Feedback on safe area to live near Glynco, Ga (Atlanta: crime, how much) - Savannah area - Georgia (GA) - City-Data Forum

usmcmotort · 06-26-2019, 03:48 PM

Hello all!

It has been awhile since I have posted on city data, and I forgot how much of a wonderful place this is for information!

I have an opportunity to work at FLETC and I have done some research on the coastal town and I see that there is a lot of crime. We have a 4 kids, the last was just born May 25, 2019 and the oldest is 12, so needless to say safety is paramount. I did search brunswick on city data and not much I could gather so I am soliciting your feedback on the following:

1) Are there any safe cities to raise a family, budget on a house would be $300 and within a 30min drive to glynco. A nice school district would be preferred but not required since we homeschool. Also prefer to have a bit of space so more land and space between neighbors would be ideal.
2) Any international markets? If not do folks normally go to Savannah or Jacksonville?
3) We are vegetarian, are there vegetarian restaurants? Or at least do the grocery stores have good quality fresh produce?
4) We like to garden and grow our own food, how is the soil for gardening? Is the climate/soil there good for growing?
5) Is this area diverse or accepting of other ethnicities? We're filipino (asian).
6) Overall how do you rate glynn county in raising a family and having activities for the kids to do (nice library, places to take the kids on field trips - for example we live in the DC area and there are a lot of museums here, nice parks and walking trails, etc).

Thank you all in advance!

Iconographer · 06-26-2019, 04:51 PM

All things considered, your family would probably be best served by locating in zip code 31525. The crime statistics you found are probably for the city of Brunswick, where you have a high concentration of poverty and public housing. The better neighborhoods in the Brunswick MSA can be found in the areas to the west and north of FLETC, particularly the neighborhoods off of Harry Driggers Blvd.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...82_rect/11_zm/

The presence of FLETC (Glynn County's largest employer) affords the area a healthy amount of diversity.

You should have no problem finding good produce here. I buy most of mine from a roadside produce stand near my house, which are plentiful in Glynn County.

There are plenty of restaurants that offer vegetarian options in the Brunswick area.

I find the area to be a very pleasant place to live; there are plenty of kid-friendly attractions in the area. My grandkids particularly like the Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island and visits to nearby Okefenokee Swamp. A lot of recreation here is very nature-oriented, which I like.

https://www.jekyllisland.com/activit...ry/sea-turtle/

https://okeswamp.com/

Brunswick is equidistant to Jacksonville and Savannah (1 hr 15 min); of the two Jacksonville offers a wider variety of shopping options.

Best of luck to you and your family.

usmcmotort · 06-26-2019, 08:24 PM

Thank you for the reply! I was talking to a friend and he was asking if I would consider living close to Savannah or Jacksonville and commute to FLETC everyday....do you have any thoughts on how that commute would look like, a lot of traffic? Is it worth the drive, do a lot of folks make that commute?

Iconographer · 06-27-2019, 05:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by usmcmotort

Thank you for the reply! I was talking to a friend and he was asking if I would consider living close to Savannah or Jacksonville and commute to FLETC everyday....do you have any thoughts on how that commute would look like, a lot of traffic? Is it worth the drive, do a lot of folks make that commute?

As to whether or not commuters are doing that, I couldn't say. But I just don't see what the advantage would be to doing that. Why remove yourself from a place that you have to commute to 5X a week in order to be closer to a larger metro that you might otherwise visit once every one or two months?
Brunswick is a metro of about 100K, so it's pretty much able to meet my daily needs quite well. I might drop in on Savannah or Jacksonville 3 or 4 times a year for various other reasons. Besides, beach access is quite limited on the GA coast (if that is important to you), and living in Brunswick puts you within minutes of two of Georgia's best, St Simons and Jekyll Islands.

GA Survivor · 06-27-2019, 07:17 PM

While I am not as familiar with Glynn County, I am from the D.C. area originally. The quality and quantity of museums and such don't exist in the region. There are some smaller places and some outdoor activities and being between Jax and Savannah gives you a good variety of things. Amelia Island and St. Augustine are good day trips as well. The school systems overall aren't as good as you are used to but there are great schools in some of the systems. Check the ratings for the schools and get in a good district. If you can afford it St. Simons as a great little island and awesome beach.

Iconographer · 06-28-2019, 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GA Survivor

While I am not as familiar with Glynn County, I am from the D.C. area originally. The quality and quantity of museums and such don't exist in the region. There are some smaller places and some outdoor activities and being between Jax and Savannah gives you a good variety of things. Amelia Island and St. Augustine are good day trips as well. The school systems overall aren't as good as you are used to but there are great schools in some of the systems. Check the ratings for the schools and get in a good district. If you can afford it St. Simons as a great little island and awesome beach.

The OP is a homeschooler, in case you missed it. And there are some more than adequate schools in Glynn County: Oglethorpe Point Elem, St Simons Elem, Greer Elem, Glynn Middle, Glynn Academy.

Some of the museums and galleries in Glynn County:

https://www.coastalgeorgiahistory.or...thouse-museum/

https://gastateparks.org/FortKingGeorge#directions

https://www.yelp.com/biz/maritime-ce...-simons-island

https://www.yelp.com/biz/mary-miller...seum-st-simons (my granddaughters love this one)

https://www.yelp.com/biz/mildred-huie-museum-st-simons

https://www.yelp.com/biz/arthur-j-mo...-simons-island

https://www.coastalgeorgiahistory.or...war-ii-museum/

https://www.jekyllisland.com/history...perience-tour/

https://www.coastalgeorgiahistory.or...ritage-center/

You were right; you are not familiar with Glynn County.

bellhead · 06-28-2019, 08:24 AM

My advice, live on St. Simons & enjoy island life for a few years, the beach is a 10 minute walk at most & there is a lot of day to day activities for the kids. I'm a federal employee GS, and to advance a lot of times we have to move. I took a promotion which means I am moving to Atlanta, so keep this in mind.

St. Simons itself is a great little island to live on, the difference between Brunswick & St. Simons is pretty dramatic, once you cross the causeway you will see the difference in housing stock.

usmcmotort · 06-28-2019, 10:32 AM

Great info, will definately be looking to that area as a consideration. I'm also a Fed taking a lateral (GS13); though the difference in locality pay is drastic at a $12k difference from DC to Ga but should still be manageable.

Iconographer - thanks for the links!

Iconographer · 06-28-2019, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bellhead

My advice, live on St. Simons & enjoy island life for a few years, the beach is a 10 minute walk at most & there is a lot of day to day activities for the kids. I'm a federal employee GS, and to advance a lot of times we have to move. I took a promotion which means I am moving to Atlanta, so keep this in mind.

St. Simons itself is a great little island to live on, the difference between Brunswick & St. Simons is pretty dramatic, once you cross the causeway you will see the difference in housing stock.

Not to mention price. The OP mentioned a budget of $300K; that's slim pickings if you're looking for comfortable housing for a family of five there.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...04_rect/10_zm/

bellhead · 06-29-2019, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by usmcmotort

Great info, will definately be looking to that area as a consideration. I'm also a Fed taking a lateral (GS13); though the difference in locality pay is drastic at a $12k difference from DC to Ga but should still be manageable.

Iconographer - thanks for the links!

Yea, I took a promotion to 13 also, but I have to be in the office, I was full time telework before. Unless I can get a 14 gig in Atlanta, this is my last GS job, I'll retire out.