Is Savannah Really that Bad? (Thunderbolt: home, lease, job)

[Wantingtostartover]

Originally Posted by new28moon

To jvinc: You can rent a mail box at one of the local mailing places here when you are in town. Then you will have a local address to put on your resume. Savannah is primarily a blue collar town. That's why you're not seeing more white collar openings listed in the local paper because that's what the market is here.

I will not respond to the other comments posted which are irrelevant to my situation. You are NOT working in my field and you have NOT been on an adminstrative job interview recently.

Is that just for Savannah, GA or what? because I attempted to rent a mail box at the post office and they said i needed a local residential address to rent a P.O. BOX or do you mean one of the Mailing Stores other than the Post Office which rent out mailboxes to consumers? That can be something i can check into thanks so much

[Gathea]

I have retired at 60 for medical reasons and because the small town I live in has limited employment opportunities even if I could work. My husband is terminally ill.

I will be living on Social Security and the equity from the sale of my home here, approximately $350,000.
I loved Savannah and my son may be posted nearby in the Army but did see obvious racial tension and a threat of young blacks against whites even in the ol town.

I've been to Athens, Madison, Charleston and loved them too. I would prefer to avoid the warmer inland areas.
Where can a woman on her own could buy a small home or 1 story townhouse that is in an attractive, safe area and where multiple small pets would be allowed and there isn't an exhorbitant monthly maintenance fee?
I'm even considering buying a nice used mobile home to travel in using a diesel truck to pull...if I don't have to set it up everynight. I've spoken to people who've said this is a fun way to live and very inexpensive.
Having lived in the south my entire life, I find upstate NY, New Hampshire, etc. just too dark and even cold in the summers.
Thanks for any advice you can give....I need it....I'm really on my own.

[ellie]

In the Savannah area you can probably find something suitable to live in for less than $200k that meets your criteria. Find a real estate agent and do some serious, in-person shopping. Can you live off of SS and the interest from investing the remainder of of your home sale? Maybe. So many factors to consider. Math is not my strong suit. I'd talk to a financial adviser.

Racial tension exists throughout the country, evidently. There's some major problem today in NYC over a police shooting. The problems here seem to be more of a violent, drug related nature rather than direct hate crime. That's my opinion, based on personal experience living here.

[Thunderbolt_Guy]

Originally Posted by twinkletoes38372

If you are moving to Savannah from the North prepare to hear "You're not from here are you?" Get used to it, Southerns are that. Southern and they are proud of it. Be sure you have a job (if you need one) before you move there. Income is low. Savannah needs more restaurants other than fast food. Only one good restaurant in town that serves liquor. It is in the Bible belt and there are lots of churches. Schools are relatively good, 2 private church schools. People are nosey but basically good. You will be a minimum of 100 miles from a metropolitan city. If you like the river, you are in luck. We got one.

If the post office won't rent a box to non-residents, your best bet is the UPS store at Abercorn & Largo, in front of the new Publix and Staples. I rented a box there without any problem in May 2008. They don't care where you live, and they even accept UPS packages, etc. for you there. They also will give you a key for 24 hr access if needed (may cost a few $$ extra). However, it costs about twice as much as a PO box, but fine for short-term.. and it DOES help if you are job-hunting to have a "local" address in Savannah.

[Thunderbolt_Guy]

Having a "local" address does help in getting a job in Savannah. I've found this from personal experience. If you can't use a Savannah friend's address, try the post office. Some may still rent you a box even if you don't live there (I did it once by making up a Savannah address, and they never batted an eye). Also, the UPS Store (formerly called Mailboxes Etc?) on Abercorn just past Armstrong University will rent you a box with a local address; they don't care where you live! They will also accept UPS packages for you, and you can get 24 box access if you need it. You can also call them to see if you have mail there (the post office does not provide this service).

As far as other tips, a nice site like Yahoo Jobs or Careerbuilder.com does help. I like that either of those sites can be set up to email you jobs matching your criteria daily or weekly. Personally I don't make my resume "public"... you will get way too many junk mails that way. I only apply to jobs that interest me.

[Thunderbolt_Guy]

I have lived in Savannah (Georgetown and Thunderbolt) and NEVER had any problems with racism. I came from a very small town in Georgia where racism was worse than in Savannah. I saw many interracial couples in Savannah (a rarity in my hometown), many gay couples, and many strange people, but never heard any negative comments or saw any negative treatment. There is a problem with young males (black and white) committing petty crimes. Crime statistics are up and down, depending on who you believe... but in my opinion overall Savannah is safer than it used to be, and better even than some smaller towns.

In 1995, the Kroger I worked at (next to the Oglethorpe Mall) was robbed twice (cashier at gunpoint) in a year... but probably because it was the only Kroger that didn't post a security guard at night and everyone knows this. Fortunately I was not working either time... but no one was harmed.

However, many apartment complexes are questionable (drug activity, larceny, cars broken into), and I wouldn't even think of living downtown in the Historic district. I lived at River Crossing Apts in Thunderbolt and it was a positive experience. Georgetown has grown a lot, and traffic and minor crime have gone up there somewhat. The islands or suburbs (Pooler, Richmond Hill) are probably a little safer for most people, if you can stand the drives into Savannah.

