Questions about Macon

Macon is an ok place to live. However,if you have kids and plan to send them to public school it isn't the best. Warner Robins, Forsyth, or Gray have much better school systems. You can research the statistics and it will show you. The cost of homes are cheaper in those cities also. Macon has many more places to go and things to do than the other cities I mentioned. Do some research; I think you will like the middle GA area overall.

Macon is an ok place to live. However,if you have kids and plan to send them to public school it isn't the best. Warner Robins, Forsyth, or Gray have much better school systems. You can research the statistics and it will show you. The cost of homes are cheaper in those cities also. Macon has many more places to go and things to do than the other cities I mentioned. Do some research; I think you will like the middle GA area overall.

Thank you for responding. GA in general seems like a great state.

Macon is kind of backwards, if you like anything progressive, open-minded, non-racist, non-Baptist, this is probably not the place for you. I have been surprised time and time again at the judgmental, evil things that come out of people's mouths here. There is really not much to do unless you like hunting outdoors or going to bars and a very few clubs. The gang problem is pretty bad, I worked in the Level One Trauma Center and their are a lot of young kids getting shot and killed. There are also a lot of people not caught up in that drama getting killed....store clerks being shot left and right after being cooperative with getting robbed (this is from working in the trauma center knowing all this). Ive encountered a good amount of racists cops. I am not saying that Atlanta does not have all these problems, but I lived in the inner city in the "rough" neighborhoods and felt safer than in Macon. Atlanta definitely doesn't have the gang problem that Macon does. I definitely would NEVER consider raising kids here, whether I was a very conservative religious person, or a more liberal person...either way I would say it is not a good place for instilling either of these values in children, nor a safe happy place for kids. I got my car broken into in Macon the first year, and that was at my apartment complex. It is not much cheaper to live than Atlanta suburbs, and can be up to a 2 hour drive to do something in Atlanta. It is lacking in arts, theatre, etc. I mean it is not all bad, but honestly I couldn't take living there more than a year, and that was when I barely had time to see the town anyways...now I would rather live in Atlanta and commute TWO HOURS to work than to put up with that daily. Good luck, and this is just one person's opinion mind you.

These two related forums will give you lots of good info about most any town in GA and anywhere else you might want to consider:

This one deals with stats and some photos

http://www.city-data.com/

This is a forum that you can search and ask questions about an area your interested in.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/

Good luck, BTW, Macon is below the "knat line"...bugs bugs bugs.

[url=http://www.city-data.com/forum/][/url]

Ok. I have a few things to say in defense of the place I have grown up in.

1. The crime is really no worse than anything I've experienced in Atlanta (where i currently live and attend nursing school at).

2. It really depends on what part of town you live in. My family lives in northern macon near weslyan college and this area is pretty nice.

3. Yes public schools here are terrible. But there are private schools if you can afford them. My family was lucky enough to be able to send both myself and my younger sibling to a local private school.

4. The drive to Atlanta is really not horrible. It's very boring, I'll give you that. But it only takes me 2 hours in the absolute worst conditions i.e. bad weather/construction combined with rush hour.

5. There is a lot of history here. The many museums do provide some entertainment...though, granted, not much.

Overall I have no complaints about growing up in Macon. I'm pretty sure my parents have no complaints about living here either. I would suggest coming for a short visit and decide for yourself. Good luck with wherever you decide to live!

We are thinking about going to GA in the first week or two of March.. We are hoping to drive around and see a few cities, and what they have to offer.. Any factories, labor companies, etc that you know of are hiring? My boyfriend is hoping to get a job and stay so we can move once/if my license is endorsed by GA BON ( fingers crossed ). Thank you for all of the advise and helpful words!!!

I know alot of people that grew up in Warner Robins and they liked it there. I've heard terrible things about Macon (pretty much what the previous posters stated) but I have never been there. I currently live in Statesboro but I grew up in Augusta. I love Augusta! Great school systems, safe and plenty to do! I've grown to love Statesboro, too (I think Statesboro is 2 1/2 to 3 hours south of Macon). Statesboro is pretty rural, but not very far from Savannah.

I'm from Macon and I have to disagree with some of the previous posters. Crime is everywhere and more so in cities. You have to be willing to spend the money to be able to live in nice neighborhoods, whether you are in Atlanta, Augusta, or Macon. I am not going to defend Macon but I don't think it is any different from any other city. I have heard horrible stories about the crime and car thefts in Atlanta but I will not let that shape my decision. You and your boyfriend are doing the right thing by visiting different cities so that you guys can get a feel for where you want to live. Also,I know eveyone has their own opinions but I just moved back to Macon after living in Statesboro for 2yrs and I would not recommend it to ANYONE! Talking about backwards and racist! You haven't seen any of that until you live in Statesboro, GA! Never again!

geez..didn't mean to ruffle any feathers... Statesboro is definatley rural.. and isn't for everyone..it took me awhile to get adjusted to living here after living in Augusta. I was just putting my two cents in since you asked for suggestions:) I agree with FaithWorks that you are doing the right thing..don't let anyone shape your decision. You need to visit and do your research and decide what is right for you and your boyfriend. Good luck! :)

I live in Warner Robins, work full time in Warner Robins and part time in Atlanta. Given the choice of working in Macon or Atlanta, I chose Atlanta. If you are looking for a good place to move in middle GA, take a look at Houston County. The school system is great, housing prices are reasonable, people are fairly diverse thanks to the air force base. There aren't a million things to do in WR, but there are several museums in Macon and Atlanta is only a short drive away. If you are looking for a place to live in GA in general, there are a few good places that I would recommend. After WR, Atlanta would be my next recommendation. If you can't afford to live in one of the awesome neighborhoods like Virginia-Highlands and send your kids to private school, you might want to live in the suburbs and commute. There are tons of hospitals to choose from, as well as nursing homes and assisted living homes and home health agencies. I work part time at Grady EMS and we see all kinds of neighborhoods all over the city. There is good and bad everywhere. Don't think that you have to move to Buckhead or Gwinnett Co to be safe. Crime is everywhere and a lot of how it effects you depends on your attitude towards people. If you expect crime to happen to you, it will. If you walk into a situation with a chip on your shoulder, someone is going to mess with you. But that's anywhere, not just Atlanta. There are several neighborhoods that are up and coming that I would recommend. Castleberry Hill, parts of West End, parts of Old Fourth Ward. And there are several that are desirable and have been for a while Candler Park, Little Five Points, Druid Hills, Inman Park, Ansley Park, etc. It all depends on your budget. Henry Co is nice as is Fayette Co. Both are just south of the city but close enough for a reasonably short commute.

Augusta is a good sized city that seems to have good schools and a reasonable cost of living. Savannah is gorgeous but is extremely humid year round and I don't know much about schools or cost of living. I wouldn't recommend Albany, but neighboring Lee Co is nice.