??? Relocating to Albany area.. need help (Atlanta, Columbus: real estate, renting, crime)

[raegone]

I am relocating to work in the Albany area & looking for a great subdivision w/ammenities and great schools to raise my family. Newer or established ones. I am considering Leesburg. Any ideas?? I've never been to Georgia, but I hear it's a gorgeous state!
Thanks, Rae

[tajohnson]

If you are moving fro CA to GA, you are in for a treat. You will be able to live like royalty here - the price of real estate is cheaper than CA. You mentioned, Leesburg - if you are truly relocating to Albany, GA, you might want to consider living in Albany - there are tons of new and established communities in the area - I would suggest that you look in Northwest Albany, Stonebrigde Country Club Community, Hidden Lakes, Doublegate Woods, and Old Doublegate Country Club area - development out Old Dawson Road - in Springhill Subdivision - then there is doublegate trace just to name a few - a new development on Gillionville Road - Wesley Hills - and plenty of others - contact a realty and ask for new and established communities in Albany, Georgia - don't let them fool you that Leesburg or Lee county is the best place to live - they are a bedroom community of Albany-Dougherty county - you will have the services, entertainment, and shopping here. Good luck to you and welcome to Albany, the goodlife city.

[mattattack25]

My advice is NOT to move there.. your kids will hate it believe me, especially coming from California... the people are RUDE, which is weird since everyone is so country... People are SLOW there and you can't ever get anything done without a hassle.... the land value is indeed low... the most expensive neighborhoods run very cheap compared to the rest of the country, and the people living in those neighborhoods are mostly stuck-up beyond belief... I cannot express how rude people are down there... I am 25, was born and raised there... all the kids from there hated it and especially the kids who moved there from up north or out west... most of the people you will see are black which is good, believe me, b/c the white people are all so stuck up or else trashed-out... there is no culture what-so-ever and most people there haven't even been out of Georgia...its a very backwards, non-progressive small town where everyone knows everyone and its all about who you know and who your family is... Lake Park school is the best Elem school... there are no good middle or high schools if you ask me.. the private school is for snobs who wish they had money and the christian schools are a total joke... oh by the way, I hope you like Southern baptists and all their judgments b/c welcome to the Bible belt... I also hope you want any kind of diversity suppressed... Lee county is full of hicks who moved there to get away from black people... I would defin. not move there

sorry if i seem so hostile about it, but when I finally moved from that horrific place, I noticed how the real world does things much better and differently.. I always heard about southern hospitality but wondered where it was... NOT in albany! I still live in the south and love it... but Southwest Georgia AKA sowega is not the place you wanna raise kids, I promise you...

[Tdiddy0027]

Yeah, Albany is a stagnant overcrown cow town that's hot and humid most of the year with not a lot to do. I would look north to metro Atlanta.

[EEO victim]

Hmmmm, ][, (()) ][, but true, saddly though, but very TRUE as stated above... RACISM, NEPOTISM and the GOOD OLE BOY system are alive and well in SW GA!!! Yankees are not really welcomed here and the southern hospitality is two-faced as a highly painted clown in a three ring circus!!! oh yeah, if you're half way intelligent, you might as well move to Alaska!!! Trust me, I know... however, I can say that the Bible Belt is a GREAT THING!!! So is GOD. Christians for the most part here are very honest and do not judge you, they just inform you that they love you but hate your SINS... So please don't listen to the negative comments you hear pertaining to the BIBLE-BELT... Hope this helps, have a great blessed day...

[weatherwatcher05]

Albany, GA...where do I begin????? I moved here around four years ago from the Midwest. This town is HORRIBLE and my husband and I have been trying to relocate out of this town for the past three years!!!!! When we first moved to the area, we weren't ready to buy a home. Wow, am I glad because if someone paid me to purchase a house here I never would. The last thing I would want to be is a seller in/around this town (including LEE county...don't let the agents fool you). The CRIME here is terrible. Every night on the local news is coverage of murders, robberies, drugs, and GANGS. This is not just in Albany either, it's in Lee county. If you have chidren, unless you can afford to send them to private school, you're going to have problems. The education systems around this area are horrible. I would never want my child to be educated at any public school down here as many of the teachers can't even speak proper English!!! Oh, and Southern Hospitality DOES NOT EXIST!!!! The people in the Albany area and surronding counties are BEYOND rude. Postive customer service is not something to expect down here because RARELY will you receive it. Also, home to some of the worst and inconsiderate drivers in the country. The worst thing for me to adjust to is the the racism. Racism and REVERSE RACISM is alive and well in this town unfortunately. I've never felt so uncomfortable as I do when I go to a grocery store, restaurant, etc. here. There's not much to do for recreation and the economy is failing at a rapid rate. Jobs are scarce especially since the area has lost two major employers in the last two years, Merck Chemical Co. and Cooper Tire. People here also do not have very positive work ethics. Largely a welfare community and very lazy and uneducated people who have no desire to hold a job let alone have a CAREER! If you want an honest opinion...RUN, RUN, RUN! My husband is from the area originally and he's the only reason why I'm still here but like I said WE are trying to relocate. He's more disgusted with the area than I am. I would never recommend moving to this area to anyone. If you're looking for more desirable areas in the southeast...try Savannah, Valdosta, Tallahassee, Augusta, or Auburn, AL.

