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Hello, everyone. I've read tons of posts on this site and, understandably, am overwhelmed with amount of info (both factual and inflated) presented. Some things are no surprise (larger city, blue collar based economy, population over 100,000, high crime, slums, etc). What did shock me was the seemingly high amount of decay allowed to due corruption and mismanagement (similar to Providence, RI, in the late 80's). Naturally, my family is concerned about this and needs factual information to guide us, not "doom and gloom" or "gilded puffery"
I stopped in yesterday to check out where I'll (potentially) be employed (off of 19 South near Jeffersonville Rd) and, not surprisingly, the area looked run down (as did much of what I saw off of 11 comming into the city). Considering I came in from Social Circle and traveled 11 the entire way it was kind of a bummer. I spent 3 days in Atlanta (Marietta/Dobbins area) and it felt alive and vibrant, similar vibe to San Diego and other cities with a younger, affluent population; Macon felt as if the life was squeezed out years ago.
Initially, we need to rent and would like to either stay between Gray and Macon, or between WR AFB and Macon (I'm retired Navy and would like access to their facilities), preferably not in the cities themselves. We have two small children who are 4 and 5, so a good school district is a must. Online searching is informative but not very helpful when you don't know the areas. We need at least 3 bedrooms (2 if apartment, but would prefer to rent a house) and our budget is under $800/mo; distance no more than 30 miles from Jeffersonville Rd.
Once there we will learn the area fairly quickly as we like to drive and find things ourselves. However, Macon sounds a lot like Baltimore and I don't want to be anywhere near the worst areas. Eventually, we will be ready to buy again and I did tell my wife not to look at anything under $75,000, regardless of "historical value". We also don't want to be inside city limits. Our priorities are 3+ bedrooms, 2+ baths, 1+ acre land, quiet, good schools, and under $250,000.
First a heads up, I have been called a Macon hater on here several times. But truthfully that is not the case at all. I simply countered the, as you put so well, the "gilded puffery". What you see is what you get. There is no secret left hand turn that takes you to the awesome part of Macon. There are decent areas no doubt, but what you saw makes up the majority of Macon. What you seek exists in the Macon area, but I would strongly suggest you widen your perimeters. 40 or 50 miles from Jefferson Rd. will include many rural communities that possess what you are looking for. Although they are small towns, I would include Forsyth, Hawkinsville, Cochran, Perry and perhaps even Dublin in your searches. Based on traffic patterns, many of the base employees live in these areas and commute to Warner Robins. Good luck in your search and welcome to the area.
Thanks for the info. We would like to stick with the 30 mile limit due to having to travel over 100 miles a day for my last job. If I remember correctly Gray is within that limit, which seemed to be decent. However, we'll have to find an agent or broker prior to moving. We want to live close enough to the city that the commute doesn't become a hassle, but in the country with acerage and established neighbors. I saw some beautiful houses comming down 11 and would love to live in areas like that. What's located east and west of the city? We love horses and country living.
Actually in both directions, east or west, one does not have to travel far to be in the 'sticks'. Now that I really think about it, that holds true for the northern direction also. To the south you immediately bump into Warner Robins, then Perry, before you really find the sticks. But to the west, north and east you are good to go. Somewhat.
( Somehow I just felt like Donald Rumsfeld explaining the location of the weapons of mass destruction.)
Good luck in your search.
Initially, I'll be staying on WR but will need to find a decent apartment within 6 months; that will be more than enough time to learn the area. Where are the pricier areas located, if you were to show someone on a map?
Unlike where I'm now living there seem to be very few mobile homes anywhere. I did, however, see a lot of nice, older homes. Looking online there seems to be a lot of those for sale, outside of the city, for reasonable prices. Is the cost of living really that low or is it the bad economy keeping prices down?
We have the much of the same criteria as you and are having trouble finding a house. (3 bedroom, 2/3 bath, living room, game room, large country kitchen with breakfast bar, 1 acre or more, priced $250,000 or lower. We'd love to have an in-ground pool as well.) So far the homes we have looked at are nice but on small lots. Of course my dh is working in Macon and we are looking at the WR/Byron area. We thought about North Macon and out that way but want to be closer to the base. My dh is AF guard and both our boys are AF.
I wish I could be of more help to you fine folks, but I just do not know much about the real estate details in the areas you are looking in. I live in a small town about 40 miles from Macon. There is little to no growth here. There are many nicer houses outside of town that closely resemble what you are looking for, but I am 40 miles from Macon and 25 miles from Warner Robins. I was eye-balling the house for sale right down the road from me. It has none of the qualities you are looking for, but it is the only information I have. It sat on a double city lot, much smaller than you are after. It was two blocks from the run down area of town (location, location, location), was a two story brick home with approx. 2400 sq. ft.. It sat for nearly a year with a price tag of $70,000. It finally sold, I have no idea for how much, but in my opinion it was a lot of house for the money. You leave the city limits and the lots get larger, as do the homes. I just do not know any information about them.
As far as the more pricier areas go, I would guess northern Macon, southern and western Warner Robins and there are some really nice pads in the Perry area as well. The area around Byron is really growing, but it seems to be mostly very alike looking subdivisions as far as I can tell. The Kathleen area seems to be the same way... tightly packed homes (nice homes, mind you) in subdivisions that all look a like.
I hope some more knowledgeable members post up, that is all I got.
Best of luck to both of you.
Warner Robins is a good place to check out, it'll be about 25-30 miles to your new job. I don't believe I saw many houses in Centerville, but I never ventured off into those areas when I live there. There is some construction-motivation in downtown Macon, but I haven't noticed it too much.
I'm also interested in a studio or 1 br apartment for less than $500/mo in a nice area outside of Macon, again within 30 miles of my new job; the styx would be just fine
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