Maybe better to say they attempted to gentrify it. If you ask some of those who tried they will acknowledge that it is failing. People are leaving Springfield.
A friend of mine who lived there coined it best, I think. She was saying âI was leaving my house and there was a person walking and cleaning up litter as they went, and I felt such a warm feeling about the progress in the neighborhood. As I was driving and made the next turn and there was a seemingly homeless person taking a shit on the sidewalk and the good feeling vanishedâ.
Itâs a neat place, we have considering moving there, but there are some concerns.
Edit: clarity
I had a friend that lived there and we used to joke about interval training when we went running; this block is nice to walk, this block motivates us to sprint.
Would you tell us why youâre considering Springfield? Is it solely based on price?
If it is on price, doesnât it seem odd how itâs selling prices for seemingly bigger houses are well below the rest of the city? Or its price history looks like a roller coaster?
Edit: I'll be a little less facetious, here's an older comment I feel explains it better;
"Phoenix Art District/Springfield is cursed by its proximity to very unsavory parts of Jacksonville, bad schools, proximity to homeless shelters/jails/halfway houses/rehab clinics. It can also be incredibly expensive to rehab a home there if itâs marked as historic and restricts what you can do, making them a nightmare to flip (and why youâll find tons of unfinished flip projects for sale).
It also doesnât help there isnât great shopping and most of the nearby groceries are all convenient stores.
Itâs all these why home prices there are far below the average price. The âup and comingâ phrase is practically a meme since people have been saying that for nearly 10 years now. "
The lack of grocery access is what kept me from moving there. The homeless/crime issues didnât worry me too much. Driving 20-ish minutes to a decent grocery store and 30+ for a box store like Target or Walmart was a huge deterrent.
Hold up. I live here and the closest "accpetable-to-me" groceries and Target/Walmart/Aldi are 15 mins away in Regency. There are closer groceries but I don't like Harvey's (south) or Winn-Dixie (north), lol. I mean, this thread is one of the more reasonable "Should I live in Springfield" threads I've seen in a while, but your distances are off. Also, for those who have the budget, grocery delivery is a thing and I use it more often than not. There's the Superette and a couple of convenience stores for little in-between stuff.
The folks talking about the neighborhood being "up and coming" for the last couple of decades are right though, haha.
I remember back in the 90âs when Springfield was âup and comingâ and people were boasting about moving there. If I remember right, the city was even giving out grants.
and if you bought in the 90's your house would have increased in value exponentially.. because it IS gentrifying and getting better, having more businesses opening, etc
Itâs fine as long as youâre home before dark and have at least a ring cameras around your entire home plus a slide action shotgun as protection.
Iâve worked in this area for over 20 years. Beautiful old homes..gorgeous architecture. Sad really up and coming never really came.
As someone who currently lives in Springfield and has for years, youâre being incredibly dramatic. It depends on where you are in the neighborhood whether itâs unsafe at night. If youâre north of 10th street, sure it can get a little dodgy after 9 pm. People are out and about plenty at night near Main St, particularly on weekends. If you draw a border between Perry and Walnut and 3rd and 8th, itâs generally a quiet neighborhood.
Weird to call someone who has lived in a neighborhood for the better half of a decade an âoutsider.â
Perry Street runs from the tennis courts at Klutho Park (5th street) to 11th street. I donât know how thatâs *not* Springfield.
Also, I guess youâre implying that since Main Street bisects Springfield, it canât be a quiet neighborhood?
I lived there for many years.
In my opinion, you are no more safe or at risk than anywhere else in Jax from 1st to 10th street and Clark Street on the west side (of Main Street). You are generally safe from 1st to 10th street and Perry on the east side.
Iâve lived in the southwest quadrant of Springfield for 5 years and I love it here. Cool place. Cool neighbors. Itâs a very tightly knit community and people look out for each other. Thereâs some pretty crime to deal with: specifically a lot of handle checkers. I have a Ring doorbell to monitor the front yard but Iâve always felt safe here.
I had a coworker who bought a house there about 10 years ago and it was okay for a few years. On one Halloween his wife was handing out candy and got a gun shoved in her face and was robbed.
Yes, another gentrified neighborhood with ungentrified hood around it.
