Augusta (Atlanta, Columbus, Savannah: condos, credit, house)

[JLA]

Richmond county, I'm afraid you misunderstood what was written. The difference in the city population of Columbus and Augusta is about 500 at this point in time. Because Columbus is not experiencing any negative growth in the city and Augusta is, Columbus will over take Augusta within a year. Also, there about 30,000 people heading for the Columbus area within the next 2 - 3 years. It is projected that about 20,000 of those people will actually live within the city limits of Columbus. One other note, in the Columbus area there are two metro areas side by side and two micros (Columbus/Phenix City/Fort Benning, Auburn/Opelika, La Grange/Troupe County GA and Tuskegee/Macon County AL . As far as I know, for statistical purposes they will all be lumped together as one Combined MSA, which would put the population near 600,000. Which makes sense, because all of these communities are linked by jobs, medical and social activities. Until Augusta find a way to stop the white flight it will continue to decrease in population and that will not stop until you get some high tech industry to come in. One of the problems that plague Augusta right now is that you guys do not have a large university as a pool of talent, Atlanta and Columbus do. The consolidation has done nothing to help Augusta, it only made it possible for Augusta to be the second large city for a short period of time, that's all.

[richmond county]

what negative growth in augusta are you talking about, richmond county added ppl in 06. Its construction going on downtown right now for the 2 10ft condos, library, whites building. Augusta Mall is expanding right now, along with new hotels everywhere in richmond county. The forum, the costco shopping center, the riverwatch lifestyle center, will be in augusta city limits. Columbus nightlife & activites is not close to augusta we have border bash, first friday, arts in the hearts, boat races, tour de georgia, etc & this is only richmond county. Augusta population is 210,000 columbus population is alot less than 500 columbus does not have 209,5o0. Augusta is 51% black 49% white. Richmond county added over 600 ppl last year. JLA WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, ALL your statemets are wrong. Augusta State just as big columbuus state if not bigger. Augusta mall has coach, p.f. changs, stores that your mall doesnt, it is alot better than columbus mall. Plus we are getting 2 lifestyle centers by 2009. Columbus doesnt has a major interstate like augusta has with I-20 & 520. JLA please come to augusta before you say these things. Its not even close trying to compare augustga to a columbus. Augusta could add burke, washington, lincolton, mccormick, wilkes, jefferson, warrenton, counties. CSRA has a population over million people.

[richmond county]

wow getting jobs on ft. benning a military base islolated from columbus. Augusta added 2000 jobs in two months with only 2 companies. What is columbus going to get besides population. Those aren't high paying jobs at all. You tried to put columbus in a sentece with atlanta. Im sorry i have been to columbus but the traffic, the downtown was ghost, your tall buildings are even downtown with aflac, Augusta tall building are downtown which can connect with the medical district in the future. You have no interstate, JLA nothing against columbu s i wish the best for it. But you were give false satements about augusta which im sorry is own its way to become a major city. Augusta is getting a spaghetti junction over 200 million what is columbus getting in transportion that can match that, & that only 1 project with walton way overpass going on right now along with this one 1 mile from each other.

[richmond county]

How can you tallest building in the city not be downtown, the traffic in augusta is alot more. Also columbus is alot slower than augusta.

[JLA]

I have been to Augusta, several times. The building projects are catchup projects, things that should have been done in the past. Columbus was forward thinking, the interstate that comes here is already three laned and it has been that way for years. Columbus added over 2,000 people in 2006. Our library has already been expanded and there are several branches throughout the city and in other counties. Loft apartments and condos are located Downtown and have been there for years, with more being finished as we speak, they have been sold and were sold before they we build. The plan is for more to be built very soon. Columbus State University has a Downtown campus with students living in dorms, which are located downtown. By the way, Auburn University (24,000 students) is just 30 minutes away, that is one of the resources I am talking about, it is a major research institution. Columbus State University has about 8,000 students and growing. Your assessment of Fort Benning is incorrect. The Base Realignment Commission will be bringing more than 5,000 civilian jobs along with the troops, there for they will benefit the general economy. KIA is bringing 2,500 jobs and one other manufacturer is bringing 600 jobs, these are high tech high paying jobs, not some call center. FedEx is expanding its Distribution Center and adding high paying jobs as I write. Buffalo Rock is expanding and adding jobs. AFLAC and Total Systems is always looking for computer programmers and computer scientists. Precision Components, Inc. is expanding and adding high paying high tech jobs. I am glad that you guys got the call center, I believe it will benefit your economy well. My statistics are from the FBI and the Census Bureau, check them out. As for the lack of tall buildings, that is by design, the city would like to maintain its Mayberry persona, but I don't know how long that will last because we are running out of residential and industrial land. Don't misunderstand me Metro Augusta is growing, but Augusta, according to the statistics I have seen indicates that the city of Augusta is going backwards. I do not frequent bars, but that River Center for the Performing Arts is amazing and the acoustics are outstanding. Springer Opera House is not bad either. The Civic Center is lovely and I must admit Downtown Columbus is great, I hear the vacancy rate is almost zero. Come visit some day and stay for a while, park your car Downtown, go to dinner enjoy the Space Science Center, a play or some music and spend the night at one of the hotels or Bed & Breakfasts, all within walking distance in safe Downtown Columbus. Come see how we get things done with little or no fussing or fighting at our consolidated government, then you will realize why we are so progressive, we left the 60's and 70's a long time ago come join us. There might be a lot of people over there, but then again there are a lot of people in China also.