I would say that 80% of Savannah is safer than most parts of Atlanta (a town I know a lot about but would never live in). Do be aware of your surroundings, and use common sense. I carried a gun when going to ATMs, etc. at night, but generally had no problems in Savannah other than a rare street bum annoying me by trying to sell me crap.

Maybe someone who has lived there more recently has better information than me... I still visit and things seem o.k. except for worse traffic and a lot of crappy apartments (I recommend Bucaneer Trace or River Crossing).

[Thunderbolt_Guy]

Statesboro is a good alternative to Savannah. It is only an hour away should you need to visit Savannah for a little "culture" or shopping. Housing situation, crime, etc. all better in Statesboro. It is a 4-year college town, but still feels quite small. I used to work there part-time. Just one guy's opinion. If you need to be closer, my friends in Pooler say it has grown a lot and is nice to live in, except for slight commute to Savannah. Maybe people who live in "The Boro" (Statesboro) feel differently?

[Thunderbolt_Guy]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaGirl08

I'm a white female in my 20's. I was born and raised in Savannah, Ga. I've never known another place or called another place home. This is where my roots are.

A lot of people come to savannah in hopes of living in a beautiful and historic city, relatively quiet and peaceful. That is the case in SOME parts of the city, not all.

Basically, the city is broken down into 3 major parts-Southside, Westside, Eastside. Having spent countless time in all 3 areas, I can honestly give you the truth about what you will find and what you will see.

(i consider the major division line between the sides to be derenne and bull st.) anything below derenne is the southside, anything to the left is the west, anything to the right is the east.

SOUTHSIDE-lived there the majority of my life (Georgetown). Very family oriented community, a little out of the way from Mid-Town savannah where the malls and restaurants are but when i raise my family, we will live in Georgetown for sure. safest place. beautiful houses, great community! schools close by!
i know live in Windsor Forest-also the southside, closer to both malls and pretty much everything! 5 minutes from the highschool i went to. nice little area..a little rougher than georgetown though.

WESTSIDE-lived in west savannah for a few months before i moved back to the southside. ive never felt completely safe being in this area. police are always riding around. pretty much the whole strip of MLK and Montgomery street are some of roughest parts of the city. crime is unbelievable and the drug problem is worse than most people realize. hot spots for crime-frazier homes, cann park, yamacraw, cloverdale, woodsville and anything surrounding augusta avenue near bay st. although i have a lot of friends who stay on this side of town, i wouldnt recommend anyone reading this to even consider living on this side of town, even though housing is cheaper...the way living is very poor and run down. its our ghetto/hood. ive seen people get shot in the middle of the street, cars broken into, houses robbed, drug transactions pretty much everywhere i go. there is a huge problem with armed robbery and drugs in this area.

EASTSIDE-not as bad in my opinion as west savannah, but its like the "cleaner" version of west savannah. the houses dont look at ****ty but crime is just as bad, if not worse in some areas. depends on where you go. hot spots-hitch village, strathmore, mario land, waters avenue or 37th st. 41st is pretty bad too. the whole strip of pennsylvania avenue. basically if you find yourself in a part of town where the streets are named after states (florida, tennessee, utah, hawaii)...get out ASAP! its a daily thing to see helicopters flying around looking for people who have committed crimes and are on the run. drugs are definitely a big issue on this part of town also.

*West Savannah and East Savannah are like 2 gangs. These sides of town do NOT get a long. If you are from west savannah and you go to east savannah, people can usually tell you arent from their side of town.


The schools here are pretty ****ty. My highschool days consisted of bomb threats and lock downs (drug/weapon searches). Although my highschool was not the worst it was still pretty bad.

Wouldnt recommend sending your kid to Beach highschool or Savannah highschool. The drop out rate is almost 50% and the graduating rate is less than that.

Overall...this city is like living a double life. It's beautiful, historic, and comfy. But at the same time, it's a crime/drug infested city. My parents once told me that they wished they had never raised me in Savannah. But I just happen to love it here!

Overall a very good summation of Savannah! I have friends in Georgetown, Windsor Forest, Pooler, and Thunderbolt... all areas I feel pretty safe in. Stay away from MLK Blvd, and be careful downtown at night.

[Thunderbolt_Guy]

Originally Posted by DisgustaSucks

And you simply cannot compare downtown Savannah with downtown Augusta.. it's like comparing apples and oranges... despite some recent efforts at revitalization, downtown Augusta is still mostly comprised of abandoned or derelict buildings..
Savannah is a year round tourist destination, teeming with historic inns, nationally recognized restaurants, and the largest historic district in North America. It has been featured numerous times by leading travel publications and the travel channel.

Augusta is perhaps the most boring town I have ever visited. Savannah, with all its pros and cons, is a much better place to live... unless you have children and are looking for a good public school.

[Thunderbolt_Guy]

Originally Posted by Wantingtostartover

Is that just for Savannah, GA or what? because I attempted to rent a mail box at the post office and they said i needed a local residential address to rent a P.O. BOX or do you mean one of the Mailing Stores other than the Post Office which rent out mailboxes to consumers? That can be something i can check into thanks so much

The UPS Store at Abercorn & Largo will rent you a "local" address box... no questions asked, and they don't care where you live.