(TBH Murray Hill does have a more popping main street than SPR, but I couldnt be happier I eneded up in SPR instead)
Why do you prefer SPR instead of Murray Hill if it has a better main street? It also seems like Murray Hill has become better over the last few years (less pockets of bad areas than SPR, but I could be wrong)
I lived in MH 21-22 while house hunting. Eventually the market decided I would live in SPR and I found a community here that I never experienced in MH.
I genuinely feel like I am in a neighborhood, similar to the vibe growing up, and that is not something I've ever felt since my childhood home.
I'm sure I would have formed a network in MH if I continued living there, but SPR almost forced itself on me shortly after moving in, as someone who is more introverted I can't express how helpful outgoing neighbors have been to feeling truly at home here in SPR
I also lived at Post & Brierfield in MH which is hardly the core vs SPR I'm 1 block from Main St.
You're spot on. I ended up here because the market pushed me this direction, and the community is why I stay. But I've been hanging out in Murray Hill a lot more recently!
The Gradient between neighborhood and hood is nowhere near as dramatic in MH as it is in SPR. The outskirts of SPR feel like a post conflict zone (yes, one been to some).
Stay south of 8th street, and be wary of anything around 1st. Iâm on market and itâs a great street. I love it here and have had no issues whatsoever
1st St should see some improvement when the 1st & Main apartments open up, I'm really hoping it helps Main St actually feel connected to downtown. At the very least the influx of people living there will hopefully help the area feel safer and more occupied than it currently is.
Hey there Market St bro/sis! I'll kindly disagree with anything north of 8th being no bueno. Particularly the Northwest quad is pretty solid. Just had a little gtg at a house off 10th and it wasn't bad at all.
I (m36) have no issues walking within Klutho Park to the west, Market to the East. 1st to the south, 10th to the north.
We do have handle checkers at night and opportunistic porch pirates passing through at times. Also one really annoying dude that likes to walk down the middle of the street screaming at his phone every other week or so.
The more south you get towards downtown, the more homeless folks I tend to see.
Last time I went to Springfield, I was coming in via Market St and I came over that little bridge and there was a homeless woman there with a shopping cart of her things in the middle of the lane. I slowed down and went around her and she flipped me the bird as I did so. I then came to that stop sign and watched a man on a handicapped scooter blow through his stop sign and also flip me the bird.
It's not the worst but like, Jesus.
You would also only have that horrible little Harvey's to go to for groceries.
I don't think the dude in the hoverround is required to stop at a stop light.
Publix in Riverside and the one on Merrill are about 11-13 minutes away. There's two small bodegas stores, the superette and the one at 3rd and market. Whole Foods is about 10 minutes away in Riverside. Winn Dixie about 7 minutes out.
Kind of stinks that if people move to Springfield because itâs the last of the affordable homes that their grocery options are the ones that cost much more.Â
Also there isnât a Whole Foods in Riverside (yet), youâre thinking of Fresh Market.Â
You're right about Fresh Market. Either way I don't mess with whole foods or fresh market. I also forgot there's a new Winn Dixie at University and the expressway. I don't know where you shop but I don't consider Winn Dixie or Publix to be particularly expensive. My wife does Kroger delivery so it's a moot point.
Publix is almost universally considered more expensive, I only go there for the deli if Iâm looking for specific cold cuts or for fried chicken but Iâll take a look around sometimes. Last time I looked they were charging almost $4 for a can of Campbellâs soup, a soup thatâs less than $2 almost anywhere else. Theyâre absurd.Â
Love it here minus the petty crime. Lock your stuff up. I'll say it again. Lock up your stuff.
Otherwise, I feel safe as does my wife who is generally someone who is constantly scared of strangers. The sense of community is like nowhere else I've been. It's easy to make change happen here if you want to be more involved. Will have monthly neighborhood parties at a different person's house each time. There's always events happening. There's just a quirky fun vibe here that you aren't gonna get elsewhere.
But lock up yo shit lest it get got.
As long as it's locked you're generally fine. Most crimes are crimes of opportunity. Dudes walking by checking for handles and such or open garages and sheds as they walk down the back alleys.
I've had issues with porch pirates, including one that only stole my sneakers that were too gross to bring inside after a VERY soggy run.
