Detailed questions about Tybee Island (Savannah, Pooler: insurance, crime rates, house)

[TDubbbs]

I currently live in Michigan with my wife and we have both lived here all our lives. We are looking for a place to live short-term, possibly long-term. Short-term being that we are looking for a good graduate school to attend for a few years; long-term being if after we graduate and we like the area then we may plan to stay.

We are in our late 20’s/early 30’s, have 2 dogs (boxers), and no children (currently, but planning to have them soon) and are both special education teachers. I personally don’t mind the snow or colder winters, but my wife hates them. After living in one place for 30 years I wouldn’t mind a change of pace, even a drastic one at that.

Cost of living – how is it in the area?

Crime – I’ve lived in some areas with higher crime rates. I’m also licensed in my state to carry a pistol, very aware of my surroundings, and try not to put myself in situations where I’m likely to be a victim. I’m a little more concerned for my wife’s safety than anything. So how is the crime?

Gun Laws – Being a proud gun owner, I’d like to live somewhere that is gun friendly; meaning that the state/city doesn’t prevent its law abiding citizens from carrying a firearm for the purpose of self defense, or have a bunch of regulations in place. I’m licensed in Michigan to carry concealed, and you may also open carry in the state with/without a license. How are the gun laws/regulations there? Is there any “state/national/federal land” nearby where you can target shoot/hunt?

Activities/Events/Things to do – I’d like to live somewhere where there is always something to do/see.

Kid friendly – Even though we don’t have children at the moment, we will in the future. If we stay I’d like to raise them somewhere that has a good school system and is relatively drug free (at least as possible – I realize drugs are everywhere). Also, is there plenty for kids to do? Lots of parks?

Dog friendly – We have 2 (bigger) dogs. Any breed restrictions? Are there any dog parks where the dogs can run off leash?

Teaching Jobs/Pay – How is the availability of teacher jobs (particularly in special education)? How is the pay for a first year teacher?

Schools – How are the schools? Not just to teach in, but also be a student in?

Tourism – Is it a touristy area? If so, when?

Traffic – How is the traffic? If it’s bad, when/where?

People/Locals– Are the locals friendly? What is the population mostly made up of?

Weather – What’s the truth about the weather?

Housing market/good areas to live – How’s the housing market currently? Buyers or sellers market? What does an average house cost? Where are the more desirable areas to live (nothing fancy, but I’d like to live around less crime)?

Taxes – What are the taxes like in the state?

Insurance – Anything we should be aware of? I know some areas of the country have higher insurance rates.

Pests/Bugs/Animals – Since I’m used to have cold winters kill off various forms of life, the pests/bugs animals aren’t that bad. We really don’t have to worry about anything too deadly. While we do have rattle snakes, you rarely come across them (same with black widows or brown recluse). Of course in the more northern areas we have bear, cougars, coyote (which seem to be spreading to more cities),etc. We also have freshwater so we don’t have to worry about sharks or jellyfish; overall not that bad. Anything I should be aware of? If so, where and when?

[gentlearts]

I see you posted about both Savannah and Tybee, so I am really referring to both.

Cost of living – how is it in the area? It is lower, or comparable to Ohio, so I suspect the same is true of MI
Crime – I’ve lived in some areas with higher crime rates. I’m also licensed in my state to carry a pistol, very aware of my surroundings, and try not to put myself in situations where I’m likely to be a victim. I’m a little more concerned for my wife’s safety than anything. So how is the crime? There is crime in every city, but I have moved around Savannah for 6 months now without incident.
Gun Laws – Being a proud gun owner, I’d like to live somewhere that is gun friendly; meaning that the state/city doesn’t prevent its law abiding citizens from carrying a firearm for the purpose of self defense, or have a bunch of regulations in place. I’m licensed in Michigan to carry concealed, and you may also open carry in the state with/without a license. How are the gun laws/regulations there? Is there any “state/national/federal land” nearby where you can target shoot/hunt? I'm pretty sure that GA is gun friendly...especially with all the military here. I know of 2 shooting ranges.
Activities/Events/Things to do – I’d like to live somewhere where there is always something to do/see. We moved here is May and have never run out of free things to do on weekends. We haven't even started on the things that cost money yet. You can eat at a new restaurant every day for a year, and not hit them all.
Kid friendly – Even though we don’t have children at the moment, we will in the future. If we stay I’d like to raise them somewhere that has a good school system and is relatively drug free (at least as possible – I realize drugs are everywhere). Also, is there plenty for kids to do? Lots of parks? There are lots of public squares and parks. I hear the public schools are lousy, but there are plenty of private schools and pockets of acceptable school systems.
Dog friendly – We have 2 (bigger) dogs. Any breed restrictions? Are there any dog parks where the dogs can run off leash? With the exception of Tybee, our super nice beach which does not allow dogs, Savannah is very dog friendly. The Riverfront and most restaurants with outdoor dining welcome dogs.
Teaching Jobs/Pay – How is the availability of teacher jobs (particularly in special education)? How is the pay for a first year teacher? Can't help on this one.

Schools – How are the schools? Not just to teach in, but also be a student in? Not up on this either.
Tourism – Is it a touristy area? If so, when? All the time.
Traffic – How is the traffic? If it’s bad, when/where? All the shopping is on Abercorn St, which can be a nightmare, and I95 can be very congested at times.
People/Locals– Are the locals friendly? What is the population mostly made up of? I live in Pooler and work downtown in the historic district. People are very friendly and warm. The shopkeepers are largely gay, and the racial mix is very different from the mid west..in a good way.Weather – What’s the truth about the weather? The summer is unbearable, the constant sunshine is a joy, and even this cold winter we've had is child's play compared to MI.
Housing market/good areas to live – How’s the housing market currently? Buyers or sellers market? What does an average house cost? Where are the more desirable areas to live (nothing fancy, but I’d like to live around less crime)? We found the property values comparable to Ohio. It is still a buyers market. If I were a young couple, I would try to live either downtown or in the islands areas...depends upon whether you want to be part of the pulse of the city, or if you'd rather be closer to the beach.
Taxes – What are the taxes like in the state? Not sure yet.
Insurance – Anything we should be aware of? I know some areas of the country have higher insurance rates. All our insurance is higher here.
Pests/Bugs/Animals – Since I’m used to have cold winters kill off various forms of life, the pests/bugs animals aren’t that bad. We really don’t have to worry about anything too deadly. While we do have rattle snakes, you rarely come across them (same with black widows or brown recluse). Of course in the more northern areas we have bear, cougars, coyote (which seem to be spreading to more cities),etc. We also have freshwater so we don’t have to worry about sharks or jellyfish; overall not that bad. Anything I should be aware of? If so, where and when?[/font] We had jellyfish at Tybee once this summer..otherwise saw no creepy stuff in the water at all. The dolphins swimming among us was thrilling. We have had zero bugs so far..none. The only bug issue is fire ants crop up here and there and need to be sprayed. Most people have termite control and other routine insect control from time to time. I hear there is a time in the spring where they get no-see-ums, or some sort of gnat (the minor league baseball team is the Sand Gnats), but we have not experienced them.