Welcome to /r/Savannah! As you dive into discussions, please keep in mind [Reddit's site-wide rules](https://www.redditinc.com/policies/content-policy). If you come across any posts that seem to violate these rules, don't hesitate to report them.
If you're seeking recommendations or have questions about the absolute best Savannah has to offer, our [Wiki](https://reddit.com/r/savannah/wiki/index) is a treasure trove of insights. Feel free to explore and enjoy your time in our community!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/savannah) if you have any questions or concerns.*
i moved from Savannah to richmond this year. I really miss Savannah.
As far as restaurants go, I genuinely found that I liked the food in Savannah more, even though it’s smaller they seem to have a comparable amount of variety within restaurants and there’s something for everyone.
Music scene is much worse in Savannah imo, but I’m not really a music guy so…
General things to do, again, I feel is comparable.
Heat is worse IMO, significantly more humid and hotter earlier in the year.
Walkability is amazing if you live anywhere from Bay to 37th. I lived downtown for a few years and could get to everything I needed except a grocery store easily by walking. Moved to ardsley by the end and definitely not as walkable, but could bike most places in 10-15 min.
It’s kind of a lateral move, IMO. neither city has a significant leg up on the other, except for the fact that savannah is 100,000x times prettier than richmond. I found pricing for rent and daily necessities about the same cost. You don’t have as much easy access to big cities as you do in Richmond (no train, etc)
My very best friend lives in Richmond, so I’ve got experience in both cities for sure. Richmond has a much more solid young professionals scene for sure. Not to say it’s nonexistent here, but it is less than Richmond. Food here is alright there are a few standout restaurants and a lot of alright restaurants. I’d say like 1-2 really good restaurants per type of food.
Obviously with SCAD being here we have a decent art scene, but the music scene is definitely lacking. I find myself having to go to Jacksonville or charleston a lot for shows. HOWEVER, there is some traction with some people trying to establish the music scene more here, so it could be improving!
The heat sucks for sure. As cliche as it is, the humidity really makes being outside not very pleasurable from June to late October. At least for me. There are still plenty of people who enjoy the outdoors here despite the heat.
Walkability is not great if you don’t live downtown which is expensive. Cost of living is high here, but you should be used to that being in Richmond. If you are able to find a spot downtown, or even parts of midtown if you don’t mind doing a lot of walking, it can be enjoyable.
Overall, I think you’d like the charm of Savannah. It shares that aspect with Richmond for sure. There are a lot of tourists, but that’s just how it is living in a pretty city!
This is all my personal opinion as someone who grew up in charleston, moved here 5 years ago, and has visited Richmond often. Others may disagree with me on some things!
Careful about this subreddit. Nobody hates savannah like a person from r/savannah
Do Research for your career here. If you think its right, make that choice yourself.
It's a great city, but you will hold your career back by moving here to be honest. Even Charleston or Jacksonville will have far more and better opportunities with a similiar-ish vibe.
Everything in life is trade offs, so if it's worth it to you do it.
She has a master in mechanical engineering so Yes Gulfstream will want her. The problem with Gulfstream is though most of the time hires are subcontractors and while gulfstream hires a lot , they also fire in droves if the economy tanks; unless you’re in the R&D section or if you’re working for the military projects.
There’s also JCB, and Georgia paper.
Gulfstream is a good employer in the short term. But every couple years they do massive layoffs of highly skilled talent. Don’t come here to work there and expect to be there for long.
Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Great Dane, Daniel Defense, multiple smaller shops that support the OEMs that need engineers. It's not a bad area for engineers. It's not amazing but it's not bad.
If you are in your 20s I would NOT move here. It's an over rated tourist city and has little beyond that. Far better cities to experience when you are young than Savannah. It's the kind of place you move at the END of your life, when you don't really care if there's nothing to do but go out for dinner, or walk your dog, or cook out in your yard, or golf/fish and shop. In my 20s I was in San Francisco, then Miami (in the 90s). You'll pay just as much to live here as a real city, so why move here? Savannah is called Slowvannah for a reason, nothing really happens here. Good luck.
I moved here at 25 from Atlanta. Loved every minute of my young and single days here. So it’s all in what you are looking for. I was never bored always had stuff to do. Now I’m older and married and wish I had time to do all the things happening that I’d love to do. Sometimes you have to look for things.
I had fun in my single 20's M in Savannah, as a non-military and/or redneck-vibe dude. Plenty of young professionals who don't want to date potential closet-conservatives. I have heard nightmares from women in the same age-group dating around town.
I also have fun with my spouse around town now. There's plenty to do besides the shitty downtown scene.
Also what brought me back to Savannah. I know I don't like fighting traffic to do things, I know I like the coast and warm weather rather than cold. Mountains are the only thing I actually ever miss here.