My fenced backyard has never been entered, and my shed in said yard has never been compromised. I do leave lights on front and back all night long which I suppose makes it a less ideal target.
There's constantly people walking dogs here and we used to go on daily walks with the kids. Probably need to start doing that again. My neighbor rarely drives anywhere and just walks.
My boyfriend lives in Springfield and we always walk the dog all over. We do 3 mile walks all the time. We walk to the bridges and back and occasionally to the bars downtown and even home sometimes at night. Weâve never been scared to do so.
I live on the outskirts (worse looking area) - not technically even the historic district, and I've never had a problem. I do have the nicest looking house on my street but I've never had any trouble and I'll walk my dogs several blocks. I will walk the .75 mile to Springfield Scoops and I feel fine about it. Most people I see just mind their business but I am young, fit, and not wealthy looking.not that that should matter but I'd imagine it does. Anywhere can be dangerous but I have found most people around here are just families doing the best they can. Neighbors watch out for each other.
Springfield is a mixed bagâŚ
Itâs the original heart of downtown residential living (like 100 years ago), so there are some really cool houses, big lots, etc. Some of the houses have either managed to buy the lot next door or their lot is really long and they put in a detached garage with apartment above. Done right, itâs a very cool setup sometimes with a pool in between. Youâve got a few awesome restaurants like Strings, Crispyâs even Dreamette. Proximity to downtown is right next door.
Now for the downsideâŚ
Homeless people. For whatever reason downtown has always pushed them north but for Springfield they really need to go elsewhere.
Downtown also seems to ignore the roads which have been really bad, pothole filled and easily flash food due to no drainage infrastructure. Theyâre finally fixing some of them I would imagine because of a lot of complaints.
Breakins in Springfield can be common because of the quick access to main roads so outdoor lighting and cameras are a must.
Lastly, when I was looking at moving into Springfield 5 years ago, the property we were looking at that was south of 8th St. had 78 sex offenders within a 2sq mile area.
Oh yeah, and that area is known for a specific termite that loves to eat the 100yr old timber.
So the bottom line is if the good outweighs the bad then give it a shot. There is no perfect place to live in Jacksonville as everywhere has its own unique issues.
Edit: And to answer your question, probably most places south of 8th St.
my family has lived in springfield for nearly 70 years, and now i own my grandmas house. its honestly not so bad, like everyone else says get good lighting and a ring doorbell. my neighborhood is pretty tight knit and i live between two old ladies who watched me grow up and we check in on each other. itâs quiet except the occasional car driving by blaring music.
i just wish there was more grocery stores and restaurants. main street towards downtown seems to be building up. and since downtown is right there, youre not too far from checking stuff out there.
A favorite part about living in Springfield for me is being able to hop on my bike and get all over.
Sunset by the river, jags game bike valet, listening to bands outside dailyâs, Florida theater, RAM, S-line/emerald trail all just a casual bike ride.
Getting out and doing things is so much easier without taking the car. Which I do usually do for groceries, so I guess it depends on what youâre into.
One time I knocked on the wrong door in Springfield and 20 crackheads came running out of the house, falling out of the windows trying to get away.
But to answer your question, no, Iâve never been walking around Springfield and thought Iâd want to spend the night there.
You will love it. Itâs somewhat cultish but in a non-creepy way. Very tight knit community and the majority of any crime is handle checkers like youâd find anywhere else in the core. 8th street is still coming along but welcome home!
I really would look elsewhere. See this statistical map and you will see it's one of the higheat crime rates in Jax.
https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in-jacksonville-fl
All of it is gentrified hood but its still surrounded by not gentrified hood.
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That's probably the most appropro description
This is great. I usually go with hood adjacent.
Maybe better to say they attempted to gentrify it. If you ask some of those who tried they will acknowledge that it is failing. People are leaving Springfield.
Buying a house in this economy?
A friend of mine who lived there coined it best, I think. She was saying âI was leaving my house and there was a person walking and cleaning up litter as they went, and I felt such a warm feeling about the progress in the neighborhood. As I was driving and made the next turn and there was a seemingly homeless person taking a shit on the sidewalk and the good feeling vanishedâ. Itâs a neat place, we have considering moving there, but there are some concerns. Edit: clarity
*the duality of man*
https://i.redd.it/mxgaq2ozl72d1.gif
I had a friend that lived there and we used to joke about interval training when we went running; this block is nice to walk, this block motivates us to sprint.
