5 best and 5 worst places to live in GA? (Atlanta, Macon: houses, crime)

[DisgustaTruth]

Ah come on.. Washington, DC has cleaned up quite a bit over the years. I would say that Augusta is more reminiscent of areas I have seen in Detroit.

[jake from lawrenceville]

Stunned about the man having guns pulled on him in Thomaston. I almost moved there because of the Mayberry appeal.

[thedudewiththeplan]

Yeah, and the new concealed weapons laws are only going to make things worse

[irishvanguard]

Sooooo, how many felons do you know that will bother to apply for a license to carry a gun? Certainly they are the only ones concealing them now. I do not see a return to the Wild West, as some would have you believe.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by irishvanguard

Sooooo, how many felons do you know that will bother to apply for a license to carry a gun? Certainly they are the only ones concealing them now. I do not see a return to the Wild West, as some would have you believe.

It's never about the criminals, but rather in my mind it's about keeping guns out of the hands of those with marginal judgment who may technically be "law abiding" and can qualify to own and carry, but aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer.

The right to own a gun has been confirmed by the court, but so has the ability of the state to enforce reasonable restrictions. What I see as totally reasonable is the requirement for training, both initially and on a continuing basis. We require those who drive a car to be trained and licensed, and we revoke that license when used incorrectly, but we don't seem to hold owning a deadly weapon to the same standard. Doesn't seem logical or reasonable.

[thedudewiththeplan]

I agree with neil0311, and adding places that serve alcohol to the mix is just asking for trouble. "Oh, lets allow people to bring their guns into a place that has alcohol, thats smart!"

[msfitzga]

You are right on target about the natural beauty of GA in the rural areas. I have lived in Moultrie, GA for about the last four years having moved their from Naples, FL. While you can't beat proximity to the ocean, Naples exploded in the ten years we were there destroying much of the ambience of a small beach town. People down there are stressed to the max and it shows up worst on the roads. I once had lunch at a place overlooking a busy shopping area and witnessed three (!) major accidents before paying my check (certainly not entertaining but terribly compelling viewing).

Then Moultrie. I live on five acres with a duck pond in my front yard. There's five acres of field at least between me and all my neighbors. I can wait for hours at a time to see a truck pass and even car traffic is virtually undetectable from inside my home. I pass green pasturage (all with multiple ponds), vast tracts of planted fields (field of dreams could have been filmed in about a hundred places around here), and lots of historic homes (we passed on a fixer-upper on the historic register but someone else has done a fantastic job of recreating the old southern plantation home).

There's always a downside to every issue and economics is surely a consideration here. Do you want a lot of material pleasure? Skip the small towns pretty much anywhere. A smaller job market, fewer educational options, and mass market (Walmart) rather than cute little boutiques are the product of a certain size population. This is why so many big box stores ask their customers for their zip codes. When Publix finds the critical number of near town shoppers in a store, they race to buy up land options before anyone else can get in.

So... how to compare? Land is land. CT is the poster child for over-development. The cancer of aging infrastructure with not a scrap of land to turn to for elbow room makes it a loser in the coming years. Everyone considering a move should think carefully how the Baby Boomers are going to affect land values. This January first, 2009, the leading edge of this wopper demographic is going to retire. The curve of retirees will swing wildly upward for a while (at least five as far as I can see) before returning to steady growth.

The Boomers are a maddening lot (and I'm a Boomer). Very contradictory... lots of consumer power and arrogance but lots of compassion and varied interests. Small, southern towns with lovely, cheap land will find mass numbers of them turning everything topsy-turvy. Hobby farms are a growth industry (free range chickens, alpacas, etc.) and vanity business (arts, antiques, consumer coops, specialty shops, and so forth). Change will happen fast enough to catch most of the market flatfooted on real estate.

Many people don't realize that the previous generations' paradise of ocean-viewing Florida living is just not as attractive to the Boomers who don't ever want to grow up. Can you imagine us wanting to be standing in line for the Early Bird Special? We aren't going to underwrite the cost of living where hurricanes can wipe a city off the face of the Earth.

But waterfront living will always play big even if it's just a big pond for the little Boomer. My one acre body of water is the feature attraction to our five thousand square foot contemporary-country, five year old colonial home (plus potting shed, waterpump house, and storage shed the same size as the ranch home I grew up in) that cost a hundred thousand less than the two thousand square foot home on a one quarter acre lot in Naples.