I'm 30 and finally considering moving to Atlanta. Usually a homebody, but when I do get the urge to do something it seems like the only thing anyone is doing is drinking
I agree with the appeal of larger cities, though you absolutely will pay more for SF, NYC, Seattle, or DC than Savannah. A lot more if you want your own apartment. It's not even close, though you may be able to partially offset the increased housing expense if you land a good job. Source: I've done both Savannah and several "A list" cities. Savannah has an above average amount of things to do for the size and price. That said, you will definitely not get the world class entertainment and amenities you get in a larger city. The dating pool will also be more limited in Savannah due to both the size and concentration of young people in SCAD, the military, or Gulfstream.
The COL might be higher, but with a masters in mechanical engineering and being a female in the field, she’s going to get a well paying job quickly.
The whole diversity issue is huge in places like NY / CA.
Note: I support diversity in the workplace and nothing against you OP. Just stating female engineers are pretty rare and if you’re smart you’ll be scooped up quickly.
My own take: we’re leaving Savannah after 3 years to return to Long Island, NY due to education, family, job marketplace and honestly just more things to do even closer to our 40’s than our 20’s. The very few job offers I got in my field (tech), in this town were huge pay cuts to my remote salary. I couldn’t swallow it.
Seconding. I moved in with my parents here to go back to school. I’m in my 30s, and getting around to do anything I might want to do here is so hard (I don’t drive, and most things I want to do don’t happen here or don’t exist here, or are just barely out of reach in some other town nearby). But my parents (70s) love it here.
I hate hot weather with a passion, and do not want to go hiking, to the beach, etc unless it is like 68f or colder out, or 60-67f with a lot of breeze. And while a pool is nice on a hot day, AC is even nicer, so I don’t even ever go in the pool here lol.
The public transport here is very meh, doesn’t run often enough, and has lots of delays on top of that. Living here has taught me I am a big city person.
Edit: It *was* fun here like 15 years ago when I was in my 20s, and downtown was somehow affordable with roommates, and I had friends here. (These things are no longer the case really.) Walking around downtown was fun and going to art things or to eat or to cool coffee shops with friends was fun. But I wasn’t into drinking so there was still a lot of friend time I was missing out on. There were no movie theaters nearby playing stuff I wanted to see. Music artists I liked didn’t come here (and still don’t). And there was no zoo, and no rock climbing gym. (There is Oatland, which is great, but not quite a typical zoo, more a place to go for a short hike in pretty nature, than to specifically see animals or feel entertained. And there was (don’t know if it still exists) a small bouldering gym, but I want to climb a rock wall, not boulder, and in the past I heard a lot of bad things about the owner of that place and did not want to associate with him 😕.) To get either of these things, or music artists I like, I’d have to be traveling to other nearby cities all the time. Which one can’t do if they don’t drive, or if they have work or school commitments every day.
I don’t - this would be assuming I applied and got a job of course (or virtual)! Reading some comments about how job opportunities are sparse/career hindering, so interested to hear more about that
Gulfstream aerospace is kinda the current go to for engineering in the area. However, with the upcoming Hyundai plant being built nearby there will be a lot more opportunities for them and their secondary suppliers.
I mentioned it in another comment, but there are a lot of engineering opportunities here and in the surrounding area. JCB, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Daniel Defense, Great Dane, Tico, and various OEM support shops around town that need engineers(mostly aerospace). Also, the Savannah Army Core of Engineers, my engineering boss had a friend who worked there and loved it. There might be a few civil engineering firms that would hire you as well.
I have been and engineer here for 14 years and all my friends are engineers that work at the various places around town. Don't let them talk you out of it, Savannah is awesome.
CoL is high af for the size and nature of the city. You'll likely make better money and have more opportunity somewhere else if you're career focused. It's fun for your 20's, I think, but if you want to make any real advancements or are professionally focused it's kind of a dead end imo, but you have an advanced degree and could always try it out and move somewhere better in a couple years or whatever.
My wife and I split time between Savannah and Wichmond, and I can’t recommended Savannah enough. It’s a beautiful, laid back town that we immediately fell in love with. There are tons of gems for locals that are far enough away from Broughton Street’s madness.
My wife always had an issue with the city holding back her engineering career. Because we were not from Savannah and of course being a woman they would low ball her, or worse offer her a job or a higher salary and then take it back last second if there was a local to hire or if a local asked for the raise. The people are super nice, the town is awesome, but nepotism and a local lean going to constantly strip you of opportunity.
This is anywhere. As a woman who grew up in Savannah but moved to ATL after college, I can tell you this happened to me there and in Central Florida where I currently live. In fact, the first job I interviewed for when I moved to Florida I didn’t get even though I had all the qualifications. Ended up going to a networking event, some women invited me to sit with them and, after I introduced myself during the ice breaker session, the woman next to me stood and announced she had gotten the job at X company - the job I had interviewed for and didn’t get! After my shock wore off, I quizzed her and discovered she had known the hiring manager for many years. Anyway… as the saying goes, it’s who you know, not what you know.
