Nervous in "The Garden"
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5/9/2007
Crime is the issue du jour with Savannians, both native-born and arrivist. We have an underclass of approximately 40% that are over-represented in the negative social indicators and sadly under-represented in any kind of community development or personal category. The underclass is predominately, but not exclusively, black, and this racial divide intrudes into every effort and conversation aimed at overall community development. The public schools have a few success stories (Savannah Arts Academy, for instance) but but a legacy of underinvestment is hampering current progress. The overall black community is socially conservative, but too many households are one parent homes with the missing parents having little or no interest in their children. Crime is heavily reported, but the main victims are in the African-American and underclass communities. But this reality is trumped by the ongoing fear of being mugged or shot. The economy is beginning to shift to more high tech lines, but a "megasite" at the intersection of Interstates 95 & 16 remains empty because the auto company that was going to coming here was put off by the overall quality of the area's workforce. Enough new people are coming in to help begin to offset the inbred nature of local society, and that could be the "tipping point" that will get the city and the region out of its current rut. Its natural beauty is striking, its history is vivid, and the public realm of streets, squares, and human sized architecture is matched by few and exceeded by none. Visit for at least two weeks if you're considering a move, and its charms may exceed its negatives.
Tom | Wilmington Island, GA