A northerner's experience in Savannah (Wilmington Island, Washington: apartment, crime, neighborhood)

[fsinga]

Well people, I moved here from the northern New Jersey suburbs of New York City and commuted to the city for work. I am retired and do not depend on a salary at this point in my life. My income is not large, but I can put a few things in perspective for non-native Savannahians and maybe even for the locals.

I looked up some quantifiable figures on the Internet. The average median household income in Georgia was some $45,000 but on Wilmington Island, Savannah it was $66,000. Those figures are from the 2000 US census. My income is far below any of that.

My apartment, in a nice quiet neighborhood ten miles from downtown Savannah and ten miles from the beach in the opposite direction, is very pleasant and commodious (1050 square feet). It is two bedrooms with two baths, laundry hook ups, a fireplace, wet bar and patio. The complex has a pool, open year round, a separate coin operated laundry on site, lighted tennis courts and the neighbors are friendly. In northern New Jersey, it would cost about $2500 a month, in Manhattan somewhere around $4000 a month, here it costs me $800 a month. A similar apartment in historic downtown Savannah would cost twice as much, understandably so. I find the cost of living here generally less expensive than the New York City area. Some food items seem a little more expensive, but only slighty so. I notice that most other consummer items are about the same price here as any where else.

While salaries are less in Savannah, there are jobs and the cost of living is commensurate. That fact is true of many areas of the country. You do understand, I presume, people with remarkable skills and extraordinary talent can make better than average salaries.

One might ask about traffic. It strikes this northerner that twenty or thirty cars lined up at a traffic light on 'southside' Abercon or one of the Victory Drive intersections is not traffic; it is a few vehicles. I have encountered no traffic jams in Savannah, not even during rush hour downtown. Of course, my context is the miles of backups, every weekend on the Garden State Parkway in the summer, headed to the New Jersey seashore, or the George Washington bridge crossing the Hudson river from NYC to NJ or the other way around, depending on your commute or time of day. Then there is route I 95 in Fairfax county Virginia or route I 95 between NYC and the Connecticut suburbs on a Friday evening.

As to crime, I have encountered less here than I did in New York City and northern New Jersey. There is crime, just as there is any city. When I searched for statistics on the Internet, I found Savannah was ranked as the 53 rd worst city for crime among cities of 100,000 or more population. That is not exactly dangerous. Savannah is a a serious tourist city receiving about 5,000,000 visitors a year, who spend in the neighborhood of $1,000,000,000 dollars in the city. Crime is therefore a serious issue for the economy and local government; the mayor, council and police are doing much to lessen it. I have encountered none in the three years I have been here, except on the local news programs.

There is very little I miss from New York City. Although I must confess to missing the Broadway shows, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the many other museums, opera, ballet and the greater variety of night life available there. A small price to pay and if one looks one can find subsitutes. I have attended opera sponsered by SCAD and there is the lovely Telfair/Jepson art museum. Oh, and maybe I miss the colorful fall scenery on occasion, at least that available in northern New Jersey.

What can one say about the weather? It is delightful. There is no cold, as a "Dayum Yankee" would understand it; no cold, no snow and no ice. I believe the last time it snowed in Savannah was in 1989 and all three inches melted the next afternoon. One might say, "... but what about the heat and humidity?" It seems to me everything is air conditioned these days, even the kitchens of most restaurants. It is green year round. If one checks out the average day time temperature for Savannah in December and January, one will find the average high is 60. It will get colder at night. UGA says southeast Georgia averages ten days of overnight temperatures at 32 or below, in the winter (that is January and December). During the three winters I have spent in Savannah, I wore a jacket three times. The rest of the year is spring or summer like.

Maybe I am just too positive a person. I just thought a non-native's view would help.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by fsinga

Well people, I moved here from the northern New Jersey suburbs of New York City and commuted to the city for work. I am retired and do not depend on a salary at this point in my life. My income is not large, but I can put a few things in perspective for non-native Savannahians and maybe even for the locals.

I looked up some quantifiable figures on the Internet. The average median household income in Georgia was some $45,000 but on Wilmington Island, Savannah it was $66,000. Those figures are from the 2000 US census. My income is far below any of that.

My apartment, in a nice quiet neighborhood ten miles from downtown Savannah and ten miles from the beach in the opposite direction, is very pleasant and commodious (1050 square feet). It is two bedrooms with two baths, laundry hook ups, a fireplace, wet bar and patio. The complex has a pool, open year round, a separate coin operated laundry on site, lighted tennis courts and the neighbors are friendly. In northern New Jersey, it would cost about $2500 a month, in Manhattan somewhere around $4000 a month, here it costs me $800 a month. A similar apartment in historic downtown Savannah would cost twice as much, understandably so. I find the cost of living here generally less expensive than the New York City area. Some food items seem a little more expensive, but only slighty so. I notice that most other consummer items are about the same price here as any where else.

While salaries are less in Savannah, there are jobs and the cost of living is commensurate. That fact is true of many areas of the country. You do understand, I presume, people with remarkable skills and extraordinary talent can make better than average salaries.