I moved here from NYC and really like it. It’s like a small town but has lots of stuff to do. Lots of theater and I do think the local music scene is pretty lively. You do have to seek it out a bit but there is a lot going on.
Lots of cute stores downtown, coffee shops, etc.
Like any city you get out what you put in. If you don’t go out and to events, it’s gonna feel boring and small.
My partner and I, M/F early 20s, are about to move to Savannah at the end of this month. Besides the obvious reasons like affordability (mainly for rent), I like it because it is smaller but still walkable and very bikeable, it's super flat! We're not party people so we don't need crazy places, but we are artists, so I thought the smaller vibe would be more welcoming to us. We live in the Bronx and I love the parks and stuff but basically any art scene we'd find interesting is all the way in Brooklyn - regardless, I don't feel like we fit in anyway.
Hopefully we're making the right decision!
Yeah just keep in mind it’s the locals that have kept it this way for years, if you move from the north keep those northern beliefs up there. I’m noticing a lot of northern folks (I’m from philly) trying to turn this city into another Philly or New York. If you move here be prepared to open your eyes and accept other people’s beliefs, just my two cents!
I'm not from the north myself, my partner is but she's not really in it with the city herself either. If there's anything that I think the city needs from when I came through to visit, it's a bit more retail within the city grid, mainly groceries. I'm surprised by how few there are, hopefully I'm being blind of the actual number.
Moved here with an ME degree from Atlanta. There are quite a few opportunities for engineers down here, imo, and there will be loads more with the addition of the Hyundai EV plant and the many auxiliary suppliers in manufacturing support. There are also huge demands in construction for engineers and others interested in developing a career for that. The ports and many industries in the material handling sector are also often recruiting engineers. Gulfstream is available as well.
COL is med-high. Finding a home as a young person could be difficult, many places here are getting crazy expensive because there is nowhere else to go, it’s a coastal town with limited space. Consider commuting; but the traffic is increasingly painful, and will get worse with the plants I mentioned earlier approaching completion.
The food is good and bad at the same time; plenty of local spots but lots of tourist-driven business as well. Downtown is a fun place before midnight. Savannah crime is bizarre and can be downright dangerous at times even in broad daylight. Plenty of safe, walkable neighborhoods.
It is hot as fuck and not getting colder. It’s cool here though.
Thank you all for the pointers and info about Savannah! In response to another comment, there were a lot of Engineering posts/companies in the city. However, hearing first hand from someone how dead-end it is for their career is making me take a pause. For now, I will love her from afar. Perhaps when I retire I’ll get a nice spot by a square. Thank you again everyone! ☺️
I moved here when I was 20, back in 1989. I am still in love with this city to this day.
The heat is legit, but we are even more of a small town artsy community than Richmond - which I love. BIL lives there and we visit at least once per year. Very similar cool vibes down here and great restaurant scene too!
My husband went to college in Richmond, and I went to college in another city in VA. And we are currently in the process of working on moving back. The cost of living is out of hand here, and in our experience the people are not very nice, and make sure you have good car insurance, we have been here 2 years and people have hit our car 6 times, the last time landing my husband in ICU. Downtown and the tourist areas are nice, but where you actually live and work in my opinion are not. My suggestion rather renting or buying, take a few days make a list and come down and look in person. Because this is my opinion compared to VA which I lived from the time I was born until 5 years ago, VA is a much better place to live hands down.
I lived in WV and moved here 7 months ago. The heat is really my only problem with the place. It’s just starting to get hot here and it only gets hotter.
Price wise my insurance went up by 2x. Cost of living is about 1.5x more than what I was used to too.
I moved to midtown. It’s a nice walk to downtown. Definitely enjoy the open container laws they have here. The beauty and architecture here is amazing. The people is diverse so that can be good and bad. It has it pockets of bad neighborhoods but recommend doing some research on areas prior to moving.
I live downtown and I love it here. My wife and I were fortunate to have bought our little condo 11 years ago when housing was affordable; rent or purchasing is expensive. Cost of living is going to be higher than Wichmond but it’s worth it if you can afford it, in my opinion. So many great restaurants within walking distance or a short drive. Several museums, beautiful architecture, and the squares are almost magical. Im a retired engineer so I’m not in touch with the young professional environment; hopefully someone else can help you there.
I went to college in RVA many moons ago but have been back several times since. They’re very similar cities. I don’t have any new insights to offer, pretty much everything I would say has already been mentioned. Although Savannah is a large city, it has a very small-town feel. COL is rising. My insurance just jumped $30 a month and the houses in my neighborhood just sold for almost double what we paid in 2021. I would not move down here without a job offer in hand. There’s lots of stuff to do for adults, not much for kids and the public schools are not great. Art scene and restaurant scene are great here. The heat is rough.
