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Thanks! Good idea with the GPS. So where are the schools better? Columbus or Alabama side? Phenix? Are there any tax advantages to living in Alabama and working in Georgia?
Thanks! Good idea with the GPS. So where are the schools better? Columbus or Alabama side? Phenix? Are there any tax advantages to living in Alabama and working in Georgia?
Property taxes are lower in Lee and Russel Counties, AL. Harris and Muscogee counties, GA have higher taxes. The schools are good in Lee, Muscogee and Harris Counties. In Columbus the schools generally are better north of Buena Vista Road. In Lee county the schools are better in Auburn. The only advantage I can think of for living in AL apart from the taxes; if you wish to attend Auburn University you do not have to pay out of state tuition. There is one negative to living in AL and working in GA. The state of AL, which has lower taxes seems to come up short, what seems like every year on tax revenue, hence it starts to cut services, such as state troopers and state run colleges, universities and schools. Georgia on the other hand have that state ran gambling thing called the lottery, which pays for college tuition and books for state colleges, universities and trade schools.
lol According to that "Douglas"..."Moultrie" and "Waynesboro" are "less safe" than Macon.
Can you honestly say you feel less safe in those cities than Macon ....(see I'm not an unrealistic homer like most on this site..I'm admitting that I think Macon is less safe than those towns)
I mean you just have to apply real life here.....aside from athens the other 2nd tier cities are more alike than different.
Macon, Augusta, Savannah,Columbus, Albany = same amount of ghetto, dangerous
if you dont believe me...go to the "hood" in Columbus and tell them "Hey, you're not so tough, you're crime index is lower than Macon's" and see what happens....
If DT Columbus has more things to get into and looks better than DT Macon to you then thats your opinion...lol but I know its delusional to talk about how "dangerous" DT Macon is and how
nice DT Columbus. Veterans Dr. is a mess once you get downtown.....they are equally dangerous.
You act like you see unicorns trotting down golden streets in Columbus and that Macon looks likes a scene from "Resident Evil" video game. It's overboard on both ends, I've lived in both.
No argument just facts...
The discussion is about Columbus and not its relation to other cities.
You say it is booming and unfortunately you cannot grasp the fact that the city has been in decline for several years.
This includes the years when the economy was in your words and SELIG booming.
Population growth from 2000-2008 was less than 6000 people....lol
Case closed.....
Wrong yet again. I am convinced....you don't even live in Columbus.....case closed Matlock. BTW, have you seen the latest unemployment figures. Of course, I give a credible source unlike some people.....
Here are the unemployment rates in February for Georgia’s metro areas:
Thanks! Good idea with the GPS. So where are the schools better? Columbus or Alabama side? Phenix? Are there any tax advantages to living in Alabama and working in Georgia?
As for schools, Columbus has excellent private schools. For public schools, North Columbus and Harris County have the best public schools. For taxes, Harris County and Alabama are probably a little better.
One disadvantage to living in AL and having your children attend school in AL instead of GA would be the Hope Scholarship. Graduating seniors with a high grade point average get a lot of their college paid for by the lottery. Not an option if they graduate from an AL high school.
We have just moved to Columbus from ATL.
I, for the most part, stay out of these discussions because of what they turn into.
The only advantage I can think of for living in AL apart from the taxes; if you wish to attend Auburn University you do not have to pay out of state tuition. There is one negative to living in AL and working in GA.
Well actually if you live in Muscogee county you don't have to pay out of state tuition at Auburn and CVCC. I want to say that the same is true for Harris county but don't quote me.
Well actually if you live in Muscogee county you don't have to pay out of state tuition at Auburn and CVCC. I want to say that the same is true for Harris county but don't quote me.
I know CVCC offer in state tuition for adjacent GA counties and if Auburn is doing the same thing that would be great. That was the reason why I attended Auburn a while ago. It was cheaper to attend Auburn than to attend GA Tech, although I was a GA resident.
One disadvantage to living in AL and having your children attend school in AL instead of GA would be the Hope Scholarship. Graduating seniors with a high grade point average get a lot of their college paid for by the lottery. Not an option if they graduate from an AL high school.
We have just moved to Columbus from ATL.
I, for the most part, stay out of these discussions because of what they turn into.
That's good to know. Thanks! Both of my kids are in the Talent Development Program here which is the elementary level for honors courses. I want to make sure they receive a top notch education wherever we live.
That's good to know. Thanks! Both of my kids are in the Talent Development Program here which is the elementary level for honors courses. I want to make sure they receive a top notch education wherever we live.
Hoosier,
This article paints a good picture of what's to come for Columbus.
Quote:
There are no swarms of U.S. Armor School tanks yet growling their way across the red-clay terrain at Fort Benning.
And the Kia plant in nearby West Point, Ga., has yet to crank up assembly of a single engine or chassis, let alone a complete automobile.
But the Columbus area is slowly and surely drawing closer to the point when both projects should help generate a “high-octane” economic recovery locally — one that should mean plenty of jobs for residents and boost the financial outlook for business people.
“We know BRAC and Kia are coming, so that does provide some sort of a confidence factor that’s lacking in much of the state and nation,” said Jeff Humphreys, an economist at the University of Georgia and director of the Selig Center for Economic Growth.
The Base Realignment and Closure expansion at Fort Benning is currently projected to add about 11,400 soldier and civilian jobs to the local market.
The 2.4 million-square-foot Kia plant and a collection of auto parts suppliers nestled around it will chip in nearly 10,000 more jobs. The factories are projected to open by the end of this year.
“You know you’ve got thousands of jobs coming your way,” Humphreys said. “Just be a little patient. You just have to hold on a little longer. That does a lot for confidence, I think. It softens the downturn.”
