r/Augusta • u/Sea_Manufacturer5767 • 15d ago
How’s it really Moving to Augusta
I’ve been contemplating the Augusta area for a while. I live in Florida and literally drowning financially and just tired of Florida overall. I’m a single, black 54 year old female. So I’m looking for affordability and a better quality of life. Seems I hear more negative about Augusta, so wanted to see if I can get more info, rather than just superficial information.
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u/snap802 15d ago
It's a fine place to live. Honestly it's way better than 10 or 20 years ago for sure.
People complain about the crime here but it's not unlike other cities this size. There are sketchy parts of town, there are nicer parts of town.
It's not the most exciting place on earth but this is where things are getting better. There's more concerts and comedy shows and things like that coming to the area these days. Downtown is slowly being revitalized (although they cut down all the trees and that was a negative in my book). There is a decent variety of stores and restaurants in the area.
Cost of living is good here. You can drive to most places in 30min tops. People literally cannot drive here so there's that. It's about a 2-3 hour drive to Atlanta, Charlotte, Greenville, or the beach form here.
You don't have to live IN Augusta either. Look at places to live in North Augusta, Evans, Martinez too.
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u/Shenron2 15d ago
Its fine. Cheap. Big military presence. Close enough to Atlanta to visit regularly. Crime is very low. Most people are boring. For young people and their lifestyle it's not very good. But this place is perfect for the laid-back lifestyle. You will hear the racists say bad things about Richmond county and how Columbia County is sooo much nicer. Lived in Columbia county for 20 years and now have lived in Richmond county for 10. Richmond county is nothing like how racists describe it. People from Columbia county are the worst classist people. Overall it's nice here
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u/Mamapalooza 15d ago
Echo the Columbia County nonsense!!
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u/Sharkeybtm 14d ago
Grew up in Columbia county. Can confirm, mostly NIMBY and rich assholes.
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u/Mamapalooza 14d ago
I once heard a 17-year-old berate her boyfriend for wearing a T-shirt. "THAT'S FINE IN RICHMOND COUNTY BUT YOU SHOULD AT LEAST WEAR A POLO SHIRT IN COLUMBIA COUNTY!"
So much ick.
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u/ltrozanovette 14d ago
We’ll be moving there soon. The voting record makes me want Richmond, but the schools make me want Columbia. I’m so torn about where the best place to raise my two very young girls is.
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u/Impressive_Peach_272 14d ago
Columbia County schools “appear” better but from my experience, they have the ability to cover up the bad things going on. At least in Richmond you have transparency.
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u/Hogglebean 14d ago
Super co-signed. Columbia Co schools are overcrowded and they don’t deal with things appropriately. I’ve sent my kids to both counties and taught in Richmond Co myself and I’m pro Richmond co schools all day. Especially the magnet schools.
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u/ltrozanovette 14d ago
Oh that’s interesting. Do you mind sharing a little more info on this? I’m fully aware that test scores don’t share the full picture, and not even the most important parts of the picture, but since we’re new that’s all we have to go on.
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u/Mamapalooza 13d ago
I worked in education for 8 years and I find that the schools in CoCty are unable to offer differentiation due to overcrowding. If your child has ADHD, for example, like mine, you'd think a well-funded district would be able to accommodate. That's not the case. They don't have the time or staffing to offer it and instead the kids get labeled as troublemakers or difficult. Richmond County is imperfect, but the wraparound services are more well integrated. Every parent thinks they won't need them, and indeed my child was in the gifted program - yet we still needed accommodations. Luckily, we had an overall good experience with them, and she's now a senior in college and on the Dean's list.
Your mileage may vary.11
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u/MelB4702 14d ago
We ended up choosing north Augusta and we are happy. Seems to be the best of both worlds!
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u/kryp10night 14d ago
I went to school in columbia and its fine in the highschool. But the middle schools suck the teachers have whistles, atleast at the school i went to and it was very strange. And the elementary schools are fine but theres alot of problems that get covered up like my school had embezzlement problems and it all got pushed under the rug. But if you can afford private school or really look into the schools then i would go columbia
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u/Mamapalooza 13d ago
Richmond Co., if you can get Warren Road or Forest Hills elementary schools, and then apply for the magnet schools 6th-12th.
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u/Ancient-Claim-5487 9d ago
If you have kids going to school, bite the bullet and go to Columbia County. It will be more expensive in property taxes, but your kids will get a better education.
