Growth potential for Columbus? (Atlanta, Savannah: 2010, theater, living in)

[gagurl1]

I was reading these posts because I, too, am considering a move. I grew up in Albany and currently reside in the Orlando area. This area has lots to do, but I've found it really hard to find my niche and people I really connect with. Plus, the cost of living is crazy vs. the low wages of jobs. So I would call it a high cost of living/high quality of life type of place.

I've always thought about Columbus but chose to move to FL instead.

Albany is a friendly city with a very low cost of living, but it also has a horrible job market and nothing to do for single professionals in their late 20's. The government is always saying that they are trying to revitalize the area, but just like so much of the south, people are not used to things changing and don't support the efforts by different committees to bring new life to the city. Plus, none of the mayors (past or present) do any aggressive marketing of the city to attract high waged professional jobs. So I would term it a low cost of living/low quality of life type of place.

Anyway, TRMaoy, after reading your post, have you ever thought about North Florida, specifically Tallahassee? Tallahassee probably has about the same population and for it to be Florida, it's very hilly like Columbus. It's right on the Florida/GA line so it still has that southern feel unlike other areas of Fl. There are a lot of govt jobs since it is the capital. It gets some winds from hurricanes, but never a direct hit since it's not on the coast (is in the panhandle). The great thing to me when I lived there is that I still felt like I was in GA, but I still could find things to do. It is a college town, so you do have to deal w/the students, but having two major universities (FSU and FAMU-I heard you ask about frats and sororities) really makes the quality of life better. More educated people, more diversity. The universities also provided me with things to do(FAMU has a good theatre program and the shows are great on a Sat. afternoon for cheap entertainment. Then there's FAMU homecoming. Sometimes they had free concerts at FAMU and FSU with well known artists. Also, they have jazz bands and such that also give concerts.) There are some really good local restaurants that are really cheap (Sahara is my favorite for Meditarranean food). Monticello is this historic town about 20 m. away that has beautiful historic houses and great antique shops and really friendly people. There's an art museum and science museum, and a small zoo. They also have some decent festivals like Springtime Tallahassee, Caribbean festival, and Unity in the Community. Plus, they have arts in the park on Saturdays. Shopping is decent-2 malls with most of the major stores-B.R., Ann Taylor, Macy's, etc- and all the discount chains like Ross, Marshall's, TJ Maxx. The city is pretty navigatable and easy to find your way around. Crime is low (at least when i lived there in 02-03). Public schools seem to be good. Never heard any complaints from co-workers who had kids. If you're looking for a closeby area that has cheaper housing, Crawfordville was an area some people moved to.

Even though GA has a lower cost of living and lower property taxes, it has state income taxes and CRAZY ad velorem taxes on vehicle registration. I pay $28 a year (since I bought it) for my car registration in FL. My mom has the same type/year car as mine (2003 Toyota) and pays over $100 a yr for registration. Florida property taxes are higher, but you have no state income taxes and lower car taxes so I guess it evens out in the end.

[trmaoy]

Originally Posted by gagurl1

I was reading these posts because I, too, am considering a move. I grew up in Albany and currently reside in the Orlando area. This area has lots to do, but I've found it really hard to find my niche and people I really connect with. Plus, the cost of living is crazy vs. the low wages of jobs. So I would call it a high cost of living/high quality of life type of place.

Actually, my best friend moved to Orlando earlier this year and she feels the same way you do about meeting people, but she still likes it there. I have never really considered living in Florida. For a lot of reasons I've been primarily focusing on NC and GA, and much of it is driven by where I see job prospects. But I have learned to keep an open mind.

[DisgustaTruth]

If Job prospects is the main factor for you deciding where to live then I think NC is probably your best bet... esp the Raleigh-Durham area and Charlotte.

[needachange4mom]

how can i post my own question? I cant find anywhere on this website to ask my own question, only to reply to others.... its so frustratingggg

[ATLCOL1]

Columbus has the best growth potential among Georgia's second tier cities. It is home to many major corporations like Aflac, TSYS, Synovus, Carmike Cinemas, Char-Broil, etc. The city is also home to Fort Benning, one of the largest military installations in the world. Fort Benning is the home of the infantry, ranger, and soon to be the home for the armor division from Fort Knox. Approximately 33,000-45,000 new people will be moving to the city by 2011 due to BRAC.