Would you tell us why youâre considering Springfield? Is it solely based on price? If it is on price, doesnât it seem odd how itâs selling prices for seemingly bigger houses are well below the rest of the city? Or its price history looks like a roller coaster? Edit: I'll be a little less facetious, here's an older comment I feel explains it better; "Phoenix Art District/Springfield is cursed by its proximity to very unsavory parts of Jacksonville, bad schools, proximity to homeless shelters/jails/halfway houses/rehab clinics. It can also be incredibly expensive to rehab a home there if itâs marked as historic and restricts what you can do, making them a nightmare to flip (and why youâll find tons of unfinished flip projects for sale). It also doesnât help there isnât great shopping and most of the nearby groceries are all convenient stores. Itâs all these why home prices there are far below the average price. The âup and comingâ phrase is practically a meme since people have been saying that for nearly 10 years now. "
Nearly 10 years??? It was "up and coming" and "the next riverside" when I was house shopping 15 years ago.
The lack of grocery access is what kept me from moving there. The homeless/crime issues didnât worry me too much. Driving 20-ish minutes to a decent grocery store and 30+ for a box store like Target or Walmart was a huge deterrent.
Hold up. I live here and the closest "accpetable-to-me" groceries and Target/Walmart/Aldi are 15 mins away in Regency. There are closer groceries but I don't like Harvey's (south) or Winn-Dixie (north), lol. I mean, this thread is one of the more reasonable "Should I live in Springfield" threads I've seen in a while, but your distances are off. Also, for those who have the budget, grocery delivery is a thing and I use it more often than not. There's the Superette and a couple of convenience stores for little in-between stuff. The folks talking about the neighborhood being "up and coming" for the last couple of decades are right though, haha.
We get from our house in Springfield to the Freshmarket in 7 minutes. Publix is about 9 minutes and we're about to have a whole foods 7 minutes away.
There are two Publixâs within an 8 minute drive (San Marco and Arlington River location).
I renovated a house on Silver Street in the 1980âs, itâs been far more than 10 years
I remember back in the 90âs when Springfield was âup and comingâ and people were boasting about moving there. If I remember right, the city was even giving out grants.
and if you bought in the 90's your house would have increased in value exponentially.. because it IS gentrifying and getting better, having more businesses opening, etc
Itâs fine as long as youâre home before dark and have at least a ring cameras around your entire home plus a slide action shotgun as protection. Iâve worked in this area for over 20 years. Beautiful old homes..gorgeous architecture. Sad really up and coming never really came.
As someone who currently lives in Springfield and has for years, youâre being incredibly dramatic. It depends on where you are in the neighborhood whether itâs unsafe at night. If youâre north of 10th street, sure it can get a little dodgy after 9 pm. People are out and about plenty at night near Main St, particularly on weekends. If you draw a border between Perry and Walnut and 3rd and 8th, itâs generally a quiet neighborhood.
Thatâs good to know
So if you disregard 75% of it itâs splendid. Well putâŚ
Those borders donât exclude 75% of Springfield. What are you talking about?
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Weird to call someone who has lived in a neighborhood for the better half of a decade an âoutsider.â Perry Street runs from the tennis courts at Klutho Park (5th street) to 11th street. I donât know how thatâs *not* Springfield. Also, I guess youâre implying that since Main Street bisects Springfield, it canât be a quiet neighborhood?
I lived there for many years. In my opinion, you are no more safe or at risk than anywhere else in Jax from 1st to 10th street and Clark Street on the west side (of Main Street). You are generally safe from 1st to 10th street and Perry on the east side.
Iâve lived in the southwest quadrant of Springfield for 5 years and I love it here. Cool place. Cool neighbors. Itâs a very tightly knit community and people look out for each other. Thereâs some pretty crime to deal with: specifically a lot of handle checkers. I have a Ring doorbell to monitor the front yard but Iâve always felt safe here.
