Moving from Cali to Georgia - tips and help for rural life (Atlanta: transplants, sales)

[MorningStar808]

Hi Everyone,

My husband and I are thinking of moving to Georgia when we retire in 5 years. We are done with California and want a slower pace. We love the beach so being an hour or so away is pretty awesome.

Someone recommended Claxton to buy acreage. We want to have a small farm. What do you think of Claxton? Are there other cities east of Claxton that you recommend?
She also mentioned Statesboro. ?


Any advice would be extremely helpful for us. We are going to visit GA in a few weeks to see things for ourselves.

[Brian_M]

Only advice I can offer (I'm against Alabama on the west side of the state) is to be aware of the TVAT for vehicles. Any vehicle you register in GA will require a 7% fee paid before you can get tags, that's 7% of what THEY value the vehicle. Wile likely not a big deal for a CA->GA move since you'll probably be flush with cash, it's still nice to not be blindsided. Good system for people who plan on keeping a vehicle for more than 5 years, astoundingly bad system for people who're accustom to flipping through vehicles frequently (I did as a mechanic ~ and the "average" person gets a new car every 3~4 years... nevermind the whole collecting tax on the same item over and over again aspect.)



Most recommended course of action I can offer is to plan on buying new vehicles (or just from a dealer in GA, used is fine too) when you get here and wrap that TVAT into a loan or at Least a newer car you plan on keeping around for awhile. Older vehicles tend to do better on the tax front... I just bought a '66 VW and only had to pay $40. But my in-laws bought a decade old RV and were stuck with over $2k, so the range can be fairly big. I shudder to think about what a Truly expensive vehicle would cost in taxes.

[MorningStar808]

We are used to getting charged crazy amounts for EVERYTHING! Our cities sales tax is 10/25% !!!

Thank you for all of the info! ( :

[isawooty]

Originally Posted by MorningStar808

Hi Everyone,

My husband and I are thinking of moving to Georgia when we retire in 5 years. We are done with California and want a slower pace. We love the beach so being an hour or so away is pretty awesome.

Someone recommended Claxton to buy acreage. We want to have a small farm. What do you think of Claxton? Are there other cities east of Claxton that you recommend?
She also mentioned Statesboro. ?


Any advice would be extremely helpful for us. We are going to visit GA in a few weeks to see things for ourselves.

If you appreciate Southern living in its truest and most concentrated form, you will love South GA. There are some places I would suggest to you that are close to the coast and pretty darn impressive.

Skidaway Island
St Simons Island
Richmond Hill
Thomasville.

Of those 4, Thomasville is furthest from the coast, but it is the most complete and traditional city of the bunch as well. It’s less than 30 mins to Tallahassee, FL when you need access to a broader market and it’s still about an hours drive to the coast of Florida.

Keep us informed of your decision and good luck!

[ClassicCarFamily]

Be prepared to not bring the CA mentality to GA. Just be courteous, respectful and kind to others and you will be fine. Be prepared for humidity and bugs and other wildlife you probably haven't experienced in CA. You might want to make several visits before you decide and visit all the areas you are interested in. Spend a few weeks in each area or longer if you can. CA has near perfect weather so anywhere else will be an adjustment. Most CA folks who move into GA arrive with a generous retirement so maybe you are fortunate enough to look into the higher dollar areas of the state. Good luck to you

[lbbryantjr]

I live in Savannah. Tybee Island is really the only beach in this area. In the Savannah area I recommend for you to have a farm to look at these areas below. Tybee Island is approximately 10- 30 minutes from Savannah. Depending on which part of town you are coming from.


Chatham County (Savannah, Tybee Island, Pooler, Bloomingdale, Garden City, Thunderbolt & Vernonburg)
I recommend looking at Bloomingdale or rural West Chatham for farm land. That is the most rural area in Chatham County. You would be about an hour away from the beach.

You could still live a rural life and l be close enough to access shopping, dining, entertainment, etc in nearby Pooler 5 minutes away (pop. 23,000) and Savannah 25 minutes away (pop. 146,000). 10 minutes from the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. There are also beaches in South Carolina just across the border.


