Stay away from Camden County, GA unless you are rich and happily married! (Savannah: rent, daycare)
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I live in St Marys. I love downtown. It's great, and when I buy, I'm going to look there first.
That being said, St. Marys is like a whole other animal than Kingsland. I hate Kingsland. It's right off the 2nd to the last exit before Florida, and it is just covered with fast food restaurants and hotels, so that part of town is usually pretty busy.
Everything everybody is saying about the cost of living here is absolutely true. I've lived all over, and I've never lived anywhere as expensive as here. Of course, yes, you are going to pay more in NY or Cali, but for most people, the cost of living here is very high. Our lease is up on our house soon, and we don't know if we are going to renew because we are paying about $400 more than we should. We looked into apartments, but even small, nondescript apartments are $995. We average $400 utility bills in the summer and $200 in the winter when we don't run the AC at all. We pay $75 a month for water, for a family of 4.
We have great restaurants here, but they are all overpriced for the tourists, and as far as the beach, we don't really have it in St. Marys/Kingsland. You have to drive to Jekyll in Brunswick or Fernandina in Florida, so either way, you're looking at a half-hour trip to the beach, unless you own a boat and can get to Cumberland Island. If you don't own a boat, don't take the ferry. It'll cost you just under $100 for a family of 4 to take the ferry to Cumberland.
Don't get me wrong, I like living here, but it's frustrating that the military base makes it cost-prohibitive for most people to live here.
Also, forgot to add. The schools here are great, we are in the top 400 in the country and I believe #5 in the state, and also a championship winning football team, if that kind of thing is important to you. Also something like 50+ games in a row, second only to Macon for consecutive wins.
And Jacksonville is terrible. Everything you've heard is true. The crime there is really bad. It's like almost every day you wake up and there's another homicide. I avoid Jax like the plague.
What else -- oh, there is a small town mentality, the closer you get to St. Marys. Kingsland is OK but gets congested, but once you've been here for a while, you are recognized as a local and not a tourist or a "passer through", and also, everything you've heard about the speed traps is also true! LOL They will get you if you are speeding through our little corridor.
I will say, though, that if you can afford to live here, St. Marys is a great place to live.
Bashing the way yall have is ridiculous. Yes, there are some problems here but show me one place in the country that doesnt have any problems.
First: you must realize that St. Marys GA (part of Camden County) is the SECOND oldest city in the country. Its faults are poor sewage and 1 way in 1 way out. But its a great little community. some places still have clay pipes for water, sewage and drainage. Little by little they are replacing them.
Second: this county only started growing in the past 10 years or so. So when the boom was good the builders came in and did a poor job on the drainage system and they are today still repairing places..
Third: There are many oppirtiunites to hunt for a job here, you just half to look. Only in major politics its who you know not what you know. I can tell a dozen websites for these jobs.
Fourth: I do agree with the DFCS being as poor as it is. They really must revamp that department here.
Fifth: There are plenty of reasonable homes to buy. I know of several right now that sellers are motivated to sell. A nice three bedroom a few houses down from me sold for 104,000. Huge yard 1 car garage great neighborhood. If you really want help I know a great realator who will work for YOU because he does not rely on a sale because he has a good job. he does this on the side. So he is there for you...
Next year I am putting mine up for sale and its a fourbedroom 1 car garage great yard and a screened in cement pond. (pool) approx 1600 square ft and I expect a good sale.
Sometimes its nice to know the right people but you will never know them unless you get involved.
I love this area and will not leave unless I am forced to. Our school system is top rated in the country. Our community is also. Jobs are on the average scale. At least there are jobs here. and our homes are pretty comprable to towns like ours.
The only thing I don't like about here is there is not enough for the teenagers and preteens to do. So they hang out alot in places where they shouldnt or get into stuff that other wise they wouldnt if there was more for them to do.
we need like a YMCA or something compatable to that. Not just the rec center by the school.
Daycare needs to be a little more reasonable I agree. But there are some really good people that do it privately and not for under the table.. You just half to research.
Like anything else if you dont take the time to do your homework you will not bennifit from what there is to offer..
Well this is my opinion and it just needed to be said.
Bleighorr----Bashing the way yall have is ridiculous. Yes, there are some problems here but show me one place in the country that doesnt have any problems.
First: you must realize that St. Marys GA (part of Camden County) is the SECOND oldest city in the country. Its faults are poor sewage and 1 way in 1 way out. But its a great little community. some places still have clay pipes for water, sewage and drainage. Little by little they are replacing them.
Second: this county only started growing in the past 10 years or so. So when the boom was good the builders came in and did a poor job on the drainage system and they are today still repairing places..
Third: There are many oppirtiunites to hunt for a job here, you just half to look. Only in major politics its who you know not what you know. I can tell a dozen websites for these jobs.
Fourth: I do agree with the DFCS being as poor as it is. They really must revamp that department here.
Fifth: There are plenty of reasonable homes to buy. I know of several right now that sellers are motivated to sell. A nice three bedroom a few houses down from me sold for 104,000. Huge yard 1 car garage great neighborhood. If you really want help I know a great realator who will work for YOU because he does not rely on a sale because he has a good job. he does this on the side. So he is there for you...
Next year I am putting mine up for sale and its a fourbedroom 1 car garage great yard and a screened in cement pond. (pool) approx 1600 square ft and I expect a good sale.
