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[helpful]

No, I was just posting tongue in cheek as I have read many posts about how important basketball teams are for a place's reputation. This is especially in the South, though I don't know why that is.

I thought it was football that matter there?

Well, there was a thread on Greensboro that talked about how important b-ball is; and another one on Alabama, and another one on the Research Triangle and the NC-Duke rivalry. And I think, though I am not sure, that FSU, U Florida are a big rivalry though I can't remember what the difference is between the two and which is a crocodile and which is a swanee or something.

Maybe UNF has a big bball rivalry with UCF or USF?

[sheinthespirit]

On UNF,

Took my first TT job there fresh out of grad school.  I will agree with the previous poster...you love it or hate it.  I stayed on the beach, they made an offer within 24 hours and would not negotiate a 38k salary in 2000.  But desperate grad students do what they gotta do.

I am not a Floridian, so it took me a while to get adjusted. There wasn't much to do there, but go to the beach and get drunk. I am not into that scene.  When I was there, there was no Cheesecake Factory and high end stuff like that. This city is large, but not as attractive as Atlanta (in terms of things to do and places to shop).

On other notes, the salaries are REALLY rock bottom and you will higher folks via search committees who make more than you within a year. The union (if you can call it that) is horrible and powerless.  I did earn a great deal for summer teaching, but who wants to HAVE to do that?  Not me!

Lastly, no bball for you. NO football excitement even--no school spirit.  The campus is nice, although feels like a community college with dorms.  the students were LOVELY!  That really made the stay bareable.

I made some REALLY good friends there, but non-Floridians like myself could not wait to leave.  It was a good stepping stone, but not a lifetime place for me.

i do have a friend from Nebraska who loves it.  AND north Florida is not a hot as central and south Fl.

Hope this helps.

[artsearch]

When I was interested in a job there, I asked Floridians, who said of Jacksonville, "it's not really Florida". I have no idea what they meant by that--maybe the basketball thing?

[latis]

When I was interested in a job there, I asked Floridians, who said of Jacksonville, "it's not really Florida". I have no idea what they meant by that--maybe the basketball thing?

Jacksonville is more southern than tropical -- esp compared to the rest of Florida.  Think Savannah or even Atlanta to picture the flora and fauna.
The people vote red state, when other parts of Florida are purple.   

[selavy]

Jax is not a very nice city, but you will only be about 25 miles away from St. Augustine which is definitely the best city in Florida.  You could easily commute to UNF from there.

[sheinthespirit]

I agree with previous post..Jax is not the greatest city.  St. Augustine is nice, but a bit touristy and slooooow.  There are only outlets there and some decent restaurants, but not much else from my limited experience. I would not want to commute though.  It is more like a 40 minute commute to UNF.

All in all, UNF offers a good stepping stone opportunity.  Few folks make it home unless you bring a spouse with you and/or your family is in Florida.

I wish I thought to ask before venturing down that way.

[grignr]

I will admit that I have not spent much time at all in Jacksonville since the early 1990s.

But unless things have drastically changed, phrases like "irredeemable craphole" and "not to save my mother's life" pop to mind.  It is, or was anyway, a reflexively and deeply conservative city, bringing together a very high concentration of Southern Baptists with a whole damn bunch of Navy types -- for me, this would be going back to Hell, but obviously might be heaven for others.  Expect a large degree of de facto segregation, except maybe in areas with high concentrations of Navy personnel.

It is (or was) as charmless and anonymous as suburban Atlanta, but with fewer and not-as-good chain stores.  If you have or expect to have kids, the schools will be standard Florida awful.  The weather varies between bland in winter to oppressively humid-hot in not-winter.  It is pancake-flat.  There are bugs the size of cocker spaniels.

I went to high school in Jacksonville and Gainesville and would chew off my own limbs and the limbs of several innocent bystanders rather than ever live in north Florida, ever again.  Every time I go back to the area, it seems cheaper and tawdrier and more facelessly suburban.

[draco]

I thought it was football that matter there?

Not at UNF itself, but in the area yes, there is good football.  Alltel Stadium (where the Jags play) also hosts several other events.  For the 2006 season they had the Georgia-Florida game (World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party), the ACC championship game, and the Gator Bowl.

[sheinthespirit]

Posted by: grignr
I went to high school in Jacksonville and Gainesville and would chew off my own limbs and the limbs of several innocent bystanders rather than ever live in north Florida, ever again.

I love this phrase! I don't know how to post the text boxes into the response, but this is exactly how i feel!  I too would chew off one limb at a time before I return!

This poster was right on point.  Enter UNF and Jax at your own risk!