I want the truth about living in Savannah (Atlanta, Richmond Hill: neighborhood, buying)

[KTBA]

Thanks for the input.

[SweetnessJones]

I moved to the area in 2004, and the first thing I noticed was the rudeness. I was cursed out in a parking lot for not backing out of my parking place so someone could have it, and there were plenty of spots around me. I had to take medicine as soon as I got to my car and was in quite a bit of pain after being on my feet for so long.

The cashiers at most stores will rarely say "Thank you" when you've paid for your purchases. I don't expect my ass to be kissed, but at least a civil thanks would be nice.

Downtown Savannah reeks of urine. River Street is a tourist trap. Finding a decent restaurant is not easy. There are many overrated ones, and I still don't understand why people wait in line to get into that certain restaurant I won't name that serves greasy, fried, over-salted, over-cooked food that's swimming in hog fat. I've heard of people driving for 8 hours just to eat at that place. Honestly, all one needs to do is visit a Cracker Barrel in their own town and follow that with a tall glass of **** and a side of toenails. It would save the trip.

The schools are wall-to-wall awful. Even the "better" ones in the suburban areas have their problems. Richmond Hill is a decent place, but it's definitely not "upscale." There aren't many good places to shop here either. Hell, we can't even get an Ann Taylor! We get stuck with "Loft." Nordstrom? Anywhere? Guess I have to keep doing most of my shopping online.

This area is fairly representative of the rest of the country as far as obesity. Go anywhere and at least 1/2 the people you see are obese. The other 1/4 are overweight. So if you're thin, you will definitely stand out and get dirty looks.

The traditional Southern thing I keep reading about in this thread is pure myth. People don't sit on their porches because the heat is suffocating. If the heat doesn't get you, the bugs will. Doing a little container gardening on my back patio one evening resulted in over 100 gnat bites on my legs alone.

I live in Pooler, and housing is so much cheaper now that the market is in the toilet. Got a house in 09 that the previous owners paid 314,000 for. Got it for 235,000. The neighbors hate us, as you can imagine.

[SweetnessJones]

I would say that one thing I really like about this area is all of the "transplants" from all over the world. I meet people from all over the US, and because of the military, there are many Germans here too. These are the people that are friendly and polite. The natives tend to be more hostile to anyone who doesn't sound like Cooter from The Dukes Of Hazzard.

I lived in Mississippi before I moved here, and I must say that this area is a huge improvement. People here tend to have their teeth and know how to read real good. It's also more diverse, which is a huge plus. You'll see same-sex couples together, and no one bothers them, which is wonderful. Also mixed-race couples too. I'm seeing more white guy/black girl couples. No one stares or gives anyone grief for it, which I think is a sign that there is decent civilization in this area. The crime rate is high, but violent crimes tend (overall) to be drug-related. Vandalism is quite high all over.

Savannah tends to be the "red-headed stepchild" of Georgia. The bigger rock stars and other talent tend to hit Atlanta and avoid it here. We get the B-list ones.

Also the religion thing isn't as in-your-face as it was in MS. People do knock on your door to tell you that we're living in "the end times," and you get a lot of junk mail from the new stripmall church that's popped up. I can say "I'm not religious," and no one bothers me, but should I dare utter the word "atheist," people get scared.

People here tend to be a little more flaky. Cancelling plans, not responding to RSVP requests, acting like you're best friends after one meeting but then ignoring you the next time they see you. It's hard to get used to. At least it was for me.

Oh, and I've never lived anywhere but the Deep South. People think I'm lying when I say that. I've been told I sound like a "Yankee" and that I'm not really from the South.

[agradywills]

Originally Posted by SweetnessJones

I would say that one thing I really like about this area is all of the "transplants" from all over the world. I meet people from all over the US, and because of the military, there are many Germans here too. These are the people that are friendly and polite. The natives tend to be more hostile to anyone who doesn't sound like Cooter from The Dukes Of Hazzard.

I lived in Mississippi before I moved here, and I must say that this area is a huge improvement. People here tend to have their teeth and know how to read real good. It's also more diverse, which is a huge plus. You'll see same-sex couples together, and no one bothers them, which is wonderful. Also mixed-race couples too. I'm seeing more white guy/black girl couples. No one stares or gives anyone grief for it, which I think is a sign that there is decent civilization in this area. The crime rate is high, but violent crimes tend (overall) to be drug-related. Vandalism is quite high all over.