[Katsmeeyow]

Originally Posted by raegone

I am relocating to work in the Albany area & looking for a great subdivision w/ammenities and great schools to raise my family. Newer or established ones. I am considering Leesburg. Any ideas?? I've never been to Georgia, but I hear it's a gorgeous state!
Thanks, Rae

Bless your heart - I bet you are wondering what in the heck after all of the above posts. I agree with a lot that has been said, and disagree with some. HOWEVER - YOUR POST NEEDS ANSWERING in the same nice fashion that you posted it. I just recently moved to Alabama a few months ago, before that I lived in Albany for 40+ years.

ANYHOW - If I had to move to Albany now, yes - I would be looking in the Lee County area. There are some nice places in NW Albany - most are going out towards Dawson GA - which might be a little confusing as it changes from Dougherty County (Albany) to Lee County (Leesburg) back to Dougherty County again until it changes finally into Terrell County (Dawson, Parrrot, Sasser).

The only good public schools I know of in Albany, are - IS Lake Park Elementary. After 5th grade - private or Christian schools will be a neccesity. You will be better off sending your kids to a Lee county school, unless you are planning private schools.

Your post was so sweet and upbeat, I am so very sorry that only negative posts have been your answer. Georgia is a beautiful state - and thank you kindly for saying that!

As far as buying/renting - a good indicator of "good" places is the zip code - 31707 for NW Albany, and 31763 for Leesburg/Lee County. This is just a guideline and not always indicative of a "nice/safe/great" place to live, but it is a start!

Please do a search for "Albany" and you will see some previous posts (some mine ) and maybe get a better idea!

Happy thoughts to you, and hope your move is as great as a move can be! Feel free to DM me if you want more info!

BTW - Come on folks - this is someone needing to move for a JOB TRANSFER. This is not a decision between moving either to Albany or somewhere else. This poster is moving because of a job transfer. Can we please try to be helpful and as nice as we can be?

[slowhand2009]

Originally Posted by mattattack25

My advice is NOT to move there.. your kids will hate it believe me, especially coming from California... the people are RUDE, which is weird since everyone is so country... People are SLOW there and you can't ever get anything done without a hassle.... the land value is indeed low... the most expensive neighborhoods run very cheap compared to the rest of the country, and the people living in those neighborhoods are mostly stuck-up beyond belief... I cannot express how rude people are down there... I am 25, was born and raised there... all the kids from there hated it and especially the kids who moved there from up north or out west... most of the people you will see are black which is good, believe me, b/c the white people are all so stuck up or else trashed-out... there is no culture what-so-ever and most people there haven't even been out of Georgia...its a very backwards, non-progressive small town where everyone knows everyone and its all about who you know and who your family is... Lake Park school is the best Elem school... there are no good middle or high schools if you ask me.. the private school is for snobs who wish they had money and the christian schools are a total joke... oh by the way, I hope you like Southern baptists and all their judgments b/c welcome to the Bible belt... I also hope you want any kind of diversity suppressed... Lee county is full of hicks who moved there to get away from black people... I would defin. not move there

sorry if i seem so hostile about it, but when I finally moved from that horrific place, I noticed how the real world does things much better and differently.. I always heard about southern hospitality but wondered where it was... NOT in albany! I still live in the south and love it... but Southwest Georgia AKA sowega is not the place you wanna raise kids, I promise you...

Rofl....an exact description of Columbus,Ga.

[jwk1]

From post #5 on - did y'all realize the OP was almost 3 years ago? Somehow I don't think your opinions matter much any more.

[slowhand2009]

Just exercising our freedom of speech.........