As mentioned elsewhere, a relocation from CNY to Savannah is on the table in a year or so. My motivation is warmer weather, SWMBO's is to be closer to her parents who moved down there. I'm in retail and she is currently in insurance with a background in banking. Her parents are in Hinesville to be exact. Aside from a proximity to the Legendary Atlanta CL and a non existent winter by NY standards, what do I need to know about the area?
Been a decade since I visited, but a pretty clean and well laid out city. In certain parts of the city, each section (I want to say about every 3x3 block section) has a small park. According to the carriage tour operator, these parks are a big source of "neighborhood pride". Some of them were pretty impressive. Lots of history. As a Yankee, be aware some are still a little sore about the "war of northern aggression", but that may have simmered down a bit in the past 10 years or so. Lots of local pirate lore if that be yer thing.
That's what I remember off the top of my head.
EDIT: I should say, I remember thinking "I could see myself living here" despite being a lifelong midwesterner. The only other place I remember feeling that way about was Prescott, AZ.
You'll absolutely fall in love with the people if you're like me. Every day feels like a Saturday morning. People still appreciate the finer things, even if they aren't of wealth. Not uncommon to see a random person wearing a suit and a fedora on a 90 degree day dabbing their brow with a kerchief. I have regrettably only visited twice, but I'm going to make it a point to stop on my way to the Challenge.
Completely off the subject, but my funniest story comes from Savannah. I'm going to put it in a screenplay, it was that funny.
(skip reading this if you don't want the story part)
I was on a motorcycle road trip years ago after my divorce. PA-TX-New O-panhandle-Atlanta-north along the coast. I stopped in Savannah and I was parallel parking the bike near that walking street with all the neat shops. As I was backing in, a mountainous, toothless black lady sitting on her front steps noticed my PA plate. To complete the picture, she was likely 400 lbs, probably in her 70s, wearing cranberry sweatpants, a white t-shirt, and dark sunglasses. She reminded me of the voodoo lady character in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil with Kevin Spacey.
lady: Whatta you doing down here from Pennsylvania?
me: just got divorced and thought I'd take a motorcycle trip to get away for a while
lady: you know why you're divorced, right?
me: I have a feeling I'm about to find out
lady: The new preacher over t' the baptist church would say it's cause you have long hair. He seems to think it's a sin for men to have long hair
me: I'll bet he thinks Jesus was white, too.
lady: well you know what... Jesus was white
me: (not knowing I was being set up for a joke and afraid I offended her) How do you know that?
lady: cause who the berkeley would follow a black Jew?
Then she proceeded to do all the toothless laughing and knee slapping being very pleased with herself. She gave me a big sweaty hug and recommended a place for lunch. I'll never forget that day.
I spent a day or two there with my then girlfriend and enjoyed the place. Lots of history and has one of Paula Deen's restaurants. I think it's called My Sons and I? Whatever it was, it was delicious. The memories of the meal lasted way longer than we did.
Just across the bridge is Tybee Island, a Irish settled island. They do quite the St Patty's celebration. Lots of cool, old south stuff. Spanish moss, and the like. Not far from Buford SC. The Chapel of Ease is a cool old ruin. Savannah itself is pretty, clean, and nice. I enjoyed looking way up to see the ocean liners come in.
Following with interest.
I'm two to four years out from retirement and Savannah is on my short list as I want water (preferably ocean), temperatures that are consistent with human survival, reasonable cost of living (I'm from California), and an ideologically diverse population (again, I'm from California).
I see the down side as bugs, humidity, and hurricanes but it'll be interesting to hear first hand assessments of those and other issues.
I've spent significant amounts of time in about twenty locations (both US and OUS) for work and Atlanta is my absolute least favorite (traffic & economic despair) but Savannah seems to be a good fit.
Whatever, I think Los Angeles is a toilet and yet, I live less than a mile outside of its technical boundary in Ventura county and the life style is wildly more consistent with what I like.
Thanks Brian.
I lived in Charleston sc for a while. Taxes are cheap. But you get little services for those taxes. Schools libraries are not to the standard you are used to in central New York. My wife is from Rochester. Your kids will need to go to the best private schools to be on par with an average rural school from New York State
no matter how nice people are to you. It'll be a while for you to break into the local circles. Most people I know say it takes 10 years to make a native friend. Most transplants just hang out with transplants.
