Is Savannah Really that Bad? (Statesboro, Rincon: credit card, lawyer, find a job)

[mycomfortcorner]

Let's don't confuse racism with criminal activity.

...uuuhhhh, ONE OF AMERICA'S FIRST CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES WAS BASED ON RACISM.

[Padgett2]

I think I have misunderstood the posts. I hope I haven't offended anyone. I didn't mean to.

[northern belle]

I lived in Savannah for a year in 2005 and was very surprised at Savannahians idea that their city is dangerous. Every Monday morning the newspaper posts a 'crime map' and people get all excited about the crimes that have taken place within the previous week. Being from Detroit, I was amazed at how fearful people there were just going about their daily activities, and often pointed out to them that the whole week of crime there didn't add up to what might happen on an average Wednesday before lunchtime in Detroit. I lived in the city there, not the suburbs, I am a white female and I always felt completely safe. Any city, unfortunately has good areas and bad areas. People must use caution and common sense wherever they are. I think Savannah does suffer from the lingering effects of the 'gentility factor', that is, people feel that they ought to be able to lead a privileged life, free from any trouble, and with much attention directed toward comfortand society. It seems like they feel must express the requisite ammount of outrage and dismay whenever something untoward occurs. I got the feeling that they ask themselves "What would Scarlet do?"
alot.

[jhsrichards]

As a college student from Athens who is new to town, I have overall been very disappointed in my Savannah experience. The entire city is kind of "falling apart" meaning that businesses and storefronts are dilapidated, roads are in poor condition, and crime seems to be getting worse, not better. I am scared to even walk downtown by myself, even during daylight hours. If you make a wrong turn anywhere near the downtown area, you can instantly wind up in a REALLY nasty part of town with drug-dealers walking up to your car or panhandlers begging for money and food! The suburbs are nice and are getting nicer, but with the traffic on the outskirts of town, who wants to commute? The inner city has no upscale areas that have any unique businesses (no Whole Foods Market, big-box sporting goods stores, unique restaurants like TGI Fridays or California Pizza Kitchen), none of that stuff, which shows that the local economy is not in good condition for a city this size. In addition, the nightlife is not only dangerous due to crime, but NONE of it caters to the 18-up crowd. I was hoping that Savannah would be like a larger Athens/mini-Atlanta on the beach, but I was sadly mistaken.

On the other side of things, it is a great place to vacation and be a tourist. The downtown area has a lot of history behind it, and the sightseeing on River Street is amazing. In addition, the outlying areas up and (mostly down) I-95 offer a lot of outdoor recreation opportunities. Just don't expect much from the beaches or beach access - you can't see the jellyfish that are stinging you in the water, and there are very few places in GA where you can drive to a beach.

[LunaMoth]

I think it's telling that you have to drive 2 + hours to reach a Costco store, or any other "organic" store other than Fresh Market. For some reason, Savannah cannot (or will not) attract some of the more cutting edge businesses out there. A Trader Joe's would be more than welcome; as it is, I go to Atlanta for my fix now.

And, no kidding, the job market is unbelieveably difficult here. My husband went back to school for retraining in a new career field in which he can work for himself.

That being said, there is something magical about the broad vistas of marsh, and the natural beauty in some spots is simply breathtaking.

Crime is very real in Savannah, and can crop up in the worse possible places. There IS a reason that there is always a cop posted -- even during the day -- at the Bull Street Library. For out-of-towners, that is the flagship library of our local library system; it is located in a gentrifying area of the inner city. If I visit a local church up the street on Bull Street, I always make sure I park directly in front of the church, because I do not want to walk a far distance away from others in this part of town. As my mother says "someone may grab you". And it has happened...rapes and muggings of SCAD students have happened over the years, and have somehow always been quietly reported, if at all.

And yes, the downtown area is surrounded by neighborhoods frequented by drug dealers (I see them standing on the street corners all the time...they have towels to indicate the status of their "inventory"). I have elderly friends who live in Ardsley Park, who have come home to surprise a burglar (or someone with worse intentions) in their fenced backyard, and during the day, too.

Just remember, Georgia has very liberal gun possession laws. If you are comfortable with that, I would suggest getting a concealed carry permit (available from probate courts), get instruction in the use of a handgun, and carry it (where allowed by law). Sorry to sound melodramatic, but it may give you a margin of safety in a bad situation you would otherwise not have had.

Having said all of that, Savannah is like any other place -- it has its negatives and positives. The question is, how do they balance out for you individually? Remember, everything's relative.

[HSAN213]

Some areas of savannah are very Dangerous but places like Tybee Island, Bryan county are very Exciting places to stay like Bryan County with about 27,648 people very small Communitie and Tybee Island very nice beach but a least 18 miles from the city.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by Padgett2

Let's don't confuse racism with criminal activity.

When a community's population is majority black, it will have more black criminals.

When a community's population is majority white, it will have more white criminals.

Savannah is more that 50% black in the city limits. That is also where the majority of crimes occur. Some of the older sections are almost 100% black. To ignore this fact when talking about crime in Savannah is to ignore the obvious. Why this is so is one of our on-going problems.

The rest of the population is made of of whites, latinos, hispanics, asians (including vietnamese,) all responsible for some crime.

Well put. Sounds about right.

[apull34395]

yes, Padgett...I have been in contact with them and am going to a substitute training session on Tuesday. It is just difficult to manage on a sub salary, but I suppose I must start somewhere.

[apull34395]

Maybe I have not been there enough, but it didn't phase me much at night. What did bother me was seeing most of the homes having bars on their windows. It just looks bad to see that in an area. The shame of it is, the bars are there for a reason. However, we were on East Broad St until 1am with no problems. I am hoping that Whitemarsh Island is decent...I get my new apartment keys on Monday! Any info on that area?

[Padgett2]

Originally Posted by apull34395

Maybe I have not been there enough, but it didn't phase me much at night. What did bother me was seeing most of the homes having bars on their windows. It just looks bad to see that in an area. The shame of it is, the bars are there for a reason. However, we were on East Broad St until 1am with no problems. I am hoping that Whitemarsh Island is decent...I get my new apartment keys on Monday! Any info on that area?

Whitmarsh and Wilmington Islands are very good places to live. I believe that area has the lowest crime rate in the county.

The Historic/SCAD areas of Savannah cover only about 3 square miles of area. It does have a higher crime rate as does the older, public housing, etc. sections that surround it. However, that area is only a very small part of the Savannah Metropolitan area.