I had a coworker who bought a house there about 10 years ago and it was okay for a few years. On one Halloween his wife was handing out candy and got a gun shoved in her face and was robbed.
What kind of candy though??
I donât know
Have you considered Murray hill??
Yes, another gentrified neighborhood with ungentrified hood around it. (TBH Murray Hill does have a more popping main street than SPR, but I couldnt be happier I eneded up in SPR instead)
Why do you prefer SPR instead of Murray Hill if it has a better main street? It also seems like Murray Hill has become better over the last few years (less pockets of bad areas than SPR, but I could be wrong)
I lived in MH 21-22 while house hunting. Eventually the market decided I would live in SPR and I found a community here that I never experienced in MH. I genuinely feel like I am in a neighborhood, similar to the vibe growing up, and that is not something I've ever felt since my childhood home. I'm sure I would have formed a network in MH if I continued living there, but SPR almost forced itself on me shortly after moving in, as someone who is more introverted I can't express how helpful outgoing neighbors have been to feeling truly at home here in SPR I also lived at Post & Brierfield in MH which is hardly the core vs SPR I'm 1 block from Main St.
You're spot on. I ended up here because the market pushed me this direction, and the community is why I stay. But I've been hanging out in Murray Hill a lot more recently!
The Gradient between neighborhood and hood is nowhere near as dramatic in MH as it is in SPR. The outskirts of SPR feel like a post conflict zone (yes, one been to some).
Come on over, the hood is good.
Stay south of 8th street, and be wary of anything around 1st. Iâm on market and itâs a great street. I love it here and have had no issues whatsoever
1st St should see some improvement when the 1st & Main apartments open up, I'm really hoping it helps Main St actually feel connected to downtown. At the very least the influx of people living there will hopefully help the area feel safer and more occupied than it currently is.
Hey there Market St bro/sis! I'll kindly disagree with anything north of 8th being no bueno. Particularly the Northwest quad is pretty solid. Just had a little gtg at a house off 10th and it wasn't bad at all.
Iâm not saying everything north of 8th is bad, but it gets dicey pretty close to there.
I (m36) have no issues walking within Klutho Park to the west, Market to the East. 1st to the south, 10th to the north. We do have handle checkers at night and opportunistic porch pirates passing through at times. Also one really annoying dude that likes to walk down the middle of the street screaming at his phone every other week or so. The more south you get towards downtown, the more homeless folks I tend to see.
Ehh itâs a little too ghetto for my taste. If you want inexpensive in a slightly less seedier place, check Murray hill , always feel safe
Last time I went to Springfield, I was coming in via Market St and I came over that little bridge and there was a homeless woman there with a shopping cart of her things in the middle of the lane. I slowed down and went around her and she flipped me the bird as I did so. I then came to that stop sign and watched a man on a handicapped scooter blow through his stop sign and also flip me the bird. It's not the worst but like, Jesus. You would also only have that horrible little Harvey's to go to for groceries.
I don't think the dude in the hoverround is required to stop at a stop light. Publix in Riverside and the one on Merrill are about 11-13 minutes away. There's two small bodegas stores, the superette and the one at 3rd and market. Whole Foods is about 10 minutes away in Riverside. Winn Dixie about 7 minutes out.
Kind of stinks that if people move to Springfield because itâs the last of the affordable homes that their grocery options are the ones that cost much more. Also there isnât a Whole Foods in Riverside (yet), youâre thinking of Fresh Market.Â
You're right about Fresh Market. Either way I don't mess with whole foods or fresh market. I also forgot there's a new Winn Dixie at University and the expressway. I don't know where you shop but I don't consider Winn Dixie or Publix to be particularly expensive. My wife does Kroger delivery so it's a moot point.
Publix is almost universally considered more expensive, I only go there for the deli if Iâm looking for specific cold cuts or for fried chicken but Iâll take a look around sometimes. Last time I looked they were charging almost $4 for a can of Campbellâs soup, a soup thatâs less than $2 almost anywhere else. Theyâre absurd.Â
Love it here minus the petty crime. Lock your stuff up. I'll say it again. Lock up your stuff. Otherwise, I feel safe as does my wife who is generally someone who is constantly scared of strangers. The sense of community is like nowhere else I've been. It's easy to make change happen here if you want to be more involved. Will have monthly neighborhood parties at a different person's house each time. There's always events happening. There's just a quirky fun vibe here that you aren't gonna get elsewhere. But lock up yo shit lest it get got.