That said. The food is a great. The area is fun. I met some great friends. The aerospace industry is growing and all of the hurricanes now happening in the gulf are pushing port volume to savannah and Charleston.
Like everyone else said, its a fun place. Always something going on, lots of culture and history. The art school brings the $ into the historic district. My sister attended college there.
outside of the historic area is fairly normal. Fairly busy but not extremely busy. Nice suburbs.
tybee is always cool, but it does very busy sometimes. Its so nice when its quiet there.
there is a whole lot of good food. Its a good place to be outside.
and parking downtown sucks but thats pretty standard.
Watch out for them "Bless your heart" sayings. It may or may not be what you think they mean.
Savannah is almost 4 hours from ATL!
Beautiful city.
If ya roll in acting like the typical Yankee transplant, you'll have to only hang out with the other transplants... most of whom seem to prefer it that way. If you slow down to get along and understand the more southern attitudes, you can be accepted rather easily. All depends on the attitude. We don't like to keep hearing "we don't do it like that back home" a lot, especially in amongst a lot of complaints about how bad it was back home.
Other than the culture differences, you may not be prepared for the humidity!!! Unless you have dealt with day after day of oppressive humidity, it can be quite a shock! There are many ways to overcome that, and its worth it (we believe) but be aware.. it will be a difference!
Hutchinson Island Raceway and Roebling Road. Two thumbs up.
03Panther said:If ya roll in acting like the typical Yankee transplant
The locals in Charleston started a gobacktohio.com page. It started out as a lighthearted way to poke fun at others. It ended poorly.
you have a point people have to treat others with respect, but I it took me a long time to get good local friends Usually these were acquired through work or my wife's work
Try to spend some time there before you make a decision.
Being a tourist in Savannah is different than being a full time resident. And the downtown Savannah tourist area is worlds apart from the rest of the area. For instance, Hinesville is town outside a huge military base. It's not downtown Savannah. The suburbs are moving west fast over-running Pooler and points west.
And the humidity and heat for 7 months may be a shock to you. Schools can be an issue.
I love visiting downtown (spent a week there last February) and especially enjoy racing at Roebling Road. If i had to live in the area I would have to live in Isle of Hope. Just saying.
03Panther said:If ya roll in acting like the typical Yankee transplant...
That might be an issue of perception...
There is a built-in bias. The assumption is there is such a thing as a "typical Yankee transplant", and that it is negative.
The word "Yankee" is a lot like "Bless your heart". It's a derogatory term used as if it is non-offensive.
I'm not complaining. I love the South. I frequently sign notes "The Damned Yankee" just to embrace it and have a little fun with it.
There are some things that will never change. I have lived in the South for over 30 years and I love it here. But I am still a man from a different culture, one that fought the South bitterly in a culture war that in some ways never reconciled.
I have a lot of dear friends who are Southern to the core. I don't often relate to Northerners much anymore- their own biases are also a deep part of who they are. Transplants and I share a kindred spirit- I often connect better with military brats, or people who have lived overseas, or people who have relocated, or people who speak different languages.
Its ok. It's a big diverse world, and I am happy to be a part of it.
The South is a beautiful place, and I am happy to live here. I don't expect everyone to understand or embrace me.
Little known fact about Savannah is they have a lost nuclear bomb in the river.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1958_Tybee_Island_mid-air_collision
Never been, but I don't know why anyone would ever leave New York State. Growing up in Charlotte, the NY natives never stopped talking about "how much better it was back north." I couldn't understand why they'd ever leave that paradise.
My wife is a true northern girl, but I'm a mix. Northern parents, dad was navy, stationed mostly in VA. I was born outside of Memphis, grew up in Virginia Beach until he retired and we moved back north. That also means I know hot and humid, to a lesser degree. I'm fully aware of "Southernisims" including Yankee, Damn Yankee, and Bless Your Heart.
Fort Stewart is what brought them down in the first place. B-I-L was stationed there before he deployed to Iraq. He has a memorial tree on the base.
Schools are not an issue, as we don't and won't have kids. In-laws specifically bought a place in the best school district in the area hoping to get S-I-L to move with her 5 yo twins.
Some folks above have made a note about the place being different as a local vs a tourist. This is entirely true. I lived in a suburb in both Seattle and charleston. Both had very different flavors than what most people know as the main attractions of the area. Its probably a good idea to go live in an area you want to to move to( especially the actual living part and not just the touristy part)
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