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The Charm, and Challenge, of Savannah
Good article from the NYTimes discussing the rapid changes occurring in Savannah.
The Charm, and Challenge, of Savannah By Keith Schneider Aug. 6, 2019 New York Times https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019...y=90&auto=webp Quote:
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I would want Savannah to rise to prominence in the future. Atlanta is nice and all but it seems that Georgia and the other coastal Southeastern states ( except for Florida) are more focused on inland cities and not the coastal counterparts.
If cities like Savannah and Charleston become more attractive to millennials and other city dwellers, it would further add to the urbanization of those states. |
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Charleston’s the No. 2 place in SC to secure a mortgage, study says. Both Charleston and Savannah face a storm threat, but for Savannah that threat is one of the lowest on the entire East Coast. Charleston is elevated, but still much lower than many parts of the Gulf Coast/East Coast. Last storm was Hugo, 30 years ago. |
Charleston is booming like crazy, but it isn't urbanizing. The core is generally protected from development and quite small. It's actually an extremely sprawly metro, with very limited transit and few walkable areas.
It seems like half of Ohio and Upstate NY moved to tract homes in Charleston-area sprawlburbs. I don't quite understand the appeal, as the beaches are pretty bad, the metro is fairly expensive, and the historic center is a few blocks. I assume the job market is quite good? |
My brother lived in Charleston with his family for about 6 or so years, and the overall feeling of people who live there is that it is "heaven on earth". They love it there and they don't want to leave.
Bear in mind that the people who felt this way were typically of one demographic: white, and usually not hard core progressives/liberals. The weather, the beaches, the charming and historic city center, the peace and quiet. It's appealing for many people; and it's not "overrun" by hordes of immigrants, etc like California is. Once again, to some people that's considered appealing. |
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But yeah, few immigrants, I assume taxes are low, jobs probably plentiful, and everything is new and sprawly. |
I thought Kiawah/Seabrook Island beaches were pretty decent but probably not very accessible for a day trip excursion. Some of the warmest ocean water I've been in in North America since it's a pretty shallow beach. Multiple times there we also had pods of dolphins swimming <50 feet away from us.
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I like Savannah way better than Charleston. Bigger historic core, more cosmopolitan, quick and easy access to fantastic beaches on Tybee and Hilton Head islands.
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Keep Savannah Savannah. Thankfully, that's how it's been operating (even as it went through the most dangerous period for built heritage in the country) and I don't see this changing now.
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I was in both earlier this summer and they seemed pretty similar in a lot of ways. Both are national treasures, our best examples of colonial architecture in a subtropical setting more similar to what you see in the Caribbean islands than in Philadelphia, NYC and Boston. |
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(Also, last time I looked, the prices were absolutely insane anyway, so, pass.) |
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For whatever reason, northerners don't move to NOLA, but they're crazy for Charleston. |
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Politically, NO is a "chocolate city" while Charleston is an "old south" style city with southern gentlemen hand in hand with southern belles and all that antebellum-style southern charm. |
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New Orleans is at least two days away is a major city and has a stigma associated with crime. |
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I think if Savannah can manage to land a big manufacturing plant like Charleston has in recent years, it could see accelerated growth in the coming years. |
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I don't know about Charleston but I can tell you with firsthand experience the beaches surrounding Savannah are just as nice as anything you'd find in Florida.
As for New Orleans, it's too far from the northern states sending retirees south. It was also under water 15 years ago, and has a notorious gang problem. |
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https://www.google.com/maps/@32.7978...7i16384!8i8192 The point is that the "charming" part of Charleston is very small, geographically, and isn't growing, even as the region booms. There's maybe 1 square mile of "old" in a metro of nearly one million, and there will still be 1 square mile whether the region has 100k or 10 million. |
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