Looking at moving to warner robins (Atlanta, Macon: houses, middle school, college)

[jeannern]

We currently live in Puyallup, Wa (South Puget Sound). My husband will be retiring next Dec. and were wondering about the life around warner robins. We have 2 boys (10 & 11). We are looking for something not as fast as here (rapid expansion with no sense of community), not as expensive as here (high taxes, high cost of living). Some place where our kids can grow up and learn that starbucks is not a food group! Just kidding. We like being outdoors and are active golfers, tennis, baseball etc. Any info would be appreciated.

[geog-fanatic]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

I grew up in Warner Robins, and I continue to frequent the area to visit relatives. I think you will certainly find that life in WR is much more laid back than the Seattle/Tacoma area. It is a mid-sized city with a strong military presence and a pretty good economy. It is growing, but probably not near the frantic pace of your current location. There truly is a strong sense of community there, and the schools in Houston county are the best in the central GA area. Warner Robins is a primarily conservative area, so family values play a big role. I'm not sure how that will factor into your decision, since many of the people I have met from Washington tend to lean toward liberal. I know that the cost of living will be a significant difference in your favor if you decide to relocate. Housing is very affordable, especially compared to the high costs in the Pacific NW. I'm not certain about the property taxes, though, but I think they are reasonable for most of GA.

If you have never lived in the Southeast before, one of the things you may want to consider include the temperature variations. Warner Robins can get very hot and extremely humid, which does limit outdoor activities during the height of summer. On the other hand, there are many sunny days, and the temps stay warm enough through most of the winter season to still have fun outdoors. Snow is rare - You may see 1 or 2 inches every 2 to 3 years.
The landscape will also appear very different - kind of flat with only small hilly sections. It is at least a 150 mile drive to get to the mountains or the ocean. Otherwise, it is a great area. You should have no problems finding places for golfing, tennis, or baseball.

Good luck with your decision

[jeannern]

geog-fanatic,
Thanks for the info. Our family likes it when it is warm and not rainy!

[deja-zebbie]

jeannerne,

IMHO Warner Robbins is experiencing a LOT of growth. The strip malls do offer a lot of restaurant and shopping choices that are generally not found in smaller towns. While Warner Robins does have a lot of pluses--I find it to be a REAL car oriented town, though this might not be a drawback for you.

If you are looking for traditional community life and minimal growth then I suggest that you consider some of the small towns that are not too from the Macon or Warner Robbins areas.

Geogfantastic mentions that the schools in Houston county are among the best in Georgia. That's a great achievement and I imagine that good schools could be a major reason for locating in that area.

In smaller towns and counties there is often one school of each type (one elementary, one middle school, etc.) for the entire COUNTY. The advantage of one school for each COUNTY is that the kids from the county all go through school together and know each other. I've been told by some of the faculty of our local college that a number of their local students come into classes knowing each other -- which CAN be a plus for retention and success. The disadvantage can be that schools might not be on a par with those of Houston county. There are always the options of extra tutoring and such in a smaller town.
Also if you really like a particular area but really aren't thrilled with the schools, there are generally a number of private schools around. I can't imagine that such schools are as expensive as in other parts of the country as the people -->I know<-- who have children in private schools are of modest means.

Anyway, as far as where to locate, I think it mainly depends on the TYPE of lifestyle you're looking for. If you can envision what you want your life to be like, then I think that would help in deciding where to locate.

BTW, we moved to Georgia from a major metro area in the west a few years ago and are very, very pleased with our decision. We selected a smaller, rural area with a pretty stable community and little development, though that might not be your style.

We had lived through years of MAJOR development in our former home town and watched as community life vanished and our citrus and commercial flower growing area turned into nothing but housing developments.

I don't mean to suggest that I'm against growth or influx of people into an area but I'm more in favor of planned growth.

Wishing you all the best on your upcoming move,

zebbie

[jeannern]

Zebbie,
Thanks for the info. Could you name some of the smaller areas? We picked Warner because my husband wants to be about an hour from a base. We are kind of laid back people. We like to do things, but we like a more rural feel. I understand about the growth issue. We went from a beautiful pine forest out our bedroom window to 600+ homes in a couple of years.
Thanks again,
Jeanne

[deja-zebbie]

jeannern,

If you like a rural feel, then maybe it would be a wise investment to check out some of the smaller towns and their rural outskirts while checking out Warner Robbins.

While my husband and I travel around Georgia a LOT, I can only speak to the areas near where I live (below). However, there are people on this list who, I feel, would be happy to discuss smaller towns, if you re-post asking for small towns and rural areas within 1 hour of Warner Robbins, or something similar.

Before I mention the areas near us, I do want to tell you that Warner Robbins has a really nice avaiation museum on the base and that they should be about finished with a new building. Also I don't know if this would interest you, but as you mentioned children, I thought I'd toss this out: in Williamson (small town) there is a little restaurant where small (and often vintage) planes fly in...they also have "fly-ins" for special events. It's kind of fun to watch men and women fly their small planes in, chat in the restaurant, etc. The planes are VERY close to the restaurant and you can walk up to look at them.

