Savannah, GA or Sarasota, FL (living, cost, state, better)
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As I work remotely doing vehicle software development, I have the option of moving anywhere in the country with my girlfriend. Our top two choices are the Sarasota Florida area and Savannah, GA (and Tybee Island for that matter).
I’ve traveled to Savannah on business twice and enjoyed my time there. I love the feel of the city, beautiful Spanish moss and had fun on the river walk. We’ve also vacationed to Sarasota twice, and enjoyed the beaches and beautiful weather. Which would you pick and which would be a better place for us?
Factors that are important to us are:
1) fairly low crime rate
2) Cost of living: Where could you get “more house” if you’re looking to buy in the $750-900K range?
3) Which area would probably have friendlier people?
4) Lower population density, lower traffic
5) Enough things to do at night, nice parks/restaurants.
6) Good hospitals, medical facilities in case we someday need it.
7) We enjoy boating and jet-skiing. Do both areas have ample places to do this?
1)fairly low crime rate
2)Cost of living: Where could you get “more house” if you’re looking to buy in the $750-900K range?
3)Which area would probably have friendlier people?
4)Lower population density, lower traffic
5)Enough things to do at night, nice parks/restaurants.
6)Good hospitals, medical facilities in case we someday need it.
7)We enjoy boating and jet-skiing. Do both areas have ample places to do this?
Thanks in advance for the help.
1) Depends on your def of "fairly" but per capita, Savannah has a fairly high crime rate overall.
2) About the same depending on neighborhood, but for that price you can get a place in either city.
3) Friendly is again a subjective term. I've been to both and neither place seemed "friendlier" than the other. Savannah (some feel) can be a little clickish, though.
4) Both are touristy - both have traffic.
5) Savannah would probably win this category pretty easily.
6) Can't comment - haven't used in either city.
7) Both are water cities - you can do any number of water related sports in each area.
SAVANNAH or TYBEE ISLAND would suit you well. For starters, it's a much YOUNGER and more VIBRANT community than Sarasota, which of course is a major retirement city. The median age in Sarasota is 41, and 25 percent of the population is 65 or older. The media age in Savannah is 32, and only 13 percent of the population is over 65. You don't say how old you are, but that might be a factor.
RE your other requirements:
1)fairly low crime rate -- Savannah's reputation for crime is much greater than reality, and violent crime and has registered a dramatic decline of late. If you choose to live on Tybee, crime there is negligible and primarily involves drunk beachgoers. Savannah's homicide rate plummets in 2010 | savannahnow.com
2)Cost of living: Where could you get “more house” if you’re looking to buy in the $750-900K range? You can buy a very nice house anywhere in Savannah for that amount, from a luxury loft downtown to a mini-mansion on the water somewhere, and possibly even on Tybee where beach front homes can still be had for around $1 million.
3)Which area would probably have friendlier people? You'd be hard pressed to find people more friendly than those on the Georgia coast. There's a laid-back, carefree, come-as-you-are attitude here that welcomes all shapes, sizes, colors, and kinds. Just be ready to tell 'em what you want to drink.
4)Lower population density, lower traffic -- Savannah wins again just by design; it's a fairly compact city downtown and due south, but the suburbs are spread out across the islands to the east and through West Chatham to the west. Outside of downtown, we've got a pretty decent network of freeways now. Plus, we don't have a lot of gray-haired grannies hogging the left lane like they do in SW Florida.
5)Enough things to do at night, nice parks/restaurants. -- You've been to Savannah so you probably have a good idea about this. But yes, Savannah nightlife / restaurants ROCK.
6)Good hospitals, medical facilities in case we someday need it. -- There are two large, very good health care systems in Savannah, Memorial University Medical Center (affiliated with the Mercer University School of Medicine) and St. Joseph's/Candler. Both have multiple locations and every specialist you could need. Memorial is the designated trauma center for Southeast Georgia and South Carolina.
7)We enjoy boating and jet-skiing. Do both areas have ample places to do this? There are numerous marinas, yacht clubs and public boat docks throughout Savannah Chatham County for this kind of stuff. If you're on Tybee, it could be right out your backdoor.
This is exactly the information I was looking for! Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. From what you describe, it definitely sounds like it could be a better fit for me than SWFL (I'm 28, btw). I never thought about Savannah until I took my first business trip to the city, but I really enjoyed my time there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Newsboy
SAVANNAH or TYBEE ISLAND would suit you well. For starters, it's a much YOUNGER and more VIBRANT community than Sarasota, which of course is a major retirement city. The median age in Sarasota is 41, and 25 percent of the population is 65 or older. The media age in Savannah is 32, and only 13 percent of the population is over 65. You don't say how old you are, but that might be a factor.
