Where in Georgian can I set this fictional university town--please help (Savannah: houses, live)

[livefromfantasyland]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Or Darien. I have always been intriguied by the story of the Boy's Estate (GA's version of Boy's Town), located between Brunswick and Darien. It's campus, built on the grounds of an old rice plantation, has a very collegiate feel to it and is loaded with atmosphere.

Boys Estate Historical Marker

More great ideas! Wow, you all are amazing. What amazing, and quick responses! I emailed my cousin who lives in Athens too and she hasn't ansewered, yet lol. Thank you again! I really appriciate it!

[lilmusket]

Yeah.. I would highly suggest Valdosta or Statesboro now after seeing what more of the criteria you are looking for.
Thomasville, though not a college town, has a lot of historic plantations.

[Saintmarks]

My suggestion would be to create an amalgam of the aforementioned towns and cities and come up with your own fictional city as your college is your own fictional college. Or is that obviously what you are trying to do and I am on the slow train today?

I was just on a thread on the Dallas page where Dallas residents were debating on the actual city that Mike Judge used for Arlen, TX in the "King of the Hill" series. He has references to the Dallas area, seems like it is one of the suburbs at times, other times seems like a city within driving distance but further out than a suburb.

If you name an actual existing town, would think you would get a lot of people complaining that you got this part of it wrong or that area is nothing like what you described, etc. etc. A fictional town based on two or three actual towns seems the safest bet.

[southgeorgia]

Originally Posted by lilmusket

Yeah.. I would highly suggest Valdosta or Statesboro now after seeing what more of the criteria you are looking for.
Thomasville, though not a college town, has a lot of historic plantations.

Not a college town, but its home to thomas university and southwest georgia tech.



I'm partial to water though; I like the idea of it being set in southeast GA; the atlantic ocean with abandoned forts and old plantations on one side, the other surrounded by a swamp full of shifty back country characters, gators and snakes.

I don't like the name 'peach state university' though.

[MoreCowbell]

Originally Posted by southgeorgia

I was thinking southeast georgia would fit the mold for swamps and historical places that may be possibly haunted; waycross, brunswick, st. simons, st. mary's, etc. . . I was thinking the OP could conjure ghosts from the battle of bloody marsh, or old sailors and such, and the university could be set on an old sugar cane plantation. The okeefenokee swamp is closer to that area than valdosta.

That is exactly what I was thinking! St. Mary's is the second oldest city in the country (if I'm remembering correctly.) Sapelo Island also has a TON of neat history, you may want to tie it in somehow.

[MoreCowbell]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

My suggestion would be to create an amalgam of the aforementioned towns and cities and come up with your own fictional city as your college is your own fictional college. Or is that obviously what you are trying to do and I am on the slow train today?

I was just on a thread on the Dallas page where Dallas residents were debating on the actual city that Mike Judge used for Arlen, TX in the "King of the Hill" series. He has references to the Dallas area, seems like it is one of the suburbs at times, other times seems like a city within driving distance but further out than a suburb.

If you name an actual existing town, would think you would get a lot of people complaining that you got this part of it wrong or that area is nothing like what you described, etc. etc. A fictional town based on two or three actual towns seems the safest bet.

I also agree with this. Stuart Woods wrote a book called Chiefs about a fictional town (Delano) based on the town I live in now (Manchester.) That gives you license to change things around the way you need them to be and not be held to certain details.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

My suggestion would be to create an amalgam of the aforementioned towns and cities and come up with your own fictional city as your college is your own fictional college. Or is that obviously what you are trying to do and I am on the slow train today?

I was just on a thread on the Dallas page where Dallas residents were debating on the actual city that Mike Judge used for Arlen, TX in the "King of the Hill" series. He has references to the Dallas area, seems like it is one of the suburbs at times, other times seems like a city within driving distance but further out than a suburb.

If you name an actual existing town, would think you would get a lot of people complaining that you got this part of it wrong or that area is nothing like what you described, etc. etc. A fictional town based on two or three actual towns seems the safest bet.

Great advice for the writer.

Maybe we could suggest names for the fact-based fictional Georgia town...???

[livefromfantasyland]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

My suggestion would be to create an amalgam of the aforementioned towns and cities and come up with your own fictional city as your college is your own fictional college. Or is that obviously what you are trying to do and I am on the slow train today?
.

That's exactly what I'm going to do! it's a fictional University town with a fictional University, i'm just trying to find a general geographic location so I can somewhat ground it in realty (near the okefenoke swap, or an hour from Atlanta, a suburb, or whatever) and get the geography/flora/fauna right. I won;t use a real town or a real town name (still have to think of one, lol) but will probably base in on a composite of towns. I just didn't know what area to set it in, which is why I turned to you all. I just don't know Georgia well enough to set it in a real city.

Thanks again!

[livefromfantasyland]

Originally Posted by aries4118

Great advice for the writer.

Maybe we could suggest names for the fact-based fictional Georgia town...???

Please?? Pretty, pretty please? I would *love* fictional town names. Right now the univerity is called "Peach Tree State" but I'll take suggestions for that too! Thank you!

[livefromfantasyland]

Originally Posted by southgeorgia

I'm partial to water though; I like the idea of it being set in southeast GA; the atlantic ocean with abandoned forts and old plantations on one side, the other surrounded by a swamp full of shifty back country characters, gators and snakes.

I don't like the name 'peach state university' though.

Love, love, love the visual. Would the ocean litterally be on one side of the town with swamp on the other?

Totally open to suggestions for universoty and town names!! What do you like?

Thank you!