The lo-down on Savannah (schools, place to live, food)

[thatsright]

Originally Posted by knrsmom

Also, you can't deny it....everyone sees what they want to see!

It seems from your post all you want to see is the negativity of Savannah.

Originally Posted by knrsmom

You are blind to the areas you know nothing about. So don't represent the entire city if you have not been there.

Yet you appear to be making confident assertations about Savannah's schools and crime rates. Have you been all over Savannah to be able to make these judgments about the city?

I was born in Savannah, and raised in Savannah, and its outskirts. I am a product of the Savannah's public school system and am a graduate of a Federal Service Academy. For those unfamiliar with the academies, the nation has 5, and you can only enter with an appointment from your respective state's congressman.

With my job I regularly travel all over the nation, and in several cities in Europe. I have mentioned where I am from to people all over the nation, and am suprised at the number of people that have heard of Savannah and its charm. Savannah has an older history then many cities across the country. I think Savannah can be related to New Orleans, especially before Katrina. I have not yet visited New Orleans after Katrina. New Orleans has been known for its culture, jazz, and easy going ambience. New Orleans also has dangerous crime areas interspersed througout the city, some right next to nice, safe areas. You just need to know where to go when traveling around the city. It really isn't too hard to notice when you've traveled into a bad part of town by just noticing the condition of the buildings.

If you're coming from a not very diverse city in the South Carolina mountains, Savannah's crime rate may appear scary to you. I can assure you that city's with diversity have similar crime rates all over the nation. By diversity I mean caucasian (normally the majority in the U.S.) are a minority in Savannah. I also know your view about a city can change when you suffer a crime against you. The only place I have been where I was close to being attacked was in downtown San Francisco while walking in the evening from my nice hotel to a local convenience store. In spite of this, I still think San Francisco is a wonderful place to visit, and an awesome city to walk around in.

I am not trying to sugar coat anything about Savannah. Savannah is a diverse city rich in history and culture that also has problems with crime. The 'flavor' of Savannah is what has kept me here so far instead of moving to the many places I have visited. For those considering relocating to Savannah, I would say 'sure, come on down!' Savannah has a lazy, peaceful atmosphere unique all its own. You just need to have common street smarts when walking at night, and just plain common sense during the day.

Much of the crime in Savannah can be found in downtown Savannah in the low income areas adjacent to the historical areas. There is crime all over Savannah, but these places have the higher percentage. There are many nice places near to downtown Savannah with relatively low crime. Examples are Wilmington Island, Skidaway Island, Tybee Island, Vernonburg, Southside, Georgetown, to name a few. There are also some nice neighboring towns that are less then a 30 minute drive from downtown. Examples are Port Wentworth, Richmond Hill, and Pooler. All of these mentioned places have nice to decent schools in my opinion. Richmond Hill has a very low crime rate. I think I heard the city had its first murder in 2001. It also has that down-home country feel to it for those looking for that.

If your goal is to own an old historical house to renovate, or one that is already renovated, well these can mainly be found in downtown Savannah. As already mentioned downtown is adjacent to the poorer areas where many of the city's crimes occur. Just like any city with diversity, living downtown can be fun, but dangerous if you do not practice street smarts. Many people have old million dollar antebellum mansions downtown in areas where crimes can happen more regularly then one would like. I would recommend living downtown to those who have experience living in larger cities, and possess good street savy. Sorry for the long post, but I probably won't come by this thread again, and this is just my 'low-down' on Savannah from being born and raised here.

[Just Plain Al]

Originally Posted by FFG3

Isle of Hope.

And I'm thinking it's some punk little bastards that live in your 'hood that know just where to hit?
Forgive my language?

Originally Posted by gamecock43

wow. That's awful. I have a lot of inherited heirlooms in my house and do worry about them. Funny how much hold an inanimate object has over you.

Out of curiosity FFG3- do you have a dog? I live in the bad neighborhood but have 2 dogs that I hope are a deterrent.

Attachments.
We all have them.
And in the long run...?

Agreed...
A gun will only protect you when you're there.
A dog will protect you when you're not.

[FFG3]

Originally Posted by Just Plain Al

And I'm thinking it's some punk little bastards that live in your 'hood that know just where to hit?
Forgive my language?



Attachments.
We all have them.
And in the long run...?

Agreed...
A gun will only protect you when you're there.
A dog will protect you when you're not.

The police said these were professionals, they had to have transportation to load up everything they got from me. It wasn't just a few small items. Big electronics and other items that would have required some heavy lifting.

