More about Savannah esp. Ardsley Park!! Please! (Richmond Hill, Pooler: spring break, high crime)

[carter6]

Hi all... I found this forum and am so appreciative of the resource. I am moving this Spring, and am considering Savannah. I have family in Jacksonville, Fl, I would like to be close to but don't necessarily want to live there! I love the Ardlesy Park area, the character, the charm, etc. What I cannot feel comfortable with is the crime I hear so much about. Now, please, I am no stranger to what historic districts bring... I grew up in Hyde Park in South Tampa, absolutely beautiful, but high crime. Now, I have 2 small children, and I don't want them to be exposed to unreasonable crime. WHat do people have to say? I'd love to hear from residents of Savannah. I know that people recommend Pooler and Richmond Hill, but personally I choose Savannah because of the historic charm and I really would like to be part of it on a daily basis... not to have to "drive" to it. I may be asking too much. Thank you so much for your insights and opinions... I want to put my kids in a good situation. Also, does anyone know of a pool to join if one lives in that area?

[ellie]

There is some truth about crime in Ardsley Park, but for the most part it has been sensationalized. I know quite a few people who live in the neighborhood who have lived there for a long time. There is a problem with burglaries, largely because it is a higher income neighborhood which is near several low and middle income neighborhoods.

The shooting which happened on the street last year, mentioned repeatedly by a recent poster who lives in California, was not random nor gang related as first believed, but was allegedly done by the victim's own wife, who has since left town. She blamed a black man, which was reported by the media, but the police have since starting investigating her instead.

About a decade ago, there were a few random shootings, which were gang related, which stopped when the leader was put in jail.

You can research this yourself using the Savannah paper and get a more accurate sense of what happened. There is also a crime statistics map available on the Savannah/Chatham Co. police website.

Personally, if I could afford to, I'd live in Ardsley in a heartbeat. It's a beautiful part of town and convenient to everything. Take the ordinary precautions, good locks, a security system or a yappy dog, participate in neighborhood watch, and you'll probably be as safe as anywhere.

You will also be in two good school districts, for elementary and highschool, I think. Someone else will have to fill you in on that.

[cpowers21]

http://www.savannahpd.org/cityweb/spd.nsf/238f728e195a9dbb85256ae90052f4a9/cb4a91899f7fec7085256fd90067fe6d/$FILE/CompStat%2002-12-07.pdf
That is from the police department website. It will give you an idea about the number of crimes reported.
I think the biggest concern in the ardsley park is robbery and property crime. Don't forget to check out the schools as well.
http://www.savannah.chatham.k12.ga.us/home/

[bgnzsavnh]

A pool to join:
Chatham County Aquatic Center
7240 Sallie Mood Drive
http://www.chathamcounty.org/pwps_aquatic.html
Habersham Branch YMCA
6400 Habersham Street
http://ymcaofcoastalga.org/site/page_display.asp?pid=32 (broken link)

We have several friends in the Ardsley area and would live there if we could.
Get a good book like what your child needs to know for each grade and become involved in what they are learning or not learning.
Look for IB, Honors, AP, or Gifted Programs in the local schools.
Resist the temptation of the "better Private Schools" in the Ardsley area
my daughters friend was on the Headmasters list for years then went to Savannah Arts Academy for High School. and required tutoring to catch up with basic courses. French consists of reading The Bible in French.

[Lannie]

I work with a young lady who graduated from Savannah Christian. She loved it! She's heading to college this fall. She grew up in Ardsley Park and her family is still there. Yes, there's some crime. There's crime in every neighborhood in almost every city in America. True that Savannah has more than most cities its size, but it's more so in the middle of the historic district. That shouldn't deter anyone from thinking about Savannah. It's a beautiful city with wonderful culture and character, as well as characters! :-)

And there's nothing wrong with learning French. I wish I had. The book being read is not the point. The students are learning French.

[ellie]

Talk about religion and kill a thread...

Good luck Carter.

[carter6]

Thanks for the info... you all have given me a lot to think of. I visited last October, fell in love with a house (that's still on the market) but got freaked out because of the crime situation. I met a realtor I adore, she's great, grew up in Ardsley and lives there today... She's a very neat soul- great person to know. Maybe I'll head back Spring Break and try it again.

Thanks a bunch- it's very appreciated!

[cpowers21]

Good Luck on your decision. I wish you the best!

[deesonic]

I know this is an old thread but I figure I could offer some insight for anyone curious.

I just moved from Savannah to Huntsville AL last summer. My wife and I lived in a cozy bungalow in the beautiful neighborhood of Ardsley Park on E 48th Street. It is an absolutely wonderful place to live. I sincerely miss going for jogs and bike rides down Washington Ave and talking to all the great neighbors we had there. Ardsley is very special, lots of young couples and older residents too. It was a very friendly place.

Now for the bad side...Yes crime is an issue in Ardsley. Residential break-ins happen regularly. A neighbor of mine had his house broken into twice in a year's time and his car. The only crime we were victimized by was a boom box was stolen off of my front porch. We had a security system as a deterrent and I think, unfortunately, they are necessary there. I was still living in Savannah when the shooting took place at that house on Washington. And yes, that turned out to be an inside job apparently, not a random act of violence. That may turn out to be Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil 2 for all I know. But crime in Savannah in general is an ongoing issue and Ardsley is no worse than anywhere else there. But like another poster mentioned, there are some rougher areas nearby which leaves Ardsley as a target of sorts.

The other issue in Ardsley is skyrocketing housing costs. It's nearly impossible to find a small 2 bed bungalow for under 250k anymore. Now for folks from up north or California, maybe that sounds reasonable. But I can tell you that jobs don't pay particularly well in Savannah compared with other parts of the country.

So, I loved Ardsley and Savannah, but honestly it was not very practical for my wife and I to stay there. But I was a resident of Ardsley for 5 years and if you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me. I'll add that nearby Parkside (adjacent to Daffin Park) and Baldwin Park neighborhoods are up and coming and slightly less expensive historic districts you might look into.