Kia is locating its first U.S. plant in suburban West Point. This is creating 2,500 jobs. Also, major suppliers for the plant will bring in another 3,000 jobs. Aflac is expanding its campus in East Columbus that will create 2,000 new jobs. Retail growth is extremely strong, especially on the northside of the city. The city is pulling away quickly from GA's other second tier cities. Columbus has excellent leadership.

Columbus is a great city for anyone. It has excellent venues/recreation that can rival most cities in the south.

[ATLCOL1]

The grand opening of the new Fort Benning Post Exchange is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday at the new facility located directly across the street from the current PX on Marne Road.

The new store is more than double the size of the old mall with more than 247,000 square feet of floor space, making it the third largest PX in the world.

[danmandr]

Columbus is great city to live in. I actually live in Smiths Station which is about 20 minutes from downtown Columbus, Ga. The inner city traffic is great. The shopping is great considering a city of this size. Two of our newest shopping centers- The Landings, and Columbus Park Crossing have new stores opening up constantly. The crime rate is low, the people are always friendly. Downtown does not even resemble its once faded self. This is the area to watch for new developments. Columbus has an airport as well. The only complaint to that is the city needs to try and attract more airlines because currently there is only one airline with one connection to Atlanta. But with that aside Columbus is a city on the move that has not forgotten where it came from. Lastly, Columbus will see tremendous growth within 2 years when over 30,000 people trickle in and around the city.

[hblue]

If your considering moving to Columbus, GA you should consider Harris County to the North or Pheonix City, AL to the West. Columbus has a property tax freeze which means any who has been living there before the year you moved in will pay significantly less property tax than you will. As to Population, the 200,000 that is touted is because the city and county incorporated into one, meaning the 200,000 is for the entire county not just the city. Although it is not that big of a city you get the feell that is from the traffic being congested. As noted in a previous post a big plus in Columbus, GA is the racial deversity although the majority of town remains racial divided between it's north and south side. The Columbus Park Crossing Stirp Mall on the North Side is the largest Mall and has the largest variety of restaurants. There is very little in way of shops and restaurants on the South Side of town and there is more crime on the South Side. The Historic Springer Regional Theater downtown Columbus always puts on outstounding shows and offers acting classes for kids. There are also several great restaurants <local not chain> in the Downtown area.

[hblue]

Columbus is only 90 minutes away from Atlanta. If your considering moving to Columbus, GA you should consider Harris County to the North or Pheonix City, AL to the West. Columbus has a property tax freeze which means any who has been living there before the year you moved in will pay significantly less property tax than you will. As to Population, the 200,000 that is touted is because the city and county incorporated into one, meaning the 200,000 is for the entire county not just the city. Although it is not that big of a city you get the feell that is from the traffic being congested. As noted in a previous post a big plus in Columbus, GA is the racial deversity although the majority of town remains racial divided between it's north and south side. The Columbus Park Crossing Stirp Mall on the North Side is the largest Mall and has the largest variety of restaurants. There is very little in way of shops and restaurants on the South Side of town and there is more crime on the South Side. The Historic Springer Regional Theater downtown Columbus always puts on outstounding shows and offers acting classes for kids. There are also several great restaurants <local not chain> in the Downtown area.

[JLA]

hblue, because we have a consolidated government that means the whole county is Columbus city limit. It is like that at all locations that have a consolidated government (Jacksonville, FL; Athens and Augusta). Even if the city and county were not consolidated the vast majority of the population would be in the city, because the far reaches of the county are sparsely populated. By the way, how do you divide the city into north and south? What reference do you use? If you use Macon Road as the dividing line, then you will find out that there are quite a number of Hispanics, Caucasians, African Americans and Asians on both sides of the Macon Road. By the way, Muscogee county is not the only county in GA that has a Tax Freeze, I believe there are others and some of them are in the Atlanta metro area. Tax freezes are nice if you have a large industrial base, but if you do not, then it's not a good idea. For example, Harris county does not have a tax freeze, because it has no industrial base, so to pay for the services in the county, the county tax you heavily. It is strictly a bedroom county. To my knowledge I do not think Lee and Russel county do either, they both have a good size industrial base, but not nearly as large as Columbus. One other thing, I prefer sales tax to an outrageous property taxes; because everyone pays for basic services not just the home owners.