What kind of city is Savannah and how are the surrounding areas? (Atlanta: crime)

[famlife]

I have a few questions TIA for your help!

Can/do people keep chickens or goats within city limits?
Can people grow food gardens in their yard?
Are the less expensive areas of Savannah dangerous? (Gang activity, widespread drug use, don't walk at night, etc)
Are there any dog restrictions in the city?
If no chickens in the city, how far out would one have to be to have these things?
Could you recommend a small town 30 minutes or so out of savannah? The less expensive, the better. (Boondocky is ideal)
Do you think Savannah offers enough to do for children/teens? (Community sports, skatepark, parks, playgrounds, aquarium, ...)
***we homeschool, so the school system is irrelevant)
Would you call Savannah 'real south', or a transplanty 'grand central station' 'Yankee invasion' area like some would say about N Carolina and Virginia?
What would you say personifies Savannah? (Some places are known for hippies, etc)
Where is Savannah on the liberal-conservative spectrum?
Are alligators an actual issue in savannah or the hour around Savannah?
Is there much to do on the coast, or is the coastline spoken for as people's yards, or businesses? Is it usable coastline with beaches and boardwalks, or cesspooly, or all just privately owned?
How's traffic? I mean, if I live 30 minutes outside of the city, would I need to leave two hours early for church?

Wow, if you've made it this far, you deserve a reputation point or two

Thanks again!

[SavannahLife]

Gators? Don't be dumb and you'll be fine I have paddled by them. In the Sav National Wildlife Refuge they said they haven't had an attack. Ever. Don't feed or mess with them you will be fine. I have a cute little 3 ft one living in my back yard on the river (watch from a distance of course.. hopefully will migrate when grown)

[WanderingImport]

Originally Posted by famlife

I have a few questions TIA for your help!

Can/do people keep chickens or goats within city limits?
Can people grow food gardens in their yard?
Are the less expensive areas of Savannah dangerous? (Gang activity, widespread drug use, don't walk at night, etc)
Are there any dog restrictions in the city?
If no chickens in the city, how far out would one have to be to have these things?
Could you recommend a small town 30 minutes or so out of savannah? The less expensive, the better. (Boondocky is ideal)
Do you think Savannah offers enough to do for children/teens? (Community sports, skatepark, parks, playgrounds, aquarium, ...)
***we homeschool, so the school system is irrelevant)
Would you call Savannah 'real south', or a transplanty 'grand central station' 'Yankee invasion' area like some would say about N Carolina and Virginia?
What would you say personifies Savannah? (Some places are known for hippies, etc)
Where is Savannah on the liberal-conservative spectrum?
Are alligators an actual issue in savannah or the hour around Savannah?
Is there much to do on the coast, or is the coastline spoken for as people's yards, or businesses? Is it usable coastline with beaches and boardwalks, or cesspooly, or all just privately owned?
How's traffic? I mean, if I live 30 minutes outside of the city, would I need to leave two hours early for church?

Wow, if you've made it this far, you deserve a reputation point or two

Thanks again!

There are a lot of random questions here. I'll do my best to answer what I can and the other regulars will chime in soon I'm sure too... First, I'm sure you notice I currently live in Atlanta, but don't let that fool you as I'm a Savannah native. Grew up in Savannah, lived there for 20 years up until 3 years ago. Family is still there and I'm a regular in town still.

That said, on to your questions...

Even in some lower income areas, crime isn't all that bad. It really depends on where you're at.. and even then, MOST crime is not random. Use common sense throughout town and anywhere you are in the world, honestly. You'll be fine. (Other regulars, notably Newsboy or Ellie can point you in the right direction on here..among others)

Savannah offers enough to do for kids/teens. There are numerous parks, theatres, bowling, or educational entertainment. If all else fails, the beach is a 20 minute drive from downtown.

