Retiring in Athens (Atlanta, Albany, Alpharetta: real estate, sublease, apartments)

[Jomaark]

I'm interested in hearing from people who have retired in Athens.
Currently living in Alpharetta.
Am thinking about doing 1-2 months sublease in a downtown apartment
to see if it's for us.
Ideally would like to be able to walk everywhere and not have car or rely on buses.

Any safe complexes you would recommend near downtown?
Did you just move there or test it first?
How is public transportation?
Can you live there without a car?
Have you been happy with the move you made? Do you think you'll stay put long-term?
How would you rate Albany's arts/culture scene (museums, theaters, galleries, concerts, etc.)?
Please share your opinion on the cost of living there..
What do you like best about Athens?
What do you like least?

Thank you in advance.

[ellie]

Come to Athens for the weekend. Stay in a downtown hotel. Go to the Visitors Center and talk to their staff. Pick up and read the Flagpole’s Guide to Athens.

You need a car. There are no full service grocery stores in the downtown area. Five Points might be a better location. You need to talk to a professional real estate person who will cover the tedious details with you.

[JayHey]

I think 95% of apartments in the walkable part of Downtown Athens is geared to student housing. You may find it a less than ideal environment to retire in.

[cwkimbro]

Downtown has a few newer buildings that likely would not be so bad. There was actually a building that the original condos were sold as gameday condos, which would be quiet during large parts of the year and invasive during gameday weekends.


The rest is student-oriented and there were be a large part of the 18-22 year old crowd wanting to go out 3-4 times a week to the bars.


For what it is worth, Downtown parking is fairly cheap. There are many nice neighborhoods in Athens, built in a town-like setting. If you just wanted a place or two to walk to, look towards Prince Ave/Normal Town or Lumpkin/Milledge/Five Points.


You technically can get by on a bus, but I wouldn't recommend it. Too much of Downtown in its current form is geared at bars, music, entertainment, lunch food, etc... Not actual consumable needs. The towns-folk came out and successfully fought a new development that would have created a semi-urban Wal-Mart at Downtown's edge, that ironically would have made the city center more livable.


I can't imagine it would be a great retirement idea, but on a good note.... If it is just something you really want to experience, rentals aren't that much. Just rent for a a year or so.



Just don't move in expecting it to be quiet.

[FromGA]

Hi Jomaark, You might want to read this thread I started a while ago
//www.city-data.com/forum/georg...s-georgia.html

Also, I sent you a direct message about a short term stay option

[FromGA]

The following was my last post in the thread above:

What Athens could offer retirees over Asheville and Chattanooga -- possibly access to Atlanta airport (there are Athens/Atlanta shuttles), Atlanta for entertainment, any University of Georgia programs/facilities for retirees.

What Athens could offer retirees over metro Atlanta -- can get to a real downtown atmosphere (not just a suburban town center that you can now find in metro Atlanta) in under 15 minutes from most places in Athens/Clarke county. Plus Athens now has quite a bit of suburban amenities -- to include Trader Joe's, Dicks Sporting goods, Aldi, etc.

----

BTW, Athens is a hub for NE GA, and consequently has two good hospitals (St Mary's and Athens Regional), which are beyond what a college town would typically be able to sustain.

[Jomaark]

I appreciate the feedback. The reason we were looking to retire to Athens is, costs, husbands a musician, want to be able to take courses and experience the Arts. Also want to be in an a young vibrant area. Have considered Asheville too but don't want to deal with winter as much.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by Jomaark

I appreciate the feedback. The reason we were looking to retire to Athens is, costs, husbands a musician, want to be able to take courses and experience the Arts. Also want to be in an a young vibrant area. Have considered Asheville too but don't want to deal with winter as much.

I really like Asheville too. It's a nice town.


One thing I would home in on really carefully in choosing Athens vs. Asheville, especially coming from a family with a musician, is what type of music/character of arts you're looking for.


Asheville is extremely big into Bluegrass and art that revolves around culture brought from Appalachian settlers.




Athens is a bit more dive bar / upbeat, with an air of Southern Rock. REM and and Widespread Panic are very indicative of what you will find there.




I find the two music and other art cultures to be very different and you might want to weigh that heavily on your decision. The character of the arts and culture is very different.



There is a website called weatherspark.com that I really like. They make some really interesting charts that make it easy to compare the weather, including one that shows the average temperature comfort level across every hour of the day across the year.


Asheville does have a small bubble on theirs as 'freezing.' Each time of the year it seems to 6-8 degrees colder than Athens. It is a good way to weigh how different the weather really is and what to expect.




I would still recommend against Downtown Athens and look for quieter town-like neighborhoods around it. The loud dive-bar-for-college students culture is just really high and livable-needs is still a bit low.


Now on the good side....



Athens has the Georgia Museum of Art and the state Botanical Gardens. It has events generated by he college that bring random little community street festivals during the year.


The economy of Athens isn't actually that great and this has a double-edge sword. Average incomes are much lower than you'd find in other college towns and Atlanta. This can change the character of some neighborhoods. What it also does is lower the costs of many neighborhoods throughout town. You can live in a type of neighborhood in Athens, that you couldn't afford in Atlanta or a richer college town like Columus (OH), Austin, or Madison.

[ellie]

Originally Posted by Jomaark

I appreciate the feedback. The reason we were looking to retire to Athens is, costs, husbands a musician, want to be able to take courses and experience the Arts. Also want to be in an a young vibrant area. Have considered Asheville too but don't want to deal with winter as much.

The cost of living is reasonable. You can enroll in Olli and take courses in any number of academic subjects. The Lyndon House Arts Center provides adult level art classes and studio space where you can learn a new medium and interact with other artists. There are classical concerts on campus regularly at Hodgeson Hall.

The young and vibrant thing has its ups and downs. In general it’s positive. I love the emphasis on healthy living and a responsible caring society, aka Progressive and Liberal. This extends beyond students and reaches far into the community at large. Yesterday’s election shows the strength of that movement, here and now.

[JayHey]

Originally Posted by cwkimbro

One thing I would home in on really carefully in choosing Athens vs. Asheville, especially coming from a family with a musician, is what type of music/character of arts you're looking for.

Asheville is extremely big into Bluegrass and art that revolves around culture brought from Appalachian settlers.

Athens is a bit more dive bar / upbeat, with an air of Southern Rock. REM and and Widespread Panic are very indicative of what you will find there.

I find the two music and other art cultures to be very different and you might want to weigh that heavily on your decision. The character of the arts and culture is very different.

I don't know if that's just severely outdated info or what, but Asheville music is way more than just Bluegrass, its music scene is just as diverse as Athens. Bluegrass may weight a little heavier in the pie chart in Asheville than in Athens, but not by much - there's plenty of bluegrass in Athens too.