Southwest Georgia, The Place to Be...... (Atlanta, Albany: fit in, crime, to live)

[MichaelDixon]

My town, Americus, is in southwestern Georgia. Like any town, it has pluses and minuses. It is located at the intersection of US19 and US280, about halfway between Atlanta to the north and the Gulf coast to the south. I find it to be a very friendly place. People are courteous. It is home to Georgia Southwestern State University and South Georgia Technical College. It is surrounded by Sumter County which remains largely agricultural and undeveloped. Many travelers on I-75 are visiting Americus by the excursion train which they board at Cordele, Ga. They can get off in Americus or continue on to Plains and the boyhood farm home of President Jimmy Carter. The train takes them back to Cordele where they pick up their car and continue their journey. If you want to see the real Georgia, get off the Interstate and take some secondary roads. In terms of affordable real estate, property taxes, insurance rates and general cost of living, southwestern Georgia may be where you need to be looking.

[briarita]

Originally Posted by mattattack25

Don't listen to anyone who says southwest georgia is the place to be... for a place that is so utterly country, the people are SO RUDE... everywhere you go you'll get an attitude with a southern drawl... and I love the south, too, but those people have their own venacular or something... you can't understand anything anyone says, and the white people are so stuck-up needlessly... the property value is LOW LOW LOW so the people who own houses valued at $300,000 think they are rich beyond rich and will prove this to you in their demeanor... Particularly in Albany... maybe some of the surrounding areas are a little better...but Albany is one of the most trashed-out cities I've ever seen.. In the summer the temps are like 110 with 100% humidity... you will collapse from heat walking from your car to the mall or whatever you can find there... the people are so weird and backwards... please don't raise your kids there unless you want them to be narrow-minded and uncultured... if you are black, you may like the city, seeing that is mostly who is there.. don't get me wrong, that makes it better, b/c the white people are country and stuck-up and RUDE!!!! I can't express how stupid and rude people seem to be down there... and yes I was born there and lived there for about 20 years, so I know... oh and I'm white too...

Wow, mattattack25, you certainly have some strong views on the area! While I can certainly agree with you about the heat and humidity, I think you're wrong about the atmosphere of Southwest Georgia. I was raised there, and I'm neither stuck-up nor rude, and I'm not narrow-minded or uncultured. I'm a young, liberal, environmentally-conscious, socially aware white woman who loves the opera, National Public Radio and art galleries. I have excellent manners and speak with only a slight southern accent, which people find 'adorable'--their word, not mine. I was an honor graduate from my high school and attended the first college in the country chartered to grant degrees to women--where I also graduated with honors. And I'm not the only person like myself from Southwest Georgia--there are PLENTY more where I came from! (And yes, I know that grammatically, I shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition. It's all part of my sweet Southern charm.)

This walking commercial is all to say that I think stereotyping people from SW GA is unfair, and that it's unfortunate that you never met me or my friends so we could prove you wrong. We're lovely people, really!

I can agree on one point--I'm not a fan of the city of Albany, either. It's one dark spot that mars my love of the region. I worked there for two years and commuted an hour each way every single day so I wouldn't have to move there. But people, don't discount the entire region because of one city--there's so much more to love about that corner of the state!

[mattattack25]

Originally Posted by briarita

Wow, mattattack25, you certainly have some strong views on the area! While I can certainly agree with you about the heat and humidity, I think you're wrong about the atmosphere of Southwest Georgia. I was raised there, and I'm neither stuck-up nor rude, and I'm not narrow-minded or uncultured. I'm a young, liberal, environmentally-conscious, socially aware white woman who loves the opera, National Public Radio and art galleries. I have excellent manners and speak with only a slight southern accent, which people find 'adorable'--their word, not mine. I was an honor graduate from my high school and attended the first college in the country chartered to grant degrees to women--where I also graduated with honors. And I'm not the only person like myself from Southwest Georgia--there are PLENTY more where I came from! (And yes, I know that grammatically, I shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition. It's all part of my sweet Southern charm.)

This walking commercial is all to say that I think stereotyping people from SW GA is unfair, and that it's unfortunate that you never met me or my friends so we could prove you wrong. We're lovely people, really!

I can agree on one point--I'm not a fan of the city of Albany, either. It's one dark spot that mars my love of the region. I worked there for two years and commuted an hour each way every single day so I wouldn't have to move there. But people, don't discount the entire region because of one city--there's so much more to love about that corner of the state!

Thanks for supporting me in the fact that you say you are not a fan of the city... furthermore, apparently you don't live there anymore, so I suppose I wasn't refering to you...anyone can be born anywhere, but its the people who choose to stay and perpetuate everything Albany has to offer, which is absolutely nothing... I wish I could have met you and your friends... hey, you never know, we might have been friends or knew the same people..thats why I say MOST people there are rediculously stupid, proven time and time again, even on this website and different forums... Most responses I have seen (including those that were deleted) are harsh toward Albany, but then you have a few people who simply say they like the city..and then you have those amusing people who only support the city because thats all they know and they have never been further than Terrell County (and it shows within thier response)
I have many family members and still a few friends in that corner of the state, so how could I say "everyone".. but I will say "most" people there are laughable like it or not, sorry, its how I feel and many support me...face the truth..it will set you free

