Official Relocation Thread for Savannah, Georgia - Relocatees, look for your answers here first. (Atlanta: section 8, for rent)

[ellie]

If money were no option, I'd send my child to Savannah Country Day. For one thing, it's not religious. And, I believe it is a much better school academically.

No idea where you should live, but you might take into account how far you're going to have to drive that kid, day in and day out.

[gh0st14]

Dusting off this thread to get some advice on moving to Savannah. My wife and I currently live just outside of Atlanta, but I'm currently in the running for a job in the area and I want to get some early information on where to live.

1. Budget: $1,000 a month, give or take a bit
2. House/Condo/Townhome? Condo/townhome/apartment
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home) The job I'm looking at is in the area. Wife is an elementary school teacher.
4. Children(public school vs. private) No children
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two Definitely urban
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? Not important
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood. I've always admired Historic District North, but I realize that's probably not a realistic place to live considering our rent limitations. I've looked into the area around Forsyth Park.
8. Renting or buying? Renting

My biggest concern is safety. I understand I can't get 100-percent peace of mind in a city as big as Savannah, but I want to get as close as I can. How is the area around Forsyth Park? I've seen a few rental listings around there, but I wasn't sure about the crime levels around there.

Thanks for your help!

[movingfromwestcoast]

If you have children the schools are terrible. Not bad terrible. The administrators running the district are outdated and archaic. If you want to consider public schools they are all bad. The specialty schools are good but difficult to get into. You will need at least a year to cycle into them. The damage of one year in the district schools is sending us out of here.

[mkeshish]

Hi all,

Relocating to Savannah in the next 3 months. Have friends who live down there; between their input and this site there is loads of good advice and suggestions.

But I want to know some information on having 2 dogs and living in Savannah. Some may think this trivial but it is super important for me to assure that our dogs will be happy and comfortable. From what I have heard there are dog parks in the area, but was told no dog friendly beaches...

Is Savannah a pretty dog-friendly city? I am looking to rent a house (looking in Ardsley but any suggestions welcome) because a yard would be ideal. It gets rather hot in the summer; I want the dogs to be happy and comfortable.

Any advice, information, suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

P.S. I have never fallen for a place the way I did with Savannah. Taking the good with the bad, I feel Savannah is overall a magical place and cannot wait to be there

[ellie]

Originally Posted by mkeshish

Hi all,

Relocating to Savannah in the next 3 months. Have friends who live down there; between their input and this site there is loads of good advice and suggestions.

But I want to know some information on having 2 dogs and living in Savannah. Some may think this trivial but it is super important for me to assure that our dogs will be happy and comfortable. From what I have heard there are dog parks in the area, but was told no dog friendly beaches...

Is Savannah a pretty dog-friendly city? I am looking to rent a house (looking in Ardsley but any suggestions welcome) because a yard would be ideal. It gets rather hot in the summer; I want the dogs to be happy and comfortable.

Any advice, information, suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

P.S. I have never fallen for a place the way I did with Savannah. Taking the good with the bad, I feel Savannah is overall a magical place and cannot wait to be there

Yes, Savannah is dog friendly. Correct: no dogs on the beach.

As far as comfort, most dogs I know prefer air conditioning. A securely fenced yard is great for poop time. Be sure to carry baggies if you walk your dog in public. You'll get a fine if you don't clean up after them.

[CoastalGAgirl]

Originally Posted by mkeshish

Hi all,

Relocating to Savannah in the next 3 months. Have friends who live down there; between their input and this site there is loads of good advice and suggestions.

But I want to know some information on having 2 dogs and living in Savannah. Some may think this trivial but it is super important for me to assure that our dogs will be happy and comfortable. From what I have heard there are dog parks in the area, but was told no dog friendly beaches...

Is Savannah a pretty dog-friendly city? I am looking to rent a house (looking in Ardsley but any suggestions welcome) because a yard would be ideal. It gets rather hot in the summer; I want the dogs to be happy and comfortable.

Any advice, information, suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

P.S. I have never fallen for a place the way I did with Savannah. Taking the good with the bad, I feel Savannah is overall a magical place and cannot wait to be there

You'll find that numerous shops and restaurants in downtown Savannah keep water bowls outside for the four legged friends.

[JNW1975]

Any recommendations on a moving company? Just across town. I figured I'd post here, not clutter up the board. Thanks!

[jonrd463]

Hi all. I don't currently have set-in-stone plans to move, but I'm doing some research because a Savannah area relocation may be in my near future. I'm originally from Atlanta and currently live out in Washington state. I'm pretty much done with that and have a desperate need to get back to my beautiful south.