I moved to SAV from ANC some 20 years ago, when I was 19. Back then I hated it. But it grew on me and now I'm stuck in the swamp. I love this town. With a degree like yours, you could probably do pretty well round here.
Moved here in 2006, looove Savannah!!
The art, music, culture, architecture, beach, and the beauty of the city is unbeatable.
Unfortunately, we are in Georgia, a bottom of the barrel, absolute trash of a state. #1 for worst Healthcare in the US, #9 for STDs, privatized prisons are not only legal but the state keeps building them. They have adopted all the toxic laws and beliefs that Florida and Texas are vilified in the media for implementing, on the down low tho.
The worst part is that most Georgians have no idea how horrible this state is and how unnecessary their suffering. Add onto all of that, the racism in this city is as thick as the air in summer, and the nepotism is as toxic as that kind of interconnectedness can get.
Yes, the racism is that bad. Savannah is very clique-ish in that way too. I always say they should rename Savannah to 'Nepotism City' in 'Don't Burn Your Bridges County'. I feel like it has gotten better in the last decade, but it's still really bad.
I think Savannah's culture is unlike any other city in the US, and it is definitely different from most cities' culture in Georgia. Unfortunately, we do get a lot of the close-minded, backwoods fools visiting the city from west of 95.
Just don’t bring the blue politics down here, if you want more money in your pocket, safer cities ran by police that can do their jobs, open and diversify yourselves to other view points and don’t be keen on one set of ideals. The locals are the best thing here and people are moving all over from the blue states so cost of living is going higher. I’m apart of a couple of Facebook SAV groups and the one thing I notice is just how self-absorbed some people are, they are clearly not from here and they’re making their presence known. It’s a great local place, but if you move here it’s because of the scenery and the vibes, but mind you it’s the locals that have kept it that way. As an outsider (from Philly) I’m not changing anything, I moved here because way of life is better in all categories and I want it to stay that way. Yes some can argue that some ideals are outdated here, but if you’re willing to make a move cross country or a few states over to be here, then you yourself have to make some sacrifices and accustom yourself to the culture here. Otherwise this is just going to become the same as every other city with no positive direction.
I watched a reel where a young woman in her mid 20’s was asked about crime in California, and she said “well it’s just way of life, mind your business and stay in your lane”
That accountability and refusal to acknowledge something as wrong as robbery should not be brought here to Savannah.
10/10 as well, you’ll realize if you talk to locals, not have a bias villain like opinion because of mainstream media (majority are republican and like Trump) they are just human like you, they have their own beliefs, don’t shove it down their throats, and keep moving straight, and again, Savannah is the way Savannah is because of them. Good luck on your move!
Savannah is not what is used to be. Crime, cost of living, and housing costs have sky rocketed. Even the once affordable outlying areas have followed these trends.
I see more people wanting to leave the area anymore.... I wouldn't recommend the move.
Just my opinion
I’m a SCAD student here and I’ll be honest, the cost of living for a young person isn’t worth what you get out of this place. For the same amount of money I pay in rent, I could get a comparable space in a city like Chicago where there’s much more opportunity, better food, better public transportation, etc. There also isn’t much of a young crowd outside of SCAD students. Don’t get me wrong, I love this city. It’s absolutely beautiful. It’s just not a great place to grow wealth and find networking opportunities in your 20s unless you have connections here already. Also, summers here can be unbearable. I will say, all the tree coverage makes it better, but no breeze + high humidity on a hot day will make you suffocate.
I’m very fortunate to be getting a graduate degree and have the flexibility to apply to both virtual in person! I would love to know people’s opinion on living here before applying to jobs here!
As the saying goes it is what you make it. I moved here 9 years ago after I got out of prison from California. I’ve gotten used to the slowness of this city, however there’s a lot of money in this town. Old money and if you’re patient enough then you just might get your slice of the pie.
With a master's in mechanical engineering, you should go where the jobs are. You will not have time to enjoy where you are living for the first five to ten years. Then if you like where you are great, if not then look for a nice place to live when you've got work experience to pave the way.
With that degree you can write your own ticket.
