Advice needed! Best Place to settle along Georgia's Coast?

Hey, everyone! It's been forever since I asked a question, but this one is a biggie so help would be appreciated!

I've gotten a job in the Savannah, GA region, and it's one I'm planning to stick with for the long haul God willing and if I can help it. *fingers crossed* So in the hopes of getting something started I've begun scoping out the region for good land prospects. Much of it is forest, so I'm not too worried about being able to develop a plot the way I would want to. I just have some concerns. What would be the best area to look into? I honestly never planned to live along a coastline of any sort because of the hassle of tropical storms and such, so I'm at a loss. Also, what about the water table and the perpetual aquifer strain in that area? I don't even want to think about what would happen if I had to deal with the threat of sinkholes.

I'm super uneducated on this front and would really love some ideas on what to do? Should I simply wait until I'm comfortable enough to get out of dodge and put down roots wherever I want?

I know very little about the Georgia coast specifically, but I'd say In any low-lying coastal area, but especially a hurricane-prone one, the higher the elevation above sea level, the better. Wind damage is plenty bad in and of itself, but the areas completely devastated by hurricanes are those inundated by the storm surge. I personally expect that sea levels will rise more and more rapidly as time goes on from climate change, and many low-lying coastal areas will become submerged. Even if storms themselves don't get any worse, a higher sea level means that the same storm will food more land. River flooding is also a major issue, both from hurricanes and other heavy rain events. Floods are getting worse from a combination of heavier rain events, degradation of the soil in the watersheds which leads to less absorption of water and more runoff, channelization and loss of wetlands in the floodplain. Elevation makes a huge difference. Where I'm at in Missouri, we just went through record flooding, 100+ year-old houses that had never flooded before were washed away. However, the community that I live in came through just fine, as we have no important infrastructure in the floodplain and also have pretty well-drained soil.

Saint Marys is, perhaps, the best place on the GA coast.  Savannah is gorgeous, but it is a city.  Brunswick is also very pretty with historic homes, but the crime is horrible... I think the new story about the guy shooting a baby as a means of robbing the baby's mother will still pop up first if you google Brunswick.  Midway has great seafood.  Saint Marys is small and low crime, upscale with markets for people who want to buy real food... lots of nice little shops.  The islands protect it from hurricanes.  It is very close to Jacksonville, Fl for an even larger market.  From a growing standpoint, the season is nearly year round, nice fresh water rivers, protection from salt spray... pretty ideal.

Well were did you wind up? Savannah is pretty great as long as your walking. Lots of Foodie types, go almost every summer and always enjoy it.

brandon gross wrote:Well were did you wind up? Savannah is pretty great as long as your walking. Lots of Foodie types, go almost every summer and always enjoy it.

Oh for sure the food is great. I'm excited to try all of it or at least taste it. I actually just moved in this year. I'm settling up in Georgetown for a little bit. Til I can afford a nice little patch of ground somewhere with a bit more space.