Best and Worst of Athens, GA (Greenville, Newton: for sale, sublease, apartment) - Georgia - Page 4 - City-Data Forum

Pearl14256 · 05-22-2009, 03:34 PM

I'm honestly looking for Ann Arbor, but in the south. If it's close enough, I'm on my way! My dad and I are coming down June 15 for a couple days to check things out. If you have any "must sees" I should add to my itinerary, let me know. Chattanooga, TN and Athens, GA made the finals in places I'm looking to relocate to.

lilmusket · 05-22-2009, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pearl14256

I'm honestly looking for Ann Arbor, but in the south. If it's close enough, I'm on my way! My dad and I are coming down June 15 for a couple days to check things out. If you have any "must sees" I should add to my itinerary, let me know. Chattanooga, TN and Athens, GA made the finals in places I'm looking to relocate to.

Athens is close enough...maybe a tad smaller. The city has over 112,000 residents and the metro area has around 160,000 pp,. I'll let you decide if that sounds like a "small town" to you

Pearl14256 · 05-22-2009, 07:22 PM

I think it is comparable, yes, maybe a bit smaller. But at least Atlanta isn't too far away if I'm in need of a particular item or wanting to go to a particular restaurant. Yet it is also far enough away where I don't have to put up with the traffic and madness. I'm sure there are bars, but is there good clubs?

Ollie1946 · 05-23-2009, 07:34 PM

you should check out Auburn, AL and Chapel Hill, NC. maybe even Clemson, SC. all 3 of those places do not have the crime mess we have here. again, we are overrun with public housing throughout the city.

Ollie1946 · 05-23-2009, 07:35 PM

you should check out Auburn, AL and Chapel Hill, NC. maybe even Clemson, SC. all 3 of those places do not have the crime mess we have here. again, we are overrun with public housing throughout the city.

Pearl14256 · 05-23-2009, 07:54 PM

Why is there so much public housing? Is it in any particular area of the city? What is the best neighborhood to be in?

AMrandy08 · 05-24-2009, 11:34 AM

I went to Chapel Hill recently to visit UNC. And Chapel HIll is a beautiful area. It has alot of character and it is just a really nice place to visit and possibly live. I took the transit system in Chapel Hill and it was free. Chapel Hill is definitely noteworthy...I considered both places to relocate to but my final decision was Athens.

Ollie1946 · 05-24-2009, 01:04 PM

The PH dots Athens. Two large ones are close to downtown. The thugs are close enough to walk to town, do their thing, and retreat back "home". Then there are some other rough neighborhoods about as well. A LARGE percentage of the ACC population is poor--over 25 percent. Our high school drop out rate hovers around 50 percent. That ought to tell you something.

The ONLY thing that keeps Athens "balanced" are the 34,000 students.

I gather you have $$$$ to make this move. It just seems to me that what you are looking for might be found in other places.

People do love Athens. But it isn't paradise. Most of us just go about our business avoiding certain areas, especially at night. But what bothers me doesn't bother young people. I have seen Athens over the years transition from the "classic city" to something i really would rather not deal with.

Pearl14256 · 05-24-2009, 04:21 PM

AMRandy, what made your final decision to move to Athens vs. Chapel Hill?

Ollie, is it the PH that bothers you that doesn't bother the students? Or is there something else you are referrencing? What specifically do you mean by something you'd rather not deal with? I'm interested in what your opinion is.

Also, how far is it to the nearest body of water? Do people go kayaking/hiking/other outdoor activities or is the area not really known for that?

Ollie1946 · 05-24-2009, 07:26 PM

i am 62. i remember much calmer days in athens. it just isn't my lifestyle. it is oriented on youth and lots of drinking. we have bars on top of bars. downtown is not a place my wife and i can enjoy. if we were in our early 20s, that might be different. additionally, as i mentioned, we have a large part of our population that is in poverty. that causes problems from a lot of angles not the least of which is crime and the sadness of seeing such a vast difference between haves and have nots.

also, driving into athens is a great disappointment. it looks seedy. we have too many abandoned buildings or active businesses that just don't keep up their properties. we have the usual strip malls, fast food joints and on and on.

all i am suggesting to you is to check out Chapel Hill and Auburn for comparison.

THIS ISN'T ANN ARBOR. people fall in love with fantasy. you have to take Athens for what it is. it depends on YOU.