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I am considering moving from New Jersey to Georgia sometime in the next year. I would need to find an area somewhere between the St. Simons area and Camden area.
I have spent time, many moons ago, in FLETC and was not impressed with Glynn County, except for St. Simons and Jekyl Island. I love the ocean and have spent most of my life near it. The more I read about the area, St. Marys seems like the place to go so far.
I will be retiring soon, from 21 years as a police officer, and will immediately become part owner of a growing private security firm. The firm already is operating in the St. Simons area, and it would be beneficial to the company, and my finances to move south. I love New Jersey, but most important, my wife hates New Jersey and wants to move south, so, it is time to make her as happy in this way, as she has made me.
We have three children, an 18 year old daughter, a 19 year old son, and a 10 year old daughter. The two oldest have not decided if they want to move with us. With my 10 year old, I need to be very sure about the schools in St. Marys.
I get the impression that nearby Kingsland is fairly economically depressed. Does this affect the schools in any way?
What is the special ed support like in the schools?
Drugs?
Gangs?
Any/ all comments and opinions will be greatly appreciated.
The wife and I were in St. Mary's last year for the rock shrimp fest. Oh about 20:00. There was a two story party house by the pier and main st that appeared to be a hang out for alot(50 or so) of young/underage punks/hulligans. A few of them were hanging/swinging from the 2nd floor balcony shouting obcenities at a young couple walking accross the street while law enforcement appeared unconcerned. I can only hope this place is being watched closely. I was thinking of moving there and was kinda scouting the place out; however, this disgusted my wife as she has a dislike for white red-neck trash. And I have since changed my mind for now. I still like St. Mary's alot, it was just that this event turned my off a bit. If you are going you better get in quick because prices are moving up fast. This is the last good location in Georgia. I suggest driving there and checking it out in person. Nice place. And close to 95. Jax in 20-30 minutes.
As for the schools I dont know much, however, I was talking to a sweet lady on base who has youngins and was pleased with the scchools and stated that she would be happy in St. Mary's for the rest of her LIFE!! Easy. My kinda people she said. Make no mistake St. Mary' is moving up in the world, no dought about it. They've closed the paper mill(used to stink pretty good) Gone, in its place is a new harbor resort. You can buy lots now. There is also alot off nice well priced house's in the area. The area close to 95 draws some 95 riff raff, but St. Marys is a good 10 miles seaward from 95. I'm telling you this place is going to boom big time in the next 10 years. Unlike most other places. The only problem is its kinda land locked in that there is no beach access other than Cucumber island by ferry. Unless you have a boat right , no problem. I really suggest you take a trip down there and check it out. I live in Savannah by the way.
I remember there was a paper mill near FLTEC when I was there, it is one of my most vivid memories! PEEEEEEW, it did stink!
Thanks for the info, every little bit helps. I am planning on taking a trip in the next month or so. I will fly into JAX and make my way through St. Marys and then on up to St. Simons and back, scouting out the area for living and some small office space to share with the people already operating out of a temporary location in St. Marys.
I moved to this area about 10 years ago from up north so I think that qualifies me to say something about the area. There are at least 9 elementary schools in Camden County, with at least 2 of them in each town that comprise the county. There are 2 middle schools - one in St. Marys and one in Kingsland. And there is one high school, and it is locate in Kingsland approximately 2 miles east of I-95. There are 2 colleges - Coastal Georgia Community College located behind Camden High School and Valdosta State University located on King Bay Naval Base. THERE IS NO PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOLS!Another writer mentioned the paper mill and the smell associated with it. However, the mill has been closed for over four years and is in the process of being torn down and replaced with high-end condominiums. The major industries in the area are the military base, the school system and construction. There are probably more houses being built here per capita than anywhere else in the United States.If you have older children, they will probably hate it here because there is not much to do on the weekends. However, if you have young children interested in sports this is the place to be. There are baseball, soccer, track and field, cheerleading, gymnastics, and football leagues to keep them busy all year long. THIS IS FOOTBALL COUNTRY!As parents you can rest assured when you let your child go outside that he/she will be safe. Crime is way down in this area.There are two golf course communities here. And several new developments are popping every year. The housing prices are still below the national average and way below those found in the northeast. Just stay away from the Historic Districts.