Combining military schools
The massive BRAC project, mandated by Congress in 2005, is a key driver for Columbus proper.Though the full-scale move by the U.S. Army Armor Center and School from Fort Knox, Ky., to Fort Benning is still more than a year away, the employment picture is already taking shape.
By March 9, Fort Knox workers considering a move here to join what will be called the U.S. Army Maneuver Center for Excellence will return surveys indicating which way they are leaning.
“Historically, you have about 20 percent of the work force that will make the move,” said Fort Knox spokesman Ryan Brus. “Those who do decide to make the move will be receiving a job offer.”
Those offers will be sent out May 20, Brus said, with the Kentucky civilian workers having until June 19 to make a final decision. At the same time, U.S. Army Infantry Center and School employees will be making the same decision: Do they want to transfer to a position at the Maneuver Center?
The Armor and Infantry schools are combining operations to form the center. “Everybody is going to be treated equally,” said Blanche Robinson, Fort Benning’s director of civilian personnel. “Everyone who raises their hand to say, ‘I volunteer for a position,’ are guaranteed a job at their current or equivalent pay grade. In other words, no one’s supposed to lose money out of this.”
If the traditional percentages hold true on the number of people making the move from Fort Knox, more than 500 of the estimated 800 civilian jobs that will be available at the new training center on Fort Benning will be up for grabs locally.
“It’s definitely going to be a healthy job market,” said Jay Brown, manager of the BRAC project taking place at Fort Benning.
“The Civilian Personnel Office at Fort Benning, the gaining installation, is the one that will have to put the announcement out to fill all of those vacancies,” he said.
Robinson said an official Army timeline calls for recruitment of open positions to begin in July 2010. But she also expects some jobs to be advertised before then. She doesn’t yet know when.
Construction boom
Those Maneuver Center jobs are only the tip of what will be a major expansion at a post that has long been known as the “Home of the Infantry.”
Under the BRAC process, Congress shifted military units and operations around. There were big winners and losers, with Fort Benning essentially hitting the jackpot.
Work began on the Maneuver Center in 2006, with massive construction projects now under way on training grounds and barracks. So far, $1 billion has been spent, with nearly $1 billion more in construction contracts expected to be awarded this fall.
“Right now the only construction workers on Fort Benning that are not working are the ones that don’t want to,” said Brown, noting some of the construction sites have as many as 450 workers on them during any given day.
It is estimated there could be as many as 1,500 people laboring daily on post later this year to complete barracks, classrooms, ranges, office buildings, housing and roadways.
The mission is to have the Maneuver Center up and running on all cylinders by September 2011, though additional construction will continue on post through 2016. Altogether, $3.5 billion in construction projects will be completed by then.
Increased support jobs
While the Maneuver Center and construction jobs are getting much of the attention, plenty of support work will also be available on post, Robinson said.
“We have to support that increase in personnel,” she said. “There’s going to be some growth at the hospital. There’s going to be some growth in the garrison. All of those activities out here supporting soldiers — bowling centers, the on-post hotel, child-care centers, the PX, the commissary — are going to have some growth as those people begin to transition to this area.”
And despite skepticism in the community that BRAC is going to be a major economic force, Gary Jones said it is, indeed, on the way and will have an overwhelming impact on the employment front.
“I think it’s difficult for people to visualize the growth because they can’t see it,” said Jones, senior vice president of economic development and military affairs at the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce. “The growth is going on inside Fort Benning right now.”
That will change in time as the uniformed soldiers, civilian government workers and contractors associated with the Maneuver Center begin to show up.
Current numbers indicate that of the 11,400 jobs being created on post, 4,700 will be soldiers, nearly 1,900 government civilians and 4,800 contract employees.That does not include nearly 17,000 more spouses and children of those payroll employees, for a total population increase of about 28,000 people.
“As a general rule, the on-post housing inventory is for Fort Benning’s missions today,” said Brown, pointing out that key personnel assigned to the Armor School will receive housing on the installation. “But in aggregate all of that growth coming in will have to be housed by the off-post community.”
Residential housing, schools and medical facilities all are part of the equation when preparing for the wave of people coming to Columbus over the next 30 months, he said.
The timeline calls for soldiers and civilians to begin moving here in March 2010, about a year away. The pace will be deliberate, with the largest movement expected to begin in March 2011.
“It will be about a 16- to 18-month process,” said Brus at Fort Knox. “It’s probably going to be more of a trickling-in effect, and that’s by design. That way all of the missions can still be performed on time and to standard. There basically can’t be any degradation in training as we make this move.”
Other factors
The Fort Benning employment numbers won’t be the only impact on the metro area, which includes Columbus, Phenix City and Harris County.
The added population will bring new businesses to the area, everything from restaurants and retail stores to plumbers and dry cleaners.
A regional growth management study is under way to determine the potential economic impact on the area, Jones said. The study, expected to be completed in April, will provide a 20-year outlook for cities and counties in the surrounding area.
“I think it’s going to show that the impact is going to be measured in the hundreds of millions,” said Jones, who believes this area is pushing toward becoming an “economic oasis” in a sea of recession.
He points to estimates by the Selig Center for Economic Development, which indicate that spinoff support business from BRAC and Kia could generate as many as 4,000 jobs locally.
Selig Center economist Humphreys said he sees Columbus recovering from the current recession in a “high octane fuel” kind of way.
The city will suffer with the rest of the state and nation over the next year or so. But then as soldiers and civilian workers begin to materialize, the economy will take off and likely become a magnet for job seekers.
“I think you’re definitely going to import talent from across the state and region,” Humphrey said.
“People from Columbus for decades have been coming into Atlanta,” he said. “I expect that we’ll see the reverse with the Kia jobs and to some extent with the expansion of the defense industry in Columbus.”
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Hope Scholarship
