Looking for reality (Savannah, Wilmington Island, Whitemarsh Island: hotels, to live, garden)

[BRODE121595]

I am hoping to get the hard facts. I have read a lot of postings on Savannah, Wilmington Island, Tybee Island, and so forth. Me and my family decided to go visit down there, by the way we are from the Athens, GA area, our visit was 06/14 thru 06/17. Here is what we observed and would like to know if it was reality or a fluke as we were told by a local. We were on Tybee Island at one of the hotels on the beach.
1) It was real breezy all day so we didn't feel any humidity.
2) People were real nice and friendly
3) A very diverse population when we went into Savannah, Tybee island, and Wilmington Island.

Here is what we were told to expect
1) It is very hot and humid (high 90's and triple digits
2) The hot times of the year are July and August with June being Mild like we experienced and Sept is gorgeous with mild temps and breezy
3) The sand gnats are real bad and they bite
4) fleas and cockroaches are real bad
5) The winds that we experienced was a fluke
6) Alligators and snakes are around and to be careful.

That is why we went down there, we wanted to see for ourselves if it a place we want to move to. Also to get first hand information from locals. We tried to ask but we didn't want to bother too many people with our questions. Up here in Athens, GA it gets hot and humid but the humidity is not real bad. If our experience was a fluke then we don't want to move based on that. We really like Wilmington Island because it seemed like it had that quiet small town atmosphere. The closeness of the beach so I hope that we get the evening sea breeze (if there is one) and the closeness of Savannah so we don't feel like we are in the middle of small towns.
We are trying to do our research properly so we don't make a mistake. All advice and guidance is greatly appreciated.

[ellie]

This weekend was a fluke. Our weather is about the same as Athens except a few degrees warmer, most of the time. Other than sand gnats, the bugs are about the same. Alligators and snakes are rarely an issue, same snakes as Ath. We're not in another country, you know...or maybe you don't.

[BRODE121595]

Thanks, it is just some of what you read on these posts and what a few people that we spoke to this past weekend one would think that Savannah was another country.
Thanks for your reply

[Padgett2]

I went to UGA and the major difference that I saw was that there was a lot more fog in Athens. And it stayed around longer. And Athens isn't flat like Savannah.

This past year has been very weird about the weather. Will it stay like that or will it go back to normal? Your guess is as good as ours.

[ellie]

Originally Posted by BRODE121595

Thanks, it is just some of what you read on these posts and what a few people that we spoke to this past weekend one would think that Savannah was another country.
Thanks for your reply

It's kind of like people visiting up there are told to expect to find REMs and Hershel Walkers lurkin behind every tree. It makes for a good story but it isn't necessarily accurate.

[BRODE121595]

Thanks for the reply's. How bad are the sand gnats? Do they really bite and also the fleas and the roaches are they as bad as we are led to believe?

[Padgett2]

If they were as bad as some describe them, we would all be just one big red blob. Yes, if you live near the rivers or marsh and there are a lot of trees and bushes, you will have them in the spring and fall. The bites are teensy, tiny, and some people react to them more than others. And then there are people like me....they don't seem to like me. They are too busy bothering my husband.

Roaches??? I really thought that all places had them. I don't think ours are any worse than other places. A lot depends on whether or not you leave food lying around all over the place. Keep it Clean!!

Forget about the 'gators and the snakes. You would have to live near a lagoon to find a gator. Garden snakes are everywhere there are bugs to eat. I think I have seen two in over sixty years of gardening.

[gentlearts]

Just for the record, I have lived here for two years, and have never experienced the dreaded sand gnats. I've never seen an alligator, except for at The Crab Shack, or a snake, but I do not go hiking in swamps.

If you have a good air conditioning system, you will be fine in the summer. The thing is, besides summer, the climate is super nice. But, you are from Athens, GA, not Athens, Greece? How different can it be??

[WanderingImport]

You WILL notice a difference in humidity. Elevation makes the difference as well as being closer to the ocean.

Its pretty darn humid in Athens, but its that much more humid in Savannah. For example, while the dew point in Athens may be at 68, in Savannah it could be 76. Any dew point in the upper 70s and higher is sweltering.

[Padgett2]

Wilmington Island is a great area. So are Talahi Island and Whitemarsh Island. The only problem is that the traffic getting to work in the mornings is a little bad. You can find anything you need on the islands....well, except a cemetery. You have to come into the mainland to be buried.