Anyone from St. Simons Island? (Marietta, Brunswick: rental, townhouse, to buy)

[Illustr8r]

I am in the process of lining up everything for my family and myself to move to St. Simons Island by mid-summer. I have some questions about the area and would like anyone familiar with it to reply. Thanks in advance!


Mark

[xxman777]

You should post your questions in advance and let people respond from there. I'm not really familiar with the area but I'm sure there are some one here who are.

[Ryan Ward]

We go every year for vacation and stay at a house on East Beach. It is beautiful. What do you want to know?

[beachrules]

St. Simons is a wonderful place to live. My family lived there for 10 years when our boys were growing up. We are moving back in 6 months to enjoy an early retirement after being away 10 years. My husband and I have been visitors to the island since we were children. We actually remember the island when it was a true paradise! The island schools are incredible and have been compared to a private school. However, middle and high school are another story. Daily travel over the causeway to Brunswick is required. And Glynn Middle is a horrible building with lots of problems. Glynn Academy--the high school--is a group of old and in need of lots of upgrades and repairs buildings some 100 years old. Prices are steep on the island but worth every penny. Our sons, now grown, all intend to return there to live when college is over, etc. Our oldest son and his wife are already making plans. Walk, bike, enjoy the beach. The churches are friendly and welcoming and there is a great variety. Teenagers find there is not much to do. Watch out for heavy pot usage and lots of drinking. Keep an eye on your teens! There is not enough space to tell you how wonderful life is on St. Simons. Not perfect, but close. Hope you move and enjoy.

[Illustr8r]

Thanks for the replies! Good info there.

We visited there last December for a week and feel in love with the place. We're currently applying our son at Frederica Academy for high school on the island.

Anyone know when they spray for mosquitos? I was told that mosquito control is done via airplane. This concerns me immensely, since insecticides are some of the worst toxins we're exposed to.

[Milo Bloom]

Originally Posted by Illustr8r

Thanks for the replies! Good info there.

We visited there last December for a week and feel in love with the place. We're currently applying our son at Frederica Academy for high school on the island.

Anyone know when they spray for mosquitos? I was told that mosquito control is done via airplane. This concerns me immensely, since insecticides are some of the worst toxins we're exposed to.

Don't worry, whatever they use doesn't kill the hordes of mosquitoes down there, so it probably won't hurt you.

I've visited St. Simons about 50-60 times (family), and it's OK. There are better beaches in other places, and there are nicer towns in other places. But St. Simons is a pretty good town next to a pretty good beach, and that's what makes it special. We used to call it "Mayberry at the Beach", although these days it's more like "Marietta at the Beach".

Brunswick ain't much to write home about, though. The smells emitting from the chemical plants (and the sewage lift station on the north part of the island) are sometimes enough to turn your stomach.

Also, invest in a water filter. The tap water is very sulphured, almost impossible to use for anything other than washing/bathing.

All this being said, it is very bike-friendly, and hanging out in the evenings down next to the pier is a lot of fun.

[Paul McS]

Not sure if you have already made a purchase but I have a two bed townhouse on a golf course in the north end of the island that is available for long term rental (or even to buy...!).

thx,
Paul

[luckysnap]

I have visited St. Simons many times, but honestly, it gets cold in the winter, the seawater is muddy, the beaches stink and the mosquitos are like black clouds. It still makes for a nice (but snooty) place to visit.

[WanderingImport]

Don't let these previous posts get to you. St. Simons is a beautiful island in a great area of southeast Georgia. There will be sand gnats & mosquitoes due to the proximity to salt water and marshes, but it is a small price to pay for such a great place with lots of history.
As for the previous post about it stinking, it is merely the saltwater marsh surrounding the islands and this smell will grow on you. Its not harmful at all.. and neither are the sprays mosquito control uses.
Weather in the Brunswick-Saint Simons area in the winter CAN get chilly, but nothing like the winters in New Jersey. The typical coldest temps the area receives is very tolerable in the 50s and 60s during the day and 30s and 40s at night.

[Iconographer]

It's one of my favorite places in the world...that's why I choose to make it my summer residence. I took my (new) husband down there for the first time a couple of years ago; he's an inveterate world traveler, but agreed that it doesn't get any better than SSI.