Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My boyfriend may be getting transferred from his job here in Austin to a plant in Cochran. Where are the best places to live within commuting distance of this town? Important factors include low crime rates, real estate appreciation, the availability of fresh organic food (in Austin we are close to Whole Foods and several farmer's markets), and proximity to gyms, shopping, and preferably parks with well-maintained, safe running trails. I know Macon is the closest city, but I don't know what areas are the best to live in. I've only been there once, and don't recall favorable impressions of the city, but it was seven years ago. I read that The Fresh Market just opened a store in Macon - anybody been there? How is it compared to Whole Foods?
Well now that I have stopped laughing hysterically over the things you would like to have while in Middle GA, I will do my best to give you some reasonable expectations. Assuming that you or your boyfriend do not mind the one way 1-1.5 hour commute daily from Macon to Cochran you might be able to get 2 or 3 of your desires but not all of them any where in MidGA.
As far the low crime goes Macon is infested with it but can be easily avoided as long you have any common sense in choosing your friends. It always affects the same crowds there and most of it is petty theft from small local vendors. Major crimes that you would actually worry about: well avoid the run down areas of town, local drugies, bars and clubs and you should fair well; however, the folks of all kinds are friendly there just take off your rose colored glasses when wanting more than a brief encounter.
Real estate appreciation....sorry I just had to pick myself back up off the floor. Have you not read the news lately. That's hard to find anywhere right now and Mid to South GA have always been slow to climb and quick to fall in any economic era. But to be safe instead of trying to make a buck off your real estate there still thinking you don't mind the commute, pick north or west Macon or one of the newer areas in Warner Robins. WR well give you the shortest commute if you stay close to the Ocmulgee River. However in all honesty you would be better off choosing a modest home in Cochran but preferablly just outside of town on a larger tract of land to get your best bang dollar for dollar.
Availibility of fresh food - Find a place with green house or have one built and grow it yourself. You will be driving all over the place hunting and pecking for seasonal fruits and veggies. The best you can hope for and still be reasonable about commute times is finding a small local grocer that sells local meats and veggies. It might be a little more expensive than your name brand grocer at the register but it will taste better & be closer to your home and actually know you showed up. Save your exotics & forgien foods list for when you decide to go to the city for other shopping and outtings. Get there early and plan it well enough to stay the whole day.
Gyms - Well every one of them are different and if you are looking for something like Gold's then you definately need to reconsider your move. While they do exist in the area you are now looking at driving 2-2.5 hrs because now you are going to be forced to deal either with WR or Macon traffic from the opposite side of town. You will literally be forced to drive all the way across either city before getting to an area where traffic begins to free up and you can set the cruise. That is if you don't get behind a tractor, timber or chicken truck. Buy your gym equipment and work out at home or find one of the...If I rememer correctly there are 2 workout groups in Cochran, 1 is just a bunch of ladies and the other a church / school group.
Shopping - Do like everyone else in GA, plan trips to one of the ATL, SAV, MAC, JAX-FL, MOB-AL, or COL-SC malls and pick up your special food goodies while your out.
Parks & Trails - Welcome to GA where the entire state is parks and trails the best one is in your back yard and it leads to your favorite neighbors house. Otherwise you're in a gated community in which case all but the shopping needs (sometimes even those) are taken care of within your gated community.
Hope I've been helpful to ya without getting you too down or making ya feel like I've been overly sarcastic; but, I'm real surprised at how little you seem to know about rural life coming from Austin and still actually leaving the confines of downtown.
Thanks for the reply - I know I've gotten spoiled living in Austin. Obviously, if this move were optional, it wouldn't be an issue - but as it is, it will be making the best of a bad situation. I know real estate values are overall down over most of the nation, but Austin is actually doing pretty well...I don't suppose anywhere in middle GA is too?
What are the "newer" areas of Warner Robbins like? And by gated communities do you mean actual planned communities with grocery stores, schools, and gyms within walking distance? Where are those?
Well that's the thing about GA in general. You do have areas that do well no matter what the market is like or at least they remain stable. Not many of these are found especially within reasonable distance Cochran. If you like the idea of WR, look at a map of the area, HWY 96 on the WR side of the river, you will find Landings, Waterford & Houston Lake Golf Clubs. They are about as close as you can get to having a truly planned community in the area, which really doesn't exist there. In most cases all throughout GA, developers see or hear about new public schools being built nearby and flock to buy up all the land around it and quickly overload the area with people without giving them the infrastructure needed of well...a planned community.
The closest actual planned community is in Peachtree City several hours away and it is even plagued with sprawl. Everybody wants the perfect 4/3 brick on a large lot, white picket fences, a dog and exactly 2.3 children; however, the thought process doesn't seem to go much beyond that. You will have an easier time finding a nice home, with ok schools, and shopping that seems to be close by (doubtfully within walking distance unless you can shell out near a million or so to get into the best neighborhoods, even then convenience is not a priority). The epic tale of having a big house, an even bigger car or SUV and just flat out being showy in that I spent more than you for the exact same thing is one of the worst and one of the best things about the culture there. You can certainly get a whole lot for your money but you really have to give up a lot to have it. These unexpected or unthought-of expenses is what has hurt the area so badly.
Nevertheless, check out the area I spoke of known as Bonaire, Kathleen and Houston Lake. Houston Lake being the only one without it's own city zip, yet will have the closest to what you are looking for. WR by and far has the worst traffic of the MID-GA area though. It is absolutely nothing but sprawl and the vast majority of the area is newer to still under construction. Seriously, though unless schools for kids are high on your priority list, definitely consider options closer to work. You are going to find yourself driving constantly anywhere in the area until GA cities & counties figure out they cannot continue to expand the way they have.
