Advantages & Disadvantages of Retiring in Jacksonville

You think about retiring in Jacksonville but want to get additional information about the city, entertainment options, opportunities to socialize as retirees, living costs, housing situation, crime rates and much more before making your final decision in this regard?

Great! This article is exactly for you since I will show you the pros and cons of retiring in Jacksonville in the following chapters.

Retire in Jacksonville – Overview

Reasons to Retire in Jacksonville

1. Nice summers in Jacksonville
2. Mild winters are attractive to many retirees in Jacksonville
3. Pensioners can spend lots of time at the beach
4. Incentive to spend lots of time outdoors
5. Jacksonville is a laid-back community
6. Retirees are welcome from various parts of the world
7. Solid public transport in Jacksonville
8. Retirees can get everything they need within walking distance
9. Decent senior centers in Jacksonville
10. Many bars to hang out with other retirees in Jacksonville
11. Many opportunities to socialize in Jacksonville
12. Many recreational spaces to enjoy your leisure in Jacksonville
13. Solid entertainment options in Jacksonville
14. You can enjoy many delicious foods in Jacksonville
15. Good medical infrastructure in Jacksonville
16. Solid internet connection in Jacksonville
17. Your loved ones have a rather easy time visiting you
18. Jacksonville will be an attractive place to retire for many decades
19. Rents are still affordable in Jacksonville
20. Housing shortage is not a big problem in Jacksonville yet
21. Retirees find decent places to stay rather quickly
22. Living costs in Jacksonville are not as high as in many other metropolitan regions

Nice summers in Jacksonville

One advantage of retiring in Jacksonville is that you can enjoy many nice summers with lots of sun and can just have a great time in the Jacksonville region.

This can also be great since you can experience quite warm weather and warm climatic conditions are often good for your spine and may help you overcome back pain or other spinal issues.

Mild winters are attractive to many retirees in Jacksonville

Not only summers are great in the Jacksonville region, but also winters are pretty mild and while people retiring in Chicago or many other colder places have to wear thick jackets when going outdoors in winter, you will often not need a jacket at all in Jacksonville and may feel like being on summer vacation all year long.

Pensioners can spend lots of time at the beach

Since Jacksonville is located at the coast, retirees can also go swimming or just relax at the beach on a regular basis and this can really improve your overall quality of life as a pensioner since the beach is for free and even if you don’t receive a good pension, you can still spend many nice hours at the beach.

Incentive to spend lots of time outdoors

In general, due to good weather and many things you can do outdoors in the Jacksonville region, you can also spend lots of time outdoors and this will most likely keep you fit and vital since you can get lots of exercise while you can also get lots of fresh air.

Jacksonville is a laid-back community

Another upside to retiring in Jacksonville is that it is a pretty laid-back city where you can meet many open and relaxed people of various ages and can just have a great time together.

Retirees are welcome from various parts of the world

Jacksonville is also a pretty tolerant place where you will be welcome from all parts of the world as long as you are tolerant yourself and are also willing to participate in society at least a little bit so you don’t have to worry about becoming socially isolated as a pensioner in Jacksonville.

Solid public transport in Jacksonville

Jacksonville also has pretty good public transport near the city center and this can be great for you as a retiree in case you are no longer able to drive a car in a safe manner and want to rely on alternative methods to get around.

Retirees can get everything they need within walking distance

Since public infrastructure is pretty decent in the Jacksonville region, you will also find most things you need just a few minutes away from your home and this can be great for retirees since they are often no longer fit enough to walk longer distances and need to have everything close to their homes to feel secure and to manage their lives in an efficient manner.

Decent senior centers in Jacksonville

There are also good senior centers where you can hang out with many other pensioners in Jacksonville and can play many games and do other things together so you will likely never get bored as a retiree in Jacksonville.

Many bars to hang out with other retirees in Jacksonville

Not only will you have decent senior centers, but you will also find many interesting bars and other locations where you can hang out with other like-minded people and can talk about the things that are going on in the world right now and can also get different opinions on certain topics.

Many opportunities to socialize in Jacksonville

Since most people in Jacksonville are open and tolerant, it is also pretty easy to socialize in this region and this can be great for pensioners since they often need people to talk to so that they don’t feel lonely and obsolete in the long run.

Many recreational spaces to enjoy your leisure in Jacksonville

Apart from the beach, there are also many parks and other recreational spaces in the Jacksonville region and this can be great for retirees since they find many quiet spaces where they can relax and also enjoy their lives without getting disturbed by traffic noise or other unpleasant things.

Solid entertainment options in Jacksonville

Pensioners also find many things to do in the Jacksonville region.

Apart from fishing, hiking or spending lots of time on other things in nature, you can just go to the opera, visit a museum, watch a movie or do many other nice things and chances are that you will never run out of options in this regard.

You can enjoy many delicious foods in Jacksonville

Since Jacksonville is a multicultural city, you will also find many delicious restaurants where you can enjoy many dishes from all over the world and can therefore make many nice culinary experiences which can make your life in Jacksonville much better as a retiree.

Good medical infrastructure in Jacksonville

Another benefit of retiring in Jacksonville is that you will also find pretty decent medical infrastructure in the Jacksonville region and in case you suffer from health conditions that need to be cured, chances are that you will find many experts who are able to help you out in this regard.

Solid internet connection in Jacksonville

Since you will have a good internet connection in most parts of the Jacksonville region, you can also stay connected to the world and can make video calls with your loved ones so you will not lose your social connections even when you get older and are no longer fit enough to meet up with your loved ones in person on a regular basis.

Your loved ones have a rather easy time visiting you

Since Jacksonville has an international airport, it will also be pretty easy for your loved ones visiting you from various parts of the world and chances are that you will have guests pretty often and this reduces your risk of getting socially isolated in the long run.

