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Old 10-10-2010, 01:43 AM
 
Location: US Empire, Pac NW
5,004 posts, read 12,313,882 times
Reputation: 4125

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I got called by a headhunter looking to place me in a position with Gulfstream working on some project they have going on. I work for Boeing and am happy where I am working and with Seattle. However, I am always on the lookout for career advancement opportunities and to work on other interesting projects. So I had some questions for y'all. I must admit I know little about Georgia besides the stereotypes: Guns, God, George Bush was awesome, southern hospitality, and NASCAR racing. Therefore I would like some feedback on the following aspects on life in the Savannah area.

I will admit that I have at the outset a dim view of the area but am open minded to an extent.

1) Culture: how would you describe the culture of the area? Is there a diversity of cultures from other parts of the world or the US there? Is there diversity of ethnicities? Specifically, any Japanese influences and people around? This is important as my wife is Japanese and feels the need to connect with her home culture as often as possible.

2) Tolerance: considering I'm atheist, my wife is Japanese, and I'm fairly liberal in political outlook (though not nearly as liberal as the stereotypical Seattleite), and not at all interested in guns, or NASCAR, or religion, or country music on the average, ... how tolerant would people be of my presence and would I be able to make many friends? Do people bring up politics often, or is it more of a "live and let live" style of getting to know people?

3) Amenities: in Seattle there's little mom and pop shops which constitute the vast majority of businesses, with a very diverse range of options to do and explore. There's also some killer concerts that come here, and there's the Symphony and just tons and tons of outdoor recreation through mountains, river valleys, and lakes to choose from. Is there a large, diverse, and cute neighborhoods and mom and pop shops of all types around? Could I get by easily without a car?

4) Education: Since I will have children in the future, I'm concerned about some things I've read on what people and some teachers feel (and sometimes do) should be taught; e.g. creationism or ID being taught alongside evolution. Are there private schools which I could enroll my children in and not have them be subjected to the same subjects? Would my children be ostracized for being half-white half-asian?

5) Weather. Give me the lowdown on weather. It's 75 and sunny with little humidity in summers, and mid-30s to low 40s and wet and raining in Seattle during late fall / winter. I'm not too bad against humidity - I grew up in the Midwest and am used to it.

6) Money. Let's get to brass tacks - how much would afamily of 5 require to live comfortably? To give an example, I'd consider a family of 4 to be pushing it in Seattle if they only made $75k a year. Houses here of any reasonable size are in the $380k range.
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Old 10-10-2010, 10:34 AM
 
7,099 posts, read 27,101,110 times
Reputation: 7452
I think that you would have a very hard time overcoming your "dim" view of Savannah. Trust me on this, we do have other interest besides Guns, God and NASCAR. And many of us couldn't stand George Bush. It will depend on where you live, who you make friends with, as to how much of that sort of thing you see. Many of us don't own guns, never go to church and have never seem a automobile race of any sort (well, maybe on the Interstates and on the way to the beach


1. Culture. I'll admit that I don't even know if any of the Asian looking people around are Japanese, Chinese, Korean, or whatever. I never bother to ask. They may be what you are looking for.

2. Toleration. If you go around wearing a sign that you are an atheist, you probably won't like the reaction you get. Most people seem to be of the live and let live viewpoint.

3. Very llittle in local area for outdoor recreation. Just the ocean. You'll need a car to get to lakes or rivers. Mountains? They are in North Georgia. People do get by without a car, but I don't think you would like trying it around Savannah. For one thing, getting to Gulfstream would be a big problem.

4. Education. Cross that bridge when you come to it. There are a lot of half-different race children in the school now. Yours wouldn't even be noticed. Plenty of private schools.

5. Weather. Summers are HOT, HOT, HOT. Humidity is usually over 90 and pushes the heat index to over 110 many times each year. You don't sweat, you collect sweat until it runs down. Also, if you have allergies or breathing difficulties, this isn't the place for you.

6. Money. The big question. It really depends on what you are used to.

No doubt about it, you would be facing a big change. Would you like it? Who knows. It's a shame that you couldn't come and live here for a few months to help you make up your mind.

The Washington State area is a beautiful area. There's no comparision with that. We don't have the fog and rain. We have fantastic Springs and Falls, nice winters and dreadful summers.
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Old 10-10-2010, 11:27 AM
 
Location: Savannah GA
13,709 posts, read 21,777,695 times
Reputation: 10184
STAY IN SEATTLE! Savannah is an incredible city -- beautiful, historic, funky and fun. A huge tourist city and melting pot (did you not GOOGLE the place?!) but anybody coming with as much baggage as you would hate it. By your own admission, your view is already corrupted. So just don't bother. The change in climate would probably kill you anyway.

Padgett2 pretty much covered it, but I will add three things:

1. Georgia public schools don't teach "creationism" or "ID." They teach SCIENCE. Gimme a freakin' break.
2. There are plenty of mixed race, culturally diverse people in Savannah and throughout Georgia. It saddens me that people like you still believe, in 2010, that folks down here go around wearing hoods and burning crosses in yards That's as likely to happen in Washington State (or anywhere) as here.
3. Coastal Georgia is a an outdooer sportsman's paradise. There is MUCH more than "just the ocean." There is fishing, boating, kayaking, thousands of acres of pristine federally preserved wildlife areas and more historic sites -- forts, small towns -- than you would ever have time to explore.