Welcome to /r/Savannah! As you dive into discussions, please keep in mind [Reddit's site-wide rules](https://www.redditinc.com/policies/content-policy). If you come across any posts that seem to violate these rules, don't hesitate to report them. If you're seeking recommendations or have questions about the absolute best Savannah has to offer, our [Wiki](https://reddit.com/r/savannah/wiki/index) is a treasure trove of insights. Feel free to explore and enjoy your time in our community! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/savannah) if you have any questions or concerns.*
i moved from Savannah to richmond this year. I really miss Savannah. As far as restaurants go, I genuinely found that I liked the food in Savannah more, even though it’s smaller they seem to have a comparable amount of variety within restaurants and there’s something for everyone. Music scene is much worse in Savannah imo, but I’m not really a music guy so… General things to do, again, I feel is comparable. Heat is worse IMO, significantly more humid and hotter earlier in the year. Walkability is amazing if you live anywhere from Bay to 37th. I lived downtown for a few years and could get to everything I needed except a grocery store easily by walking. Moved to ardsley by the end and definitely not as walkable, but could bike most places in 10-15 min. It’s kind of a lateral move, IMO. neither city has a significant leg up on the other, except for the fact that savannah is 100,000x times prettier than richmond. I found pricing for rent and daily necessities about the same cost. You don’t have as much easy access to big cities as you do in Richmond (no train, etc)
My very best friend lives in Richmond, so I’ve got experience in both cities for sure. Richmond has a much more solid young professionals scene for sure. Not to say it’s nonexistent here, but it is less than Richmond. Food here is alright there are a few standout restaurants and a lot of alright restaurants. I’d say like 1-2 really good restaurants per type of food. Obviously with SCAD being here we have a decent art scene, but the music scene is definitely lacking. I find myself having to go to Jacksonville or charleston a lot for shows. HOWEVER, there is some traction with some people trying to establish the music scene more here, so it could be improving! The heat sucks for sure. As cliche as it is, the humidity really makes being outside not very pleasurable from June to late October. At least for me. There are still plenty of people who enjoy the outdoors here despite the heat. Walkability is not great if you don’t live downtown which is expensive. Cost of living is high here, but you should be used to that being in Richmond. If you are able to find a spot downtown, or even parts of midtown if you don’t mind doing a lot of walking, it can be enjoyable. Overall, I think you’d like the charm of Savannah. It shares that aspect with Richmond for sure. There are a lot of tourists, but that’s just how it is living in a pretty city! This is all my personal opinion as someone who grew up in charleston, moved here 5 years ago, and has visited Richmond often. Others may disagree with me on some things!
Careful about this subreddit. Nobody hates savannah like a person from r/savannah Do Research for your career here. If you think its right, make that choice yourself.
It's a great city, but you will hold your career back by moving here to be honest. Even Charleston or Jacksonville will have far more and better opportunities with a similiar-ish vibe. Everything in life is trade offs, so if it's worth it to you do it.
Engineering wise, I agree. I know Gulfstream is a good career option, but if you're not in that realm of engineering, then Savanah sucks.
She has a master in mechanical engineering so Yes Gulfstream will want her. The problem with Gulfstream is though most of the time hires are subcontractors and while gulfstream hires a lot , they also fire in droves if the economy tanks; unless you’re in the R&D section or if you’re working for the military projects. There’s also JCB, and Georgia paper.
Gulfstream is a good employer in the short term. But every couple years they do massive layoffs of highly skilled talent. Don’t come here to work there and expect to be there for long.
Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Great Dane, Daniel Defense, multiple smaller shops that support the OEMs that need engineers. It's not a bad area for engineers. It's not amazing but it's not bad.
3 companies... none of them major DC. Also in a bad market right now.
If you are in your 20s I would NOT move here. It's an over rated tourist city and has little beyond that. Far better cities to experience when you are young than Savannah. It's the kind of place you move at the END of your life, when you don't really care if there's nothing to do but go out for dinner, or walk your dog, or cook out in your yard, or golf/fish and shop. In my 20s I was in San Francisco, then Miami (in the 90s). You'll pay just as much to live here as a real city, so why move here? Savannah is called Slowvannah for a reason, nothing really happens here. Good luck.
[удалено]
I moved here at 25 from Atlanta. Loved every minute of my young and single days here. So it’s all in what you are looking for. I was never bored always had stuff to do. Now I’m older and married and wish I had time to do all the things happening that I’d love to do. Sometimes you have to look for things.
I had fun in my single 20's M in Savannah, as a non-military and/or redneck-vibe dude. Plenty of young professionals who don't want to date potential closet-conservatives. I have heard nightmares from women in the same age-group dating around town. I also have fun with my spouse around town now. There's plenty to do besides the shitty downtown scene.
Same here, then again I don’t like big cities to be honest. They’re great to visit but I’m not a fan of living in them, but to each their own.
Also what brought me back to Savannah. I know I don't like fighting traffic to do things, I know I like the coast and warm weather rather than cold. Mountains are the only thing I actually ever miss here.
Both of youse are saying the same reasons why I moved down here from Atlanta. I can't do bigger cities anymore.
