On and Off Base Housing at NAS Jax

[eas7888]

I'm relocating to NAS Jacksonville in just under two weeks, and I was wondering if anyone here has had any experience (Good or Bad) with the housing office at NAS Jax.

My wife and I are considering living on base for a number of reasons, price and only having one car being the primary two reasons.

A few of the questions I had were:

1. Did any of you live on base with dogs? If so, did you have a fenced yard, or did you have to take them out on a leash every time they needed to do their business?

2. Are the houses fairly modern/recently remodeled, or would I be living in delightful 1960's accomodations?

3. Is all of the housing located on the base, or is it located off base?

I'm sure I have more questions, but if anyone can give a little insight, I would greatly appreciate it. I did the cursory search, but most of what came up was people trying to rent/sell their houses.

Also, I've been told that Orange Park is an area to avoid, for those of you in the area, how bad is the commute from Orange Park, time wise? I only ask because there are a number of nice houses available in that area in our price range.

I appreciate any help or insight that you guys can provide.

 

[jtdees]

I didn't deal with the housing office, so no help there, but I do believe there is some more up-to-date housing on base, and the different sections have a variety of setups, some with yards, as I recall.

What I can help with is that Orange Park is a common place to go. It depends on which part you're in - along Wells Rd it's pretty short, but the traffic can be really annoying in the afternoons. Anything depending on Blanding Blvd is going to be the pain you're hearing about, but Highway 17 is usually not too bad. A lot of folks live on the east side of the river, using the Buckman (I-295) Bridge, and they seem to be in the ~20 min range, except when a moderate-severe accident turns that into nearly an hour, but that's not too often.

I am in the Ortega area, about as far north of the gate as some of Orange Park is south. My commute in either direction is typically under 10 minutes, having to deal with at most 5 lights and the occasional fast moving train. It's very rare that an accident is an issue, and that only adds another 5 minutes or so. It's very central to everything, but still pretty quiet - as long as you don't mind hourly late-night trains. Probably in your price range, on the Ortega Forest side (west of Roosevelt), no HOA or historical district to cause headaches, mostly 50's and 60's ranch houses. Some houses are therefore a bit on the small side, but they're comfortably spaced and the trees are mature. I'm pretty happy with it. One just went on the market down the street from me, I've been watching them fix it up pretty nice for the last few months.

There are plenty of decent areas to go, but that's what I've experienced so far.

 

[ltedge46]

Last time I was there (2011) housing on base was a mix of newly built, older but renovated and older unrenovated. Can't speak to what the wait is or where you would live, but it is all on base out past the hospital.

We lived for 4 years in Eagle Harbor which is 12 miles south of the base, my commute averaged 15-20 minutes up Hwy 17 depending on time of day, obviously the occasional 3 car pileup at the 295 interchange made for a few frustrating hour long commutes. Most guys at the time were trending to the east side of the St. Johns at the time, but I don't like having a bridge be my only route into work and my commute was no more than the folks in Mandarin, Julington Creek or Bartram Springs. A few guys lived north of the base in Ortega and Avondale, they liked the commute as well. If you decide on OP, or anywhere on the west side, suggest you drive around the neighborhoods first to find a good one, it may look nice on realtor.com but look very different from your car window.

 

[Gatordev]

My parents live on a small one-street community in Ortega (off 103rd by the river) and I agree with ltedge. Make sure you go drive by to check it out. They're community is really nice, with nice relatively new houses and a friendly group of people, and there are several streets of communities like it along the river, but just outside of their street, it's a little more Milton than Jacksonville, if you know what I mean.

 

[helo_wifey]

We lived in (now is a rental) a home in Bartram Park/Mandarin area and it was nice. Opposite direction of traffic for my husband to commute, right across from Baptist South and 5 min from shopping near both The Avenues/Bartram Park (which apparently now has a farmers market). There was also a small YMCA across from our subdivision.

If we ever went back I'd probably look for something in that area. It was quiet, but convenient to lots of amenities.

We initially looked in the Riverside/Avondale area but my husband wanted a large garage and those were out of our price point in that area.

I don't know about base housing there but after being in base housing in Japan and Guam it just isn't for us. We like being able to take a break from military life if needed. Many enjoy it though.

Why not just purchase a cheap second car for you/your spouse that you could pay cash for? Or, live in Riverside/Avondale where she'll have interesting places to escape to rather than base?