[pickleswanson]

Matta sounds like you are the closed minded person here. I used to have views similar to yours concerning the area. I grew up in ATL and spent my summers in SoGA. I enjoyed it as long as I knew I could leave at the end of the summer. Then I move there at the beginning of high school. I was the stuck up white snob. Grew up in a primarily rich white area ATL and did not understand the people of SoGA at all. I dreadfully spent 9 years of my life in this area. It was totally my fault for it being so dreadful. The white people I knew there seemed very simple and uneducated (an act to bypass ignorate people), the whites that did have money even if it just a 300K home were snobby, but I was more than able to quickly put them in their place. Besides if you ever saw them away from major social functions or after high school, they became real people and no longer had to maintain an certain identity. Didn't know what to expect from black people at all having only seen a couple dozen in public before moving to SoGA. I found them to be very outspoken and rude when I first arrived but quickly found myself able to relate to them better than the deer hunting, tobacco picking whites. With that said I never had a problem speaking to anyone and Lord knows everyone there certainly had something to say to or about me. Now that I have been away from the area for 11 years I find myself still communicating with people I met there and calling them friends. Friends that will never leave my side. Friends that would give a hard time just to see how mad I would get, but would protect me better many of my own family members. The lack of culture you speak of just isn't a problem. You just aren't willing to accept their culture; making them less willing to accept you. Not only that you probably did some things that you are very embarassed of and would never repeat to anyone and your avoiding the area and hatred of the people probably stems from their knowledge of your skeletons in the closet. I think if you would give them a second chance and forgive yourself of your past you will quickly learn they already have.

Just thought I should add that I wasn't wealthy and I grew up on a cattle farm. The rich white people just flocked to the area where my family farm just happened to be and still is. So wealth didn't play a role in making things easier for me either. Education and a willingness to learn how to change was.

[jdaryl2002]

Originally Posted by mattattack25

Don't listen to anyone who says southwest georgia is the place to be... for a place that is so utterly country, the people are SO RUDE...the people are so weird and backwards... please don't raise your kids there unless you want them to be narrow-minded and uncultured... I can't express how stupid and rude people seem to be down there... and yes I was born there and lived there for about 20 years, so I know... oh and I'm white too...

Below is an example of the type of culture you’ll find in one of those backwards SW Georgia towns. I have many more and be more then happy to share.

Thomasville Entertainment Foundation (TEF)

The TEF Acting Company has performed 127 productions for more than 2 million people in 48 states and nine countries.

The Acting Company has been honored with the Obie Award, the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, Citibank’s Excellence in Education Award, two Audelco Awards and the Tony Award.


The Miami Herald has called The Acting Company, “One of this country’s most exciting, creative and impressive theater companies.”

The company — excluding its New York season in May — tours five months a year.

http://www.tefconcerts.com/

[mattattack25]

"I think if you would give them a second chance and forgive yourself of your past you will quickly learn they already have."

umm.. thank you for trying to be therapeutical, but you act as if I have a bitter chip on my shoulder... I wasn't shunned when I lived there... I'm just saying its a dirty, boring city with stupid people living there... if you don't agree, fine, but don't try to refute my opinion... Too bad if I am offending people who live there or who have family or friends.. I was born and raised there, so I feel I have every right to express my opinion... have a great week, I hear it will be a hot one down there... ahahahhah

[Deltaseabreeze]

Originally Posted by mattattack25

Don't listen to anyone who says southwest georgia is the place to be... for a place that is so utterly country, the people are SO RUDE... everywhere you go you'll get an attitude with a southern drawl... and I love the south, too, but those people have their own venacular or something... you can't understand anything anyone says, and the white people are so stuck-up needlessly... the property value is LOW LOW LOW so the people who own houses valued at $300,000 think they are rich beyond rich and will prove this to you in their demeanor... Particularly in Albany... maybe some of the surrounding areas are a little better...but Albany is one of the most trashed-out cities I've ever seen.. In the summer the temps are like 110 with 100% humidity... you will collapse from heat walking from your car to the mall or whatever you can find there... the people are so weird and backwards... please don't raise your kids there unless you want them to be narrow-minded and uncultured... if you are black, you may like the city, seeing that is mostly who is there.. don't get me wrong, that makes it better, b/c the white people are country and stuck-up and RUDE!!!! I can't express how stupid and rude people seem to be down there... and yes I was born there and lived there for about 20 years, so I know... oh and I'm white too...

By the way I did not graduate

[georgia123]

Albany is a very bad place to live. All of the people here are what I would describe as weak minded. The people here who think they are rich haven't seen rich because they only travel out of their front yard around the corner and back. Anything new is unaccepted and grossly looked down on. There is a lot of racial steam here, white and black alike. The older people here dispise the younger. And all the decent jobs are taken by someone's cousin, friend or brother. Employment is not fair here. The schools here for children are poor to fair. The people here act like they hate children. And by the way Lee County Schools are over rated. They are not what I expected. I'm here for college as well. When I'm through.....I'll only visit family.

[Seaharbour]

that is pretty typical in most southern small towns, employment is hard to find and yes they get their friends and family n first, better off moving.

[Boydawg]

This sounds like a lot of BS is going on here. Could it be that people in Albany don't want a lot of yankees moving in???
I'm from there, it's not all that bad.