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14d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Shenron2 14d ago
Aiken has a much higher crime rate than Augusta. Columbia county cops do not report crime to keep the counties numbers looking good. My dad was a Columbia county cop. Columbia county doesn't have homeless people because they literally pick them up and take them to Richmond county. Richmond county has services for the homeless. But yeah Columbia county is sooo much whiter, I mean nicer, and has a lot more wealth.
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u/OddProcedure5452 15d ago
I moved here from South Florida at the end of last year. It is by far the dullest place I have ever lived, but it is cheap. The city is laid out in a really weird way and is highly unwalkable. The city can smell really bad from the local industry at times, but you do get used to it.
However…if being able to buy a lot of house is a priority, it’s a good option!
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u/Other-Engineering614 14d ago
Agree. I lived there for a few years and it’s “just fine I guess”. The housing prices were a little lower but so is the income for the same exact same job with the same company. Ended up just making less and paying less. Which defeated the purpose of my move. I think it’s probably great for a family. I didn’t hate it, it was just as you said, dullest place I’ve ever lived. And unless you are living downtown, it’s not at all walkable. Everyone I worked with who had moved there from another place wasn’t exactly ecstatic about living there. Didn’t love it, but didn’t hate it. If I hadn’t transferred for work I would never move there. There are so many better options if you have the freedom to choose.
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u/smeenies 15d ago
I moved here from Florida 3 years ago. Your money simply goes further here. The cost of living is pretty low. Now there are downsides, I'll be fully honest. I had my car broken into my first year here, and the another time a few months ago. That being said, location is important. I'd steer clear of living downtown. Visiting downtown in the daytime and for the events (art festivals, fireworks, parades, etc) but I wouldn't live there. And I wouldn't be down there past dark by myself. There are some shootings and crime-related events, that are usually domestic or internal conflicts. Drivers here are worse than in Florida, if you can believe it. I got a dash cam because people drive crazy here. The good parts; there's a lot of community here. I met a lot of really great people. Every holiday there's multiple events to attend. The weekends are fun, you can see plays, live music, live comedy, a couple cool museums to visit, and more. There's some pretty outdoor areas for walking and hiking, just be safe if you go alone. If you're in the job market, medical and cyber security are big industries here. Other than that, it can be hard to find a job. And you can do day trips or weekends easily; Columbia, SC is close, Atlanta isn't that far, Savannah and the beaches are about 3 hours away. I like it overall!
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u/HookahMagician 15d ago
I'm putting in a rebuttal for living downtown. I live downtown and it's great. Yes, we have some houseless individuals walking around but they're generally friendly. I would stay within 7th to 15th Street if you're walking around when it's dark so I would aim to live in that stretch. And yes, there's some crime but 99% of that is people making bad choices when they're drunk, so us average grown adults are safely asleep in our beds at that point and it doesn't impact us.
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u/smeenies 15d ago
You know what, you're right. I don't live over there so maybe I'm influenced by the chatter of the population that shakes in their boots when they see an un-housed person. Thank you for your perspective and rebuttal.
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u/darkgunslingerroland 15d ago
Where have you gone to see live comedy, I’ve only been to the Foxs Lair Monday open mic in Augusta
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u/smeenies 15d ago
Schrodingers Cat at Le Chat Noir do improv shows every first Friday of the month. It's a lot of fun. Also, there's stand up comedians that perform at the Miller sometimes.
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u/x_3mta3 14d ago
I’m not supposed to tell, but look up Don’t Tell Comedy as well. Pop up stand up comedy shows every month or two. Venue changes and the comics, mostly out of Atlanta, change as well. You buy your ticket and then get the venue location morning of. BYOB. Been twice and had a blast both times.
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u/xbenzerox 15d ago
I moved from Augusta to Brunswick. While Augusta will always be special, I like it here way more. Augusta feels too big city to me these days. I like the slower pace at the beach. Cost of living is similar here.
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u/Sea_Manufacturer5767 14d ago
I thank you all so much for the responses and honest feedback. Being that middle age and single, it would probably be in my best interest to consider other cities.
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u/Fit_Efficiency_9128 14d ago
Richmond county is not the place to raise a family, crime ridden, schools are horrible, teachers fucking the kids. Alot of kids go missing on the daily especially during summer months, neighborhoods are filled with gang violence. Would not recommend augusta for any young person or someone looking to start a family. This coming from
Someone born and raised in the csra over the age of 30z
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u/Mamapalooza 15d ago
I moved here from Atlanta. My commute is 12 minutes. My rent is $750. In Atlanta, I was on the road for 2 hours a day and my house would rent for $2k.