Just one traffic scenario for ya. Amazing as it maybe, it is not uncommon at all to be stuck in WR traffic upwards of an hour while trying to do everyday tasking. The city is only about 11 square miles but is bumper to bumper much of the day. It is also joined at the hip to Macon (even with as much as locals like to bicker over this fact) to its north, Byron (small but ever so country urban, which is also basically the shared industrial park for both Macon & WR) to its west, Perry (originally Houston county's number one & county seat, also includes a good bit of industrial) to its south.
Perry also hosts a considerable amount entertainment at the GA National Fairgrounds. Great arena for... well the national fair of course, but also frequently - horse shows (other Ag or livestock related stuff), car shows and concerts.
Because this metro area is so vast (about 50 miles N2S & only about 20 miles E2W) while still being so small, population and development wise, you can easily see why traffic and sprawl are so bad.
During the construction season, (yes it has seasons on the I-75 corridor) I have been trapped upwards of 6 hours trying to cross this metro area. You may want to check out each of the city's websites, as well GA's Department of Transportation website to get an idea of what traveling 75 will have in store for you in the future.
In addition, keep in mind that all roads leading into and out of Cochran are generally good roads, (4 lanes north to 96 and south to Eastman & with passing lanes scattered otherwise) they are desolate no matter how beautiful & extremely dangerous. Hwy 23/87/alt129 going north north west from Cochran can be and is often traveled at high speeds to many a folks foe. It is rolling hills country for the most part headed north but straight as a board just before Cochran. 96 is very flat & straight, heavily traveled, with traffic jams exuding their ugly head as many as 15 miles outside of the last visible red-light. These are going to be your boyfriend's primary routes to either WR or Macon, without much choice in deciding to go another way around.
Just to save you some grief once you start making phone calls to the area and likewise in moving there. The locals are pretty touchy about the name HOUSTON. It is pronounced locally as “house-ton” and corrections will gladly be given until you get it right. Beyond that - Welcome to GA and we hope you decide to stay.
Last edited by pickleswanson; 10-14-2008 at 11:59 PM..
Reason: left out words
Wow. You are REALLY over exaggerating the whole traffic congestion scenario. 6 hours to get across Macon?!? Thats just unrealistic.
Although GA 96 has its share of traffic, I wouldn't say its the worst. There are so many other cities and towns with worse traffic than Warner Robbins.
Wow. You are REALLY over exaggerating the whole traffic congestion scenario. 6 hours to get across Macon?!? Thats just unrealistic.
Although GA 96 has its share of traffic, I wouldn't say its the worst. There are so many other cities and towns with worse traffic than Warner Robbins.
OH yes many more with much worse traffic. My apologies for the misunderstanding. WR has the worst for Mid GA.
As unrealistic as it may seem it does happen. Not often mind you but it does happen. If I hadn't experienced it myself I too would not believe, because generally speaking you can travel the whole thing in 1 hour. Hit it at its peak rush hour, add construction, an accident or two then just enough bad weather for taste and there you have a 6 hour communte through the Metro Macon / WR area.
I doubt the traffic anywhere in Georgia except Atlanta is as bad as Austin, so that is the least of my worries. I'm much more concerned about finding a nice area to live in and fresh produce. Are there any farmer's markets in the area? Any organic farms? Has anybody been to the Fresh Market in Macon? Is there anywhere you can buy grass fed beef or wild Alaskan salmon? I am originally from Mobile, Alabama, and I have difficulty finding things to eat when I go back to visit my parents, so I'm worried that middle Georgia may be similar. In Austin, all of the grocery stores carry a lot of organic produce, mostly from local farms, but that doesn't seem to be available in the deep south. (Which is ironic, considering that there is more agriculture in more rural areas...)
There is a new Super Kroger on Watson Blvd. in Warner Robins. It is the nicest grocery store in the area. It has an impressive selection of products including a very nice section with organic stuff. I think you will be able to find most of what you need there.
I suspect your experience here in GA will be similar to what your experience is when you visit your parents. Atlanta and possibly Athens are the closest you will find to Austin in the entire state. You will probably need to plan to have a few weekend visits to Atlanta if you want the Whole Foods/Trader Joe's experience. That's what I've had to do. The Dekalb Farmer's Market is also a great place to stock up on fresh produce, meats, cheeses, and gourmet food items.
Here is a list of state sponsored farmer's markets.georgia.gov - State Farmers' Market (http://agr.georgia.gov/00/channel_title/0,2094,38902732_81337019,00.html - broken link) You may also be able to find a few local ones as well but you'll really have to be persistent. Some of them aren't well advertised.
I can't comment on the local parks in Cochran or Macon but the state parks are more geared toward hiking, camping, fishing, etc... I don't think they'd be suitable for running. I will say that the state parks are one of GA's bright spots. The DNR does a good job of upkeep and managing them.
Also, if the two of you live in Macon and your boyfriend works in Cochran, he will have a reverse commute so traffic shouldn't be an issue for him.
I've only been to Macon once or twice myself and had the same impressions as you so I can't really give any advice on the best areas. Here is a list of the safest neighborhoods in Macon. Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed, link removed
If you have enough time, I would plan another visit to Macon. Perhaps a few days so you can explore the area. You can also try to get some info from the Macon visitor's center if another visit is not feasible. Macon Georgia CVB: Macon Hotels, Vacations, Attractions and Tourism
Last edited by Yac; 11-14-2008 at 07:07 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