But don't let any of that sway you.
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Old 10-10-2010, 05:06 PM
 
Location: a primitive state
11,364 posts, read 24,319,862 times
Reputation: 17360
If you have a job you're happy with in Seattle, stay. If I had a job in Seattle, I'd move there in a heartbeat.

Savannah's a great city but the vast majority of people here are right of center, religious, and...I have to stop or people will get mad. And the state of Georgia is about as backward and redneck as it gets with only a few shining exceptions. The politics are enough to make you swoon. I've about given up hope.

And yes, there is what I consider an air of tolerance here. It could be worse, but it's not good enough to give up a foothold out west.

Last edited by ellie; 10-10-2010 at 05:21 PM..
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Old 10-10-2010, 11:46 PM
 
Location: Savannah GA
13,709 posts, read 21,777,695 times
Reputation: 10184
Quote:
Originally Posted by ellie View Post
If you have a job you're happy with in Seattle, stay. If I had a job in Seattle, I'd move there in a heartbeat.

Savannah's a great city but the vast majority of people here are right of center, religious, and...I have to stop or people will get mad. And the state of Georgia is about as backward and redneck as it gets with only a few shining exceptions. The politics are enough to make you swoon. I've about given up hope.

And yes, there is what I consider an air of tolerance here. It could be worse, but it's not good enough to give up a foothold out west.
Oh, come on now Ellie -- don't hold back any on the exaggeration. The guy clearly doesn't want to come here. His mind is made up. You can go back to reality now.

SWOON? Really ... LOL.

Drama queen.
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Old 10-11-2010, 07:41 AM
 
Location: a primitive state
11,364 posts, read 24,319,862 times
Reputation: 17360
Quote:
Originally Posted by Newsboy View Post
Oh, come on now Ellie -- don't hold back any on the exaggeration. The guy clearly doesn't want to come here. His mind is made up. You can go back to reality now.

SWOON? Really ... LOL.

Drama queen.
I didn't want the poor fellow to make a serious mistake. I imagine that Washington State does has its share of conservative and teabag heffalumps. Heck, you can almost see Alaska from there!

That being said, the culture shock and sheer aggravation here alone would shorten the guy's life by at least a decade.

Can you imagine moving from there to a place like Georgia where there is no light at the end of the tunnel?
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Old 10-11-2010, 08:04 AM
 
Location: a primitive state
11,364 posts, read 24,319,862 times
Reputation: 17360
Okay...Maybe Savannah and the state of Georgia are not quite that bad. If the folks at Gulfstream want to offer you a big pile of money to work here for awhile, go for it. You could count it among life's great adventures. You'll have to find some other site to figure out the cost of living differences where you can find hard data to compare.

The inner and older (not just downtown) parts of Savannah have something in common with what you're looking for in way of locally owned businesses and authentic culture and architecture. The rest of the city is pretty much blahsville and looks about the same as anywhere else in the US.

You will need a car.

You'll need a boat to experience the salt marshes and undeveloped barrier islands, which are one the country's great natural treasures. Summers here are nothing short of miserable during the day, even if you're used to them.

There is racial diversity here. I'm not sure there is a significant Japanese population, though.

Last edited by ellie; 10-11-2010 at 08:14 AM..
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Old 10-15-2010, 08:47 PM
 
Location: Georgia
782 posts, read 1,345,139 times
Reputation: 1330
Eskercurve,

I'll give it to you straight (as Im not witty, sarcastic or out to entertain anyone). I'm also not originally from Georgia; I grew up in California spending most of my recreational time on the northern coast and loved every moment of it. Georgia is different, but I love its natural places-so much variety(islands, swamps, mountains,plains,lakes and rivers abound). And whats not to like about the native folks or the great southern food. Ive found most Georgians to be friendly people. Savannah has people from everywhere, so youre bound to run into transplants from anywhere as well as natives. But forwarning-the summers are hot and humid.
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Old 10-20-2010, 01:00 PM
 
Location: Kansas
3,855 posts, read 13,225,270 times
Reputation: 1734
Like the OP Gulfstream is trying to recruit me (albiet directly and not through a head hunter). So I am doing a similar exploration.

But unlike the OP I appreciate Guns, NASCAR, and Southern hospitality.

(Not sure I want to move right now but if the money is right.....)
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Old 10-23-2010, 02:27 PM
 
13 posts, read 35,547 times
Reputation: 35
Well, here is another opinion. I too worked for Boeing. Actually, I work for McDonnel Douglas before the merger. I spent five years in Seattle after the merger. I found Seattle too be Ultra expesive, and very racist. (I'm African American) I loved a lot of things about Seattle. The weather is not one of the things I enjoyed. it is a very beautiful part of the country. The festivals are nice, but everyone has festivals. I hated it so much up there, that I retired and returned to St. Louis. The culture is almost scary. There are a lot of "very" educated people, but they are too liberal for my liking. I would never want to raise kids there. It's a great place to visit, but I like the good values of the midwest & south. People in Seattle don't seem to like each other. They never even speak to strangers.
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