RE your other requirements:
1)fairly low crime rate -- Savannah's reputation for crime is much greater than reality, and violent crime and has registered a dramatic decline of late. If you choose to live on Tybee, crime there is negligible and primarily involves drunk beachgoers. Savannah's homicide rate plummets in 2010 | savannahnow.com
2)Cost of living: Where could you get “more house” if you’re looking to buy in the $750-900K range? You can buy a very nice house anywhere in Savannah for that amount, from a luxury loft downtown to a mini-mansion on the water somewhere, and possibly even on Tybee where beach front homes can still be had for around $1 million.
3)Which area would probably have friendlier people? You'd be hard pressed to find people more friendly than those on the Georgia coast. There's a laid-back, carefree, come-as-you-are attitude here that welcomes all shapes, sizes, colors, and kinds. Just be ready to tell 'em what you want to drink.
4)Lower population density, lower traffic -- Savannah wins again just by design; it's a fairly compact city downtown and due south, but the suburbs are spread out across the islands to the east and through West Chatham to the west. Outside of downtown, we've got a pretty decent network of freeways now. Plus, we don't have a lot of gray-haired grannies hogging the left lane like they do in SW Florida.
5)Enough things to do at night, nice parks/restaurants. -- You've been to Savannah so you probably have a good idea about this. But yes, Savannah nightlife / restaurants ROCK.
6)Good hospitals, medical facilities in case we someday need it. -- There are two large, very good health care systems in Savannah, Memorial University Medical Center (affiliated with the Mercer University School of Medicine) and St. Joseph's/Candler. Both have multiple locations and every specialist you could need. Memorial is the designated trauma center for Southeast Georgia and South Carolina.
7)We enjoy boating and jet-skiing. Do both areas have ample places to do this? There are numerous marinas, yacht clubs and public boat docks throughout Savannah Chatham County for this kind of stuff. If you're on Tybee, it could be right out your backdoor.
Thanks for the rep! Yes defintely for someone your age, Savannah really is a paradise (especially since you've already got the job thing lined up; a lot of people desire to live here but often have a hard time finding a career that supports the lifestyle). And if you are seriously able to plunk down $700,000 to $950,000 for a house, you are in the driver's seat -- particularly for properties on Tybee, which I highly recommend. You should be able to get a good deal on beach property in that price range right now, before the market starts to creep back up again. Tybee definitely has it's own unique vibe, not unlike Key West.
(I'm a long-time member here, but still unsure about the etiquette of bumping a thread this old.)
But I was comparing Savannah and Sarasota in my mind just now, for whatever reason. And I wondered if this "odd" city vs. city post was ever presented here.... so I checked, and voila!
Haven't been to either place but wish to visit both, but does anybody have any current info?
Is crime improving in Savannah? Newsboy back then said its high crime stats were somewhat exaggerated...maybe it's even better now?
Since the thread started, I think that Sarasota has become a bit more attractive for younger residents out of college and a bit beyond, at least from what I read just a few years ago. I'm 60, and yes, I do realize most younger folks frown on places with too many older folks around. But it's encouraging to me if younger folks truly are discovering Sarasota.
Does Savannah nowadays have any kind of gay scene, vibe or gay appreciation? Atlanta consistently garners great marks for lgbtq+ people, but it's a few hours' drive, right? Savannah is gay friendly, I suppose, due to the art school as well as its arts and restaurants scene? As a gay male, I'm currently not even sure if I should nowadays simply continue to use gay for my homosexual community....or the Q word ***** (seems popular with younger folks when describing themselves or others?)....or lgbt...or lgbtq.... or lgbtq+. Are many gay, bi, straight and trans nowadays often using ***** the Q word?
...
So it's okay to dig up such an ancient post?
Last edited by bostonguy1960; 06-20-2020 at 05:01 AM..
(I'm a long-time member here, but still unsure about the etiquette of bumping a thread this old.)
But I was comparing Savannah and Sarasota in my mind just now, for whatever reason. And I wondered if this "odd" city vs. city post was ever presented here.... so I checked, and voila!
Haven't been to either place but wish to visit both, but does anybody have any current info?
Is crime improving in Savannah? Newsboy back then said its high crime stats were somewhat exaggerated...maybe it's even better now?
Since the thread started, I think that Sarasota has become a bit more attractive for younger residents out of college and a bit beyond, at least from what I read just a few years ago. I'm 60, and yes, I do realize most younger folks frown on places with too many older folks around. But it's encouraging to me if younger folks truly are discovering Sarasota.