Sometimes its nice to know the right people but you will never know them unless you get involved.
I love this area and will not leave unless I am forced to. Our school system is top rated in the country. Our community is also. Jobs are on the average scale. At least there are jobs here. and our homes are pretty comprable to towns like ours.
The only thing I don't like about here is there is not enough for the teenagers and preteens to do. So they hang out alot in places where they shouldnt or get into stuff that other wise they wouldnt if there was more for them to do.
we need like a YMCA or something compatable to that. Not just the rec center by the school.
Daycare needs to be a little more reasonable I agree. But there are some really good people that do it privately and not for under the table.. You just half to research.
Like anything else if you dont take the time to do your homework you will not bennifit from what there is to offer..
Well this is my opinion and it just needed to be said.
Whoa if your are that upset there are other places to live....... One: I dont know why you are the only one in the county that gets their water cut off in under five days of being late. I have lived here a while and I have yet have that happen to me unless I was going on two months late and that only happened once. I have had a 700 hundred dollar electric bill when i didnt know my air was broke and yet they didnt cut me off I paid 200 at a time until it was completely paid and on track again. Never had gas so i cant talk about them. Except that there are 12 different gas companys that service camden county and all of them work for the atlanta base company.. some require deposits and some dont. Just got to call the right one to fit what you need. RESEARCH...
You could live closer to jax like in Yulee, Callahan or Ocean way and cut your commute down. There is no state taxes in FL and there is in GA....
As your are from the north the south has their own way of living. You are used to the hussle and bussle of Cleveland where here its a little more laid back. Why be in a hurry if you leave 5 or ten minutes early you wouldnt have to feel so rushed..
And where did you get your stasticstic that the south is at a premium high on accidents here in the south. From what I looked up its pretty average.
Its okay to be upset with your life but you don't have to bash everything around you making it seem as though its an ugly place to live. Its not..
It rains here n that is awesome but we never had snow storm to freeze us in our homes when the power goes out. or idiots that cant drive in the snow because they have the wrong set of tires or no snow chains on. Or the city wants to wait to send the plows out because of cost. Or what about the amount homeless up there. Its tremndous like NY city. I know I have seen it this past march.
We like mud and rain. Here in Camden we are less likely to get hit by a Hurricane. I said less cuz we are in an inlet area. If it hits jax we get the rain and possible flooding but thats the least we get. I think the last time an actual Hurricane hit our area was in 1969. Yes we might get a slight touch of tornado but not for long. I correct you on how we cant drive in the rain and the all the streets our flooded because its not. Yes certain areas get flooding do to poor drainage where the builders didnt account for the rain. (The Lakes housing area is one area) But they always work on in it. If my street gets major water its gone within the hour and that goes for most of Camden. Rain gets heavy here sometimes but when you lived in Cleveland are you going to tell us that it never got snowstorms so bad that it never blew cars across road when they are parked. that the snow drifts can get 10 ft high.. Or people always die because of carbon mynoxide poisoning due to no power or other forms of heat. There are lots of home fires in the winter time because of trying to heat the home with different things. I think not.
The reason I know this is I am from there I still have family up there. I was just up there this past march to burry my grandmother. My family dates back to the point where we were third puerto rican family to move to Cleveland. So I have many cousin Aunts uncles and 1 brother and sister that still lives there. Heck you migh be a cousin I don't know about LOLOL
I don't know why you are so angry with Camden County but it is way far better place to live then places like Cleveland or even Texas at this point. I would rather live in this place that has storms then some place like TEXAS where people are dying from so much lack of water and Cleveland with their horriffic snowstorms... Be grateful for that. Yes you might have to commute to work some and put up with some minor rain issues but you are by far in a better place than hundred of thousands of other people. I am just saying. Rethink what you have said and you might change your tune a little.
My family visited the Camden County area about a month ago and for the most part we really liked it. Sure beats where we are living right now in central NC. We are seriously considering moving to the area within the next month or so. Can anyone provide any updated information on the county, or more the St. Mary's maybe Kingsland area. Thanks!!
^^^^^^Sometimes people need to change the path they have gone down. Better you
should go with your thoughts on moving than ranting which will do no good.
You will prolly get responses here from members that dispute your experiences and finding. Does it serve a purpose in engaging in a debate or is it better you move? I think the latter action would be better.
I have been in St Marys for a little over a year now. I LOVE it! We love it! We are not even close to rich, my husband works in Jacksonville and makes the 40 minute drive each day with no problems. I stay home with our 5 kids 10,5,4,2 and 1. We live on his job delivering roofing supplies at $17 an hour/50 hrs a week ave. We pay our bills on time and nothing gets shut off because of that. The gnats try an carry you away sometimes but it is so beautiful and peaceful with lovely people. Just my impression though!
You do not have to be rich or happily married.you need to be happily armed .Im sorry but all the people who move here cuz one part of the county is beautufull really shouldn't be tellin people about what here and what's not.Camden May have a lot of small town but st.martys specifically is a big dope town .Full of thugs and other what not because a lot of the crime here is affiliated with Jacksonville FL which at one point was called the murder Capitol of the US ..if you want beautiful scenery with nice people and still want the "Good ole boy" attitude go to either st.simons ,Jekyll island, or Darien GA (about 25-35 mins from Camden )..small town that takes a lot if pride in shrimping and isint full if wannabe gangbangers
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Camden is not that bad..
The truth
