What's it like living in Savannah? (Atlanta, Pooler: transplants, crime rate, how much)

[DC Fairwinds]

When I think of Savannah I immediately think of front porches and rocking chairs. Oh, and the show Designing Women full of southern charm and spark.

I'm seeing cute little houses for about $150K .

Pros and cons of living in Savannah; I realize it's a large space, can we try to narrow it down into sections? Like east of 17 etc.

Weather? Crime? (no need for schools) friendliness of the people living there? Etc.
Thanks

Edited to add: are there historical plantations, buildings etc for tours?

[MedvedActual]

Just my 2 cents having lived here for two years. Decent food scene (not as big as DC area for example but nevertheless had some great meals so far, tons of tourists and bachelorette parties (think drinking a bit..). Properties in decent neighborhoods within city limit areas are still $$; no cute $150k houses there, unless you move way outside. Winters are nice but summers are pure misery with heat and humidity (granted i alwas lived in colder states). Crime, well, high in certain parts of downtown (as in twice national average), but if you exercise common sense you should be good. Light traffic compared to DC, MD. Parts of Cali or even Atlanta. Definitely quite a bit of history here and Savannah is close to Charleston, St. Augustine, Bluffton, Hilton Head, etc. for quick getaways. Airport is a breeze to get in/out of.

[CoastalGAGuy]

Front porches aren't as commonplace as you might think. Rocking chairs aren't notably more so than your average midwestern locale. Cute houses do not cost $150k here unless they are in terrible shape and a questionable neighborhood.

Most crime is limited to a few spots where you're not likely to be shopping for houses, unless you really need the sub-$150k variety. That's especially true for violent crime.

It's HOT in the Summer. It's mild in the Winter. It's muggy more than half of the time. Personally, I couldn't imagine moving anywhere that I didn't visit for at least a few days first. You should do that.

Yes, there are a couple of historical plantation sites. One of them has a beautiful famous drive beneath a continuous canopy of oaks and Spanish moss. That one is called Wormsloe, although its house is now just minimal ruins. A few others are in private hands. Various others no longer exist because they've been built over.

[turkeydance]

"Weather? Crime? (no need for schools) friendliness of the people living there?"

1. weather is wonderful. you will not have to shovel heat and humidity. flip a switch and it all goes away.
2. crime. it is a crime how good it is. too many people have found out, so the friendliness is fading, due to....
3. friendliness of the people moving here. some still cling to their old ways. your neighbor might be from NJ:
"you want a piece of me?" my answer, "no ma'am."

[MedvedActual]

Originally Posted by turkeydance

"Weather? Crime? (no need for schools) friendliness of the people living there?"

1. weather is wonderful. you will not have to shovel heat and humidity. flip a switch and it all goes away.
2. crime. it is a crime how good it is. too many people have found out, so the friendliness is fading, due to....
3. friendliness of the people moving here. some still cling to their old ways. your neighbor might be from NJ:
"you want a piece of me?" my answer, "no ma'am."

I will have to politely disagree about the 'wonderful' weather. Let's face it, summers are just bad around here. Also lawn maintenance seems to be constant. Sure there is no shoveling snow but trimming, cutting, covering plants when frost hits, etc. I have not experienced rude behavior (at least not yet), but rather most staying to themselves. People are polite in general I would say, especially when compared to NY and even DC/Northern VA area. Just my personal opinion, so definitely not something others may agree with. I have to say that i have met more transplants here so far than i anticipated prior to the forced move.

[PJMaddoxRox]

We moved here last June from Maryland. Before we decided to move, we made it a point to visit during each season (we basically came down once every 3 months). I strongly suggest you do the same before committing to moving. Not only did we get a taste of the different temps but we also used those trips to check out neighborhoods in the area(s) we thought we wanted to live in. Glad we did because while the internet is a great research resource, we found neighborhoods/houses we liked online turned out to be not so good when we saw them first hand. We actually ended up buying in a neighborhood we hadn't even looked at during those trips. Go figure.

We love the weather down here - until summer kicks in. It's hot/humid in MD during the summer months but down here it is a whole other beast. That being said, we chose to trade in blizzards and ice storms for heat and humidity along with milder winter temps. Hot temps also bring the mosquitoes. Helicopters fly over our neighborhood often, spraying chemicals to kill the little jerks. I hate it but at the same time, I'd hate to think how much worse the mosquitoes would be if they didn't spray.

I won't lie - cutting the grass during the summer sucks no matter when you do it - early AM or late PM. We don't have much to mow but after mowing is done, it looks like I just got out of a swimming pool.

I love sitting outside (under cover) when thunderstorms roll in. You can almost count on a storm coming through daily in the summer around 3pm (give or take).

We found a house for just under $150k in a nice, quiet neighborhood that's about 10 minutes from the Historic District and 20 minutes from the beach. Perfect for us. I love downtown but it is so expensive we just can't swing that.

LOTS of places to eat and many different cuisines to choose from.

Good luck!

[masonbauknight]

"Crime? (no need for schools)"


I immediately thought of the local family of illiterates who homeschooled their two kids, murdered them, and buried them in the backyard. Georgia's universal right of parents to homeschool is interesting -- a different take on "compulsory instruction to age 16."

Advice: Please stick to Savannah, Chatham, and Bryan County. Effingham County, just outside Savannah (that's Rincon, Guyton, Springfield) is to be avoided, 100%. It really is one of the worst places on earth, and it's part of metro Savannah.

[gentlearts]

Think of lovely old live oak trees covered in Spanish moss, the stink of the paper mills, and shrimp, but not much else, fishwise. Slowness in all things new and innovative. High property taxes. Otherwise, it’s great.

[pink caddy]

[quote=gentlearts;54682702]Think of lovely old live oak trees covered in Spanish moss, the stink of the paper mills, and shrimp, but not much else, fishwise. Slowness in all things new and innovative. High property taxes. Otherwise, it’s great

Very informative. Gives me a far better insight about why one would just looooove Pooler.
Thanks.

[CampingMom]

We have been here two years now. We were well aware of what we wanted and where to be. Outside of the city limits where we are. But under 5 miles to everything on Southside, 204/Abercorn, near both hospitals and 18 miles to Tybee. We don’t pay the city taxes and it’s reasonable for us coming from the Hudson Valley. We also used to live near Newburgh and Poughkeepsie, which the crime rate was higher than Savannah. But like all places, it seems to be certain areas and we just don’t go there. I have a larger home here and 1/3 of the taxes we paid there. I enjoy watching the horses walk down our road with riders on weekends.

I make what I was in NY and hubby does too. Although I can say if you have kids-send them to private schools here if you can afford it. The “State of Chatham” aka Savannah-Chatham schools have more than their fair share of issues. Glad I found a job away from them. There is heat and humidity. It’s part of the South. Being down to see family every summer growing up, I knew all about it. Dress light and it’s all good. The sandgnats are fun-YouTube Will Smith from last year when he was filming here. It’ll give you a good laugh. Skin so soft is my friend when they are out.

It’s been a good move for us. But make visits, ask questions of the neighbors. Go different times a day to the neighborhood you are looking at homes. Research all you can. We love it here and can’t imagine being anywhere else.