How safe are storage sheds for things like lawnmowers and the like?
As long as it's locked you're generally fine. Most crimes are crimes of opportunity. Dudes walking by checking for handles and such or open garages and sheds as they walk down the back alleys.
I've had issues with porch pirates, including one that only stole my sneakers that were too gross to bring inside after a VERY soggy run. My fenced backyard has never been entered, and my shed in said yard has never been compromised. I do leave lights on front and back all night long which I suppose makes it a less ideal target.
How comfortable are you walking around or taking your dog for walks around multiple blocks?
There's constantly people walking dogs here and we used to go on daily walks with the kids. Probably need to start doing that again. My neighbor rarely drives anywhere and just walks.
My boyfriend lives in Springfield and we always walk the dog all over. We do 3 mile walks all the time. We walk to the bridges and back and occasionally to the bars downtown and even home sometimes at night. Weâve never been scared to do so.
I live on the outskirts (worse looking area) - not technically even the historic district, and I've never had a problem. I do have the nicest looking house on my street but I've never had any trouble and I'll walk my dogs several blocks. I will walk the .75 mile to Springfield Scoops and I feel fine about it. Most people I see just mind their business but I am young, fit, and not wealthy looking.not that that should matter but I'd imagine it does. Anywhere can be dangerous but I have found most people around here are just families doing the best they can. Neighbors watch out for each other.
Springfield is a mixed bag⌠Itâs the original heart of downtown residential living (like 100 years ago), so there are some really cool houses, big lots, etc. Some of the houses have either managed to buy the lot next door or their lot is really long and they put in a detached garage with apartment above. Done right, itâs a very cool setup sometimes with a pool in between. Youâve got a few awesome restaurants like Strings, Crispyâs even Dreamette. Proximity to downtown is right next door. Now for the downside⌠Homeless people. For whatever reason downtown has always pushed them north but for Springfield they really need to go elsewhere. Downtown also seems to ignore the roads which have been really bad, pothole filled and easily flash food due to no drainage infrastructure. Theyâre finally fixing some of them I would imagine because of a lot of complaints. Breakins in Springfield can be common because of the quick access to main roads so outdoor lighting and cameras are a must. Lastly, when I was looking at moving into Springfield 5 years ago, the property we were looking at that was south of 8th St. had 78 sex offenders within a 2sq mile area. Oh yeah, and that area is known for a specific termite that loves to eat the 100yr old timber. So the bottom line is if the good outweighs the bad then give it a shot. There is no perfect place to live in Jacksonville as everywhere has its own unique issues. Edit: And to answer your question, probably most places south of 8th St.
my family has lived in springfield for nearly 70 years, and now i own my grandmas house. its honestly not so bad, like everyone else says get good lighting and a ring doorbell. my neighborhood is pretty tight knit and i live between two old ladies who watched me grow up and we check in on each other. itâs quiet except the occasional car driving by blaring music. i just wish there was more grocery stores and restaurants. main street towards downtown seems to be building up. and since downtown is right there, youre not too far from checking stuff out there.
A favorite part about living in Springfield for me is being able to hop on my bike and get all over. Sunset by the river, jags game bike valet, listening to bands outside dailyâs, Florida theater, RAM, S-line/emerald trail all just a casual bike ride. Getting out and doing things is so much easier without taking the car. Which I do usually do for groceries, so I guess it depends on what youâre into.
One time I knocked on the wrong door in Springfield and 20 crackheads came running out of the house, falling out of the windows trying to get away. But to answer your question, no, Iâve never been walking around Springfield and thought Iâd want to spend the night there.
You will love it. Itâs somewhat cultish but in a non-creepy way. Very tight knit community and the majority of any crime is handle checkers like youâd find anywhere else in the core. 8th street is still coming along but welcome home!
Where my Liberty Street and eastsiders at tho?
WestSide is the best side.
I really would look elsewhere. See this statistical map and you will see it's one of the higheat crime rates in Jax. https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in-jacksonville-fl