Savannah (Atlanta: low income, lease, high crime)

[Tazymae]

Can anyone give me the lowdown on Savannah? From what I see in the brochures it is really beautiful but I want someone to give me the REAL Savannah info if it is different from the brochures.
My husband and I are think about moving to Savannah.
I need to be close to a good hospital because that is where my skills are.
Thanking you in advance,
Tazymae

[atlantagreg30127]

First of all, keep in mind that in a BROCHURE, even a city like Detroit can look "beautiful". Brochures are meant to advertise a city, and draw people there to spend dollars, so any you see for any place are going to make it appear appealing enough to move to.

I have never known anyone who had a "soso" attitude about Savannah. Everyone either loves the heck out of it, or hates it.

Good: Lots of old homes, small parks in the historic district with moss covered trees, etc. If you're into photography it's a paradise. Tourism keeps business somewhat booming, so there's a fair variety of shops and restaurants around. Location, you're 1.5 hours south of Charleston, SC (a MUCH nicer town in my opinion), and a 4.5 hour drive from Atlanta.

Bad: High crime for a city of the size. Some think "old" really means "dirty and run down". Low pay scales. VERY hot and humid during summer months. Old-south attitudes by some do not appeal to everyone.

You realllly need to try to schedule some time down there before deciding on a move. 2 weeks minimum. Stay in an area you're interested in and test it out. If you're not able to do that and decide on a move, then RENT first (sign a short term 3-6 mo. lease), that way if you wind up hating the place or area, you can move and not be tied down to a house.

[Tazymae]

Thank you for the info. I am from the south but not that far down and I do like the "southern" way.
Right now I am in the armpit of the world, Pennsylvania.
So much rudeness and disgust.
I am from Kentucky but have spent the last 15 years up here hating every minute. We have not had the means to move out. This coming spring thought we WILL move.
Tazymae

[Ryan Guenther]

You can make it to ATL in 4 hours. There are tons of tourists and low income black people, but hey its the South right? Charleston is very nice. I agree that there are only two ways of thinking of the city, love it or hate it; I tend to fall into the latter category, but just cause Im not a fan of 100 degree weather and huge cockroaches and fearing for my life whenever I walk around at night.

I also agree with Greg in that you should really rent there first, rent in Savannah is reasonable compared to Chicago, where I'm from (something like 30% less)

[mizwizard]

savannah is high in crime in almost all areas. it is hard to avoid. it is worse downtown and in ardsley park. you do need to be careful. the school system is poor. check out the schools before you choose. i have been in savannah since 1991. and i do own a business downtown, but i am careful.

[Padgett2]

No, it is NOT high in crime in all areas. My family has been in Savannah since the 1920, and my husband's since WWII. We have never had a crime problem in our neighborhoods. But there are sections where it isn't wise to walk around at night. Just being here and driving around will show you where the undesirable areas are.

There are really TWO Savannahs. The Historical Area in the downtown River area is one and the other is all the rest. There are many very nice residential sections.

There are also three major hospitals, Memorial University Medical Center, St. Joseph, and the St Joseph-Candler complex.