Moving to Georgia in April, somewhere near Moody AFB. (Atlanta: real estate, agriculture)

[devilangel]

Hello!
My husband and I are going to be stationed at Moody AFB in April 2007. Since there is a 2 year waiting list for housing on base we are planning to buy a house. Does anyone know a great city to look at near Moody? I've heard of Valdosta but it seems pretty small. I'm also looking for a place that has plenty of jobs and maybe a community college. The only experience I have is working in a grocery store for 8 yrs. I have a very outgoing personality and all my friends think I should become a waitress because of the great money and flexible hours. I'll try anything Also, i'm looking for great websites on real estate. Any advice will help! Even just telling me how life is in Georgia! I've lived on the West Coast since I was 10 and I am 27 now so it will be quite a change for me. I can't wait! I will appreciate any help given! Thanks so much!

[pickleswanson]

Well you propably are going to hate the humidity but I throughly enjoyed Valdosta. It isn't as small as it seems and is growing quickly. It is mostly a college town right on the GA/FL line. They do have a wonderful theme park there with more rides than Six Flags over GA and lots of fun. It is also on GA's busiest throughfare I-75 and is known for the good food at its many resturants. I too am military and prefer large towns however GA is rapidly working on a speed rail system to connect many large cities to it if you are going to be stationed there any time at all that may come in handy. Don't know if you have any kids or plan too but the schools are large but are fair to good dependent on the district however the private schools are great and cheap. Valdosta is actually the town of any size within a reasonable driving time to Moody. If you don't mind driving at least an hour also check the stats on Tifton and Thomasville (far but very nice halfway point to Tallahassee,FL). Traffic isn't generally bad in this area but you can get stuck in traffic 45min to an hour if hit during rush hour on a friday. Travel is going to necessary to keep things from getting to dull but if you spend some time looking plenty of events are constant nearby. Often these events are not in town as with most of GA people love to drive there so things aren't always in downtown. Watch out for bugs not dangerous really but they are annoying buzzing around you all the time. LOL If you wish to know anyelse else about this place I'll be happy to answer any questions or contact the local chamber of commerce and/or townhall for information they are very people there. Good luck.

[pickleswanson]

Oh yeah check Valdosta State University and Valtech on line for the courses they offer. Both are great schools, I attended and graduated from both and would be my recomendation for the area, unless you are interested in agriculture and then the best AG school in America is in Tifton. All offer wonder student teacher relationships and if you attend they gladly give assitance and will even stay after class to make sure you understand what you are studying.

[kpb1nv]

Looks like we are going to end up getting orders there also from Alaska..........see you in May?!?!?

[laura4555]

Hello,
My husband, son and I just returned from Valdosta, GA. My husband had an interview that went very well. In two days we checked out the town and saw some real estate. Also talked with lots of locals. Our realtor is Barbara Barker. She is the best in town. Valdosta isn't a little town. It is up and coming with new artsy coffee shops and eateries spiffing up the historic downtown. The Valdosta State College is in the city with 14,000 students. They have a planetarium and observatory as well as other cultural activities open to the community. There are tons of fun festivals and the Wild Adventure park which is much like Six Flags. Most of the city is very beautiful, but as with any city, there are bad parts of town. But it seems to be a very safe community over all. The people are very friendly and many that live there are transplants so you never feel like an outsider. The main county outside Valdosta is Lowndes (where Moody is). It is just a hop from the city. If you combine the city of 43,000 with the 11 counties around it, you have about 250,000 people. The expected growth is 10% a year, which is huge. Low cost of living make it affordable to buy a home. I also believe there is no tax on food items. Lowndes county public schools are good, but the city schools should be avoided if possible. They also have many Bible, Christian and Catholic schools. Most homes outside the city of Valdosta are fairly new (late 1970's to 2007). In the city are the older homes. We prefer the older homes and like to be able to walk to downtown, the park, or the college. The city is where all the action is. We did find a beautiful older home on a quiet city street. We will go back in March to take a final look at homes and schools and make a decision. My husband and I both grew up in the Kansas City metro area and love our little suburb in Kansas. It is very hard to think about leaving, but Valdosta has a lot of Southern charm and the people are very welcoming. I am sure you will love living there, plus so close to Savannah, Hilton Head, SC,Chattanooga, TN (lots to do here) Atlanta, Jacksonville, FL, and of course DisneyWorld! You can be at a beach in no time. BTW, my husband and I drove to Phoenix last spring for a conference and spent some time in Albuquerque. We had a ball and loved the natural history museum.
Feel free to email with any other questions.
Laura
Kansas City

[snowflake73]

My fiance was stationed in Valdosta twice, and he loved it there. That was the only place he went back to. He's retiring from the Air Force soon, and we're going to settle down in Columbus, Georgia.

[privatebuttons]

I've been fortunate enough to live in Lowndes county for 12 years now. Uncle Sam brought us here also. I truly love it. We moved from Denver and grew up in a one horse town. Lowndes is a happy medium. It is close enough to everything, Atlanta, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Augusta, Disney and my favorite Savannah. The weather is hot in the summer, but that's what air conditioners are for. Plus it's great not having to shovel snow to go to work. My daughter has went to school here for 11 years and graduated from the county school system. Now attends the local college, VSU. Lowndes is growing by leaps and bounds. Traffic can get backed up from time to time, but after living in a large capital city, this is a piece of cake. The Joyner real estate agency is great. County schools are my preference, but which ever school system you choose, I hope you love football. This is Winnersville. I suggest looking up the county information @ www.lowndescounty.com and www.lowndes.k12.ga.us. Most people with the base, do live in Lowndes and Lanier, the daily commute from Tifton or Thomasville is 40+/- miles one way. There are jobs in the county, you just have to look. I've been with the same company for 11 1/2 years and I love my job. Lowndes has a great hospital, South Georgia Medical Center. The base offers PCM's. I wish you and your family much happiness in Lowndes county and at MAFB. The base is great and the people are the best.

[jjnj56]

If you have children you will want to be sure to live in the county. Not old enough yet you say...well they will be before you know it...and you still may be in Valdosta. Better safe than sorry.

LIVE IN THE COUNTY!!!!

[jsuggs1]

My husband is a contractor and we currently have a beautiful new home for sale in the same subdivision we live in. His homes are superior in quality. We have it listed on iggyshouse at this address:
Iggys House: Property #182772

We love living here. It's close to Valdosta but in a more quiet neighborhood and the kids love playing with all the other kids in the neighborhood. We live 2 minutes from their school and that's very convenient. There are lots of pictures on the listing. It's really is a beautiful home.

[Allan Vrboncic]

jsuggs1,

Nice home. I'm a Realtor in Valdosta, Ga. If you need any helps or tips in selling any of your properties just check out my website for more info. valdostarealestatefinder.com