Family of 4 from PA considering a move in need of specific suggestions. Please help? (Atlanta: rentals, insurance)

[lodi]

Originally Posted by Sarahmorgan

Hi! I've spent days reading this forum, and I'm thrilled at how helpful people are! I've been researching a move to Roanoke, Va, but Georgia is on my list of states to learn more about before we move. We've visited before, and loved it! I hope the following information is helpful. Some is rather personal, but I want to be sure to include all pertinent information so hopefully someone can help me.

I'm currently living in Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia, with my husband and 2 boys aged 8 and 12. I was laid off in April 2005. The job market up here is so fierce I've been unable to find any work except minimum wage. We were forced to file bankruptcy, so our credit is shot. My husband has worked for the same company for 17 years, but it has already been heavily implied that my husband will be receiving his pink slip soon. My husband begins CDL truck driving school on July 30th. He chose the profession because it will give us the freedom to move just about anywhere in the country and still retain his job. We simply can not afford to stay here. In essence, we're being forced to start over.

We're currently living in a tiny row home in the middle of a row home development with a postage stamp sized front yard 10 minutes away from a filthy city. Traffic is horrid and it literally takes 20 minutes to drive 2 miles. My gas has been siphoned out of my van more than once. I can't sit outside on my porch because of the noise and smell of dog feces from my next door neighbors. The list goes on and on. I'm claustrophobic, I can't breath, and I want OUT!

We love the outdoors, mountains, woods, lakes, fishing, hiking, etc, and would love to live within an easy commuting distance to mountains. We're looking to rent a clean 2-3 bedroom SFH, with grass all the way around it. I'm not picky. We have 2 small dogs (pugs) and 2 cats, and we need a landlord that will allow us to keep them! Due to our bankruptcy, we're willing to pay 6 months rent up front if need be. We're good quiet respectful people. I'd like my kids to have friends nearby. We won't be able to afford more than $800.00 a month in rent. As my husband will be gone for a week at a time, I'm looking for a decently populated area that has a low crime rate. I don't mind driving to a grocery store, department store, or restaurants. I DO mind being in an area so rural we could be alone for days before seeing another person. We're just looking for a nice semi-suburban neighborhood to rebuild our lives and let my children have the childhood they deserve. Any specific area's or towns and where I could find available rental property listings would be appreciated!

I'm in a position to wait until the boys are acclimated to the area before finding a job, but I will need one eventually. I'd prefer not to have to drive an hour to get there, lol. With my husband gone so much, I will need a job with hours during daycare availability. I've been an Inventory Control Manager for a warehouse, customer service, waitress, etc... I've got excellent references, motivated, willing to learn anything, and I'm not afraid of hard work.

My boys are entering 3rd and 6th grade. My youngest has ADHD. I'll need to know my kids are in a decent school, and are willing to work with parents. Also, my oldest son may not need daycare, but my youngest child most assuredly will. I was paying $195 a week for before / after school 2 years ago. I'm hoping it's less down there!

Due to my mother's southern upbringing, it takes me about three minutes to pick up a southern drawl. I joke around all the time and tell her I'm a misplaced Ozark baby, LOL. Every time my husband and I visit the south, we feel such peace and wonder at how beautiful it is, and how different it is from the North.We've been wanting to move south for years, and there's never been a better time that screams DO IT NOW! We're ready to embrace the southern way of life. I'm desperate for my children to spend the rest of their childhood in an area that embraces the true values I hold dear, and not the ghetto mentality that is so predominant where we live now.

Any and all suggestions and comments are appreciated. Thanks so much in advance!

We are kind of in a similar situiation. We also have 2 boys ages 11 and 7. We live In NY on Long Island where it is insane to live(sost wise). I LOVE THE iSLAND BUT IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE TO LIVE HERE. I am talking $8,200 in taxes a year. That aprox. $800.00 a month just in taxes. So we are moving to Woodstock Georgia. I have investigated the school and I seem please with what Rusk (M.S.) offers as well as Sequoyah (H.S.) offers. The area seems really nice and people seem friendly. We just went into contract here and our closing date is on or about Sept. 1 to Oct 1. Looking forward to it. As a matter of fact we are driving to Georgia on Saturday to wrap things up.

