for the record, in our quick-fire round Publix beat Winn-Dixie easily, beach day and boat day came out about even, and Riverside edged out San Marco.
Our take
We understand both sides. If you've lived here 20 or 30 years, the city feels completely different than it did. If you just arrived, you might wonder why anyone is complaining. Growth looks different depending on where you stand. A household moving here may see opportunity, while someone who's driven Beach Boulevard for 25 years sees brake lights.
If you called us about moving here, here's what we'd say. Jacksonville is growing either way. What matters for you is where the growth lands relative to your house and your commute. Ask what's planned near any home you're considering, drive the route at rush hour, and decide whether that growth is a plus or a minus for your week.
If you're thinking about relocating to Jacksonville or anywhere in Northeast Florida, or you're ready to buy or sell a home, we'd love the opportunity to help.
Our team specializes in making the entire process as smooth and stress-free as possible, whether you're moving from across the country or just across town.
Give us a call, send us a text, or schedule a Zoom consultation, and let's create a game plan that's built around your goals.
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Call or text 904-414-2274
or email info@drrealestatejax.com