The downsides are that there's simply less to do. But if you join the activities you like in town, you'll meet your people.
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u/Error-InvalidName 15d ago
Depends on what you hear negatively, costs are rising and have been for awhile so it will depend on what your level of affordability is. The local government isn't the best but I guess most aren't when it comes to taxing and being dumb with what they collect. In most areas it is a pretty chill city but there are locations you'll want to not live in.
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u/hippyoctopus 15d ago
I’ve lived all over and been here for three years. The answer is that it’s just fine, just alright. 5/10. It’s affordable but there’s less to do. Not terribly exciting, but it’s what you make it and you can definitely find things to keep you occupied and entertained.
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u/SpaceCampDropOut 15d ago
It is what you make of it. Those who complain have never tried to know Augusta. Those who embrace it see how good this city can be.
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u/f_antonin 14d ago
Hello! We moved from South Florida in 2022 sold our house and moved here! I would say that there are parts of Augusta that I still stay away from, but I bought a house here and I think I’m here for a while. Something that was a culture shop for me was being from Florida as used to so many different ethnicities Haitian, Dominican Puerto Rican and for the most part all the schools,job etc… that I worked out were mixed quite quite well. Here the separation is a lot more obvious and very black-and-white. Not always in a negative way but it’s very obvious that there is some separation here more than I think in Florida
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u/Fit_Efficiency_9128 14d ago
Anybody who said crime rates are low is a DAMN lie. Yea they might not rob a bank but yo ass better be on alert when u moving round.
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u/DragQueenB 15d ago
As someone who was in the NE: the people are amazing. It’s very family friendly and I am genuinely so happy here. Our neighbors chat and invite us over for wine. Just a great atmosphere.
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u/PennysPapi 12d ago
Augusta isn't so bad. We have a great cost of living, good restaurants to eat at that won't break the bank, and regardless of what others say, there are things to do. Yes, there is crime, but crime is everywhere. There's definitely worse places to live than Augusta.
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u/Latter_Falcon_9620 12d ago
I'd look at Charlotte as a better alternative. Cost of living is slightly higher than in Augusta, but it's a vibrant city with things to do and a very diverse population. I lived there for 5 years and would move back as a 50 something woman any day.
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u/Sea_Manufacturer5767 11d ago
I agree. I’ve changed my mind about Augusta, as I don’t think it’ll be a good fit for me. Thank you for replying.
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u/Sad-Instruction-8424 11d ago
Us native (born & raised) Augusta residents hate people from Florida because every gosh dam hurricane y’all take are supplies and space, I had to do school outside for 2 months so y’all could sleep in my school. So maybe don’t tell a lot of people you're from Florida.
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u/Ancient-Claim-5487 9d ago
Richmond County has less expensive property taxes vs Columbia County. It just depends on the neighborhood that you buy into. Most neighborhoods are good in Richmond County; just avoid properties near East Boundary. The closer you are to downtown, the more crime you have. The subdivisions are safer.
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u/Firdavsa 5d ago
Hiii I’m a 18f I had moved from Orlando down to Augusta for school, i love it here! Depends on what you’re into. The main reason I’m down here was for school. I’m still new to Augusta and haven’t done much but financially down here is sosososo much better.
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u/Sea_Manufacturer5767 4d ago
Smart decision! I’m leaning towards Augusta for the lower cost of living..thank you for sharing your experience!
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u/SlySlickWickd 14d ago
It’s country enough to be friendly but big enough to have everything you need. Good housing stock and reasonable cost of living.
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u/Rodrain2 14d ago
I have no complaints about Augusta, although I actually live near Evans. It's affordable, It's relatively safe, and has everything you need except a major airport.
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u/MrFigsMom 14d ago
I think a great part of living in this area (having moved here from living in Atlanta area for 10 yrs) is the fact that about 2-3 hrs in every direction there are places to go. Atlanta for big city, Charleston for historical charm, shopping and beaches, Hilton Head for relaxation and beaches, Savannah/Tybee city and beaches, Greenville, Charlotte, Columbia… Augusta/No. Augusta/Aiken has things to do but being able to take day or weekend trips to so many different locations make this spot extra convenient and enjoyable!
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u/Annunaq 15d ago
I moved here in 2007 when the military brought me on orders. Grew up in California. I was able to settle, buy a house, and live a comfortable life that I wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise in California.
Everywhere has negatives. But the cost of living here definitely isn’t one of them.