Where should I live near Athens, GA? (Atlanta, Lilburn: best neighborhood, rentals)

[mharvey59]

Hello! I am new here to the forum. I am retired military currently living in my hometown, Biloxi, MS. My husband is from GA and, now that I am done traveling for the military, he wants to move back to his state, GA. He has family in the Jackson and Athens area. I believe he is about to accept a driving job out of Elberton so, we could really live anywhere.

I think we would like to live near Athens. I would like to find a nice home with a nice yard not to close to neighbors, safe neighborhood, and not to far a drive for groceries and shopping. I would love to hear your suggestions! Thank you!

Mary Harvey

[ellie]

Elberton is a very pleasant little town. If you're retired, you might find your money goes further there. I've recently gotten to know a handful of different people who live there who are interesting, articulate, and a joy to be around. None of them seem to be bored or boring.

While I enjoy Athens, it has gotten to seem much like any other modern southern city if you're not right in the middle of town -- except for huge crowds on football weekends. Since your husband has family there, I'd rely on them for local info.

IMO, you should seriously consider living in Elberton, though. It's sort of neat.

[hunterseat]

Athens is on the Forbes list of best places to retire! Nice!! Best wishes and thanks for your service! Keesler seems like gravy duty. You probably didn't spend all your time there. I was 20yrs Air Guard out of Memphis. My son just moved from Biloxi.

Anyway, we lived in the Atlanta area, Lilburn for a year and a half. We really enjoyed our time there. The trees, the granite, the history... I hope you enjoy it!

[mharvey59]

Thank you Ellie. I appreciate the information. Sounds like a nice place. Mary

[mharvey59]

Thank you for the response hunterseat. No, I did not spend all my time here. I lived all over the US and deployed three times in support of GWOT. Thank you for your service also. Serving for twenty years was my greatest honor.

Athens sounds nice also. It is nice not to be in a hurry to decide where to live.

[mharvey59]

Hello friends! Well, my husband did accept a job in Elberton, Ga. Recently, he visited Lake Hartwell and really enjoyed that area. I have been looking at the rentals in Lake Hartwell, Elberton, and the surrounding towns.

I am still in Biloxi, MS so my search is completely online. Of all the times that I moved with the military, this is a very different move. I have no military friends there to ask for advice. I appreciate this forum, keep the suggestions coming!

Thank you!

[sedimenjerry]

We have a place on Hartwell up near I 85. Lake Hartwell and the city of Hartwell seem to be busier than Elberton and that area. Lake Russell has very limited development allowed on it whereas Lake Hartwell is a major destination (though it's nicely less busy than Lake Lanier). Summertime especially brings plenty of people to Hartwell (city) and Hart County. Something to keep in mind. Maybe you want more peaceful and go with Elberton (though compared to Atlanta, it's all peaceful). Maybe you want to make the lake a priority and go with Hartwell. Also, depending on where on Lake Lanier or in Hartwell, you can be less than half an hour to the Anderson area. We go there every once in awhile for more specialized stuff that we can't get in Hartwell or Lavonia. There's an actual mall and every store that's found in a decently large suburban area.

Best of luck on your search. I love that area of NE Georgia.

[deadsavannahian]

Athens is an amazing town for music, cheap cost of living, and youthful energy. It's a very small town, and rent is cheap in the city. The best neighborhood is normaltown, next to the health science campus, IMO. Unfortunately, everything around Athens represents all the horrible stereotypes about the South

[mharvey59]

Thank you for the information everyone. Should be listing our house in the next week or two. We have decided to rent for now. We still have not decided where. Options include Athens, Elberton, Jackson, Locust Grove, McDonough, and Hartwell.

Sedimenjerry, I did look around the lakes. There is a wonderful community being built on Lake Lanier, but we decided not to buy for now. I would love to be closer to the mountains and hiking trails, that will come in the future I am sure.

Deadsavannahian, as someone from MS, I am sad to hear the statement, "horrible stereotypes about the South". As someone who has traveled extensively, things are not always as they seem.

[juliehaley]

Unless you just want to live in Athens where there are more options for dining out, seeing shows, shopping, etc - I say Hartwell is the best option!

Lake Hartwell covers 56,000 acres of land with 962 miles of shoreline and 202 feet at it's deepest point. It is 35% larger than Lake Lanier, while also being a lot less crowded! Prices are reasonable for both on and off lake properties. You can have docks, improved paths to the docks, underbrush and delimb trees for better views, perfectly deep enough for water sports, etc. There are even several amazing state parks around the lake with hiking trails.

Lake Russell is absolutely beautiful and would be great for the hiking and being close to nature. But Lake Russell has not been developed as much as Lake Hartwell because Lake Russell is managed as a pristine, nature lake. On Lake Russell, the Corps of Engineers does not allow docks, land owners cannot underbrush or create pathways anywhere in a minimum 300 foot protected area from the shoreline. The lake itself is fairly shallow, and they left the trees as they stood when creating the lake in order to encourage nice fish and osprey nesting areas. So skiing / motor boating / etc is not highly recommended on Lake Russell either.

That makes the 2 lakes completely different. If you want a quiet, out in the middle of nature, kind of location - Elberton / Lake Russell. If you want a nice city with a 56,000 acre water play ground in your back yard, and a nice house in a subdivision - Hartwell / Lake Hartwell!

And, I apologize in advance to those of you who love Lake Lanier . . . last time I was there was nearly 20 years ago, in the middle of a week day, and I almost was run over by at least 2 boats while waiting for the driver of my boat to come pick me and my skiis up. It was too crowded even back then. Yes, there is plenty to do and eat around that lake. But, unless you are just the type who want to be smack dap in the middle of the action 24 / 7, I cannot imagine how anyone could enjoy Lanier nearly as much as Lake Hartwell!