Between Rincon and the beach (Savannah, Pooler: mortgage, employment, school district)

[angNdonME09]

Hi,

My husband's new job will be in Rincon. I've read lots of posts and it seems like a nice place, but at the same time I'm torn because I love the idea of living a bit closer to the ocean.

Can anyone help suggest a town that would be a compromise being 30 min or less to the beach/work?

We have 5 children. 19, 18, 16, 13, and 9. The two eldest are in college (Florida and SCAD).
We have been to Savannah a few times as tourists and loved it.

I appreciate any feedback! Love this forum!!

[WanderingImport]

To save you the extra hassle of gas, maintenance and traffic, I would first and foremost suggest living in Rincon where the employment is. The beach is 45 minutes to an hour away, but you obviously won't be beaching it 7 days / 12 months out of the year. Also, Effingham schools are known to be better than Chatham (though I attended Chatham public schools and I ended up fine).

If not, I still say staying on the west side makes sense. Port Wentworth or Pooler are worth looking in to.

[angNdonME09]

Thank you WanderingImport. I've been checking out Rincon and Pooler. Appreciate your input!

[CoastalGAGuy]

Pooler is probably the best bet. Savannah is closer to the beach, but cost of living is higher, generally, and the commute is that much further to Rincon. At least the commute will be going pretty much against the heavy traffic.

[angNdonME09]

Thanks CoastalGuy

Someone did mention to me about flooding concerns in Pooler. I too thought that Pooler may be the happy medium for us. Can you give me your input?
Much appreciated!

[CoastalGAGuy]

I don't think Pooler floods any more seriously than Savannah proper. We're a coastal community, with many areas just a dozen or so feet above sea level. When it rains hard (and it often does rain hard around here), and the tide is high, rainwater tends to not drain away all that quickly. It has been the subject of much consideration over the years, but fixes are expensive and slow to happen.

Basically, though, and unless there's a hurricane, flooding is flash in nature, and not long-lasting.

[Newsboy]

Have you thought about South Carolina? I was going to suggest you look at Beaufort County, the Bluffton area specifically. Depending on where your husband's job is, the commute from Bluffton to Effingham County via I-95 is only about 30 minutes, give or take. And from Bluffton, you're only about 15-20 minutes to the nearest beaches on Hilton Head Island ... which are nicer than those at Tybee. Even if you end up in South Effingham or Pooler, you can probably get to the HHI beaches just as easily as Tybee.

HOWEVER ... the schools in Beaufort County aren't nearly as good as those in Effingham County. AND living in Georgia, your kids will qualify for the HOPE Scholarship! That's a big factor IMO.

Also, I've never heard of any flooding issues in Pooler. According to this map, it would take a Category 5 hurricane to flood West Chatham.

http://www.thempc.org/documents/Tran...urge%20Map.jpg

[Padgett2]

Flooding is really just great big rain puddles that drain quickly. EXCEPT those areas near to very low swampy areas.

You need to look around Rincon first. One thing you really want to avoid, is having to commute through the Savannah downtown traffic.

There's very little beachfront property. Waterfront property usually means Marsh front with all the problems with mud and docks.

[toscgwsndiqz]

Use the Address Look-up form to get a Flood Risk Snapshot and a list of the effective and preliminary FIRM and FIS documents for your location.
flood risk information includes:
The NFIP regulatory Flood Zone Designation
Areas of change for revised flood maps, Changes Since Last Firm
Probability of Flooding over a typical 30 year mortgage period.

Find the Flood Risk for Your Property

Look at the specific schools in both Fingham and Chatham Both have "good for Georgia", and less than desirable.
ARTS and STEM schools Garrison, Savannah Arts Academy, The STEM Academy. H. V. Jenkins School of Engineering. These are the best public schools in the area and among the best public schools in the state and they are not restricted as to attendance zones.
Chatham schools

Effingham County School District

Beaufort County School District


Savannah Area Geographic Information System

Property Tax Rates for Overlapping Governments

[angNdonME09]

Thanks everyone! The feedback is great.

Regarding Beaufort, SC I actually was just talking to my husband this evening about that. I have heard it is a nice area, but hadn't researched the schools yet. I'll def look into that.

I do have a daughter starting at SCAD in the fall. I will also check out the HOPE scholarship info...thanks!


I'll take all of this into consideration.