Jacksonville Center - ZJX

SmartBlonde1214 Trusted Member Florida

I would choose Fernandina...which is Nassau County and just north of Jax. Its a really cool little beach town with a lot of festivals and activities. Youre close enough to Jax (bout 30-45 mins) without having to put up with the crime of Jax.

Noid is right about OP. The country club is nice...but you have to put up with Blanding Blvd traffic which is HELL. Otherwise, OP is just okay.

jaxpilot Rookie Miami, FL

I ran into a ZJX controller that lived on Fleming Island. Thats gotta be some kind of commute to Hilliard! I have a house on Roosevelt (US 17) right across from NAS JAX. Close to the Buckman Bridge to get to Southside/Beaches, yet with Westside affordability.

noid Curtis E. Carr Jawja

"on" Flemming Island? I had a friend that used to call it "da Island". You don't really consider it an island too do ya? It's a little creek that makes it "an island". It's just so the snobby people can feel superior...haha.

Last place I lived down there was on Collins. A friend of mine has a house in the Riverside area. There are some cheaper places on the westside where crime isn't bad, but still not all that close.

IControlandFly Rookie Florida

I was born and raised in Jax and have lived on the Southside of town my whole life. Depending on what you are into there is a part of town for you to live in. Jax is unlike any other Metro area I have been to in the country because it is so spread out. You can drive from the beach and head west for an hour and still be in Jacksonville. The southside and mandarin area is middle and upper class for the most part with a good mix of people and the most things to do in Jax. If you like the beach and that style of living than, obviously, live at the beach (Atlantic and Neptune are mainly residential and nicer place to raise a family, while Jax is more commercial and full of bars and beach bums). If you like country style living, than I would recommend the far west side of Duval county, Northside, or Yulee/Callahan/Hilliard which are in Nassau county, 25-30 min north of Jax. Orange Park is its own city and much like the Southside of Jax (Just across the river). Lots of things to do, people, and traffic is the highest in these areas. OP is just farther from everthing like the beach, downtown, and ZJX. The northwest side of downtown is the worst part of town. It has the highest crime and is an eyesore, stay away from these areas. All in all Jax is a great place to live and a great place to raise a family. Plenty to do and nice people. It is nothing like Orlando or Miami, thank god so if your looking for a city like that Jax is not your place.

Muneco Epic Member

Thanks for all the input guys! I'll def keep this as a reference when looking for a place to live.

bwingfield01 Rookie JAX

Have any of you toured the Jacksonville Tower or Radar control? I'm an OTS applicant for PUBNAt 7 and scored 93.9 on my ATSAT. Hoping to stay in the area if all possible. I've only lived here 2 years and love the area! Any recommendation of who to talk with while I'm there? I'd certainly love to try and get "the inside" with the right people. Someone told me that Hilliards not that bad and I should try and tour that as well. Any inside scoop is greatly appreciated!

IControlandFly Rookie Florida

I had an internship at ZJX in Hilliard last spring and think it is a great facility, with the long drive from the city being the only negative but I didn't mind it at all. The tower and approach control are pretty cool...the tower is fairly slow but the Tracon is busy with Craig, Navy Jax, Herlong, Cecil, and Mayport right in Jacksonville not to mention Gainesville as well. I would recommend visiting any facility you want to go to just to show your face and do a meet and greet with the chief if at all possible. Call out there and see if you can get a hold of someone willing to set you up on a tour. They are all nice people but the biggest negative about JAX Tower/Approach is the high number of developmentals.

MikeATC Retired FAA, NATCA Member Nashville TN

For you that think you can certify at some of our busier facilities try asking the NATCA facility rep (not FAA management) how may of you CTI's or OTS are making it to full certification.

bwingfield01 Rookie JAX

Are you trying to hint something to us??? From my understanding the washout rate is about 60%.

noid Curtis E. Carr Jawja

He's just keying on something that has been said quite a few times. It's geared towards the people who request the upper level facilities. When more than half of those who try fail, it would seem that one would prefer a lower facility to start out at. Pride is a hard thing to swallow.