Anybody here from the Brunswick GA area?

I currently live in the land of ice and snow (the forecast is for 12" of snow tonite ) but I recently got a job offer in the Brunswick area and we are thinking of relocating. We have lived all over, but not as far south as GA.

I know all about the heat and humidity as well as all of the wonderful insects and snakes and other critters. I have also read through a lot of posts in this regional forum and it looks like there is a bunch of good riding all over down there.

I am looking to hear from people who live in the area that can tell me about the crime, quality of the schools, areas to avoid when looking for housing and any other advice about the area.

It would also be nice to just hear there are people in the area to ride with. One of my biggest hangups about leaving here is thinking about leaving the guys I ride with in the summer and wrench with in the winter (which is going on it's 6th month)

Thanks in advance,
Erik

I live about 1.5 hours North of Brunswick , between Savannah and Hilton Head and have been visiting the Brunswick, St. Simons area for about 55 years. I like the area due to its coastal geography. Crime, well it is populated by the same human beings you find all over the world; 99% good, 1% not quite so good. Schools, can't say. The coastal areas are doing fairly good overall because they are popular for retirement. Send me a pm and I will be glad to tell you what I can over the phone or FaceTime.

My nephew graduated the Federal law Enforcement Academy this spring and I ended up paying a couple of visits, so lacking any other replies I can give you superficial impressions.




Brunswick is the old town, classic grid pattern streets with lots of live oaks and shabby neighborhoods with nicer neighborhoods mixed in, at random to a visiotrs eye. the center of the city has classic Southern public architecture:


And less classic public architecture:





There is a small core of downtown shops struggling agains the suburban mall phenomenon and though the no see ums gave me no peace some repellent gave me room to walk and enjoy the downtown.

The insects muct breed like crazy in the surrounding marshes.



Brunswick used to have a major naval port and when it was shuit down in the 1970s they opened the law Enforcement Training center by way of comepensation. So this is an economy that never quite recovered from the cuts in Federal monies in the area (the hallowed private sector has failed once again to take up the slack).

Across the marshes lies the rather peculiar gated community of St Simons
which has been developed as a golfing resort for people who don't mind vacationing in a rather artificial if pretty environment. It's a classic winter snowbird and summer vacation creation. But there is history and stuff to see everywhere.


Nearby there is Jekyll Island a state park purchased by the state from a distressed private estate and turned into a park for all. Oddly at odds with modern policy which eschews the public good in any form.

The whole complex of what they call Georgia's Golden Isles is a mixture of creeks, marshes, woods and flat land everywhere. It's about six hours to the Appalachian Mountains for excellent riding. But its not far to Savannah and Charleston or even Atlanta. I think the whole place is quite liveable depending on the quality of the job. Georgia also has the cheapest gas in the southeast!

Thanks for the replies and the pics. I will PM with any more direct questions. I do appreciate hearing about experiences.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=879531


Fido

I have at least 4 feet of snow in my yard right now and in some places it is as tall as the 6' dog kennel in my yard. We are in a blizzard right now that is supposed to drop 8-14 more inches. I am almost to the point where I would fill my own shoe with fire ants and eat them. But instead I am watching hockey and drinking Crown Royal

As previously said, I live about 1 1/2 hours North of Brunswick. Rode about 150 miles yesterday on my G650gs with the one piece Aero which was a little warm but that is how I ride. About 8pm I went swimming in an outdoor pool and did thirty minutes of laps. Did not see any snow all day long. And your snow is deeper than the club pool.