I do not have a dog but do think that helps. However the police said the type of people that robbed me usually brought food to give to dogs.

[gamecock43]

Thank you for the details. It helps all of us to be aware and more in tune with whats going on in the area. I hope you and your family will be able to recover from this incident.
In my neck of the woods, I don't think I need to worry about 'professional theives' targeting my house. its the 'lil' guy' that would target my place.

[deepwoodsoff]

I got robbed by 'professional' thieves after first day moving into the Georgetown, Savannah area. It was a few years back in the beginning of December. They also hit a couple of my neighbors' houses. None of us were at home when this happened, and I feel pretty sure they were scoping out our houses because they robbed my house in only an hour and half window when we were away. They eventually caught some of the guys involved in North Carolina, after recovering some of the stolen stuff. Apparently these guys would travel to other states, hit some neighborhoods then go back to there place in NC.

I do feel pretty naive now when I look back at it. I practically left a 'ROB ME' sign on my door with how I left my house. I'll pass on a few things I have learned since then that I think makes all the difference in the world. My house was located on a street with woods right behind it, making it an easy access by theives. I also left no lights on in my house or any outdoor lights. I had no lock on my fence gate. Now granted I had just moved in, but leaving your house with no lights at all on is a good sign for theives looking to rob a house with no one home.

Having an alarm system helps, but if this is not practicable just purchasing an ADT or similar sign and stickers from ebay would be a good deterant. Many theives do not bother with houses who may have an alarm system, especially in the suburbs where neighbors would hear an alarm. Replace all of your outdoor lights with motion sensor lights. This is an excellent deterant because theives look for a dark house and surroundings to do their job. It can also serve as a means to catch anyone trying to scope out your house while you are at home. Place at least one light in your house on a timer to be left on while you are away. If you are concerned about electricity, you can put one of those flourescent light bulbs that uses about the same wattage as a night-light, but gives off plenty of light. If you are really concerned, you could also put a radio on a timer that gives the impression of people being in the house. Finally the obvious, don't leave your house with unlocked doors, windows, garage, or fence gate. I have done all of these steps, and never had any problem since.

Watching the show on the Discovery channel 'It takes a thief' also provided some good pointers for making your house unattractive to thieves. [URL]http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/ittakesathief/ittakesathief.html[/URL] That show also showed how ineffective having a dog has as a deterant. Even the most viscous looking dog left them alone when given some snacks. If your dog is a trained dog fighter it could be a different story

[tigafan]

Originally Posted by damiana00

Nothing, you're right...but this is human. People get to talkin', sometimes the subject at hand gets OLD and so naturally it veers into other subjects. People need ways of getting in touch with each other because modern communities are so defunct. In a way, even though I started this whole topic, blogs are weird, and I normally don't get involved but I needed personal tales and info on Savannah. Now it seems that little conversations are starting up. I think that's ok.
Anyhow....Al was just asking me about some stuff I said......just like the other guys were trying to figure out which high schools they each went to. Totally off subject, but who cares at this point! It's cool that people are reaching out to each other in whatever way they can. I mean just look at the state of affairs in this country, we need all the cohesion we can muster!
Myself, just trying not to be a judgmental crud and allow life to just be. It gets old always being on the judgmental end of the stick.
it's ok, try it.

OK AS FOR THINGS ABOUT SAVANNAH: ANYONE GOT SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO TELL ME...
THE MUSIC SCENE:

THE ART SCENE:

THE....UH....DIVERSITY OF FOOD/RESTAURANTS?? ANY GOOD THAI FOOD..I'm an addict and conse...oh crap can't spell it...connoisseur ... of thai food and hope there are some good places to get it down there.

HOW BOUT HIKING/WALKING SPOTS:....love to walk and hope there are some nice spots.


Ok that would be helpful to know a bit about these things and they're on topic?
)

Peace.
D.

My kids and I love to go hiking on Skidaway Island along the water in the woods there are trails. It is freakin beautiful!!

[ArthursChoice]

to be an ass...you know what I mean?

Originally Posted by ellie

If you go to the trouble to read the past year's posts about Savannah you'll get the lo-down. Capiche?

[Just Plain Al]

Originally Posted by ArthursChoice

to be an ass...you know what I mean?

Uh-oh...

[ellie]

Originally Posted by Just Plain Al

Uh-oh...

LOL. Everyone's a critic.

[Just Plain Al]

Originally Posted by ellie

LOL. Everyone's a critic.

Agreed!
but
When someone calls me an ass...
I just smile, and move on.
When someone calls a friend an ass...
I take notice.