by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Jacksonville’s Riverside/Avondale neighborhood was named one of the “Best Places to Retire” recently by Money Magazine. The award doesn’t surprise some of the people familiar with the neighborhood, though.
“I’m not surprised,” said Cassie Norris, broker/owner of Prudential Network Realty’s Avondale/Ortega office. “I expect an increase in the retirement community.”
The article focused on retirement in big cities and spotlighted a neighborhood in the country’s largest metro areas.
“I think it’s the quality of life in the area,” said Wade Griffin, a Realtor with LIfestyles Realtors Riverside/Avondale office. “It has a very pedestrian-friendly feel to it.”
Griffin believes that retirees make up 20-25 percent of the clientele that comes to office.
Long-time resident and community activist Bonnie Grissett said that she wasn’t aware of the retirement living statistics for the area but that Riverside/Avondale appeal to all ages.
“It’s such a beautiful setting,” said Grisset, executive director of the Riverside Avondale Preservation Society. “The parks, the museums, the architecture... all just give the area its charm.”
Sally Suslak, vice president of Atkinson Realty Group and a Riverside/Avondale resident since 1975, agreed and noted that the area has a diverse age group.
“It (age diversity and amenities) make it a real neighborhood,” she said.
The Money article also listed off pros and cons of the neighborhood. Pros included the weather, eclectic shopping and river views while the cons included little public transportation, traffic and limited real estate and rentals.
While Grissett and Realtors agreed with the pros of the area, they didn’t all see eye-to-eye with the listed cons of the area.
“I don’t think that the traffic is a problem,” said Norris. “It’s actually pretty convenient and it’s a short commute to downtown.”
Griffin believed the traffic “con” should have been listed as a “pro.”
“I think the traffic is one of the main reasons why people like the area,” he said. “There isn’t a main artery that attracts a lot of traffic.”
The perceived lack of real estate in the article is another issue that is being addressed but some believe the problem is non-existent.
“I think that’s totally wrong unless they’re referring to single family homes,” said Grissett. “There are plenty of condominiums and complexes available and more are being built.”
Griffin said he’d like to see more being built while Norris said that more new construction projects that involve flats and condominiums that might attract retirees are in the works.
Norris did opine that one of the cons listed, public transportation, was a problem. Suslak stated that public transportation was lacking but not as much of a problem due to residents proximity to local restraints and shopping.
“In this area, people can walk anywhere,” said Suslak. “Restraints are shopping are within a mile in most places and for older people it could be their only form of exercise.”
Riverside/Avondale was the only neighborhood in Florida on the list. It listed at No. 19 of 35 on the list; neighborhoods in New York, Chicago and San Diego rounded out the top.