Savannah Georgia Crime (Forsyth: crime rate, home, to buy)

[blutz86]

Hi, I am a student from South Florida. I have recently been accepted into the Savannah College of Art and Design and have a few concerns about the city. I have read so many horrible things about the city and really hope somebody who lives there can help shed some light on some of my concerns. I was there for a visit a couple of weeks ago and only was able to stay for two days but I didn't witness any crime like people have spoken about. I was only out at night once but walked around the sqaures during the day with no problems. Crime is my number one concern. I live a fairly nice lifestyle down here in South Florida and am afraid that when I go to school with nice clothes/jewelery/car I will be a big target. I have worked very hard to live the way that I do and am not necessarily flashy with my things but I do not want to lock them up and throw away the key. How bad is the crime really? If I have a job in Savannah and work until say 10 or 11 at night am I going to have a problem walking to my car to go home from work? I have heard that most people who are mugged, etc, etc are people walking about at night drunk at 3 am. I am not one to go and do that but I do not want to be afraid lets say to drive up to the coffee shop park my car and go grab a cup of coffee and come back to find my car stolen or maybe even get mugged on my way into the coffee shop. Going to the school is an amazing oppurtunity for me and I really do not want to pass it up due to a stupid fear like the crime rate of the city. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[StLouisSue]

If I were in your shoes, I'd ask the admissions people at SCAD to give you a few names of in-state and out-of-state students who attend SCAD so you may speak with them about their personal experience living in the downtown area. To me that's always been the very best way to figure out how I'll fare in a similar situation.

You could always facebook a SCAD student and see if they'll talk with you, too.

I have a 22-year old who is coming with us who is nervous about living in an unknown area, as well.. she's going into Grad school, though, and looking at the Charleston area.

My co-worker here in St. Louis (where I currently live), who has an art degree has high regard for SCAD, so know it's well thought of outside the region. Good luck to you!

[Joss]

Savannah has places that can be dangerous, just as most all large cities have. But... they are quite specific, easy to identify and avoid, and doing so will cause you little inconvenience or cultural hardship. SCAD and other students are obviously the best source you'll find for information on this.

[sunnymom]

We had some good friends of ours just move there from France via Oregon and they love it there. I asked my friend if she felt safe in Savannah walking around and working downtown (after seeing some of the posts on this board) and she said "yes". She also said there is a lot of SCAD students and they are very eclectic and add a certain good vibe to the city. We are going to Savannah to visit next month and we can hardly wait!

[blutz86]

I thank those of you who have responded but my fears just keep getting worse. I have come across a website called scad.info that is loaded with horror stories about the school. Even worse I just got off the phone with a student who went there for three years and in those three years witnessed three people with guns to their heads with two of them shot and had his car stolen. I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!! SCAD is my only option for school and I am so confused!

[TakeAhike]

Originally Posted by blutz86

I thank those of you who have responded but my fears just keep getting worse. I have come across a website called scad.info that is loaded with horror stories about the school. Even worse I just got off the phone with a student who went there for three years and in those three years witnessed three people with guns to their heads with two of them shot and had his car stolen. I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!! SCAD is my only option for school and I am so confused!

I don't think you have found reliable sources of FYI. Do you know anything about those running the 'scad' website?

Have you been to Savannah and toured the historic district and neighboring suburbs?

Also, I cannot believe SCAD is your only option for additional training.

SCAD is a very expensive school but if you don't really think you would enjoy living in Savannah then investigate some other alternatives.

sls

[maggiemay]

blutz86, I think someone is either pulling your leg, telling tales, or hung out with a gang. I lived in downtown Savh for years with absolutely no problem. Oh wait; my bike did get stolen when it was locked to a "no parking" sign. Anyway, I get back several times a year and here's a report that is different that what you've heard:

1. Whenever I go home to Savh we all go out downtown and stay out late. (3am) I've never had a problem and I have never seen an "incident".

2. My friends who still live there go out often. No problems.

3. I have 2 friends who live off Forsyth Park (and have been there for several years). No problems.

I'm not denying that there is crime, but to hear "horror stories" en masse sounds like tall tales to me. My friends and I aren't Super Heroes or Crime Busters, so I'm not sure of how we are avoiding all of this "danger" if it is so prevalent. The dangerous areas, for the most part, are slums on the exterior of downtown and that will be very clear the first time you see them. As a SCAD student there's no reason for you to go to those areas (particularly at night) unless you are Up To No Good and Looking For Illegal Items to Purchase. Take care. Good luck.

[blutz86]

I totally agree with you Maggiemay. When he told me these things I could not belive it. For somebody to experience three incidents where a gun was put to a persons head and then have their car stolen and STILL stay at the school for three years leaves me with a lot of questions. I wonder if he hung out with a gang or the wrong crowd. Maybe he was trying to buy drugs or something. In response to bhs119, unfortunately I did not get accepted to the other universities in my area or they do not have the major I am pursuing. I have been to Savannah twice and have only seen the historic district. My major is architecture and I would LOVE to live in Savannah and study there. I just have to get over some of these hurdles I keep running into.

[katnip1955]

my husband and i relocated to savannah georgia and we were there about 3 weeks....we got our apt and were both working and very happy, well one night about 130am we were in bed and 4 big black men kicked in our door tied us up with duct tape and held knives to us took everything we had, one hit my husband and cut him. they did catch 4 of them and we later learned there was a fifth one, well needless to say we left the savannah area cause we were just scared to stay there. we did some research and talking to alot of people and most say that the crime rate is higher there than new york city. we want to go back and are thinking of it but really dont know as of yet.

[outdoorman]

Originally Posted by katnip1955

my husband and i relocated to savannah georgia and we were there about 3 weeks....we got our apt and were both working and very happy, well one night about 130am we were in bed and 4 big black men kicked in our door tied us up with duct tape and held knives to us took everything we had, one hit my husband and cut him. they did catch 4 of them and we later learned there was a fifth one, well needless to say we left the savannah area cause we were just scared to stay there. we did some research and talking to alot of people and most say that the crime rate is higher there than new york city. we want to go back and are thinking of it but really dont know as of yet.

Think its better to say " 4 big men" instead of "4 big black men"?