Yo, I need some Savannah hospitality here, please!

[Baudelaire]

Hi! I am a wohm (a high-school teacher) and was wondering about life in Savannah. Like many other irritating outsiders, I read "Midnight" and fell in love with the town in the book, so I'm contemplating moving there. I had some questions:

1. Okay, is it ugly? I only see the really pretty parts in the movie and on various Savannah websites. I currently live in Vegas, land of UUUUUGGGLYYYY stucco:jaw and *rude people,* so I am desperate for everyday beauty.

2. Are there things to do with fairly decently academically-minded kids? Museums? Libraries? How kid-friendly is Savannah?

3. Are people friendly, or just friendly in a superficial way? At this point, superficial friendliness is sounding really good (see #1 above).

4. The apartments and houses are really inexpensive compared to what I am used to. Is the rest of Savannah's cost of living relatively small like that?

5. How annoyed are Savannans (?) about people like me coming to live in their fair city?

6. Where is the part of town I should absolutely avoid at all costs because it's not a good place to raise kids or walk around?

Thank you SOOOOOO much in advance.:thumb

[thepeanutone]

Well, I don't actually live in Savannah, but I go there fairly frequently. All the places where I go look the rest of the world - brick houses, McDonald's, malls, hospitals... They don't seem to have the stucco/clay tile roof fixation that comes in a little further south.

I haven't heard any "outsider prejudice" but then again I'm a day-tripper... Cost of living is pretty reasonable - haven't filled up lately, but gas is running about 1.25 to 1.35 per gallon for the cheap stuff, if that gives you any indication.

I can't tell you too much about the culture - there are LOTS of things to see that are Savannah specific, but I don't know so much about what's available for more general stuff.

Are you familiar with GA at all? You should know this is the Bible belt. People you'll want to associate with are very mindful of manners (Yessir, no ma'am, please, thank you, etc.). People you won't want to associate with can be very rude. We have rednecks, we've got weirdos, it's not all peaches and cream (ha ha), but there are a lot of really really really nice people and the beach is beautiful as are the trees...

HTH

[jerawo]

I lived in Savannah for a year while studying photography at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). My brother currently lives there since he's at SCAD, and he's been there for about 4 years.

I love Savannah!

"Midnight" has caused hundreds of thousands of people to flock to Savannah because they loved the book and wanted to see the sites. Tourism is now a huge industry there, but I don't think that it has ruined the town that much.


1. Okay, is it ugly? It's beautiful there. Old, historic buildings are everywhere, as well as spanish moss and live oaks. Yes parts of the city are run down, but there is a lot of renovation going on especially in and around downtown. Plus you are near the beach and all of the gorgeous Georgia sea islands.

2. Are there things to do with fairly decently academically-minded kids? Museums? Libraries? How kid-friendly is Savannah? I think it's a very kids friendly place. A lot of people walk, especially if they live near downtown. There are so many parks and sqaures in the city, and I always saw kids playing. Savannah has so much history; you could see a new thing every week and still have plenty to do after a year. There are many museums, and because of SCAD there are lots of art galleries and events. SCAD has helped tremendously with the revitalazation of Savannah, and there are so many cutural events and happenings. And like I said, the art scene is huge. I imagine that you will probably private or homeschool your kids, since I think the public schools are not so good there. I'm not sure about this, but I do know that most of the people with kids had them in private schools.

3. Are people friendly, or just friendly in a superficial way? At this point, superficial friendliness is sounding really good (see #1 above). Yes, I think the people are friendly. I met and talked to a lot of people while I lived there, many of these peoeple I met on the street. I think that if you also live in a neighborhood as opposed to downtown, you will meet more people.

4. The apartments and houses are really inexpensive compared to what I am used to. Is the rest of Savannah's cost of living relatively small like that? Actually I think the cost of living is fairly high, but maybe not compared to Las Vegas. Because so much renovation is going on all over the city, rental prices have increased a lot. House prices have also increased a lot. You used to be able to buy an amazing old house for $60,000 which today would sell for maybe $300,000. More and more people are having to look for housing away from downtown and in the surrounding areas because prices are going up and not stopping.
There are tons of rentals available because of SCAD.

5. How annoyed are Savannans (?) about people like me coming to live in their fair city? Some will be annoyed, but I think most people welcome new blood. With SCAD and tourism, new people are in the city all the time and it's a part of their lives.

6. Where is the part of town I should absolutely avoid at all costs because it's not a good place to raise kids or walk around? I'm not sure I can really answer that, since I'm not currently there. I think that when you go to Savannah, there will be parts of town you feel safe in and other parts you don't feel safe in. I would say that there is a decent amount of crime, and there are a lot of homeless men in the downtown area. Any warm climate city is likely to have more crime, and more people wandering around comitting crimes.

Savannah also has many great restaurants and unique stores! Chains exist, but more south of downtown which retains it's unique feel.

Hope this helps in your decision!

Jennie

[Chanley]

I used to live there, my ex husband got his MFA in photography from SCAD in 96' then we moved all over.

I will try to come back and answer some of your questions. I would definitely visit Savannah before I moved there.

[ceciclem]

I've been here going on 11 years. I just posted on another thread and if you look to see my posts you'll find it and all I had to say about it there. My husband and I are both SCAD (Sav Cllg of Art & Design) grads. As for your questions...

1. Downtown is everything you're imagining and seeing in pictures. It's very pretty and a great place to visit. unfortunately it's getting very expensive to live there. Most of the rest of Savannah is pretty typical urban sprawl*, although there are some wonderful little areas on the south-east side and beautiful, and i mean, beautiful salt water marshes. Sadly, you will see LOTS of fake stucco McMansions down here. My husband is an architect so I have a special sensitive spot in my heart for bad development. It's rampant just over the GA border in what used to be gorgeous, unspoiled Blufton, SC. Makes me want to cry.

2. Again, most cultural events occur downtown. My son is only 10mo so I'm only now starting to explore kid-friendly stuff.

3. Southern hospitality is alive and well here. So are stereotypical style southern prejudices. you will meet some great people and you'll meet some people that will make your jaw drop.

4. Property taxes are out of control downtown and the real estate market is aggrivatingly cost prohibitive (think gentrification). Most of the rest of the city (and into the county) is considerably more affordable. At or below the national average, i believe.

5. Savannah thrives on tourism and most Savannians have come to accept that. There is also a back and forth between the college and the locals but the attitude is mostly positive.

6. Dowtown to Midtown probably has the highest crime-rate but it is on the decline. When i moved here it was alarmingly high and everybody knew somebody who had been mugged or worse. It has improved ALOT though. you'll know when you're walking into a stetchy part of town because most of the houses will be boarded up. trust your instincts.

OK, well that's all i have to say! Feel free to IM or email me if you have any other specific questions.

HTH! Good luck!


That should say SUBurban sprawl. Big diference. my bad. :)