Bryan County (S & E of Savannah/Chatham County)
Richmond Hill- suburb just S of Savannah (pop. 12,000) 1 hour from the beach
Pembroke-more rural about 30 minutes E of Savannah (pop. 2,500) 1 hour from the
beach
Ellabell-more rural about 30 minutes E of Savannah (pop. 7,300) 1 hour from the beach

Effingham County (W of Savannah/Chatham County)
Springfield (pop. 4,000) 1 hour and 15 minutes from the beach
Rincon (pop. 9,900) 1 hour and 5 minutes from the beach
Guyton (pop. 2,000) 1 hour and 10 minutes from the beach

Bulloch County (W of Savannah/Chatham County)
Statesboro-college town-Georgia Southern Univ (pop. 31,000) 1 hour and 35 minutes from the beach

Liberty County (S of Savannah/Chatham County)
Hinesville-military town-Fort Stewart (pop. 32,000) 1 hour and 15 minutes from the beach
Midway (pop. 2,000) 1 hour from the beach

Evans County (W of Savannah/Chatham County)
Claxton-huge chicken farm (pop. 2,200) 1 hour and 25 minutes from the beach

Tattnall County (W of Savannah/Chatham County)
Glennville (pop. 5,000) 1 hour and 40 minutes from the beach
Reidsville-huge State Prison (pop. 2,600) 1 hour and 40 minutes from the beach

[outdoorman]

What part of Calif are you coming from and have you ever spent time in Georgia before?
I agree that a visit to Georgia is essential to see if it is a 'fit' for you and your husband.
I also agree that the mentality found in many urban areas of California is way different than that of most of Georgia, especially rural Georgia.
Having lived many years in both, I can attest that both California and Georgia have beautiful landscapes.
I left California decades ago and eventually ended up in Georgia but was no stranger to Georgia as it is where my parents and all of my relatives are from and still live.
Having lived the last 25+ yrs in Georgia, I prefer this lifestyle and culture to that of California and would never move back.

[ClassicCarFamily]

Also, whatever rural land you may purchase make sure and get a survey. Boundary lines can get sketchy and you want to make sure what the lines are and if there are easements, shared driveways, etc. It is best to visit GA in all of the seasons. The weather is very different from CA. CA humidity is very low and the climate is dry thus all your wild fires. The humidity level is high in GA if you aren't accustomed to humidity it will be a big adjustment. Also, you will see some folks with Confederate flags on their license plates, flying on their homes you don't see this in CA you will see this in GA. In the rural areas folks tend to be more Conservative if you move towards the bigger cities you will have more liberal. CA is a very hectic area and fast paced. In rural areas of GA it is not and don't expect it to be. Do you have family out this way? If not, you may want to think about what you will do as you age and if you will be near healthcare/shopping etc. Many of the areas don't have the senior buses and shopping close by so are very car dependent. Have you looked into Oregon or WA? They are more like CA and a lot of CA folks retire up that way and there is some really pretty areas there. I am just trying to be truthful GA is nothing like what you are used to in CA its best to make several visits before you decide.

[Ulysses61]

Originally Posted by MorningStar808

Hi Everyone,

My husband and I are thinking of moving to Georgia when we retire in 5 years. We are done with California and want a slower pace. We love the beach so being an hour or so away is pretty awesome.

Someone recommended Claxton to buy acreage. We want to have a small farm. What do you think of Claxton? Are there other cities east of Claxton that you recommend?
She also mentioned Statesboro. ?


Any advice would be extremely helpful for us. We are going to visit GA in a few weeks to see things for ourselves.

Like you, I am a native Californian. I retired in 2017 and spent 3 months testing out Georgia as a possible retirement home. It was most definitely NOT a fit for me, primarily because of the truly horrific humidity. I hope you have spent time in GA in the summer so you will experience first hand what I'm talking about. The traffic is also California-like all around Atlanta. Southern GA is still nice and has that wonderful Southern feel which many outsiders usually love.

Georgia has some wonderful aspects to it, but as a Californian, you will deal with significant culture shock and humidity which is beyond belief.

[ClassicCarFamily]

Hi:
One more thing, some areas of GA can get tornadoes. The areas you mention you may want to ask around to the locals or look online for counties that get tornado activity. Also near the coast you can get hurricanes coming thru. The Atlantic coast is very very different than the Pacific Coast. I understand the cost of living is less here in retirement but there is so many factors to weigh as moving from one coast to the other is a huge move. CA is very different than GA I would visit in the wintertime and again in the hottest part of the summer and spend some time to see if it is something that you could tolerate. It sounds like you want to live near the Coast have you looked at OR or WA state? The coast there is rockier and colder at times but it is very beautiful and there is a lot of CA transplants up that way that truly love it. Plus there is a lot of beautiful farmland there too. A lot rainier that CA but you won't have the humidity that you get in GA.