[Padgett2]

Container Hauling is the big trucking thing in Savannah, which, as you know is a port city. There are always ads in the paper for drivers. Many of the truckers live in the Pooler, Port Wentworth, Garden City and Bloomingdale areas. All of these are small town with Bloomingdale and Pooler being the most into the semi-rural areas.

[Rhon]

If you are still considering Georgia you may want to consider Savannah, Macon and such mainly because you are wanting a house w/ yard for $800 or less per month. In the Atlanta and surrounding that is mostly unheard ...even south of the city is 1000 or more per month. Alpharetta usually is 1500 to 2000 per month. Good luck with your search.

[CHELSEA37]

Sarahmorgan, Good Luck With Your Move It Would Be Great If You Had A Job That Would Allow You To Tranfer To Any Where You Want

[cotton]

There are some lovely small towns in NW Georgia. Think Chickamauga. We are talking small here, crime consists of somebody running the red light. NO city taxes. Children can probably walk to school. Fort Oglethrope, Rock Springs, Lafayette - the whole area is lovely. Not far from Chattanooga, TN but far enough not to be a subburb.

[Sarahmorgan]

The thought of uprooting from everything I know and transplanting is scary and exciting at the same time. This is a HUGE change for us, but we're firm believers in making lemonade out of life's lemons.

Thank you all for your helpful posts! I'll start checking into all the places you've written about, and be sure to plan to visit!

[gamtserenity]

Sarah sounds like she needs the N.GA. mountains. I just replied to a post from another person who's moving this way from Florida. I know for a fact you can find a nice place with land even for $800.00 a month. Just get off the beaten path a few miles. If its close to 575 maybe not, but seems people don't like to drive 15 mins to reach 575!

You can access the atlanta journal online by going to AccessAtlanta.com :: Your Ticket to Atlanta Entertainment

But, look on a map at Blairsville, Blue Ridge, and then look at Mineral Bluff, Mccaysville, ect. Trade the low cost of living with the lower salaries and bingo..happiness. Just keep in mind to look off the beaten path. Sure the real estate developers have taken every inch of land near 575, but, as I said no one wants to live in the boonies 15 minutes away. (Don't tell them it's paradise!)

[gamtserenity]

Hey I didn't put all that Your ticket ect on the link to the access you know which city above!

[zebbie]

I second the suggestion for Sarah and her family to consider areas around Athens. Some of these areas around Athens are quite pretty and rural with small towns. A search on the city-data forum for "Athens" will probably yield the names of some of the small towns as I've recently read some pretty positive posts about towns around Athens, but don't remember on which thread. Living in one of these small towns might provide a safe and stable environment for raising children, but would be close to Athens. There is a lot of development going on in Athens lately, so perhaps there might be some job opportunities for Sarah in Athens, if, after settling in she decides to find employment. Living near Athens could provide access to a number of educational, cultural and other entertainment opportunities for the children as well as Sarah and her husband. Also IMHO Athens has some of THE best pizza in Georgia, at Amicis (don't know if I've spelled that correctly). For pizza lovers, Amicis is also in Madison, though -- in my opinion-the restaurant at that location seems to be going a bit downhill of late.

[atlantagreg30127]

Sarah -

An alternative is Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Chattanooga sits on the Georgia boarder, and is just under 2 hours North of downtown Atlanta. It's a smaller city but has a VERY bustling tourst industry (so lots of certain types of jobs), and it sits on the interstate so truckers get by just fine living/working there as well. They have a very nice downtown area on a riverfront park with an aquarium, children's museum, imax theater, arts district, restaurant district, and much more. Rents there are also lower than you'll find here.

If you want/need a Georgia address, then it's only about a 2 mile drive south into the actual state of Georgia and you'll still be in Chattanooga anyway. And again, you're only less than a two hour drive from Atlanta as well, so if you for some reason you DID want to come to the "Big City" for a day, it's a decent day trip - but you're also only two hours from Knoxville and Nashville as well too - making it a good location up there for several city day trips in varied directions if you want.

To me, this really sounds like what you're looking for.