Okay Flat Foot.....i've lived here for a year and four months, and am getting ready to relocate BACK to Raleigh in mid december (where I originally came from).....because unless you are in the military or have a govt. job here, there is NOTHING else financially. The cost of living is crazy here (almost comparable to big metro area like Raleigh). The quality of homes is nowhere near what I left in Raleigh....it's so far below standard. If you have MONEY, then you'll be okay, but if you're earning 20K-40K, you're gonna struggle (especially if you have children & a daycare bill). I am a single parent, which makes it especially hard (the social services agency here is a joke and their programs are worse, so if you need any type of assistance including income based housing, subsidized daycare, this is NOT the place to live). I have one 2 year old, a 5 year old, 11, 13, and 16. Best daycare in the area (where there are only a few decent daycares in the first place....you are gonna be SHOCKED at what they call "daycares" here....I was horrified!! ): King of Peace (they always have a waiting list, they service children 18 months-5 years).
The schools are also very solid compared to where I came. The high school has about 4,000 students and is 5A division (large school) but comparatively well maintained. The campus is beautiful and there is a large administration. The HS baseball team is wonderful (Coach Lasley had about 8 scholarship placements last year alone, which was half of his team), but he will be quick to tell you: I only play the best. He staff 16 but plays 9. So if your child is a baseball player, unless he's an "All Star" he probably won't even see any playing time, although he will be wonderfully coached (my son made a middle school travel team he sponsored this fall, and he learned so much, but was not a starter but it was still a terrific experience for him). I will definitely miss the schools here.
I will greatly miss the way the administration allows Christian philosophy into the school system. About a month ago, after a football game, the school allowed Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) to have a barbeque right on the football field, where a christian martial artist came and performed, and it was a whole program for like two hours. Many teenagers (including some from the football team) gave their lives to Christ that night. This would have NEVER been allowed in any other school system I've seen. I'm not a religious freak, but I am saved and appreciated the opportunity for young people to be ALLOWED to make the choice to attend an event like this (and they were given a choice, it is never mandatory). The FCA group is very large, and includes my son and many of his teammates. I've seen wonderful changes in my own child because of the positive values and opportunities that the school advocates.
I have four school aged children. 1 is in K and goes to Kingsland Elementary School. 2 are at Camden Middle School, and 1 is a junior in HS. For the most part, the teachers are educated and work hard. They have an online grade tracker called Pinnacle, so you can check your child's grades daily, which means that teachers have to be on their Ps and Qs and put the grades in promptly, etc. My children have loved all of their teachers here.
Now: This IS football country, and this school is highly recruited (usually their senior year is when interest is noted and scouts start coming). My son has played under Coach Herron for two football seasons now. He's a starter on the football team (they're getting ready to go to their 3rd round playoff game here Friday night). Coach Herron is a Christian, and never curses at the kids, but he will push them. He has amassed one of the best coaching teams I've ever seen (and I have 5 athletic boys, 3 of who've played football), complete with quality coaches who not only coach football, but coach LIFE, which is SOOO much more important. I think this is one reason why Coach Herron has been blessed as a person and as a coach. My son is probably going to stay here w/ his best friend's family and finish out his high school career for that very reason. After the win last Friday night over a school from Atlanta area, one of our football players was interviewed by the paper and said: "We Love Each Other...." And it's true. They all love each other....like a Band of Brothers.....
They also have a very good tennis team, not sure how the swim team did, but they have all the bells and whistles as far as sports go.....but be careful, b/c this is a large school. They don't "cut" off the football team tryouts because Coach Herron wants to keep kids off the streets and acknowledges that his football program has lots of money, so he lets almost all who try out on the team...but if/when he decides to leave and quit coaching here, that could change. Of course most of the football players do not play (i think there's close to 150 or so on the squad). Having said that, not all of the sports teams at Camden County HS allow that, most of the others have tryouts, cuts, etc., so this means that there is a lot of competition (as with any large high school). Their marching band is okay, very large, but not as jazzy as some of the other schools. BUT, having said that, as long as the kids stay busy and occupied, there is not alot of trouble they can get into.....and this is a smaller sleepy town compared to what i came from, so that is bad and good both. And another thing i LOVE: If you're in a neighborhood, the activity bus BRINGS THE KIDS HOME EVERY NIGHT (for free) after practice, staying after school, etc.!!!!! Oh my, that almost makes me wanna stay here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol
Scratch the dance schools and music lessons, etc. If you're used to the quality and choice from up north (And I'm a native upstate New Yorker), you'll need to go to Jacksonville (looonnnngggggg hard drive esp. with traffic and raggedy roads) or Brunswick, which is 30+ miles away (both cities are off 95). You'll also need to fork over a lot of money, because everything is more expensive in Jacksonville. Jacksonville is way overpriced and crime ridden. The only thing you should do in Jacksonville is shop. ha.
