We have been in the Tampa Bay area now for 24 years and looking to move to somewhere which would give us more of a 4 season feel. I would love Colorado but my husband, a Texas boy says no to snow!! Looking for the good and bad points of the Jacksonville area. Suggestions for 2 70 plus oldies?. Anybody recomend any over 55 communities? Tampa Bay is getting too crowded and too many apartment blocks being built. Traffic is horrendous. Any suggestions/ideas recommendations would be appreciated.
Thank you.

I have also lived in Tampa Bay for almost 20 years - Mid 50s.
I know Jax is only a 4 hour drive from here, I doubt the seasonality is much different. I have only driven through that area once and I did not sense much difference from here.
I know a few people there, vaguely through work, that I could ask about the area, ( people 30-50 years old, i guess) but is that really what you both want?
Colorado has a vast variety., although an infamous past member of this site always insisted it was full, (as in do not come, we like it empty of people!)

we have driven through many times and yes it was busy but we are wondering what the surrounding areas (Orange Park, St. Johns to name 2 ) are like. Average temperatures in Winter months are 10 degrees lower than Tampa....a little bit of a Winter feel!! Ideally information from current residents would be interesting. Driven through Atlanta many times and have always said would never want to live there ecause of traffic yet we have friends/relatives who love it! Being originally from UK I must admit I do miss the chilly temperature sometimes.

We're a couple of hours West of Jx.
Def seasonal temp changes, hell even the trees are different.
A totally different feel from Tampa. Traffic is as bad as Tampa I feel.
Can't comment on living there but have plenty of friends that do. They seem to enjoy it.
Good luck whatever you decide.

My wife is from Jacksonville and I lived in Orange Park for two years when stationed at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. I like Orange Park. If you like suburban living it would be good. Plenty of shopping so going into Downtown would not be necessary.

I think in the South you need to get some elevation change before you get much seasonality, which means far NW Georgia, NW SC, or NC, and honestly there isn't much of a winter in NC unless you're high up in the mountains. Any cold weather rarely arrives in NC before November and across much of the state is confined to a few days here and there, often interspersed with warmer, almost spring-like weather. We get a little snow some years, but rarely more than an inch or two, and it usually thaws by lunchtime. Freezing temperatures after mid-March are rare.

So if your husband is averse to snow, but you want more variety between seasons, SC might be the best compromise.

I agree. Even southern Tennessee that is not high elevation and like Florida we have no state income tax. Our weather is very similar to what you describe for your part of NC. We have at least a day or two every month where I can run in shorts and tee shirts.

Sorry to jump on this thread, my wife and I are heading there next month to look at houses around Orange Park area - well Orange Park and also Middleburg (where we're staying), Fleming Island, Green Cove Springs and also St. Augustine would you mind if I sent a PM or two once we've been just to get some first hand knowledge of where we decide?

Thanks

Derek

No problem. I lived there quite a few years ago and my wife left with me for duty in the Philippines. We moved to Tennessee after return and haven’t been back to visit very often.