Leaving Duuuval
Fabrizio Gowdy | April 8th, 2020 | Features
Unlike neighborhood schools, Stanton College Preparatory School is a magnet high school, drawing students from all across Jacksonville’s 875 square miles. Cut in half by the snaking waterways of the St. Johns River, sun-soaked Jacksonville is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. From the rural Westside, to the historic Urban Core, and the rapidly developing suburbs on the Southside, the vast “Bold New City of the South” can feel like several different cities in one.
With the exception of the Beaches and Baldwin, which maintained partial autonomy, the city and county governments merged after Duval County residents voted in favor of consolidation in a 1968 referendum. This unusual setting has caused Stanton students to develop polarized opinions; some love Jacksonville and its unique attributes, while others feel the city has nothing to offer and cannot wait to leave.
“It is amazing that the biggest city in the continental U.S. has nothing to do anywhere,” said sophomore Jack Hernandez.
This attitude is common at Stanton, where many students feel Jacksonville lacks attractions and destinations. Unlike nearby Savannah, Ga. and Charleston S.C., which have vibrant downtowns that serve as the city core, Jacksonville’s inner city is notoriously underdeveloped.
With just 5,200 inhabitants and few destinations, Downtown Jacksonville’s struggles are punctuated by an abundance of vacant buildings, such as the towering Berkman Plaza II high-rise, an unfinished building that has occupied riverfront property and been emblematic of the city’s struggles since construction was permanently halted in 2007.
According to Lori Boyer, CEO of Jacksonville’s Downtown Investment Authority, the historic central business district was once a bustling area home to large department stores until the 1970s. She attributes its demise to the rise of suburban outlet malls like the St. Johns Town Center.
“The rise of suburban shopping centers started with the Regency Square Mall and Orange Park Mall, and you saw the death of the Downtown department stores,” said Mrs. Boyer.
Nestled in the heart of Jacksonville’s sprawling suburbia, the Town Center has what modern Downtown Jacksonville lacks as an easily walkable, flourishing business locale with 170 commercial establishments, from restaurants and clothing outlets to tech stores.
“It is a central location and has plenty of food and shopping options so everyone can find their niche,” said 2019 Stanton graduate Caitlin Weigert.
Stanton students widely see the Town Center as more appealing than Downtown. A February 2020 Devil’s Advocate poll of 357 Stanton students found 91 percent spend time with friends at the Town Center more often than they do Downtown. Only 37 percent had been Downtown in the past month.
“Downtown is gross,” said senior Maria Dyro. “Our downtown isn’t like other cities, where there are cool coffee shops and places to go. It’s lame.”
This preference for the Town Center could be explained by the fact that the average Stanton student is more likely than the average Jacksonville resident to live on the Southside, where the Town Center is located. In a February 2020 Devil’s Advocate survey, 45 percent of students reported living on the Southside, whereas only 28 percent of Jacksonville residents are Southsiders, according to United States Census Bureau data.
Stanton’s population is especially skewed toward four zip codes on the far Southside that have seen some of the most extensive suburban sprawl in the past decade. Living in these distant suburbs, far from the city’s center, can make it difficult for students to interact with the Urban Core, creating the impression that Jacksonville is entirely suburbanized and boring.
“I don’t like how everything is far away,” said junior Antonio Duford, who eventually wishes to live in a more urban city. “If I want to go somewhere, it’s a 30-minute drive.”
Long commutes are a reality for residents of Jacksonville, one of the most car-dependent metropolitan areas in the country according to Walk Score, a walkability index for American cities. Walk Score routinely ranks Jacksonville as one of the least pedestrian-friendly cities in America, and in 2011, gave it the dubious honor of being America’s least walkable city.
“When I lived in Cincinnati, I could easily walk places. Jacksonville is very spread out, so it’s hard to get where you’re going,” said senior Aidan Mitchell, who hopes to eventually live in New York, N.Y.
Despite the issues caused by consolidation, there are plenty of Stanton students who are fond of their hometown and have no intention of leaving. These students embrace Jacksonville’s character and cozy, southern atmosphere.
“I love this city,” said sophomore and lifelong Jacksonville resident Collin Davis. “It has the feel of a small big town. It’s the largest city in the country, and yet it feels like a small town.”
Jacksonville’s extensive water access is among its most commonly cited positive attributes, with its spacious beaches being favorite of locals and tourists alike.
“Having a coastline provides us with a great place to cool down during the hot Florida summers,” said junior Henry Hunter. “If I was living without a beach, I would definitely miss it.”
In addition to Duval County’s 15 miles of coastline, inland Jacksonville boasts 116 square miles of water, an area larger than the city of Tampa, Fla. The St. Johns River accounts for much of this area and provides residents with recreational opportunities and pleasant scenery.
“My friends and I were always near the water. We would go to the beach, pools, and spend time on the river,” said 2013 Stanton graduate and Jacksonville native Leslie Gray. “One of our favorite restaurants was on Goodby’s Creek, and we’d eat with a view of the river.”