Does Savannah nowadays have any kind of gay scene, vibe or gay appreciation? Atlanta consistently garners great marks for lgbtq+ people, but it's a few hours' drive, right? Savannah is gay friendly, I suppose, due to the art school as well as its arts and restaurants scene? As a gay male, I'm currently not even sure if I should nowadays simply continue to use gay for my homosexual community....or the Q word ***** (seems popular with younger folks when describing themselves or others?)....or lgbt...or lgbtq.... or lgbtq+. Are many gay, bi, straight and trans nowadays often using ***** the Q word?
...
So it's okay to dig up such an ancient post?
Similar to most small cities in coastal Florida, Sarasota primarily caters to wealthy retirees from up North and always has. As a result, there are relatively few well-paying jobs in or within reasonable commuting distance from Sarasota County. The general dearth of professional services employment in and around Sarasota is one of the reasons why most young adults from the Gulf Coast of Florida relocate to either St. Petersburg or Tampa after college, if they choose to remain on the Gulf Coast of Florida, instead of Bradenton, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples or Sarasota. Until Sarasota diversifies and expands its economy, the average age of the local population will always be significantly older than the national average.
Unlike people in Florida, people in Georgia are more ordinary, for lack of a better term. By "ordinary," I am implying that most people who live in Georgia get up and go to work every morning. Overall, there are far fewer people in Georgia cities who are non-working and living off of income from trust funds or pensions and Social Security when compared to Florida cities, such as Naples and Sarasota, for example. Also, Georgia has significantly fewer tourists per capita than Florida. Because Georgia is a more ordinary state than Florida, small cities in Georgia such as Augusta, Columbus, Macon and Savannah, for example, typically offer more lucrative and stable employment options across most industries, relative to similarly sized cities in Florida. By the same accord, salaries and wages in Georgia are going to be more commensurate with the costs of living, regardless of whether you are living and working in a small or large city. That is the one the reasons why working-class people in Georgia are generally more content and positive than those in Florida.
1) fairly low crime rate: I don't think you'd feel bad in either, but if you are planning on living in the city, Sarasota for both by a significant number. Can't post competitor sites, but this is almost certainly true. I wouldn't let it rule out Savannah for me, though.
2) Cost of living: Where could you get “more house” if you’re looking to buy in the $750-900K range? I think honestly you could plenty in both, with that as your price range. Savannah: It could get you a 4/4 townhouse with 2600 sq ft in the historic heart, or a 5/3 with 2,100 sq ft. on Tybee Island. Sarasota it could get you 3,000 sq ft in Lakewood Ranch out near Lakewood National in the vicinity where Dick Vitale lives, a 4/3 2300 sq ft near downtown, or 2800 sq ft with a dock near Lido Key. Depends on what you want.
3) Which area would probably have friendlier people? I would say both have friendly and unfriendly people. People in Savannah are probably more open.
4) Lower population density, lower traffic: As density is concerned, I'd guess Savannah is denser in the immediate core. But Sarasota is denser further out. It is denser within the city limits as a whole (though of course, it has a smaller city limits). But, the density becomes more apparent when considering the surrounding region. Sarasota County is 50% bigger (433K vs. 290K) than Chatham County. Beyond that though... the difference is even greater, considering neighboring Manatee County has over 400K and will likely surpass Sarasota County in population within the next decade.. and then there is 1.4M person Hillsborough and 1M person Pinellas County within a 60 minute radius. Now.. for someone like me...I weigh that positively. It's a sign of a significantly sized region, and the amenities that go along with that. But... given your tastes...
5) Enough things to do at night, nice parks/restaurants. Both have a fair amount. Due to tourism, Savannah probably has more to do at night than Sarasota than Savannah... but that can be a double edged sword. Savannah is known for it's park like squares... but then Sarasota is actually nearly directly on the gulf, and also has subtropical parks and gardens, esp. the nationally renowned Selby Gardens and the Ringling Museum Grounds.
6) Good hospitals, medical facilities in case we someday need it: I would tend to say that Sarasota, because of it's proximity to Tampa Bay as a whole, would have more offerings in the region as a whole even if Sarasota and Savannah are comparable-though I'm not positive on this.
7) We enjoy boating and jet-skiing. Do both areas have ample places to do this? I think both do-but, if I were really into this sort of thing (I'm not that into it, but still), I would think Sarasota is better for it. There is a longer season to participate, and I think the intracoastal waterways and Gulf lend themselves to that a little better than Savannah's surroundings do. I could be wrong, though.
How important is weather? Sarasota's climate will be closer to true tropical than Savannah's.
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