 

[jbuck387]

I just moved to Jax, and currently live in Orange Park off Argyle. The commute in the morning can be bad, but within a week I've learned a few shortcuts that avoid the main road and my commute is now about 10-15 mins. Orange Park is a pretty nice area, and the Town Center is full of restaurants and shops. Most of the neighborhoods I've seen in OP are new-ish and nicer. There are plenty of rental houses to be had, which allows you to be fairly picky if you want. Personally I've never dealt with the housing office here, but I MUCH prefer to live off base if possible. Best of luck.

 

[eas7888]

My parents live on a small one-street community in Ortega (off 103rd by the river) and I agree with ltedge. Make sure you go drive by to check it out. They're community is really nice, with nice relatively new houses and a friendly group of people, and there are several streets of communities like it along the river, but just outside of their street, it's a little more Milton than Jacksonville, if you know what I mean.

Thanks Gator, Ortega is on my short list of places to look. I've heard good things about it from quite a few people. I like that it's a little closer of a commute to the downtown area, where my wife is looking to get a job.

words

Thanks for the input helo_wifey. I think we'll probably be going off base, as I spoke with base housing, and the current wait is in the 3+ month range. We were considering going on base because it was going to spare us the larger deposit, with the extra cash eventually going toward a down payment or a second vehicle. As it is, we'll just be a little more frugal and live out in town.

All of the neighborhoods you've mentioned look fantastic. The only down side I can see to living on the other side of the bridge, was already mentioned. Having what amounts to a single (practical) means of getting to base makes things a little worrisome to me. Though I'm sure accidents on the bridge happen very infrequently, it's still something of a concern to me.

I just moved to Jax, and currently live in Orange Park off Argyle. The commute in the morning can be bad, but within a week I've learned a few shortcuts that avoid the main road and my commute is now about 10-15 mins. Orange Park is a pretty nice area, and the Town Center is full of restaurants and shops. Most of the neighborhoods I've seen in OP are new-ish and nicer. There are plenty of rental houses to be had, which allows you to be fairly picky if you want. Personally I've never dealt with the housing office here, but I MUCH prefer to live off base if possible. Best of luck.

Joe, thanks for the reply. I hope Jax is treating you well, have you classed up yet? I'm thinking about giving OP a shot, at least not ruling out houses in the area.

 

[Gatordev]

All of the neighborhoods you've mentioned look fantastic. The only down side I can see to living on the other side of the bridge, was already mentioned. Having what amounts to a single (practical) means of getting to base makes things a little worrisome to me. Though I'm sure accidents on the bridge happen very infrequently, it's still something of a concern to me.

Jax is a little different, since there's two seperate, 4-lane bridges going across the river, but you'd think there would be a better solution. It's not like a single dude who decides to jump off could bring traffic to a a halt for a major base for hours. Oh wait, that's a monthly occurrence to one of our other Master air Bases.

 

[jbuck387]

Thanks Gator, Ortega is on my short list of places to look. I've heard good things about it from quite a few people. I like that it's a little closer of a commute to the downtown area, where my wife is looking to get a job.



Thanks for the input helo_wifey. I think we'll probably be going off base, as I spoke with base housing, and the current wait is in the 3+ month range. We were considering going on base because it was going to spare us the larger deposit, with the extra cash eventually going toward a down payment or a second vehicle. As it is, we'll just be a little more frugal and live out in town.

All of the neighborhoods you've mentioned look fantastic. The only down side I can see to living on the other side of the bridge, was already mentioned. Having what amounts to a single (practical) means of getting to base makes things a little worrisome to me. Though I'm sure accidents on the bridge happen very infrequently, it's still something of a concern to me.



Joe, thanks for the reply. I hope Jax is treating you well, have you classed up yet? I'm thinking about giving OP a shot, at least not ruling out houses in the area.

I classed up immediately when i got back from my desert "camping trip." So far VP-30 is a good place for a student, and OP is pretty family friendly area. Best of luck to you in the move, the move company that handled my class left a lot to be desired.

 

[helolumpy]

The only down side I can see to living on the other side of the bridge, was already mentioned. Having what amounts to a single (practical) means of getting to base makes things a little worrisome to me. Though I'm sure accidents on the bridge happen very infrequently, it's still something of a concern to me.

I live on the other side of the bridge (San Marco area) and I can go either through downtown or over the Buckman (bridge south of base) in equal time.
It's not the accidents on the bridge that cause problems, it's the accidents on Rt 17 just before the gates that cause the huge back-ups.