As for your move, in terms of geography, if you stay above the fall line then you will find more rolling hills rather than flat land. I feel fairly certain that Warner Robbins is below the fall line. I think Macon is right at the fall line. Also, if you stay above the gnat line (and I don't know if this is consistent with the fall line) then you will have fewer gnats and other flying insects.

The piedmont areas that are around where we liveare Lamar county, Zebulon (in Pike county), Forsyth (in Monroe county) and the area from Forsyth to the -->NORTH<--side of Macon. That is, through Bollingbroke to North Macon.

Zebulon: small town, close to Griffin for shopping, GREAT bookstore (A Novel Experience), good farmers market (in season). Few stores for daily needs, but as mentioned close to Griffin for general shopping needs. There is a real effort being made for downtown redevelopment by restoring the handfull of historic buildings on the town square around the courthouse. I do know that some people from nearer to Atlanta have recently relocated to Zebulon because it's more rural. We go to Zebulon OFTEN, but that's about all I know about the town. There are nice rural areas between Lamar county and Zebulon. If you think you'd be interested I feel certain that people on the list could give you more information.

Lamar County: County seat is BARNESVILLE, a small town with three historic districts in town and one (Johnstonville) outside the downtown, state college (historic college just starting four year degrees), a large number of historic homes. Two grocery stores and several drug stores as well as other businesses in Barnesville. Some of the folks in Zebulon do their shopping in Barnesville. You'd have to check housing prices in these places but I do know that in Barnesville it's possible to get a two story restored historic home on 1/2 acre in town for $225,00 or less. I do know that a lot of medical folks who work in other counties live in Barnesville and also that several of the retired Delta pilots have made it their home.
Johnstonville -- historic district -->part of Barnesville, but on the outskirts of town. Community oriented. They have pot luck community dinners in their historic clubhouse. VERY RURAL. Very nice and friendly folks. Unusually full of butterflies in the summer (when the climate is right). A number of people in Johnstonville raise a horses.

Area between Barnesville and Milner (on the Old Milner Road)...older (but not necessarily historic homes), a lot with large lots. By large lots I mean some have pecan groves in their front "yards". Some folks in this area raise horses, some ducks, etc. Milner is a town, but really a small area with tiny bank a few shops and a restaurant. There is also a well known private school there, which I think is called St. George's (Episcopal, but seems to have kids from all religions) that serves the entire area, not just Milner.

Forsyth (Monroe county) has a nice town square, but part of the town is sprawl on the interstate. The area towards Bollingbroke and through to North Macon is nice. My understanding -->from this list<--- that the highschool kids on that side of Forsyth (towards Macon) go to high school in north Macon.

A lot of people in Milner, Barnesville, etc. do their big time shopping in NORTH Macon or Mcdonough.

BTW, I would not suggest Griffin or Thomaston. Griffin has a very nice residential section near the downtown, but I understand (from this list) that gangs are a problem. Thomaston IMHO does not seem TO ME (and others of various races I've spoken with) to have a harmonious feel to it.

BTW, if you're planning a trip to Georgia, Madison is a fun town to visit. You can check it out on-line. If you do go to Madison, good restaurant Town 220 (for lunch or dinner) or The Ice House (for dinner).

If you end up in Macon at dinnertime, the Fish and Pig is kind of fun as it's right on the lake there. VERY informal place and it's fun to feed the fish (as the restaurant deck hangs over the lake) and the ducks and geese.

All the best..and let me know if you have any other questions about the areas I mentioned.

zebbie

Again, others on this list would have suggestions for other small towns and rural areas within an hour of Warner Robbins. We've been through these areas over and over, but I don't know much about them,.

If you're looking for lots of subdivisions to chose from, then the areas above are not the place for you...though I'm sure that there are some. If you're looking for older homes, large lots (including some forested) or historic homes in towns, then you might consider those towns and areas above.

It terms of lifestyle, if a lot of land, pines and hardwoods and perhaps your OWN pond (what I'd call a small lake) where you can have your own dock, trout in the winter and other fish in the summer, then you might find these areas interesting. I don't know about Zebulon or Forsyth, but I know in Lamar that there are a lot of springs, even some of the houses in town have springs.

A lot of people around our area have a few head of cattle or a horse or two, some are active in raising cattle or horses. Goats are very common as well (they are pets for kids and I think also used to keep grass trimmed). Of course in towns non-domestic animals aren't generally allowed. Though I know that in some of the towns if you have a large lot people aren't too picky about a goat or a few chickens.

These areas might look drab to you in the winter, though there are pines. Spring, Summer and Fall are the prettiest.

[johndoeboy]

Warner Robins is its own metro, but its basically a suburb of macon. I know it has a air force base, and a little mall

[PotterGeek]

You might consider Byron, which is between Macon and Warner Robins...it is convenient to both...