Jacksonville will be an attractive place to retire for many decades

Since Jacksonville is the biggest city in Florida, the state will make sure that it will also be an attractive place to live and retire for many decades and you therefore don’t have to worry that public infrastructure gets worse anytime soon.

Rents are still affordable in Jacksonville

Compared to other major cities in the US, rents are still affordable in the Jacksonville region and while people retiring in Los Angeles have to spend lots of money in this regard, retirees in Jacksonville don’t have to spend as much money on housing and will have more money left to spend on other nice things.

Housing shortage is not a big problem in Jacksonville yet

Demand for housing in the Jacksonville region is also not as high as in many other major metropolitan areas and this can be great for you as a retiree since you will be in a much better position as a tenant and also don’t have to worry much about losing your home anytime soon.

Retirees find decent places to stay rather quickly

Even if you get evicted from your property for some reason, chances are that you will still find a new place to stay rather quickly while many people living in San José or other more popular regions often really struggle in this regard.

Living costs in Jacksonville are not as high as in many other metropolitan regions

Not only rents are still affordable, but also living costs in Jacksonville are lower compared to many other big cities in the US and this means that many retirees are able to live a pretty decent lifestyle in the Jacksonville region.

As you can see, there are many reasons for retiring in Jacksonville.

However, it is still not all sunshine and we also have to talk about the drawbacks of retiring in Jacksonville in the following so you will be better able to decide whether you still want to retire in Jacksonville or rather want to spend the last chapter of your life in a different region instead.

Disadvantages of Retiring in Jacksonville

1. Jacksonville is not the most bicycle-friendly city
2. Public transport gets worse in the outskirts of Jacksonville
3. You may need a car to get around as a retiree in Jacksonville
4. Air quality in Jacksonville is not great
5. Some neighborhoods in Jacksonville are pretty dodgy
6. Rents are about to increase significantly in Jacksonville
7. Many retirees in Jacksonville live below the poverty line
8. Jacksonville is not as popular as many other major cities in the US
9. Natural disasters may become a problem for retirees in Jacksonville
10. Jacksonville is a landlord-friendly place
11. Crime rate in Jacksonville is above national average

Jacksonville is not the most bicycle-friendly city

One downside to retiring in Jacksonville is that it is just not the most bicycle-friendly city and this can hurt overall quality of life for retirees since they might not be able to get around by bike in an efficient manner and may also lose the health benefits that often come along with cycling.

Hence, if you are really into biking, you may be better off moving to San Francisco or other bicycle-friendly places instead.

Public transport gets worse in the outskirts of Jacksonville

You should also know that while public transport is pretty decent in the city center of Jacksonville, it becomes significantly worse in the suburbs and if you don’t have the money to live close to the city center, you may have a hard time getting around by bus or other means of public transport in Jacksonville.

You may need a car to get around as a retiree in Jacksonville

Since you will often not be able to get around by bicycle in an efficient manner and public transport gets worse outside the city center, you may need a car to get around in Jacksonville and this is not great for retirees since the older you get, the more likely it will be that you will no longer be able to operate a car in a safe manner.

Consequently, if you want to retire in Jacksonville, make sure to move to regions where public transport is still decent so you will not run into serious problems in this regard.

Air quality in Jacksonville is not great

Another problem with retiring in Jacksonville is that air quality is not really great in this region and this may become a problem in case you already suffer from pulmonary problems that might get worse in the long run due to air pollution.

Some neighborhoods in Jacksonville are pretty dodgy

While there are many nice neighborhoods in Jacksonville, some districts are pretty dodgy and if you have a rather small pension, you may just not be able to afford a nice home in a fancy neighborhood and may end up in the bad parts of the town where you may just not feel welcome or safe.

Rents are about to increase significantly in Jacksonville

While rents are still affordable for many retirees in Jacksonville, they have still increased significantly over the past decade and if this trend continues, an increasing number of pensioners in Jacksonville may no longer know how to pay their bills and may become increasingly desperate due to that.

Many retirees in Jacksonville live below the poverty line

You should also know that there are many poor retirees in the Jacksonville region who will be barely able to make a living and this is not a nice picture at all and if you are not careful and don’t receive a decent pension, you may be one of those people sooner or later.

Jacksonville is not as popular as many other major cities in the US

While Jacksonville is a pretty big city, it is still not as popular as NYC or other metropolitan regions and your loved ones may therefore not understand your decision of retiring in Jacksonville and you may have to spend lots of time convincing them.

Natural disasters may become a problem for retirees in Jacksonville

Another disadvantage of retiring in Jacksonville is that Jacksonville is pretty exposed to tornadoes or other natural disasters and you may therefore lose your home or even your life if you are not careful in the Jacksonville region sooner or later.

Jacksonville is a landlord-friendly place

You should also keep in mind that Jacksonville is a pretty landlord-friendly place and in case you don’t pay your rent on time, you may just get evicted from your property soon.

Moreover, landlords are also able to increase rents substantially within a rather short period of time and you may therefore not be able to afford a nice place to stay in Jacksonville in the long run.

Crime rate in Jacksonville is above national average

You should also know that crime rates in Jacksonville are above national average and if you are a careful person who worries quite a lot in this regard, you may rather not want to retire in Jacksonville but may rather want to move to a safer place instead.

Top 10 Retiring in Jacksonville Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Jacksonville A Good Place To Retire?

While retiring in Jacksonville can be great since retirees are able to enjoy great weather and decent medical infrastructure while rents are still affordable, you should also keep in mind that crime rates in Jacksonville are above national average and living and housing costs are about to increase significantly.

Alternative Cities To Retire

If you don’t want to retire in Jacksonville, you should also have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Austin

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in San Antonio

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in San Diego

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/jacksonvillecityflorida

Own research.

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.