My wife has a very good job offer that would require us moving to Augusta, GA. Looking for any input those of you who live or have lived in the area can offer (Good, Bad, Housing, Schools, Hunting, fishing, etc...)

Thanks

I lived in Georgia for many years, and travelled all over the state. Augusta is the hottest place in the state. Very high humidity.
There is a reason why they hold The Masters in April, these golfers from England would be passing out from heat stroke in August.

The Apple store in the Augusta Mall has Richmond County sheriffs standing guard. the lowes on Peach Orchard Road has portable security camera towers in the parking lot which tells me there is a crime problem. there is very little if any public hunting. The public school system is predominantly black, if that's an issue there are several private schools in the area. If you want suburban look at Evans. If you want rural look at Hephzibah.

Some nice rural property in the area for reasonable money. The city itself has always been a bit of a dump. It’s often referred to as Disgusta for a reason.

We definitely won't be living within the City of Augusta. Have looked at some houses, online, in the Evans and Martinez areas.

I grew up near there. Like everywhere else there is good and bad there. Look to Columbia county as the better place to live. That county is run very well financially. Depending on the job and driving distance, you also have Burke county (great hunting) or Mcduffie county nearby. You also have the Savannah River or better yet Clarke’s Hill lake nearby. Plenty of shopping, great hospitals, plenty of restaurants. Just stay out of certain parts of town.

Mark in GA

I lived there for 12 years, moved 100 miles away 35 years ago. One son lives there now, and we still have friends there. As mentioned look at Columbia County, north and west of the city for the best area to live.

Fort Gordon takes up most of the land southwest of town.

There are some nice areas across the Savannah River in South Carolina, but I would not want to live there unless I was already a South Carolina resident or had some other reason. South Carolina has a lot of National Forest land.

Clarks Hill Lake is a great resource. Good fishing and duck hunting. Good deer hunting on management areas on Corps of Engineers land. The Savannah River also has good fishing and duck hunting.

As mentioned Augusta is hot in the summer, but I haven’t found it any worse than other fall line cities or where I live now in Dublin. If your workplace is downtown commuting will take a while but nothing compared to the Atlanta area. When we lived in Martinez it took me 18 minutes to get to work at 5 am but 45 minutes to get home at 4 or 5 pm. Again, that was 35 years ago. They have built some new commuter roads since then, but traffic is much heavier.

I miss Augusta. Or maybe I just miss being young.

You are across the river from south carloina, live there and drive to work in ga

It ain’t far from the beach, yet far enough hurricane shouldn’t pose much of a problem.

If you avoid the city of Augusta/Richmond county you will be happy there. Itis hot & humid in the summer but snow in the winter is rare. There is a major 1st rate teaching hospital there as well as a branch of UGA. Colombia county has an excellent school system. Clark's Hill is great. I have always hunted on private land so I don't know about public land but early in the long season get a thermocell & snake boots.

Net there is alot of good and the bad is avoidable.

Try the hamburgers and onion rings at the poole hall on Broad street.

During the summer of 1959, I was stationed at Fort Gordon, just outside Augusta. Hottest, most humid place I ever "lived," and I was born and raised in the South. I was attending Radio Teletype/Radio school and I do not now remember if it were a 12 or 14 week school, but I was damned glad to finish and get out of there.

I will say that at that time, there was a great BBQ joint in Augusta for BBQ. Probably not there anymore. That was, after all, 1959.

Enjoy your stay.

L.W.

"Hottest, most humid place I ever "lived," and I was born and raised in the South."

I was a Paramedic in Milledgeville, in central Georgia, we took transfers from our little hospital, all over the state to big hospitals, in Macon, in Atlanta, in Rome, Dublin, and to the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Day in and day out Augusta was 4 degrees hotter than anywhere else in the state. And it was plenty hot in Milledgeville.

It was weird, there would be a little 60 mile wide "hot spot" centered over Augusta. We called it "The Augusta Triangle."

Good area, relatively affordable cost of living. Housing recommendations would be based on what you’re looking for. Country living- Burke, Lincoln or McDuffie counties. Urban- North Augusta. Suburbs- Evans. Columbia County schools are good, but there are good, affordable private schools in all of the surrounding counties. Access to Atlanta & Charlotte airports within 3 hours. Great lake and river fishing. Adequate public hunting opportunities

Spent 4 years in Disgusta at the Medical College of Georgia. Most humid, hot miserable place in the summer I had ever encountered. Only topped by Douala, Cameroon.

Augusta sits in the Savannah River Basin and the humidity just sinks and hangs. My roommate from Valdosta bitched about it.

If you live out in Columbia Co away from the city and can stand the summers, it’s ok.

Some really good deer hunting in that part of the state.

About 140,000 people. Half of them Negroes.

How you feel about that is your business.

https://www.city-data.com/city/Augusta-Georgia.html

"My roommate from Valdosta bitched about it."

I've been to Valdosta in August. Hot. Lots of mosquitos, and gnats!
But not as hot as Augusta.

It is hot and humid in the summer. Good deer hunting in surrounding areas.

As mentioned, the heat in July / August sucks. Most advice above is spot on. I’ve lived in FL, SC, NC, MD, TN and Idaho. I’m back to Augusta and still like it. I was born on Ft Gordon and my family is from Appling. Clark Hill Lake is a hidden gem. 77,000 ac lake. Good hunting in the area. If you make it up to check out the area I wouldn’t mind showing you around for 1/2 day or so. Good luck.

Augusta is on the fall line, you want to be on the North side of that line.

The fall line runs from Augusta-Macon-Columbus.

The Fall Line is also called "The Gnat Line."
I lived 10 miles north of the Fall Line, no gnats.
I also lived 5 miles south of the Fall Line, lots of gnats.

It’s amazing that it is that dramatic, but it’s true.

Augusta is no different than any other bigger city in the south with a college or two. Anywhere decent to live will be a 30+ minute drive from the city.

That gnat line thing is a myth, I've lived in Central Ga my whole life. Plenty of gnats above the Fall line where I live now.

The columbia county schools are ranked fairly high out all of Ga school districts, but that doesnt mean much when it comes to todays public school education....Augusta is just sort of dirty...and they have a lot of private schools for a reason. I only go a couple times a year if I get Masters tickets. Clarks Hill has good fishing.

It is not a myth. I lived 10 miles above the Fall Line, on Lake Sinclair, for years, no gnats. I also lived 5 miles south of Milledgeville, on the Toomsboro Hwy, lots of gnats.

I tell you what. I moved out 27 years ago. It could be true that gnats have moved in since I left. Where do you live killerv?

Thanks for all the input, but turns out we won't be making the move. We've got a 12 year old son and have decided it's not best for him to uproot him and move 700 miles at this time - regardless of the pay raise.

Very wise move. Demographics are a detriment to the process of educating a 12 year old unless private schooling is available but then not much better. All schools are being dumbed down to the level of minorities and that's a sad fact.

A few years ago Augusta had the distinction of being #6 for STDs out of city metro areas with populations of 150,000 or more.