29 YO, relocating to maybe Athens? (Atlanta, Columbus: apartments, rentals, homes)

[Danibun]

Hey all. I've read many many many of the posts in this forum. I just need some advice.

Right now I live in Northern Virginia and my boyfriend relocated to Georgia to deal with family stuff. He lives in the Commerce area. I spent five years in the Upstate of South Carolina and I loved my time there, so over the last few months I have decided I want to move back south -- where the cost of living is more manageable, old friends are and he is. He suggested I look at Athens because he thinks I will like the feel of it (kind small town but bigger and stuff to do. It's why I like Arlington VA.) and it will be cheaper than say, choosing somewhere near Atlanta.

I know Athens is a college town but I don't want to move somewhere and there not be any 25+ people. I'm almost 29 and even though I may only be there a year, I want people around who are in smilie life places as me. What's the climate of that age group in Athens? Are there people there 25-35 with no kids or is it all families and college students? Does it even exist?. If you think this is not something I will find there, is there another location that's 1-1.5 hours away from Commerce (without astronomically high cost of rent) that might be somewhere to consider?

Thanks.

[cwkimbro]

I went to UGA and then stayed behind 3 years for graduate school. There are definitely some people there beyond the age of 22, but you start to feel out-numbered very quickly and the variety of people goes down.

Now Athens is a very enjoyable town and it is very cheap. I loved it. It is a 30 min, 20 mile trek from Commerce.

Now here is the warning... there is a very small job market there. If you want to work in the new caterpillar factory or a major university, it is a pretty good place to be. However, opportunities outside that are low for a college -city- (ir. Madison Wisconsin, Columbus Ohio, Austin Texas, etc...). It is much more of a blue collar down, than a white collar town outside of the university. It is not very wealthy and this is why it is a bit cheap.

If you're concerned with jobs and career development, I would look 30-40 minutes southwest in the Buford/Suwanee area of Gwinnett County near the Mall of Georgia. This will put you on the outer-edge of one of Metro Atlanta's 5 main counties. The number of people and opportunity will go up great. Plenty of shopping and dining options, but I will warn you it isn't nessecarily the hot spot for singles. That would be closer into Atlanta. Rents are higher, but still manageable $900-$1000/mo for a large 1 bedroom and not much more for a 2 bedroom. In Athens you're looking at $700-$1200 depending on where.

I will also let you know there is a small stadium for the Gwinnett Braves, minor league baseball team, that is a minor draw for some suburban 20-somethings seeking apartments.

I would let your career needs drive where you go, if you can make Athens work... it is a great place to be for a few years at least. You can still have alot of fun there, but the 18-22 will start to feel very young very quick.

[ellie]

There are plenty of people older than 25 in the Athens area -- interesting people. There are also enough non-student oriented events that feed on a well-educated population so you won't feel that you've fallen into a sleepy backwater.

Yes, it's hard to find a job that pays well, but many people do okay on low wages if they live simply.

[Danibun]

I have remote employment so that's not a problem at all! I think I would like the culture and feel there -- I was only mostly worried about being surrounded only by young 20-somethings. Thanks for the opinions!

[brenn21]

Originally Posted by Danibun

I have remote employment so that's not a problem at all! I think I would like the culture and feel there -- I was only mostly worried about being surrounded only by young 20-somethings. Thanks for the opinions!

I'm 27 and I live in Athens and honestly I doubt you'd feel out of place in terms of age. I think athens would be a nice place for you, there's plenty of Apts rentals, and homes in this area that are fairly inexpensive too. If you have kids, which I don't think you said, I'd be wary of the Clarke County school system, they've been having some problems with their schools.