Augusta, GA (West Augusta, Martinez, Grovetown) (Evans, Jackson: crime rate, how much, houses)

[Jackdudley]

Hi im moving from jacksonville florida to augusta in about 4 months. I have been to augusta before but only for a short time. I have heard that these three areas a very nice places to live. Can you tell me about these areas west augusta, martinez, and grovetown. Are these inside the city of augusta or outside the city. How far are these areas to the city if they are not located in. Are they connected to augusta or entirely diffrent cities. And which are the closes to augusta. I would like to move somewhere that is diverse, a safe community, and not that bad of a commute. Thank you so much.

Can you put in order when it comes to west augusta, martinez, grovetown.

[elisabethrn]

You should try posting on the Georgia forum rather than metro ATL.

[Yogizilla]

I realize this is an old post but those seeking similar information may find this handy. I look at it this way:

1. Martinez - Columbia county is generally considered a more diverse and wealthier county than Richmond. The schools are much better and area is much more visually pleasing. Martinez shares the Columbia-Richmond borderline (and some zip codes) with West Augusta so, generally speaking, the more you go in the direction of Evans, the more rents and property values shoot up but with good reason. Martinez has a lot of culture that most do not ever discover. Apparently, it was originaly colonized by the French waaaaaaaay "back in the days". This would be my top choice because you'd get the benefits of living in Columbia county without the exorbitant costs found in neighboring city, Evans.
2. West Augusta - I live in West Augusta and I love it. The only bad thing is that the filth from South Augusta and ghettos sometimes come to West Augusta to raise a ruckus. I haven't had problems where I'm at but neighborhoods down the street from us have reported car break-ins, late-night noise, and other bad stuff. If you move to a property with a pool, expect people that don't live there to crash and be idiots. Generally speaking, Augusta gets a bad wrap but I'm right on the border of Martinez so we have the convenience of living in Augusta with the Columbia county lifestyle. People will tell you that Augusta is one big circle and it's true but there are so many hidden treats and things to do if you really look. If you love to eat out and shop, you're definitely covered here. Pretty much anything worth checking out here is about 10-15 minutes in any given direction. South Carolina is a short drive too, which means you have access to cheap gas and cheap fixes.
3. Grovetown - I've noticed a mass takeover in Grovetown. It seems to be leaning towards becoming Little Mexico. This is not necessarily a bad thing, don't get me wrong, but many Mexicans tend to shack up in one place; thus, landlords are raising rents because Mexican collective economics makes it affordable for them. Grovetown is still relatively cheaper than the aforementioned places but you have to look around as each neighborhood can be quite distinct in it's offerings. The rural settings where there are strictly houses tend to be better, but at a price.

For the most part, all the above cities have a suburban feel so you have a mix of country/rural settings with the accessibility of the city. West Augusta is really close to downtown Augusta and there are tons of parks, restaurants, and activity centers to go to. Grovetown and Martinez are still minutes away but West Augusta is definitely in the middle of it all, which could be good or bad, depending on how much country you prefer over city life.

[nortonguy]

I used to live in Evans before moving to Richmond county. Uh? Columbia county is almost 80% white? How is that more diverse than Richmond county? And Martinez crime rate is higher than West Augusta. Somebody was shot during a home invasion in Martinez in the Ridge Crossing apts last week. Evans and West Augusta are about the same in crime. Generally speaking are three are low-crime areas..

Columbia county has a higher overall graduation rate than Richmond county.. But if you compare the top schools out of both counties.. Richmond county is going to win hands down... Davidson in Richmond county is the only school in GA to make the top 100 schools by US News.
America's Best High Schools: Gold Medal List - US News and World Report

1. Davidson-Richmond
2. AR Johnson- Richmond
3. Lakeside- Columbia
4. Westside- Richmond
5. Greenbriar-Columbia
6. ARC- Richmond
7. Evans and Cross Creek are a tie... Cross in RC and Evans in CC

Harlem, and Grovetown in CC and Josey, Laney, Glenn Hills, Butler, in RC are not highly recommended. Hephizbah in Richmond county is middle of the pack..

[nortonguy]

Richmond county has 4 AP honor schools. While Columbia county only has 2 AP honor schools.
Georgia fares quite well in AP exams and scores | Get Schooled

Richmond Academy, Westside, AR Johnson, and Davidson in Richmond County.....

Lakeside and Greenbriar in Columbia county..

[EastsideDave]

Come on guys, this thread's been dead for over 2 YEARS....

[BabyGirl 1990]

Cool! I live in Jacksonville FL and will be moving to Augusta GA soon. Other than that, see you in the big Georgia Peach!

[Yogizilla]

Sounds good BabyGirl. Yes, we noticed the thread was dead but it came up in the top search results so I figured that someone looking for pertinent information may appreciate our efforts. ;o)

Anywho, I hear what you're saying, Nort, but I was trying to be more politically correct here. The fact of the matter is that the white kids in Richmond county schools tend to get picked on a lot because of the overwhelming amount of black kids that feel the need to be overly aggressive and competitive. Not being racist but had I been forthcoming with such information, I'm sure someone would catch a wild hair and start some sort of race war. Of course, this is just my own personal experience that I am drawing from and, on that end, the stats don't mean too much to me.

It's really hit or miss. Crime can be found in pockets throughout the Augusta area. I've heard more reports of crime in West Augusta this year than I have in previous years plus we got robbed for the first time EVER (and we're originally from New York City) so that made us worry about a possible trend here.

The Magnet schools here are indeed great but even they are a bit suspect. I've known a few of the kids that go there or went there and, well, they weren't particularly smart. One kid in particular looked like an extra from a Puff Daddy video, sorry to say. I know you can't generalize like that but when your kids get along with everyone and they get scared to death when you visit certain schools, that's a bad sign.

I'm just offering my own perspective and personal experience. I never claimed to stick to the facts or not be biased (hence why I said "I look at it this way"). Personally, I got tired of the ghetto back in NYC when I went through my tough times so now I don't want to subject my family to ghetto fabulous people. I don't think I'm wrong for that.

In any case, I do love West Augusta compared to other areas I lived in around here so I would recommend it, with a few disclaimers. I'm still not too found of the school system out here, regardless of what the stats say.. so that's that.

[nortonguy]

You're starting to sound like you're trolling? There are majority white schools in Richmond county... Do black, asian, or hispanic kids get picked on in Columbia county schools then? Because of the overwhelming amount of white kids in the schools...

Your 11:41 am post ''I haven't had problems where I'm at''

Your 4:52 pm post ''I've heard more reports of crime in West Augusta this year than I have in previous years plus we got robbed for the first time EVER (and we're originally from New York City) so that made us worry about a possible trend here''.

[EastsideDave]

Give us a break norton, just because someone has differing opinions about A-RC than yours doesn't mean they're a troll...