Be careful buying property here (try to get a foreclosure or seriously haggle over purchase price.... and there are some foreclosures around now), the market is overpriced and they have terrible termite problems here in Camden County. I was shocked when i came from Raleigh, where i had a 1900 sq ft beautiful home i bought for 143K. THe house i rent here is like 1,400 sq. ft. and is raggedy compared to my home, and they've appraised it at like 150K!!!!!!! I wouldn't purchase the home I'm renting here for more than 100K!!!!!! They sell swampland & market it like we'd buy a waterfront property up north lol. There's also supposed to be huge expansion planned in the next few years, but the roads won't be able to take it (no room for widening many of these roads here). I personally would never buy a house down here unless I had 300K to spend and could then afford to live in Laurel Island (off exit 6).
There is also no public transportation system here and hardly any sidewalks, so if you have a teenager and can't afford to let him drive (like me), he'll be at your mercy. And no basements in homes due to flood areas, etc. But hey, the weather/climate is terrific!! Not sure about the teen hangouts....i've seen some hang out in the WalMart parking lot, and maybe the shrimp festival was a special occasion (haven't been to anything but the Catfish Festival). Trust: this is NOTHING compared to where I've come from. There are kids who get in trouble here, but if someone wants to find trouble, they can find it anywhere. This community is relatively trouble free....coming from an area the size of Raleigh, I saw plenty of trouble in Garner HS, which is where my oldest son graduated from. This is a cake walk compared to that.
I'm moving because I cannot afford to raise my family off $12.00 an hour, which is my current salary here and is considered "good pay." Off this salary, the social services agency has jacked my parent daycare fee to $100 A WEEK. Let's keep in mind that my rent is $900 a month, I'm a single parent w/ five children. So i say: These people are CRAZY down here!!! I was making 40K a year in Raleigh and my parent fee on subsidized daycare program was $80 a week!!!! )Not that I make obtaining services a lifelong goal of mine, but this is crazy!!!). The Head Start program is in Woodbine and always has a waiting list, which is like 15 miles away from my house. I have a Bachelor's degree and have not been able to find another job making any more money. Teachers get paid well here, as do govt. employees. Everyone else just struggles.
All in all, the positives: the school system, being allowed to choose to worship with a group of people, and my neighbors, who i will be very sad to leave (i live in a subdivision called The Meadows). They've all been so kind to me. Since coming from a pretty area like Raleigh, it was hard for me to come to flat stuff with less greenery. It's not as pretty here as in Raleigh. They're burning down trees like crazy to try and continue development, and it's making the area less attractive. it's very strippy here.....you get on 40 and drive straight to the waterfront in St. mary's. That's about it. lol
But mama gotta move on and get back to where I can make 50K a year again and have a benefited job and a career. So C-ya later Camden County.....lol (And here's to hopin my kid will get a scholarship offer next year....*wink*)
p.s. When they closed the papermill, that was about the only place to work where people actually made $17-$20+ an hour....and hundreds of families suffered from that loss, stinky or not. From what my best friend who is a 20+ year resident and real estate agent here told me: The economy then took a nosedive. People lost their homes, etc. and many have never recovered or have been able to get jobs that were even semi-comparable to the papermill jobs. Many of those workers were not formally educated, and had built their lives around the papermill, so this was particularly devastating to them.
Without the nuclear sub base here (1 of 2 nuclear sub bases in the country), this area would go to crud. The military is what's saved it.....
Having said that, you know that in a small military community, there is always diversity. This is one of the few places in southern Georgia where the community is racially diverse and accepting of that fact. My children are multiracial and we've had absolutely no difficulties here.
p.s.s. the healthcare is AWFUL here......everyone gets shipped down to Jacksonville if they get anything more than a nosebleed. I wouldn't birth baby rats here, especially coming from an area like Raleigh were there are thousands of physicians to choose from. Stay away from the local hospital. I could tell you a few horror stories.
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Punks in St. Mary's
Great info!
