Relocating to Savannah with 3 children. What areas should we look to buy a home? (Richmond Hill: 2015)

[boyces5]

We are relocating to Savannah and have 3 children seven and under. My husband will be working for Gulfstream. What areas should we look to buy a home? We don't want to spend more than 250k. My husband doesn't mind a commute to work within reason. We also need to know what are the best elementary schools. Thank you!

[counterclockwise]

South Effingham might be worth looking into. Beware of commuting on routes that involve Highway 21.. the traffic is terrible. Before committing to a home purchase, make a few dry runs from the prospective home to the work location during the assigned time to show up and leave work.

[Newsboy]

You will not have a problem finding a nice home in your price range anywhere within the Savannah metro. It's my impression that the majority of new Gulfstream workers tend to settle in the fast-growing neighborhoods in West Chatham County -- Pooler, Godley Station, Port Wentworth, Bloomingdale. Unfortunately, though the schools are pretty good, they have not been able to keep up with the rapid population growth and overcrowding is a problem. Even the brand new high school that just opened out there last year is already at capacity. The upside is that the area has all the shopping, dining, amenities etc that you'd need and going into Savannah isn't necessary. A new mall is being built. Some people value that.

Effingham County schools are good, and lots of Gulfsteam employees live out there. But as the previous poster suggested, the commute via Hwy 21 can be brutal. South Bryan (Richmond Hill) schools are even better, and though it's further away, the commute to Gulfstream via I-95 isn't a bad one -- except for those occasions when accidents or tourist gridlock shuts I-95 down (which happens far more often than you'd think).

SUMMARY: I'd start my search in the Pooler area and also explore Rincon (South Effingham) as an alternative, keeping the longer distance and more rural atmosphere in consideration.

Does Gulfstream have a relocation / housing aid service? As big as they are in Savannah (8,000 employees) it would seem so.

[toscgwsndiqz]

Originally Posted by boyces5

We are relocating to Savannah and have 3 children seven and under. My husband will be working for Gulfstream. What areas should we look to buy a home? We don't want to spend more than 250k. My husband doesn't mind a commute to work within reason. We also need to know what are the best elementary schools. Thank you!

The Savannah-Chatham County Public School System is not easy to navigate there are several dedicated schools, Specialty Programs and Tuition-free, public charter school in the system. Which is best depends on your children. The new K-8 schools are very popular


Many specialty program options are offered by the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System and Gulfstream partners with those that focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)
There is also several dedicated schools that do not have boundary lines and are not subject to school feeder patterns. Those schools include: Coastal Empire Montessori, Charles Ellis Montessori, Oglethorpe Charter School, Woodville Tompkins Technical & Career High School, Savannah Arts Academy, and the Esther F. Garrison School of Visual & Performing Arts, and STEM Academy at Bartlett Middle.
Gulfstream

My youngest Daughter Attends the Esther F. Garrison School of Visual & Performing Arts (PK - 8th) is a dedicated school and does not have an attendance zone and feeds into the Savannah Arts Academy, one of the top High Schools in Georgia. (Only one more application process to navigate for us!)

My son attended the STEM Academy and is now in the Jenkins High School Engineering Program

My 2 oldest Daughters Went to Oglethorpe Charter School- Savannah Arts Academy, but the STEM schools are more challenging

MIDDLE/K-8 SPECIALTY PROGRAM SITES 2014-2015
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[KBalls22]

Originally Posted by boyces5

We are relocating to Savannah and have 3 children seven and under. My husband will be working for Gulfstream. What areas should we look to buy a home? We don't want to spend more than 250k. My husband doesn't mind a commute to work within reason. We also need to know what are the best elementary schools. Thank you!

Have you considered Mill Creek (Bluffton, SC)? The commute is very reasonable and the schools are good.

Good luck!

[jojohat]

Hi, how is your search going? We too are looking to move to the Savannah. We will be moving from Northern Va. with three boys 9, 13 and 15. Would love to communicate with you. Can you drop me an email at joanne.hatfield@verizon.net.

Look forward to hearing from you.
Jo