1. Budget: $1,500/mo. total (all major living expenses, not just rent)
2. House/Condo/Townhome? Condo/townhome/apartment 2 bdrm
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home) Currently researching jobs in Pooler.
4. Children(public school vs. private) No children
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two: Suburban preferable
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? Not important
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood. Older, though not necessarily retirement age. Middle class, professional, low crime, etc.
8. Renting or buying? Renting

I'm single with no kids, so schools aren't a priority. I'm looking for a 2 bedroom, because I'd like to be able to host visiting family from the Atlanta area. I would be going for an apartment to serve as a landing zone, and then 6 months to a year later begin looking for something more permanent once I'm established. I've lived in apartments before, and while they're not my favorite living arrangement, I have to be realistic in that it's probably the easiest thing to get set up at first, before jumping into something larger. However, I am open to the idea of rental property if the neighborhood is good and well within my budget. Sadly, my experience with rental housing is that houses generally go up for rent due to economic circumstances, and the amount of rental property in a given area is often proportional to the amount of lower class people in the area. While I know that sounds really elitist of me to say, what I mean by "lower class" is the type of area where there are often multiple non-running vehicles on the lot, unkempt yards, and teen/tween kids running around unsupervised causing general havok in the neighborhood. I'm not worried so much about racial demographics or anything like that, so long as the area is nice and people generally behave themselves.

Any info, tips, and advice offered would be greatly appreciated!

[Never Summer]

Hello!
I have taken a job near Savannah, GA as a transfer with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. I'll be working in Hardeeville, SC, but my wife and I would like to live in Georgia in or near Savannah. We leave Alaska on or about September 6, and will be driving down to GA, arriving on or about September 19.

1. Budget: $600-900mo for rent
2. House/Condo/Townhome? Any. Looking for 2 bedroom, but 1-3 is a target. Also looking for 1-2 bathrooms.
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home): I'll work in Hardeeville, SC at the Savannah NWR Complex HQ. I want to keep my commute under 45 minutes, with under 30 as the real target. Wife is looking for work in schools, as she has been working in special education for the last 4 years (We'll take any advice for public, charter, or private schools she should consider looking at!)
4. Children(public school vs. private): No children
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two: Any. We both grew up in the "big city", but have lived for 6 years in small towns.
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? Could be important. Good bike paths or routes would be good.
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood: Any, really. Middle class, professional, low crime, are our targets.
8. Renting or buying? Renting first. Plan on renting for a year or so, and looking for a home once we settle in more.

What I'm struggling with is understanding the advice I've read and received from family and friends about where to live. Some say "high crime" is present in Savannah, but I don't know what that really means. Are we talking theft and burglary? Assault? Drugs? Or is this "high crime" just about the homeless and low incomes being visible in certain parts of town?

We grew up in Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN, so we are familiar with big cities. I lived in Portland, OR for 5 years and witnessed homelessness and low incomes. In Homer, AK we have a severe problem with drugs, and even with armed robbery (yet most people still leave their homes unlocked!), so per capita I'm sure we have a rather high crime rate.

Also, we'd like wherever we are renting to allow pets (2 cats), have a washer/dryer in unit (or hook ups available in unit), and possibly have a garage available for 1 car (not necessary, but preferred to have some extra storage and space to keep 1 car or bikes, etc.).

Also, can anyone let us know about approximate rates for things like cable/satellite TV, internet, and how much y'all spend monthly on things like electricity (having an AC unit will be new in our lives since 2003!).

Thanks for any help!

[Uzrathixius]

1. Budget
$500-$1000 (including utilities).

2. House/Condo/Townhome?
Nothing with room mates, must have 1 bath. Studio acceptable.

3. Employment Status(commute/work from home)
Student at SCAD, fulltime. I have a car.

4. Children(public school vs. private)
N/A

5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two
Savannah itself does not seem very urban, I'd call it all a bit of a mix. Either is ok.

6. Easy access to public transit, important or not?
A bonus, but not important.

7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood.
I'd like to live somewhere youthful, where students at SCAD could be found, or where they live. (I know...campus is an obvious choice, but campus seems far too expensive, and I don't want room mates.

8. Renting or buying?
Renting.

I'm single, no kids, transfering to SCAD's Industrial Design program. I'd like to be around other students, and want a safe / afordbility (if possible) place. A place that covers utilities (electric / AC majorly) is a high priority.

Questions: How are the drivers? Nearly everyone says where they live has the worst drivers. But after moving from Upstate New York to Cincinnati Ohio, I'm not sure anywhere is worse than Ohio.

Where do the majority of SCAD students live? Is it affordable? Safe? Are places like "The Vue" and other SCAD / Student oriented apartments a good deal / safe?

Any trusted BMW mechanics?

Thanks.