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My husbands job is bringing us to the Macon area. He will be working in south Macon. We know we dont want to live in Macon and we are looking to rent for the first year so we can get to know the area before we commit to buying. We have a 7 year old son in the 1st grade. I would really like a small town feel in a safe neighborhood. I have been searching this forum for a couple of weeks and most of the posts with a lot of information our several years old. Any insight would be helpful. We are coming from an extremely small town in Alabama. I would like to keep the rent at 1000 or less if possible but being in a safe neighborhood is more important.
Public school? If so, look to South Bibb County or Houston County. In south Bibb, look at areas zoned to Heard, Porter, and Skyview Elementary. In Houston County, options are a little more open, but the commute may be longer or very short..depends on where in Houston. If you want a more rural vs suburban feel, look toward south Houston County (south of Perry) or the Lizella area of Bibb (zoned to Skyview Elem.)
You should be able to find a rental close to your price range (maybe a little more depending on the size of home you want) and the above areas usually have more rentals than others due to the proximity of Robins AFB.
What would help is if you describe the type of neighborhood you want (typical suburban or large lots with some land), what are your shopping, entertainment, dining wants, how close do you want to be to them, what amount of time is an acceptable commute for hubby, public or private school for the kiddo, etc?
Last edited by midgeorgiaman; 09-23-2017 at 06:09 AM..
The best school you could get into is a Charter school Academy for Classical Education K-12 (Bibb county) enrollment is based on a lottery but since you're not going into K it may be hard to get in. South Bibb county off Hartley Brudge Rd would be good for a small town feel. Lizella is a small town in Crawford county (8,800 population) that's just southwest of Macon and not far from Lake Tobesofkee. Byron Ga is also a small town just south of Macon that would be a good fit for you as well. You can find good houses to rent for around $1,000.
Sky view elementary school in Lizella ranks in the top 3rd of state and Heard Elementary school does as well in south Bibb.
Lizella is a small town that I hear people are happy there if you want a small town. If Hartley Bridge area isn't what your looking for I would recommend Lizella next.
Last edited by maconfinance; 09-23-2017 at 07:37 AM..
Reason: More detail
My husbands commute right now is 45 minutes, I am sure he would like to shorten that if possible. We are use to traveling for shopping and entertainment. I would like to be somewhat close to a grocery store though. We enjoy parks and kid friendly activities. Public schools are fine as long as they are good but we are open to other options.
I have researched the Gray area but am not finding much on rental properties there. I also looked at Lizella but am also not seeing rentals. We are planning on coming over to the area the first week of October to check it out.
My husbands commute right now is 45 minutes, I am sure he would like to shorten that if possible. We are use to traveling for shopping and entertainment. I would like to be somewhat close to a grocery store though. We enjoy parks and kid friendly activities. Public schools are fine as long as they are good but we are open to other options.
I have researched the Gray area but am not finding much on rental properties there. I also looked at Lizella but am also not seeing rentals. We are planning on coming over to the area the first week of October to check it out.
Look for sub-South Macon/Bibb or Hartley Bridge (stands for suburban south) in the location listing. I think Byron may fit the bill as well for you. Much of Warner Robins and Houston County is kid friendly as well, but textbook suburban and no longer small. For the commute is to South Macon, Gray or Forsyth are a bit longer of a drive (still less than 30 mins), but are fine too if you prefer a more rural/small town atmosphere.
Location: Metro Atlanta (Sandy Springs), by way of Macon, GA
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Considering all things mentioned, I'm going to say Byron.
Most of South Bibb, Houston County, and Byron is more more suburban and "sprawly" (by Middle GA standards) in nature rather than a true small town feel, though
There are places like Gray and Roberta who still truly feel more like rural small towns that just happen to be next to Macon rather than suburb. However, Byron is just below South Bibb and should be a much closer commute.
You may want to stay in North Macon or Hartley Bridge Rd area, Lizella, Gray area. Byron rental homes probably going to run you $1200 at the least a month for a three bedroom home
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