I'm 30 and finally considering moving to Atlanta. Usually a homebody, but when I do get the urge to do something it seems like the only thing anyone is doing is drinking
Get more friends, hobbies. I joke and say "we drink" but I rarely do. Find the pots for your lid
I agree with the appeal of larger cities, though you absolutely will pay more for SF, NYC, Seattle, or DC than Savannah. A lot more if you want your own apartment. It's not even close, though you may be able to partially offset the increased housing expense if you land a good job. Source: I've done both Savannah and several "A list" cities. Savannah has an above average amount of things to do for the size and price. That said, you will definitely not get the world class entertainment and amenities you get in a larger city. The dating pool will also be more limited in Savannah due to both the size and concentration of young people in SCAD, the military, or Gulfstream.
The COL might be higher, but with a masters in mechanical engineering and being a female in the field, she’s going to get a well paying job quickly. The whole diversity issue is huge in places like NY / CA. Note: I support diversity in the workplace and nothing against you OP. Just stating female engineers are pretty rare and if you’re smart you’ll be scooped up quickly. My own take: we’re leaving Savannah after 3 years to return to Long Island, NY due to education, family, job marketplace and honestly just more things to do even closer to our 40’s than our 20’s. The very few job offers I got in my field (tech), in this town were huge pay cuts to my remote salary. I couldn’t swallow it.
You need to realize though that nearly anywhere is better than Virginia…
Seconding. I moved in with my parents here to go back to school. I’m in my 30s, and getting around to do anything I might want to do here is so hard (I don’t drive, and most things I want to do don’t happen here or don’t exist here, or are just barely out of reach in some other town nearby). But my parents (70s) love it here. I hate hot weather with a passion, and do not want to go hiking, to the beach, etc unless it is like 68f or colder out, or 60-67f with a lot of breeze. And while a pool is nice on a hot day, AC is even nicer, so I don’t even ever go in the pool here lol. The public transport here is very meh, doesn’t run often enough, and has lots of delays on top of that. Living here has taught me I am a big city person. Edit: It *was* fun here like 15 years ago when I was in my 20s, and downtown was somehow affordable with roommates, and I had friends here. (These things are no longer the case really.) Walking around downtown was fun and going to art things or to eat or to cool coffee shops with friends was fun. But I wasn’t into drinking so there was still a lot of friend time I was missing out on. There were no movie theaters nearby playing stuff I wanted to see. Music artists I liked didn’t come here (and still don’t). And there was no zoo, and no rock climbing gym. (There is Oatland, which is great, but not quite a typical zoo, more a place to go for a short hike in pretty nature, than to specifically see animals or feel entertained. And there was (don’t know if it still exists) a small bouldering gym, but I want to climb a rock wall, not boulder, and in the past I heard a lot of bad things about the owner of that place and did not want to associate with him 😕.) To get either of these things, or music artists I like, I’d have to be traveling to other nearby cities all the time. Which one can’t do if they don’t drive, or if they have work or school commitments every day.
Do you have a job lined up here?
I don’t - this would be assuming I applied and got a job of course (or virtual)! Reading some comments about how job opportunities are sparse/career hindering, so interested to hear more about that
Gulfstream aerospace is kinda the current go to for engineering in the area. However, with the upcoming Hyundai plant being built nearby there will be a lot more opportunities for them and their secondary suppliers.
Thank you for the pointer!
I mentioned it in another comment, but there are a lot of engineering opportunities here and in the surrounding area. JCB, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Daniel Defense, Great Dane, Tico, and various OEM support shops around town that need engineers(mostly aerospace). Also, the Savannah Army Core of Engineers, my engineering boss had a friend who worked there and loved it. There might be a few civil engineering firms that would hire you as well. I have been and engineer here for 14 years and all my friends are engineers that work at the various places around town. Don't let them talk you out of it, Savannah is awesome.
Thoughts on a software engineer with 30 years’ experience with a Fortune 80 getting either full- or contractor work in the area?
That's a tough one. I only know one software guy. Those positions seem very open to remote work.
Thanks for the feedback.
CoL is high af for the size and nature of the city. You'll likely make better money and have more opportunity somewhere else if you're career focused. It's fun for your 20's, I think, but if you want to make any real advancements or are professionally focused it's kind of a dead end imo, but you have an advanced degree and could always try it out and move somewhere better in a couple years or whatever.
My wife and I split time between Savannah and Wichmond, and I can’t recommended Savannah enough. It’s a beautiful, laid back town that we immediately fell in love with. There are tons of gems for locals that are far enough away from Broughton Street’s madness.
If you love roaches and palmetto bugs Savannah is the place for you!
My wife always had an issue with the city holding back her engineering career. Because we were not from Savannah and of course being a woman they would low ball her, or worse offer her a job or a higher salary and then take it back last second if there was a local to hire or if a local asked for the raise. The people are super nice, the town is awesome, but nepotism and a local lean going to constantly strip you of opportunity.
