It's Easier Here

I don't make mistakes very often, if ever, but I misheard a story about Jacksonville's new slogan as being Jacksonville Beach's. Therefore, this is going to be one of those strikethrough articles I've often seen and never written. My old words in regular font, new ones in italics, and some stuff struck through. 

I learned that Jacksonville Beach has released a new city slogan, and I think it's a little vague, so maybe we should take a look to see what it really means. "It's easier here..."

Housing
The median home price is $299,000 $150,000. That's not easy to swing for many of us, but I suppose if you have the money for a house that price, maybe life is easier for you. I've always been told that people who make more less money than me are all stressed out, but I don't really believe it. If it's true, then maybe those people need life to be a little easier where they live. Honestly, it better be easier here, since the cost of living is almost 25% higher there than in Jacksonville.

Commuting
The average commute time for those who live in Jax Beach is 23.5 22 minutes. That's partially because people who cannot afford $300,000 homes don't work at the local ice cream shop. Only 2%  1% of the people in Jacksonville Beach use mass transit, so at least they don't have to deal with that noise, but adding nearly an hour per day to your work day sucks. At least there's almost no commuting to the beach, whereas it takes me about 20 minutes to get there. So it's easier to get to the beach. And if you didn't have to work somewhere in order to afford your house, then it would be a sweet deal.

Crime
According to bestplaces.net, Jacksonville Beach has a higher crime rate than Jacksonville. I think that's got to be wrong, but here's a link. So, assuming those crime rates are legit, then it's easier here to become the victim of a crime in either Jax or Jax Beach. In fact, Duval County is basically crime-ridden, so it's easier for criminals here.

Love
Only 45% of the people in Jax Beach are married, and the average age is 42 35, so I'm thinking lots of older, swinging singles hang out at the condo rec center looking for something they missed along the way. I suppose spending your life savings through your mid-life crisis is easier at the beach, so that's probably where these singles head on weekends. Don't forget the convertible. Anyhow, something might be easier here.

Hurricanes
Personally, I would not want to ride out a hurricane in Jax Beach, even in my $300,000 $150,000 house. Maybe it's easier there because you just expect your roof to fly off and some flooding, whereas I hope to avoid these events.

The old slogan (from the website) seems to be:

ENJOY our SURF, SAND and SUNSHINE.

 I guess the new slogan applies to more than just the city beach itself. Actually, it applies to everything, which is why I'm glad I figured it out. Vague pronouns are awful, generally, and I assume it wasn't an English major who came up with the new slogan (or the last one with the missing MLA comma).

If you're wondering whether or not it's easier here, then check out my article about hidden costs in Jax. I think there are parts of life that are easier here, like not worrying about using the shopping cart returns or relaxing at dinner while the waitress ignores you. And it is pretty easy to get down to the beach.