Moving to Savannah this summer (Atlanta, Peachtree City: apartments, to rent, co-op)

[fiestymom]

Hello!

Our family is hoping to relocate to Savannah this summer. We have 2 children with Asperger's and multiple medical problems. I homeschool them and we use private services for occupational, physical, and speech therapy. Does anyone know of any local homeschooling groups and/or providers for these services that they would recommend? I have found a few resources online.

What areas would you recommend for us to live in the Savannah area? We will be renting so rent cost is a factor but we would prefer to be closer to a private provider (at least 30-40 minutes away) for their therapies as well. Also the apartments need to be newer (built in the last 10 years or so) due to many allergy/asthmatic conditions that we all have.

I am also considering applying to Savannah State University this fall so that's another concern. We haven't made our trip to visit the city yet so I don't have a good picture of where it is.

We appreciate any information given! Thank you and Blessings!

[Padgett2]

Have you decided not to move to Atlanta or Peachtree City?

Anyone with allergies/asthma usually does not do well in the Savannah area. There is simple tooooo much humidity, mold, mildew, etc. The pollen season is long, starting with the early pollen loaded trees and ending with the first heavy frost in the fall to kill the weed. We are surrounded by salt marsh with it's marsh sedge.

Seriously, if allergies are a problem, you may have a big trouble. Those of us that live here and put up with them would give you the same advice. For example, when the pollen count for the day is over 100, it's considered HIGH. Last Spring, we had days of over 10,000. You would have to rent a house with a very good filtered air system.

[fiestymom]

Originally Posted by Padgett2

Have you decided not to move to Atlanta or Peachtree City?

Anyone with allergies/asthma usually does not do well in the Savannah area. There is simple tooooo much humidity, mold, mildew, etc. The pollen season is long, starting with the early pollen loaded trees and ending with the first heavy frost in the fall to kill the weed. We are surrounded by salt marsh with it's marsh sedge.

Seriously, if allergies are a problem, you may have a big trouble. Those of us that live here and put up with them would give you the same advice. For example, when the pollen count for the day is over 100, it's considered HIGH. Last Spring, we had days of over 10,000. You would have to rent a house with a very good filtered air system.

Thank you for this information. We really wanted to be close to the ocean and that's why we started looking at Savannah (also because it seems more laid back than the Atlanta area, home to us was a county of 40,000) but we need to make sure we have great services for the kids. They will be receiving private speech, physical, ,and occupational therapy. I have found some providers online, the thing is I've read the entire state of Georgia isn't great for kids with autism. We already deal with that here in Kentucky. We do have tons of allergies/asthma issues but we're also learning that much of it has to do with food issues which we are working on eliminating. Are there good health food stores in Savannah with access to gluten free products? We are starting on this diet for all of us as I have fibromyalgia as well. Any info you could provide is greatly appreciated! Blessings!

[ellie]

Savannah has the Brighter Day health food store. Some grocery stores provide gluten free products. Seems that's becoming fairly common.

You probably won't find everything you need here in the way of support for your kids and your various ailments. With cutbacks to education and other social support, I'm afraid people like you will be pretty much out of luck unless you move to a blue state.

[tastephens22]

We have several family friends that homeschool here in Savannah, as well as in outlying areas of Savannah (Bryan County, GA and Beaufort County, SC). There are numerous home school co-op options in the area which help support home schooling families. More to your direct questions...we have close friends from church that homeschool their 4 children, including an 8th grade son on the autism spectrum. He also attends classes at the Matthew Reardon Center for Autism which he really seems to love, as do his parents. They live on Wilmington Island east of town and have a 15-20 minute drive to the school and slightly less to the main cluster of medical offices near the hospitals. Savannah's unique geography and climate of course can provide their own challenges for health conditions but so do larger urban areas like Atlanta which has significant air quality issues due to congestion. We know families that have moved here to Savannah because it is on the coast and has strong regional medical facilities. Hope this helps.

[fiestymom]

Thank you for this information! We're still checking things out and really appreciate all of your suggestions/information

[mcGA2003]

Try Pooler too! Its a great location just outside of Savannah and really commercially growing these days. The new Publix there may be helpful in getting grocery products you need.