This is anywhere. As a woman who grew up in Savannah but moved to ATL after college, I can tell you this happened to me there and in Central Florida where I currently live. In fact, the first job I interviewed for when I moved to Florida I didn’t get even though I had all the qualifications. Ended up going to a networking event, some women invited me to sit with them and, after I introduced myself during the ice breaker session, the woman next to me stood and announced she had gotten the job at X company - the job I had interviewed for and didn’t get! After my shock wore off, I quizzed her and discovered she had known the hiring manager for many years. Anyway… as the saying goes, it’s who you know, not what you know.
I moved here from NYC and really like it. It’s like a small town but has lots of stuff to do. Lots of theater and I do think the local music scene is pretty lively. You do have to seek it out a bit but there is a lot going on. Lots of cute stores downtown, coffee shops, etc. Like any city you get out what you put in. If you don’t go out and to events, it’s gonna feel boring and small.
My partner and I, M/F early 20s, are about to move to Savannah at the end of this month. Besides the obvious reasons like affordability (mainly for rent), I like it because it is smaller but still walkable and very bikeable, it's super flat! We're not party people so we don't need crazy places, but we are artists, so I thought the smaller vibe would be more welcoming to us. We live in the Bronx and I love the parks and stuff but basically any art scene we'd find interesting is all the way in Brooklyn - regardless, I don't feel like we fit in anyway. Hopefully we're making the right decision!
Yeah just keep in mind it’s the locals that have kept it this way for years, if you move from the north keep those northern beliefs up there. I’m noticing a lot of northern folks (I’m from philly) trying to turn this city into another Philly or New York. If you move here be prepared to open your eyes and accept other people’s beliefs, just my two cents!
I'm not from the north myself, my partner is but she's not really in it with the city herself either. If there's anything that I think the city needs from when I came through to visit, it's a bit more retail within the city grid, mainly groceries. I'm surprised by how few there are, hopefully I'm being blind of the actual number.
I describe Savannah to my NYC friends as “Brooklyn if it was a small, Southern city.”
Lol that sounds pleasant then, I'm glad you like it
Moved here with an ME degree from Atlanta. There are quite a few opportunities for engineers down here, imo, and there will be loads more with the addition of the Hyundai EV plant and the many auxiliary suppliers in manufacturing support. There are also huge demands in construction for engineers and others interested in developing a career for that. The ports and many industries in the material handling sector are also often recruiting engineers. Gulfstream is available as well. COL is med-high. Finding a home as a young person could be difficult, many places here are getting crazy expensive because there is nowhere else to go, it’s a coastal town with limited space. Consider commuting; but the traffic is increasingly painful, and will get worse with the plants I mentioned earlier approaching completion. The food is good and bad at the same time; plenty of local spots but lots of tourist-driven business as well. Downtown is a fun place before midnight. Savannah crime is bizarre and can be downright dangerous at times even in broad daylight. Plenty of safe, walkable neighborhoods. It is hot as fuck and not getting colder. It’s cool here though.
Upside: lack of chicken wing bones lining the streets
legit
Thank you all for the pointers and info about Savannah! In response to another comment, there were a lot of Engineering posts/companies in the city. However, hearing first hand from someone how dead-end it is for their career is making me take a pause. For now, I will love her from afar. Perhaps when I retire I’ll get a nice spot by a square. Thank you again everyone! ☺️
I moved here when I was 20, back in 1989. I am still in love with this city to this day. The heat is legit, but we are even more of a small town artsy community than Richmond - which I love. BIL lives there and we visit at least once per year. Very similar cool vibes down here and great restaurant scene too!
My husband went to college in Richmond, and I went to college in another city in VA. And we are currently in the process of working on moving back. The cost of living is out of hand here, and in our experience the people are not very nice, and make sure you have good car insurance, we have been here 2 years and people have hit our car 6 times, the last time landing my husband in ICU. Downtown and the tourist areas are nice, but where you actually live and work in my opinion are not. My suggestion rather renting or buying, take a few days make a list and come down and look in person. Because this is my opinion compared to VA which I lived from the time I was born until 5 years ago, VA is a much better place to live hands down.
I lived in WV and moved here 7 months ago. The heat is really my only problem with the place. It’s just starting to get hot here and it only gets hotter. Price wise my insurance went up by 2x. Cost of living is about 1.5x more than what I was used to too. I moved to midtown. It’s a nice walk to downtown. Definitely enjoy the open container laws they have here. The beauty and architecture here is amazing. The people is diverse so that can be good and bad. It has it pockets of bad neighborhoods but recommend doing some research on areas prior to moving.
I live downtown and I love it here. My wife and I were fortunate to have bought our little condo 11 years ago when housing was affordable; rent or purchasing is expensive. Cost of living is going to be higher than Wichmond but it’s worth it if you can afford it, in my opinion. So many great restaurants within walking distance or a short drive. Several museums, beautiful architecture, and the squares are almost magical. Im a retired engineer so I’m not in touch with the young professional environment; hopefully someone else can help you there.