[turtleonarock]

Hi Laura, If you were to move to North Augusta, you'd have a very short commute to MCG, as it is just across the Savannah River. Also, you could consider living downtown in Augusta if you don't have kids. There is a great Saturday morning market downtown that has produce and much more, there is also a traditional farmers market in Augusta that is so-so.

One of the things that is nice about North Augusta is the Greenway, which is a paved biking/walking path along the Savannah River. Our family enjoyed many bike trips along there when we lived in NA. I don't know of anywhere that you'd hike though. Maybe someone else can help with that one. I am not sure about the air quality either. I think there have been minor issues now and then with it and with a paper plant in south Augusta, sometimes there is a funky smell, but not often.

I think that the Augusta area as a whole is a great place. There are always going to be negative posts about every city and certainly every city has problems. I wouldn't chose to live in Richmond County, but there are some areas of it that are OK. I've lived in Augusta, Evans and North Augusta and I personally found NA to be the best fit for my family and I know some residents at MCG who also live in NA. The drive to MCG is a lot shorter than living out in Columbia County. Hope that helps!

[lulupalooza]

Disgusta sucks you need to move,LOL

Ok- here's my take as a Realtor and a life long Augusta girl. ( I grew up in Martinez and know this place like the back of my hand.) Richmond County is alright if you stick to West Augusta for the better neighborhoods/schools) or Summerville area if you want to be close to downtown and MCG. Then there is Columbia county (Martinez/Evans) There are a lot of medical and military here. I would say that is the majority and what keeps this city going and those who work at SRS.

There is a farmers market in downtown Augusta and there is one that is now in Evans, GA on certain Saturdays. The Kroger/Publix supermarkets carry a pretty good variety of fresh/organic fruits and veggies. As well as the Fresh Market in Augusta.

I would say Augusta is growing like a weed! I remember when Washington, Columbia, Belair and many other roads were just 2 lanes! Evans was the sticks. Now to get out to the sticks you have to go to Lincolonton or Washington GA!

[richmond county]

JLA i understand you like columbus, but if we look at both cities in whole. Its not even close, Augusta is a metro area already. You keep saying the city of augusta is going backwards, THATS FALSE. Im going to name a couple of projects for the city of augusta. Condos, whites building, augusta mall, riverwatch mall, the forum, costco shopping center, the west augusta walmart & target becoming supercenters, i-20 is widening right now today & widening its already three lanes, 520 widening right now & its already three lanes, i-20/520 spaghetti junction, all in richmond county. Sorry to burst your bubble, but if augusta city is going backwards, what is columbus city doing. Lets compare augusta mall to columbus mall, our mall has coach, banana republic, p.f. changs, coach, white house black market, & this is only some of the stores. Augusta mall is going under a mulit million dollar expansion as we speak. Im sorry but your interstate is not I-20 THE MOST TRAVELED INTERSTATE BETWEEN ATL & COLUMBIA WITH AUGUSTA BEING IN THE MIDDLE. Even ppl i know say augusta is faster than savannh, macon , & columbus. Ppl say columbus is even slower than macon

[JLA]

I know people who have moved from Augusta to Columbus who say Columbus is much more progressive. There are large number of us who can care less about club hoping (although I hear Columbus has quite a few of them). We have enough malls and strip malls, but shopping is just a small part of the equation. There are other tangibles that need to be included in the equation, such as schools, medical, government, social activities (youths and adults), and recreation to name a few. Just because you are widening some highways, because you all let them go lagging is no indication that you are progressive. What happened to your Golf Hall of Fame Museum and Botanical Gardens, are they completed yet? Our natural history museum has been completed for years and the last I heard it is the second largest in the state, with the largest being in Atlanta, naturally. The Infantry Museum is on schedule to be completed soon (we did not have any money problems). It will be completed on time, because we have a local government that is not fighting each other and is not split along racial lines. There is enough civic pride amongst the employers and population here to donate money to get the job done. Here is a list of some of the projects that have been completed since I moved here, The River Club, Columbus State University Downtown Campus, The River Center for the Performing Arts, The River Walk, The Chattahoochee Valley Library, The Civic Center, South Commons, The Confederate Naval Museum and the renovation of the Three Arts Theater. Projects in the works include the Infantry Museum, expansion of the Confederate Navel Museum and numerous Downtown projects. I would love for you guys to get some things completed in Augusta. We also have several more shopping centers that are in the process of being built, but who cares. We were already considered a major shopping meca for the area, with people coming from as far away as Montgomery and Atlanta to shop here. Unfortunately, Augusta is the butt of many jokes in the state of GA, because there is so much fighting amongst the members of your local government. Augusta could become a nice progressive city some day, but currently it is having a difficult time finding itself and throwing up more shopping centers is not going to fix the local government.

[richmond county]

JLA, SO NOW AUGUSGTA IS THE ONLY CITY WITH SOME RACE PROBLEMS. You being from ga the old south do you really think i believe that. Atlanta has self segregating all over its city, & its supposed to be used a a model for ga. i BET RIGHT NOW I CAN FIND WHITE NEIGHBOORHOODS, WHITE SCHOOLS, WHITE CHURCHES, THAT HAVE NO BLACKS IN THEM IN YOUR CITY. i CAN SAME THE SAME THING ABOUT BLACKS WITH NO WHITES. White ppl in columbus dont call black males thugs or gangsters. Black ppl dont call white male conservatives racist, JLA THIS GA COME ON NOW LETS NO FOOL OUR SELF. GA STILL HAS SEPERATED DANCES & PROMS, & YEARBOOKS TO THIS DAY. jUST DONT TRY TO ACT LIKE AUGUSTA HAS MORE RACE ISSUES, THAN
columbus. When ppl talk about south columbus what do they usually say