If I rented the house for a few years, we could easily clear another hundred thousand for resale. But while waiting for maximum profits, we have to drive about a half hour for restaurants and big stores. What are you looking for in this regard? If you like agressive rehabbing and resale, the south stands alone. There are probably a hundred Craftsman Cottage homes that are literally dirt cheap (for the same or much less, northeners must pay for the land at prices we pay for the whole package). If you are looking to downsize in just a few years and stay put for all of your retirement, you will need to pay a good deal more and put up with crowds of people.

And, trust me, southerners just do not get northerners, even of the same generation. NEVER beep at a car, no matter what they're doing (unless they are about to run someone over). You might as well be flipping the finger. Remember, they ALL have guns and most of them carry one in the car. Just wait at the light for them to wake up and move on.

There's no point in trying to shorten a "tractor parade". If one of these monstrosities (think, "War of the Worlds" size machines) is farting along in front, a long line of cars will patiently slow up behind until they turn off for the next field.

Everyone greets everyone. I found myself accidently in the "wrong" neighborhoods quite often when we moved here. But no matter how intimidating a young man looks in a hoodie and slack pants looks, he will acknowledge you with at least a nod and expects you to do the same. Every adult is Ms. or Mr. First Name to all southern kids.

Every town has a dozen Full Name Roads (as in, Paul Murphy Road) and some even exist as all One Last Name Roads (as in, Shade Murphy, Peter Murphy, Edward Murphy, and so on, in Murphy Unincorporated). As more agricultural land is released to developers, so a new, small town is born.

Absolutely no will be interested how things were done up north, how much better something could be done here, or basically a northerner's opinion on anything else including which way the sun will rise tomorrow. They are not rude about it (unless you are rude to them first), they just ignore you with a smile (a often a wink). They do shake their heads when they see some fool Yankee driving like a NY Taxi and they wonder why you can't understand that they are NOT going to mow your lawn, paint your house, or finish you're bathroom renovation (so you can use an indoor facility) on a Friday through Monday during hunting season (quail and deer mostly). But it's hard to fault them when they do such good work (our home was built by a deputy sheriff on his down time with no plans or blueprints and it's the nicest we've owned... all fourteen).

I homeschooled my kids (in Florida mostly... they went off to foriegn countries for secondary school experience) so I don't get how people have to have something so second-rate rule where they go. But I'll acknowledge that this is very personal and particular.

Each to his own but think about exactly what that means. Good luck!!

[BIASGEORGIAN]

Can someone tell me a city that has never had crime go up or down?
Tell me a state that has low everything, property taxes, state taxes, classroom ratio, low gas costs, low pollution, crime, paying jobs, etc.

I am reading through these blogs and thinking if every city and state were perfect then noone would ever move. Find what is best for you and stop letting everyone and their opinoins help you decide what to do. Do your research months in advance and figure what you can live with and what you must live without. I've lived in every state in the US and no city or state is perfect, if you want change regardless of where you live do your part. Join a neighborhood watch, PTA, become a volunteer at your Aldermans' office and help make your neightborhood better rather than saying "don't move here, don't move there, this area is horrible, keep your doors locked if you move there".

I find it funny while i try to recruit people to help on volunteer boards to change the face of the counties that i've lived, people always want to complain rather than contribute.

[TLC1988]

Yes some factories smell. In Gainesville we have poultry plants that if you are near them smell. but once away from the two roads they are mostly on you don't get the smell. Oakwood ajoining Gainesville on the south does not smell. We have good schools.
I would live
1 Oakwood
2 Flowery Branch
3 Dahlonega
4 Conyers out lying area

I would not live in
1 Columbus (grew up there) - crime
2 Anywhere south of Macon is considered below the gnat line meaning lots of bugs
3 Jekell Island - smell, large bugs even on the beaches
4 Atlanta - crime and expense

[capri man]

Originally Posted by msfitzga

we have to drive about a half hour for restaurants and big stores. !

it is not really half an hour to A store or A resturant!! it might be half an hour to the particular one that you are wanting if you are that picky!! you will make people think we live in a desert down here. there are very few people that have to drive even 10 minutes to A store or A resturant!!