Looking for conservative, small-town, southern Georgia (Thomasville, Hartwell: sale, elementary schools, camping)

[Thunderbolt_Guy]

First of all, us South Georgia residents consider Macon and anything further North a whole different Georgia. We like to visit, but we'll stay down here closer to Florida, thank you very much. We like the relatively mild weather (it freezes only maybe six to ten nights a year at most), but then again I like it hot/humid.

I'm a lifelong Georgia resident (all over the state), and in my humble opinion there are two towns that might fit the bill:

Valdosta, GA
Nice college town (with winning teams), good shopping and restaurants, and a small theme & water park (Wild Adventures) that your kids would love. I'd live there myself in a heartbeat. I spend a lot of time there and always feel very safe. The college aspect keep things lively, and downtown is being revitalized with coffee shops, art shops, and a monthly "First Friday" party that draws a good crowd downtown.

There are plenty of nice neighborhoods, plenty of school and church choices. It's right on the interstate if you need to get away. Nice mall and movie theaters, Best Buy, Books-A-Million, Red Lobster, etc. Definitely check Valdosta out!

Thomasville and Tifton are slightly smaller towns not too far away that you might look into. They are nice, but a little boring. But... that might be what you are looking for.

Douglas, GA
Much smaller than Valdosta, but if you are looking for laid-back people and cheap land/housing, this could be it.

My 2-story house in a good neighborhood here was about $100K (complete with pond access), but would cost 2 to 3x that much in Macon, Athens, or Savannah. Houses usually have plenty of real yard space, and we actually put cars in our garages (unlike other towns where they get used for junk storage). There are some nice Victorian homes here, many of which have been restored for living or office buildings. People do still sit on their front porches around here. I can't say I'm a huge fan of the local police department or a few of the local officials, but I've seen much worse.

There are a couple of smaller "communities" on the outskirts that have a growing Hispanic community, mostly due to the agricultural industries around here. Sunday we call "Mexico Day" at the local Wal-Mart, because you can hear plenty of Spanish spoken!

Plenty of hunting and fishing in the area (expect to see folks wearing camo year-round). Several of my female co-workers there actually go deer hunting.
They kind of roll up the streets around 9 or 10 pm, and Wal-Mart is a popular meeting place (well, not for me). There is plenty of farmng around... expect to see the county roads lined with cotton from the cotton trucks much of the year. Peanut farming and blueberry farming are popular here as well.

It's a good place for kids to grow up, and a good place to retire. Granted, it is a little dull for single folks, but there are 3 "watering holes" (Ruby Tuesday, Bowling Alley lounge, and the famous Fern Bank). Schools are average to good, and you have a choice of several in the area. There are Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Mormon, and other churches if you need one.

My usual entertainment consists of hanging out with friends on a back porch somewhere, and walking or biking most anywhere in town, or occasionally playing a little tennis. There's even a nice dedicated paved walking/bike path that goes all the way through town, through woods where a railroad track used to be.

Gossip travels fast, for better or worse. Visit any beautician for the latest scoop, or just ask around. You can find out anything about most anybody (for better or worse). I'm laughing a little, but it's kinda true. At least people are very friendly here. Oh, and there are three nice golf courses, including a cheap one at the 2-year college (South GA College). There is also have a tech institute.

It's also a pet-friendly place. Many folks have dogs and/or cats, and expect to see dogs riding in the back of pickup trucks (often surfing from side to side on top of the toolbox). Douglas is 1 hour from Valdosta (see above), about 2.5 hours from Savannah, 2 hours from Macon, and 2 hours to Jacksonville, FL or Fernandina Beach, FL. Y'all come see us, ya hear!



Tiny Towns:
There are also some very small and very country towns within 15 minutes, if you really want to go native. Pearson and Willacoochee are between Douglas and Valdosta. Nicholls and Ambrose (aka "L.A" or "Los Ambrose") are also 15-20 minutes away. Too country for me, but perfect for some.

For all these towns, expect summers in the 80s/90s and occasionally just over 100 degrees. Spring and Fall are very comfortable. We have mosquitoes, but they are pretty mild in most towns thanks to the "skeeter feeder" trucks that spray occasionally at night. I haven't been bitten in years... but maybe they like the taste of Yankee blood better.

[willacoochee]

^Great Post!

[ODTs Dad]

Thunderbolt, thank you very much for the thorough, detailed description! It really painted a picture that has helped tremendously!

[Jc69]

Thomasville Georgia Realtors Thomas County Real Estate Homes & Land Great realestate agent(s)
Thomasville Christian School > TCS Great school!

[champ0909]

Extreme North Georgia

[FIRECRACKERGIRL]

Wow, what a great post and I enjoyed the read. "Your very entertaining" Thanks!

[Ollie1946]

i have lived in North GA, raised in South GA and currently live in Athens, GA (tween). IF i had to choose between N or S Ga, i would opt for south GA with its big sky, flatter land, water aquifers, proximity to florida and farther away from Atlanta. i see no one mentioned Blackshear, GA. i was wondering if that is an option for the OP?

