Quality of life'' is one reason mentioned by the new residents. That is a familiar reason to longtime Florida residents of all colors. One black lawyer, interviewed by The Florida Times-Union Tuesday, cited ''less traffic'' and a ''lower cost of living'' as reasons for moving. Although a number of Jacksonville residents apparently believe local traffic is a unique form of hell, everything is relative - and the attorney has lived in Southern California. His assessment of the cost of living also is accurate, based on news stories showing the cost of housing in this area remains more affordable than many others.
Housing is one of the largest components of the cost of living.
The environment and relative lack of crime also are given by black Americans as reasons for moving South. Among the benefits to Jacksonville residents from the influx are that it is growth, which provides jobs and a growing tax base, and the new black residents largely are more educated and middle-income. This creates more diverse neighborhood housing patterns. The census already has shown a substantial movement of black inner-city residents to the suburbs. Having more integrated neighborhoods increases support for neighborhood schools.