Somedays I've waited about 20 minutes from reaching the main gate turn lane until I get to my office (as opposed to 4 mintues with no traffic) mostly because I got caught up in the shift changes for the Depot. You'll learn when the FRCSE 500 runs and will work your schedule around it.

I used to live in Ortega and it was great with less than 10 minutes to base. Some folks loved Avondale and Riverside (older homes) and other loved Mandarin, Flemming Island and the developments along Rt 17 in Orange Park (newer homes).

Don't know if schools factor into your decision, if so, I would recommend http://www.greatschools.org/find-schools/ You may find the school outside Duval country better and this will increase your commute time.

 

[Gatordev]

It would appear that I now have a renewed interest in this thread...

I live on the other side of the bridge (San Marco area) and I can go either through downtown or over the Buckman (bridge south of base) in equal time.
It's not the accidents on the bridge that cause problems, it's the accidents on Rt 17 just before the gates that cause the huge back-ups.

Somedays I've waited about 20 minutes from reaching the main gate turn lane until I get to my office (as opposed to 4 mintues with no traffic) mostly because I got caught up in the shift changes for the Depot. You'll learn when the FRCSE 500 runs and will work your schedule around it.

I used to live in Ortega and it was great with less than 10 minutes to base. Some folks loved Avondale and Riverside (older homes) and other loved Mandarin, Flemming Island and the developments along Rt 17 in Orange Park (newer homes).

Anybody have any thoughts in the Mandarin Station area (north of 9A/295)? I'm looking at renting for now, and it seems like a decent "half-way" point between the two bases (yeah, I know it's not really half way).

 

[CommodoreMid]

I live on the other side of the bridge (San Marco area) and I can go either through downtown or over the Buckman (bridge south of base) in equal time.
It's not the accidents on the bridge that cause problems, it's the accidents on Rt 17 just before the gates that cause the huge back-ups.

Somedays I've waited about 20 minutes from reaching the main gate turn lane until I get to my office (as opposed to 4 mintues with no traffic) mostly because I got caught up in the shift changes for the Depot. You'll learn when the FRCSE 500 runs and will work your schedule around it.

I used to live in Ortega and it was great with less than 10 minutes to base. Some folks loved Avondale and Riverside (older homes) and other loved Mandarin, Flemming Island and the developments along Rt 17 in Orange Park (newer homes).

Don't know if schools factor into your decision, if so, I would recommend http://www.greatschools.org/find-schools/ You may find the school outside Duval country better and this will increase your commute time.

FRCSE 500, never seen it explained like that but so apt! Getting caught in it however would mean I would have the luxury of leaving work by 1500, and the thought of that is hilarious. I just want to gouge my eyes out if for some godforsaken reason I have to make a left turn out of 511 in the afternoon. Damn near impossible.

For the OP, except for a couple months before my last deployment where I was a hobo crashing on the northside, I've been in Avondale/Riverside my entire time here and I love it! Being able to stumble home drunk a couple blocks from some good bars while having a short commute is awesome.

 

[helolumpy]

Anybody have any thoughts in the Mandarin Station area (north of 9A/295)? I'm looking at renting for now, and it seems like a decent "half-way" point between the two bases (yeah, I know it's not really half way).

The problem with 295 to NAS (over the Buckman Bridge) is when there is a fender bender on Rt 17 heading into the base. Traffic will back up over the hump of the bridge in a heart beat. If you're in Mandarin, you're committed to the Buckman.

 

[Gatordev]

The problem with 295 to NAS (over the Buckman Bridge) is when there is a fender bender on Rt 17 heading into the base. Traffic will back up over the hump of the bridge in a heart beat. If you're in Mandarin, you're committed to the Buckman.

Fair enough. When I was in Jax before, I only made a trip down to NAS about once a week or so, and only for a few months at a time, so I didn't have a regular exposure to 17. I never really encountered any issues though.

My problem is that most of the other locations that actually have rentals are near one of the bases, and it looks like I'm going to need to be able to get to both. I'm trying to avoid a 45 minute drive to the "other one." Obviously I'll be keeping an eye on the market in the meantime.

 

[helolumpy]

Sounds like you want the San Marco, Lakewood areas.
I live about 28 mins to work and got to Mayport today (to go to the beach) in just under 30 mins.