Augusta, GA (Martinez, Evans, Martin: for sale, apartment, rental)

[ladybugaca]

I was wondering what areas around Augusta are good. I know that North Augusta and Aiken are decent....I want to find a decent area for private rental in augusta, GA though.

[SaraSatin]

Are you looking for something to rent or an area to purchase a property to rent out? Also, do you only want inside Augusta or are you open to the areas around it?

[DisgustaTruth]

Aiken, SC is very nice actually... Augusta on the other hand is not.. visit first.

[turtleonarock]

It depends on if you have kids or not. If not, I would look for something in the hill area. There are often some cute cottages around there. If you have kids, I would not put them in public school in Richmond County. Period.

[DisgustaTruth]

The Hill is the "one" nice area of Augusta. BUt even be careful where you live on The Hill.. there are some bad slums that are just a few blocks away from some of the nicer homes on The Hill. Last time I was in Augusta recently.. I saw so many homes for sale on The Hill.. it was like everyone was trying to get out .. so you might be able to grab a deal.. but it should say something when that many people are moving out of an area. The schools in Augusta simply suck... if you cannot afford private school or lucky enough to get your kids in JOhn S Davidson Magnet School.. do not even think about moving into Richmond County (it should be considered a form of child abuse).
Columbia County.. which is a suburban area on the west side of Augusta has much better schools.. North Augusta and Aiken are good.. but avoid "The Valley" area (its a very poor area that is a string of former mill towns).. As far as Augusta goes... stay on the westside..that's the golden rule... North Augusta is actually all in South Carolina.. Avoid the East and Southside (slums and run down subdivisions). It is very important to choose the right neighborhood in the Augusta area.. because the crime is VERY high. The downtown area looks like a little Detroit.. they are trying to clean it up a little.. but it's a tall order to fill and doubt it can ever be turned around.. especially considering Augusta's government is very corrupt and incompetent.

[turtleonarock]

I lived in the Augusta area for 14 years and just moved from there a little over a month ago and only because of a job transfer. Over the past 14 years, I lived in Augusta first- over near Doctors Hospital in an apartment, then bought a house in Evans, then eventually bought a house in North Augusta. Of all three areas- although I was initially very unsure about the move- North Augusta was by far my favorite place to live. I have kids, so when they were old enough to go to school, I had to go with what was best for them and that is why I left Augusta. It seems to me that the majority of the city of Augusta/Richmond County is simply not suitable for raising children. There are a couple factors that make it a difficult and uncomfortable place to live.
1. the schools in Richmond County have been run into the ground by the old leader, who is not there anymore- but the damage has been done. They could not even get the uniform policy to stick and had to drop it after a short time because the schools couldn't enforce it.
2. the city 'leaders' are more interested in fighting over hard drives, race tracks and racial issues than actually doing anything to lead the city.

That being said, I still say that if you don't have children, you can make a nice life for yourself in Augusta. The other area that would be a fun place for a childless person to live is downtown. There are renovations galore of old buildings, like Enterprise Mill for example. If you have the cash to live in someplace like that or on the Hill, then Augusta can still work. Broad Street is a fun place to hang out on the weekend, whether you have kids or not.

[cotton]

All comments are pretty true about Augusta and surrounding areas. I would not have a child in Richmond County and not too sure I would want to live there. Crime - think daily, shootings, stabbings, rapes, break-in, etc.

The Hill area is lovely, although it just depends - like someone mentioned, there are some areas that are not quite so desirable. I believe the reason so many homes are for sale is that the people who live there are elderly and are down-sizing. (or going to nursing homes.)

Columbia County, in Georgia, is a good place. Evans and Martinez are both nice areas. Schools are good. The population has increased but the crime rate has gone down, which says a lot for the sheriff's dept. As for crime - think - weekly, shop-lifting.

[DisgustaTruth]

YOu also have to consider what type of job you are looking for. Augusta doesn't have a very vibrant economy... few fortune 500 companies are located there ( I don't think Augusta has any Natl corporate headquarters).
Most of Augusta's economy is based on medical jobs, military jobs, and factory jobs. YOu will be hard pressed to find IT or other Hi tech related jobs in the Augusta area.. but if you are a nurse or working in the healthcare field.. you should have an easier time getting a job in the Augusta area.
The Augusta area has consistently ranked behind the national and state averages in job growth (especially in high paying professional jobs)... The economic boom of the 1990s, especially in hi tech jobs.. went unnoticed in the Augusta area. YOu will find a lot of abandoned retail space all around Augusta.. especially in the downtown and on the Southside of the city.
The Westside has seen a lot of new growth, especially in Columbia COunty.. but it seems to be a zero sum gain... For every new strip mall or restaurant in Columbia County.. you have one being boarded up elsewhere in Augusta.. so its more of a shift than actual new growth. Overall the local economy is very stagnant. It hasn't suffered catastrophic losses as can be found in one industry towns.. but it has not seen a lot of growth in professional jobs (outside of healthcare).. Most of the new jobs tend to be at call centers and low level service jobs in retail and restaurants. For this reason though.... Augusta has one of the lowest cost of living in the country.

[Deniska]

Evans is an excellent option. North Augusta has a nice place to rent, Willow Wick Apts. I would not move to Augusta, if I had to I would move to Columbia County.

[BucFan]

Originally Posted by turtleonarock

It depends on if you have kids or not. If not, I would look for something in the hill area. There are often some cute cottages around there. If you have kids, I would not put them in public school in Richmond County. Period.

Where exactly is the "hill area"? I've lived in Augusta off and on for several years and never heard of this. Is it N Augusta? Clark's Hill?

Thanks-