Unlike Jacksonville natives, students who have lived in other cities have experiences that provide a useful comparison. Home to two military bases and thousands of military families, Jacksonville has many students who have had to move frequently as a result of their parents’ military service.
Corbin Gustafson attended Stanton last year as a freshman and currently lives on a United States Navy base near Naples, Italy. Gustafson has lived in Illinois, Virginia, Louisiana, Guam, and Iceland due to his parents’ involvement with the Navy.
“I have lived on three continents and in four different countries, and I would still choose to move back to Jacksonville any day,” said Gustafson. “It has all the things you would want in a big city, but is spread out enough that it feels like home.”
Like Gustafson, sophomore Gavin Grady has a father in the Navy and has lived in Virginia, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Hawaii. While he eventually wishes to move back to Virginia, he points to the Jacksonville Jaguars as a bright spot for the city.
“Jacksonville is the only city I’ve lived in with an NFL team,” said Grady.
The fact that Jacksonville has a National Football League franchise is somewhat of a miracle. When the league unexpectedly awarded the city a team in 1993, Jacksonville became the second smallest NFL city in terms of population. Despite its recent lack of success, the team remains a point of pride for Stanton students; spirit weeks frequently feature a “Duval Day,” where students are encouraged to wear their Jags gear.
“Without the Jags Jacksonville would be nothing,” said freshman Gabe Stanley. “They represent a fighting spirit and motivate me to work hard.”
The stadium district where the Jaguars play and the broader Urban Core area could soon see upgrades as the city attempts to rejuvenate the area. Jaguars’ owner Shahid Khan has helped set in motion plans to tear down the Hart Bridge Expressway to make way for an entertainment district near TIAA Bank Field. The Jacksonville Landing and old City Hall Annex building have already been demolished as city leaders try to draw businesses downtown.
“We are working on a food and beverage enhancement incentive package that we will make available to people who want to convert older vacant buildings into establishments that would serve residents and create on-street vibrancy,” says Mrs. Boyer, who says there has been an encouraging surge in Downtown residents recently.
In the meantime, Stanton students seeking to escape the blandness and artificiality of the suburbs prefer visiting Riverside, San Marco, and Springfield. With small businesses, historic landmarks, riverfront views, and public parks, these “trendy” neighborhoods offer a more “organic” alternative to generic suburban shopping malls.
Stanton class of 1999 graduate Bill Hoff, who resides in Springfield, believes suburbanites are deprived of certain experiences that come with living in the Urban Core.
“There are not a lot of unique experiences in the suburbs. There’s not a lot of history, it’s not walkable, and there are not a lot of opportunities to organically form a community,” said Hoff. “If you grow up on that side of town, then your perception of the city is going to be skewed.”
In time, students looking for a fun place to hang out on weekends will soon become alumni looking for jobs. Everyone will have to decide if they want to leave Jacksonville or stay and pursue a career here. A few Stanton alumni note the lack of job opportunities within the city.
Stanton alumni Wilhem Willie, a senior at the University of Southern California who is set to move to San Francisco, Ca., says a career as a technologist in Jacksonville is unfeasible.
“I’m pursuing a career in software engineering and am drawn to technology entrepreneurship,” said Willie. “Jacksonville has almost zero opportunities for that. All of the money, job opportunities, and career growth is centered in big cities.”
For other industries, however, Jacksonville teems with potential. Home to the third largest port in Florida and three railroad companies including CSX, Jacksonville is a major transportation hub. The financial services industry is particularly prominent, with Fidelity National Information Services and Vystar Credit Union headquartered in Jacksonville. The city’s hospitals, including Wolfson Children’s Hospital and Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, provide opportunities for aspiring doctors and nurses.
“As a registered nurse, there are many options for inpatient and outpatient nursing as I grow my career,” said Mrs. Gray, who returned to Jacksonville after attending the University of Florida. “My husband was also eager to move here because he recognized that there were ample opportunities for him in the finance world.”
When launching a career, a city's affordability can also be important. Jacksonville is a relatively inexpensive city to live in, with the median home price being just $180,000. This improves the standard of living for recent college graduates, who tend to have lower incomes.
“Having stayed in such an affordable city has brought tangible benefits,” said 2007 Stanton graduate Blair Brown. “I was able to buy a condo at the beach at age 24 and a house in San Marco at age 29, which likely would not have been possible in a city with a higher cost of living.”
Alex Morgante, a Class of 2013 Stanton graduate who recently moved to Charlotte, N.C., has some advice for students currently weighing their options.
“You are capable of living and thriving wherever you want to be,” said Ms. Morgante. “Your friends and family will still be your friends and your family if you don’t see them every week. Go where you want to go.”
For those with strong opinions on the city, the decision will be an easy one; for others, it will involve much deliberation. It is a choice that is driven by more profound considerations than the potentially shallow factors that seem important while in high school. Affordability and career options often shape the decision. For some, Jacksonville simply does not provide adequate opportunities, while for others, Jacksonville is and always will be home.