Downtown Savannah is home to SCAD (Savannah College of Art & Design) so there is definitely an artsy vibe with lots of it's students walking about town mingled in with the many tourists. The college has been great for the revitalization of town and the students add to the quirkiness. A positive in my book. The downtown area also leans a bit liberal, opposite of the suburbs which are majority conservative still.

Traffic is bad for a city of Savannah's size. Nothing like Atlanta, but the infrastructure is long overdue for upgrades, Truman Parkway aside. (Though I do wish those curves could have been smoothed out and an extra lane added between Victory and Abercorn)

Not sure about the animals you mentioned. We're not Key West where roosters roam free throughout. I'm sure someone else can chime in with an answer to that.

IMO, I could see you fitting in in one of the outlying suburbs, say, in Effingham County. Check Guyton out. Or even Bloomingdale. With traffic, it's roughly either side of 30 minutes into town. About 20-25 miles out. Screaming of boonie-ism (however you want to call it) though those areas are growing, too.

[ajc100890]

Originally Posted by famlife

I have a few questions TIA for your help!

Can/do people keep chickens or goats within city limits?
Can people grow food gardens in their yard?
Are the less expensive areas of Savannah dangerous? (Gang activity, widespread drug use, don't walk at night, etc)
Are there any dog restrictions in the city?
If no chickens in the city, how far out would one have to be to have these things?
Could you recommend a small town 30 minutes or so out of savannah? The less expensive, the better. (Boondocky is ideal)
Do you think Savannah offers enough to do for children/teens? (Community sports, skatepark, parks, playgrounds, aquarium, ...)
***we homeschool, so the school system is irrelevant)
Would you call Savannah 'real south', or a transplanty 'grand central station' 'Yankee invasion' area like some would say about N Carolina and Virginia?
What would you say personifies Savannah? (Some places are known for hippies, etc)
Where is Savannah on the liberal-conservative spectrum?
Are alligators an actual issue in savannah or the hour around Savannah?
Is there much to do on the coast, or is the coastline spoken for as people's yards, or businesses? Is it usable coastline with beaches and boardwalks, or cesspooly, or all just privately owned?
How's traffic? I mean, if I live 30 minutes outside of the city, would I need to leave two hours early for church?

Wow, if you've made it this far, you deserve a reputation point or two

Thanks again!

Chickens and goats are conditionally allowed in Chatham County in residentially zoned areas, so long as it's on private property and not for commercial sale. See the ordinance book below. However, I can sum it up for you. One chicken or goat per 1000 square feet of high ground (i.e. not including any body of water on the property), not to exceed a quantity of 30. Chatham County does have strong opinions and ordinances of what is considered animal cruelty and there are ordinances against letting animals wander and tethering animals.

http://www.chathamcounty.org/Portals.../Chapter22.PDF

If you choose to live in the city limits of Savannah, the City Code of Savannah trumps or aligns with Chatham County Ordinances. Savannah looks to be more strict, although I did not read it in its entirety. I did see that chickens needed to be confined, however. See the link below to the Savannah City Code. Animals are referenced in Division II, Part 9, Chapter 5.

Municode

As WanderingImport mentioned, the outlying suburbs of Effingham County or North Bryan County maybe more suited for what you're looking for.

Some neighborhoods in Savannah give off vibes of "Old South" while other areas give off vibes of being "progressive." Then there are some areas outside of Chatham County that may as well be out of Deliverance. It's really a mixed pot.

[ellie]

You could live in Springfield, Guyton, or Pembroke and simply go to church there. Plenty boonies but nice enough towns and people.

I sort of like the land between Springfield and Sylvania or between Oliver and Statesboro. You're less than an hour from Savannah and you won't be dealing with much urban sprawl in the foreseeable future.

The Sylvania/Newington area has a big organic farm or two. It's still conservative politically, but you wouldn't be the only homesteader, if that's what you're planning.

Metter/Statesboro has a large Mennonite community with a strong local ag system....you might prefer the 'Boro to Savannah, actually.