From Minnesota to Georgia (Atlanta, Savannah: house, job market, buying)

[Sunshine required]

I'm looking to find out more information on Georgia. I'm a single female, in my 40's, looking to possibly move when my youngest son goes to college next year. I love all four seasons, and hopefully they're not harsh like they are here, and it's pretty much true that we have only 2 seasons (winter and construction).

I am looking for a small to midsized city as I currently live in the twin cities and I'm ok with less people. I don't mind living somewhat outside of the city just as long as it's within driving distance so I can still go to museums, theatres, and possibly a zoo. I would eventually like to be able to buy some acreage to have a hobby farm.

How is the job market there? I've worked in factory jobs and office jobs, which either would be fine for me, excluding customer service as I'm burnt out on that.

I do want to visit it but I want to narrow down where I visit to possible places to live, Pagan/Wiccan friendly preferred. And I'm accepting of all religions as long as people don't try to force their beliefs on me.

Thank you in advance for any responses.

[Brian_M]

Well, how close to your kid do you want to be and where's he going to school? That'll probably be the Biggest limiting factor. If he's going to GA Tech in Atlanta, you're not going to be interested in Valdosta (most likely, it's about a 3 hour drive one way). I'm not saying you should live in the same town, and actually please don't, but an hour drive would be a nice buffer.

Beyond that, the job market is slim pickings for minimum wage in rural GA. On the plus side, you can buy a fairly nice house for $60k, and a livable house that's dated/ugly for $40k (both bottom of the market pricing, but they come up with some frequency in the Rural areas). Get closer to population centers greater than ~30k and both jobs/pay and housing costs go up.

No idea about your spirituality of choice, but as a baptized, non-practicing (for ~20+ years) Catholic, I find the heavy dependence on religion here to be smothering. The 2 most asked questions when meeting someone new are "Who's yer kin" and "what church"... meaning to me that my whole worth is tied to who raised me and what church I attend. Mildly infuriating would be a mild statement to assign this attitude, but it's pervasive. About the only thing that's worse is hearing someone is a "Good Christian"... yea, they go to church regularly, but I've learned first hand it has no bearing on what Kind of person they are, work ethics, etc... Expect to burn bridges and be ignored if you vocalize your beliefs outside of the main urban areas of the state (and south).

Last thing, if you're near to buying a new car, wait till you're in GA. There's a draconian tax law on the books here that will charge you 7% of the vehicles "value' (and that's Their estimate on value, not yours or replacement value) to obtain tags, and that must be done within 30 days. You can wrap that into financing when buying through a dealer, but it's a nasty little shock for most new residents, some who are facing $5000+ between vehicles.

[sedimenjerry]

Somewhere in metro Atlanta would work. It wouldn't quite be like living in a small town but small town GA (and slightly larger ones) are going to be heavily christian and lacking on vegan options. Athens could work but the job market is much smaller.

[SavannahLife]

Sunshine required, Savannah. It is crunchy progressive and many people have hobby farms 20 mins from downtown. Research it. Look at photos. We had a lovely free symphony on the park this past weekend and the one before that the JazzFest, both super fun. There is a Farmers' Market on Forsyth Park on Saturday. Research it a little bit. I like attracting progressive people here.

Although Athens may also be worthwhile looking in to, or even St Marys if you visit or work in Jacksonville.

I visited the Cities a while ago and MN is a neat place. Too cold for me now though! I love our warm coastal breezes. Not moving for a long time from Savannah. Best of luck in your search and travels!

[caragitana]

You should look into Newnan. Plenty of Minnesotans there as well.
There is plenty of land still and you are not too far from downtown.

[Fubarbundy]

Lawrenceville might merrily meet most of what you're looking for?

[Sunshine required]

My son will be going to college at UTI in Florida. I don't have to be necessarily close to him though. Just want somewhere where the people are friendly, the weather is nice, and I won't be paying too much for things.

[JustaVe55el]

Hi Sunshine Required,

I'm certainly rocking a similar boat as you were - running from MN to GA. Will you tell us where you chose to move, how you like it, and any advice you have for others making the same transition?

A little about me: My husband and I will be moving this July with 3 children under 4. My husband works in retail management and I have experience w/employment and youth counseling. We're hoping to move to an environment that is family centered with little people in mind. Any advice, guidance, or warnings will be an abundant help .