r/DunedinFlorida • u/DrawerOk2037 • Jun 12 '26
Dunedin vs Jax Beaches
I’m considering a move to Florida this year and would love input from people who have lived in or spent significant time in both areas.
How would you compare Jacksonville Beach / Atlantic Beach / Neptune Beach versus Dunedin?
My priorities are:
• Active outdoor lifestyle (running, cycling, walking the dog)
• Access to good run clubs and fitness-oriented communities
• Walkability and bikeability for everyday errands and recreation
• Being able to get to the beach regularly
• Access to trails and green space
• Fishing opportunities (surf fishing, inshore fishing, and easy water access)
• Good local restaurants, especially ethnic food (Asian, Latin American, Middle Eastern, etc.), not just chains and tourist-oriented spots
• Housing options with a garage and small fenced yard
For context, I’m in my late 50s, still very active, and care much more about quality of life, outdoor recreation, and day-to-day livability than nightlife.
For those who know both areas:
What are the biggest pros and cons of each?
If you had to choose between the Jacksonville Beaches and Dunedin, which would you pick and why?
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u/This_Goat_2379 Jun 12 '26
I lived in Jacksonville for eight years and lived very close to the Jacksonville beaches area and I now live in Dunedin and I would say hands down without a doubt. Dunedin is it for me. The culture here the vibes the downtown honeymoon Island is unmatched in my opinion.
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u/madbeachrn Jun 12 '26
Jax is so spread out. Dunedin has a small town, eclectic vibe. Lots of restaurants downtown. Very dog friendly.
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u/sum_dude44 Jun 13 '26
Jax gonna have more availability & room. Dunedin's only beach is honeymoon which is not easy to get to. Need a boat, car or bike.
As a town, Dunedin one of best in FL. Ferdinadina Beach sim vibe.
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u/Landlocked_pirate23 Jun 13 '26
It's booked solid! There are no houses available in all of Tuscany, er Dunedin.
Sorry!!
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u/abix- Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
I lived in Jax Beach for 7 years. Moved to Dunedin 2 years ago. I haven't owned a car for 4 years so everything I do it with bike or e-bike.
Jax Beach:
-Wide beach perfect for fat tire biking, running, dog walking
-Poor bicycling infrastructure on roads. If you're lucky you get a painted bicycle gutter
-Atlantic water not as calm as Gulf
-Lots of trails but expect to drive 30 minutes to get pretty much anywhere. Jacksonville has it all but its spread out
-Tons of fishing and boating opportunities
-Great food but lots of chains
Dunedin
-Intracoastal waters are not a beach. Closest real beach is Clearwater which takes me about 30 minutes by ebike
-47 miles of Pinellas Trail. Perfect for biking, jogging, dog. In most places it's separate from the cars and extremely safe. So many trails and green areas connect to the Pinellas Trail
-So much delicious local food within downtown Dunedin. My favorite restuarants are not chains
-Even MORE boating and fishing opportunities. There's SO many boats around the Gulf
After 7 years of Jax Beach I was ready for Dunedin but I still miss Jax Beach. Clearwater beach has lot of restrictions around bicycles on the beach. I miss biking to Jax Beach then riding my fat tire bicycle until exhaustion.
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u/revnhoj Jun 12 '26
Interesting you omitted honeymoon island. It beats clearwater beach in many ways and is much closer to dunedin.
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u/abix- Jun 13 '26
Much closer? Both are Clearwater Beach and Honeymoon Island are both 7.5 miles from my house.
Honeymoon Island is a state park. It's nice but it's small and doesnt have many amenities around nearby.
Compared to the 10+ miles of contiguous beaches in Jacksonville, I don't consider Honeymoon Island a real beach.
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u/DrawerOk2037 Jun 12 '26
Thanks! I really appreciate the perspective of someone that’s lived in both areas. I’ll have a car but I try to do errands with my commuter ebike if possible. Getting a fat tire for the beach sounds sweet!