Savannah tends to be the "red-headed stepchild" of Georgia. The bigger rock stars and other talent tend to hit Atlanta and avoid it here. We get the B-list ones.

Also the religion thing isn't as in-your-face as it was in MS. People do knock on your door to tell you that we're living in "the end times," and you get a lot of junk mail from the new stripmall church that's popped up. I can say "I'm not religious," and no one bothers me, but should I dare utter the word "atheist," people get scared.

People here tend to be a little more flaky. Cancelling plans, not responding to RSVP requests, acting like you're best friends after one meeting but then ignoring you the next time they see you. It's hard to get used to. At least it was for me.

Oh, and I've never lived anywhere but the Deep South. People think I'm lying when I say that. I've been told I sound like a "Yankee" and that I'm not really from the South.

How dare you make fun of MS, that's my homestate.

Just kidding. MS is an easy target.

[SweetnessJones]

Originally Posted by agradywills

How dare you make fun of MS, that's my homestate.

Just kidding. MS is an easy target.

When I moved to GA, I found that Georgians tend to be pretty down on MS because no matter how bad it gets in GA, it's always worse in MS. Schools bad in GA? Oh, at least they're better than MS! I guess Alabama gets left alone for the most part.

People sure are a lot nicer in MS (in my experience), even if they do worry too much about whether you know Jesus or not. Over all, it's a friendly gesture more than anything.

[agradywills]

Originally Posted by SweetnessJones

When I moved to GA, I found that Georgians tend to be pretty down on MS because no matter how bad it gets in GA, it's always worse in MS. Schools bad in GA? Oh, at least they're better than MS! I guess Alabama gets left alone for the most part.

People sure are a lot nicer in MS (in my experience), even if they do worry too much about whether you know Jesus or not. Over all, it's a friendly gesture more than anything.

We all better turn before we BURN.

[Padgett2]

One big problem with lumping everyone you dislike into one big heap. A person simply has no way of knowing if they are old-time Savannahians, or new-comers from places like...er..umm, what's some other horrible places like Alabama and Mississippi? We all look pretty much the same.

But on another note....how do you like the weather today? Yeah, it's going to be hot and humid in a few months, but right now...isn't it great that there is no snow or slush, no tornado, no earthquakes, ???? flowers are beginning to show a lot of color. Does that count for anything?

[SweetnessJones]

Originally Posted by Padgett2

One big problem with lumping everyone you dislike into one big heap. A person simply has no way of knowing if they are old-time Savannahians, or new-comers from places like...er..umm, what's some other horrible places like Alabama and Mississippi? We all look pretty much the same.

But on another note....how do you like the weather today? Yeah, it's going to be hot and humid in a few months, but right now...isn't it great that there is no snow or slush, no tornado, no earthquakes, ???? flowers are beginning to show a lot of color. Does that count for anything?

The weather here can be a little bit erratic. I've run the A/C for the last few days, but it was the heater before that. Then the A/C before that. Back and forth. Always have to check before getting dressed. Summer clothes or the winter stuff with a coat, scarf, and gloves. You can have both extremes in the same week. Makes closet organization harder during these transition months. And then it will freeze in April and kill all the new plants. Crazy, but it's always been like that everywhere I've lived.

I've always found it easy to spot the lifelong Savannah residents. Of course I can distinguish between about 10 different "Southern accents," and people here tend to always want to tell you where they're from, especially if they've lived in this area since God was a boy.

[ellie]

How can you tell a real local from the rest? I like your perspective on things.

[SweetnessJones]

Originally Posted by ellie

How can you tell a real local from the rest? I like your perspective on things.

In my experience, the locals tell you they were born here. Even if you're asking what aisle the ketchup is on. Well, maybe not that bad, but they find a way to inject it into every conversation. The ones that are from the surrounding areas tell you what county they grew up in and who their momma and daddy are. They just assume you care. The native-borns tell you what school they went to, and they complain that the school wasn't as bad when they went because there weren't so many black people.

That's another thing. They are openly racist. And they assume you are too if you're also white.

And if they're over 60, they will have a smidge of a "Gone With The Wind" dialect. Freaked me out the first time I heard that! I've lived in the South my whole life and never heard anyone talk like that, and like most people from the South, I would get the red ass watching movies based in the South. The speech was so phony. Movies and TV shows have improved a bunch as far as that's concerned.