[marmac]

Originally Posted by Thunderbolt_Guy

First of all, us South Georgia residents consider Macon and anything further North a whole different Georgia. We like to visit, but we'll stay down here closer to Florida, thank you very much. We like the relatively mild weather (it freezes only maybe six to ten nights a year at most), but then again I like it hot/humid.

I'm a lifelong Georgia resident (all over the state), and in my humble opinion there are two towns that might fit the bill:

Valdosta, GA
Nice college town (with winning teams), good shopping and restaurants, and a small theme & water park (Wild Adventures) that your kids would love. I'd live there myself in a heartbeat. I spend a lot of time there and always feel very safe. The college aspect keep things lively, and downtown is being revitalized with coffee shops, art shops, and a monthly "First Friday" party that draws a good crowd downtown.

There are plenty of nice neighborhoods, plenty of school and church choices. It's right on the interstate if you need to get away. Nice mall and movie theaters, Best Buy, Books-A-Million, Red Lobster, etc. Definitely check Valdosta out!

Thomasville and Tifton are slightly smaller towns not too far away that you might look into. They are nice, but a little boring. But... that might be what you are looking for.

Douglas, GA
Much smaller than Valdosta, but if you are looking for laid-back people and cheap land/housing, this could be it.

My 2-story house in a good neighborhood here was about $100K (complete with pond access), but would cost 2 to 3x that much in Macon, Athens, or Savannah. Houses usually have plenty of real yard space, and we actually put cars in our garages (unlike other towns where they get used for junk storage). There are some nice Victorian homes here, many of which have been restored for living or office buildings. People do still sit on their front porches around here. I can't say I'm a huge fan of the local police department or a few of the local officials, but I've seen much worse.

There are a couple of smaller "communities" on the outskirts that have a growing Hispanic community, mostly due to the agricultural industries around here. Sunday we call "Mexico Day" at the local Wal-Mart, because you can hear plenty of Spanish spoken!

Plenty of hunting and fishing in the area (expect to see folks wearing camo year-round). Several of my female co-workers there actually go deer hunting.
They kind of roll up the streets around 9 or 10 pm, and Wal-Mart is a popular meeting place (well, not for me). There is plenty of farmng around... expect to see the county roads lined with cotton from the cotton trucks much of the year. Peanut farming and blueberry farming are popular here as well.

It's a good place for kids to grow up, and a good place to retire. Granted, it is a little dull for single folks, but there are 3 "watering holes" (Ruby Tuesday, Bowling Alley lounge, and the famous Fern Bank). Schools are average to good, and you have a choice of several in the area. There are Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Mormon, and other churches if you need one.

My usual entertainment consists of hanging out with friends on a back porch somewhere, and walking or biking most anywhere in town, or occasionally playing a little tennis. There's even a nice dedicated paved walking/bike path that goes all the way through town, through woods where a railroad track used to be.

Gossip travels fast, for better or worse. Visit any beautician for the latest scoop, or just ask around. You can find out anything about most anybody (for better or worse). I'm laughing a little, but it's kinda true. At least people are very friendly here. Oh, and there are three nice golf courses, including a cheap one at the 2-year college (South GA College). There is also have a tech institute.

It's also a pet-friendly place. Many folks have dogs and/or cats, and expect to see dogs riding in the back of pickup trucks (often surfing from side to side on top of the toolbox). Douglas is 1 hour from Valdosta (see above), about 2.5 hours from Savannah, 2 hours from Macon, and 2 hours to Jacksonville, FL or Fernandina Beach, FL. Y'all come see us, ya hear!



Tiny Towns:
There are also some very small and very country towns within 15 minutes, if you really want to go native. Pearson and Willacoochee are between Douglas and Valdosta. Nicholls and Ambrose (aka "L.A" or "Los Ambrose") are also 15-20 minutes away. Too country for me, but perfect for some.

For all these towns, expect summers in the 80s/90s and occasionally just over 100 degrees. Spring and Fall are very comfortable. We have mosquitoes, but they are pretty mild in most towns thanks to the "skeeter feeder" trucks that spray occasionally at night. I haven't been bitten in years... but maybe they like the taste of Yankee blood better.

Douglas,Ga--------is that the Douglas GA that has a crime index over 3x the national average ?

Heck, Douglas GA even has Pine Bluff Arkansas beat with their high crime rate and Pine Bluff is considered the laughing stock of Arkansas when it comes to crime.

-----"and a good place to retire"-

That high of a crime rate will scare most retirees away.

[Fomalhaut]

Statesboro Georgia. They still have a statue of a confederate soldier(war hero) on the courthouse square!!!!!!!!!! Long live the south!!!!!! Home of Georgia Southern University

[southgeorgia]

Originally Posted by marmac

Douglas,Ga--------is that the Douglas GA that has a crime index over 3x the national average ?

Heck, Douglas GA even has Pine Bluff Arkansas beat with their high crime rate and Pine Bluff is considered the laughing stock of Arkansas when it comes to crime.

-----"and a good place to retire"-

That high of a crime rate will scare most retirees away.

Its not far off from atlanta's crime index.

They have an insanely high amount of non-violent crime; thefts, burglaries, etc . .