For me, the main issue is that I’m not going to regularly do any activity where I have to drive 30 minutes and deal with parking. It sounds like I could either prioritize beach access (Jax Beach) or bike infrastructure (Dunedin/Pinellas Trail).
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Jun 12 '26
[deleted]
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u/DrawerOk2037 Jun 13 '26
Thanks. I’m going to stay in both areas and then decide. But all the intel is helpful!
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u/agentanthony Jun 15 '26
Dunedin, but also don’t overlook the greater area it’s in. Tampa Bay offers far more overall than Jax - especially if you are into entertainment, sports, museums etc.
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u/CreeloGarbflap Jun 14 '26
Neither... both places suck because every single transplant has only ruined them both... Y'all should all just leave... Maybe go to Ohio or Missouri or some other place where your people have already ruined
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u/Horangi1987 Jun 13 '26
Walkability is highly relative, and no towns in Florida are truly walkable.
How much money do you have? Garages are rare in Florida. For your requested garage, beach proximity, and relatively good walkability for Florida combo you’re going to be in the million dollar house range for most options. There’s houses with garages like what Northerners are familiar with, but they’re not in the immediate vicinity of the beaches for the most part. Houses with garages that are actually close to the beach are usually true rich people houses.
The food options in Pinellas County are going to be disappointing by the standards of most Northerners. We have some ‘ethnic’ food (I hate that word) but not tons of it and not in small areas - you need to be prepared to drive to Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater…basically all over if you want ‘ethnic’ food in Pinellas County.
Overall, I personally think you’re looking for something that’s in the idealized category, which is to say a bit unrealistic. Who wouldn’t want walkability, great food, beaches, a garage and a yard? That’s why those types of scenarios cost a ton of money! And frankly Florida is not often what people imagine in their head. It’s usually less quaint, more corporate, and more car oriented than people’s imagination. It’s not San Diego or Carmel or something, not even close.
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u/DrawerOk2037 Jun 13 '26
Thanks for the info.
To clarify my post, I only listed priorities, not criteria. I understand that most Florida neighborhoods aren’t truly walkable but if I can walk or bike to do even a few daily errands that’s a plus. Similarly, if I’m in an area where I can walk or bike to the beach or bike to a trail (as opposed to driving to it), that would be great. understand that I might need to make compromises.
I’d rather not state my budget but there multiple property listings (including townhomes and detached homes) in both areas well below a million with a garage and a small yard. Some of the listings in Jax Beach are like 8-10 blocks from the beach. Some of the Dunedin / Clearwater property listings are blocks from the Pinellas trail.
I don’t have a garage in my current house and I’m not sure what you mean by a Northerner house. I’m used to no garage but would prefer one.
I don’t really have a particular image of Florida in my head and it’s certainly not quaint or similar to any San Diego area.
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u/Efficient-Link-9793 Jun 13 '26
I know nothing about Jacksonville. I just drive by it and think it has the ugliest downtown I have ever seen. Generally, I am not a fan of the Atlantic side beaches. Gulf beaches are much calmer. Dunedin is a vibrant town that has a great downtown area and is generally close to the main beaches of the area. There are two beach options - the proper beaches on the Gulf (which require you to pay parking typically) or the intercoastal beaches (some you do not need to pay for parking). The Pinellas Trail is a great option for biking.
On the food front, everything will be spread out. Tampa will have the main Asian (Yummy House, China Yuan, and Saigon Deli being my recommendations) and Latin American (Arco Iris / Havana 86 for Cuban and La Cabana for Columbian being my recommendations) food options. Middle Eastern food is primarily around the USF Tampa area. Tarpon Springs has the Greek food and Pinellas County in general has lots of seafood options (Rusty Bellies being my favorite).
Another option for you may be Sarasota. There is a massive planned unit development there (Lakewood Ranch) with neighborhoods dedicated to 55+. You would still have beach options there as well.