One might ask about traffic. It strikes this northerner that twenty or thirty cars lined up at a traffic light on 'southside' Abercon or one of the Victory Drive intersections is not traffic; it is a few vehicles. I have encountered no traffic jams in Savannah, not even during rush hour downtown. Of course, my context is the miles of backups, every weekend on the Garden State Parkway in the summer, headed to the New Jersey seashore, or the George Washington bridge crossing the Hudson river from NYC to NJ or the other way around, depending on your commute or time of day. Then there is route I 95 in Fairfax county Virginia or route I 95 between NYC and the Connecticut suburbs on a Friday evening.

As to crime, I have encountered less here than I did in New York City and northern New Jersey. There is crime, just as there is any city. When I searched for statistics on the Internet, I found Savannah was ranked as the 53 rd worst city for crime among cities of 100,000 or more population. That is not exactly dangerous. Savannah is a a serious tourist city receiving about 5,000,000 visitors a year, who spend in the neighborhood of $1,000,000,000 dollars in the city. Crime is therefore a serious issue for the economy and local government; the mayor, council and police are doing much to lessen it. I have encountered none in the three years I have been here, except on the local news programs.

There is very little I miss from New York City. Although I must confess to missing the Broadway shows, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the many other museums, opera, ballet and the greater variety of night life available there. A small price to pay and if one looks one can find subsitutes. I have attended opera sponsered by SCAD and there is the lovely Telfair/Jepson art museum. Oh, and maybe I miss the colorful fall scenery on occasion, at least that available in northern New Jersey.

What can one say about the weather? It is delightful. There is no cold, as a "Dayum Yankee" would understand it; no cold, no snow and no ice. I believe the last time it snowed in Savannah was in 1989 and all three inches melted the next afternoon. One might say, "... but what about the heat and humidity?" It seems to me everything is air conditioned these days, even the kitchens of most restaurants. It is green year round. If one checks out the average day time temperature for Savannah in December and January, one will find the average high is 60. It will get colder at night. UGA says southeast Georgia averages ten days of overnight temperatures at 32 or below, in the winter (that is January and December). During the three winters I have spent in Savannah, I wore a jacket three times. The rest of the year is spring or summer like.

Maybe I am just too positive a person. I just thought a non-native's view would help.

It snowed sometime in(either January or early February)1996. It did melt the next day. Ironically, it was a school day.

[NOTAM]

no cold? are you kidding? winters were so freezing there that i had to wear my SKI SUIT to walk the dogs...and mittens and ear muffs and my UGG ski boots!
i think winters felt colder there than in North Texas, cuz it's more "damp cold".
miserable winters there, i think...............

[fsinga]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

It snowed sometime in(either January or early February)1996. It did melt the next day. Ironically, it was a school day.

You may be correct, my neice, who has lived in Savannah for twenty years, told me about the snow. I thought she said 1989, maybe it was 1996.

[JameeLynn25]

Fsinga, Its nice to hear you are happy there. I know it gets cold In New York. It may even get as cold as northern Mn. I have traveled alot and enjoyed being in warmer weather and meeting some wonderful people! I am looking to relocate soon myself I am just having trouble deciding where to go!

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by fsinga

You may be correct, my neice, who has lived in Savannah for twenty years, told me about the snow. I thought she said 1989, maybe it was 1996.

I remember that snow because it was the first snow I saw since December 1993. I moved to Savannah in August 1994 and I was almost heartbroken(but not hopeless) when it was Christmas and there was no snow, so I was delighted to see snow in early 1996.

[Padgett2]

The snow in 1989 came about three days before Christmas and stayed on the ground until after Christmas. It was fantastic for those who had never seen any. We had snowmen, snowball fights, even snow angels. It was about a 3inch fall if I remember correctly.

I really don't remember a snowfall in 1996 or there abouts. We live where we are surrounded by water and about four degrees warmer than in town. We may not have gotten any.

[bgnzsavnh]

Did you forget last year's snow
I remember seeing 4-5 flakes that did not melt till they touched the ground

http://www.dnr.sc.gov/climate/sco/Pu...lstorm1106.pdf
The November 21, 2006 snow event was the earliest, heaviest pre-winter snow accumulation measured in Charleston, SC, and Savannah, GA. The previous Charleston snowfall record occurred on November 25, 1950, when just a trace of snowfall was observed. Thunder snow had never been observed at the Charleston Airport before this November 21, 2006 coastal storm.

[eileen824]

Sorry, I don't meant to be picky, but who cares about the snow specifics? What truely stands out is the original post's wonderful depiction of the Savannah area from a former Northerners perspective! As a soon to be(hopefully) NY'er moving south, I am glad to read such a positive post - I certainly read enough negative posts on the NC/SC forums!

[Padgett2]

To people that may not get to see snow in their entire lives, it's a newsworthy event. We still talk about the beauty of the 1989 snow. You're not being picky, it's just that snow is a wondrous thing here. There's nothing quite like seeing a camillia bush in full bloom shrouded in a snow fall. think about it......all that white with red, rose and pink blooms shining through all over the place. Fantastic!