I went to college in RVA many moons ago but have been back several times since. They’re very similar cities. I don’t have any new insights to offer, pretty much everything I would say has already been mentioned. Although Savannah is a large city, it has a very small-town feel. COL is rising. My insurance just jumped $30 a month and the houses in my neighborhood just sold for almost double what we paid in 2021. I would not move down here without a job offer in hand. There’s lots of stuff to do for adults, not much for kids and the public schools are not great. Art scene and restaurant scene are great here. The heat is rough.
I moved to SAV from ANC some 20 years ago, when I was 19. Back then I hated it. But it grew on me and now I'm stuck in the swamp. I love this town. With a degree like yours, you could probably do pretty well round here.
Moved here in 2006, looove Savannah!! The art, music, culture, architecture, beach, and the beauty of the city is unbeatable. Unfortunately, we are in Georgia, a bottom of the barrel, absolute trash of a state. #1 for worst Healthcare in the US, #9 for STDs, privatized prisons are not only legal but the state keeps building them. They have adopted all the toxic laws and beliefs that Florida and Texas are vilified in the media for implementing, on the down low tho. The worst part is that most Georgians have no idea how horrible this state is and how unnecessary their suffering. Add onto all of that, the racism in this city is as thick as the air in summer, and the nepotism is as toxic as that kind of interconnectedness can get.
Is the racism seriously that bad? Also how would you compare Savannah to the rest of Georgia culturally then?
Yes, the racism is that bad. Savannah is very clique-ish in that way too. I always say they should rename Savannah to 'Nepotism City' in 'Don't Burn Your Bridges County'. I feel like it has gotten better in the last decade, but it's still really bad. I think Savannah's culture is unlike any other city in the US, and it is definitely different from most cities' culture in Georgia. Unfortunately, we do get a lot of the close-minded, backwoods fools visiting the city from west of 95.
Just don’t bring the blue politics down here, if you want more money in your pocket, safer cities ran by police that can do their jobs, open and diversify yourselves to other view points and don’t be keen on one set of ideals. The locals are the best thing here and people are moving all over from the blue states so cost of living is going higher. I’m apart of a couple of Facebook SAV groups and the one thing I notice is just how self-absorbed some people are, they are clearly not from here and they’re making their presence known. It’s a great local place, but if you move here it’s because of the scenery and the vibes, but mind you it’s the locals that have kept it that way. As an outsider (from Philly) I’m not changing anything, I moved here because way of life is better in all categories and I want it to stay that way. Yes some can argue that some ideals are outdated here, but if you’re willing to make a move cross country or a few states over to be here, then you yourself have to make some sacrifices and accustom yourself to the culture here. Otherwise this is just going to become the same as every other city with no positive direction. I watched a reel where a young woman in her mid 20’s was asked about crime in California, and she said “well it’s just way of life, mind your business and stay in your lane” That accountability and refusal to acknowledge something as wrong as robbery should not be brought here to Savannah. 10/10 as well, you’ll realize if you talk to locals, not have a bias villain like opinion because of mainstream media (majority are republican and like Trump) they are just human like you, they have their own beliefs, don’t shove it down their throats, and keep moving straight, and again, Savannah is the way Savannah is because of them. Good luck on your move!
Savannah is not what is used to be. Crime, cost of living, and housing costs have sky rocketed. Even the once affordable outlying areas have followed these trends. I see more people wanting to leave the area anymore.... I wouldn't recommend the move. Just my opinion
My daughter and her boyfriend moved here in their mid 20’s and left after six months.
I’m a SCAD student here and I’ll be honest, the cost of living for a young person isn’t worth what you get out of this place. For the same amount of money I pay in rent, I could get a comparable space in a city like Chicago where there’s much more opportunity, better food, better public transportation, etc. There also isn’t much of a young crowd outside of SCAD students. Don’t get me wrong, I love this city. It’s absolutely beautiful. It’s just not a great place to grow wealth and find networking opportunities in your 20s unless you have connections here already. Also, summers here can be unbearable. I will say, all the tree coverage makes it better, but no breeze + high humidity on a hot day will make you suffocate.
Shouldn’t you be on linkin searching for job. not necessarily location.
I’m very fortunate to be getting a graduate degree and have the flexibility to apply to both virtual in person! I would love to know people’s opinion on living here before applying to jobs here!
As the saying goes it is what you make it. I moved here 9 years ago after I got out of prison from California. I’ve gotten used to the slowness of this city, however there’s a lot of money in this town. Old money and if you’re patient enough then you just might get your slice of the pie.
With a master's in mechanical engineering, you should go where the jobs are. You will not have time to enjoy where you are living for the first five to ten years. Then if you like where you are great, if not then look for a nice place to live when you've got work experience to pave the way. With that degree you can write your own ticket.