ATHENS, GA VISIT

[drowles]

MAN.. what a change from D.C..

Not sure Im ready to go to such a small place.. Completely a college town, but also completely a cool place.. After the trip, I think I've decided its the place I want to be.  I can afford to buy a house, the law school facilities are on a beautiful part of campus, the downtown area (if you can call it that) is pretty hip, and everything is CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP... The realestate agent I was with forgot to feed a meter downtown and I offered to go back and throw some quarters in for her.. and she said "dont worry about it, its only 3 bucks".. A parking ticket for 3 bucks!! are you kidding me!?!?  I went out to a show and had a few beers later that night and spent less than 15 bucks.. You cant even get two drinks in D.C. for that much!

The students also seemed a lot more diverse than I had expected.. Dont get me wrong, its still the bible belt, but the students I saw milling around campus seemed pretty cool.. Great music, and great bars.. For a little more culture/sophistication you'd probably have to head to Atlanta, but that is only 1.5 hrs. away. 

Also, I spoke with a recent grad of Emory who works at a BIGLAW firm in Atlanta (pulling in over 100k) and she assured me that if she had to do it all over again she would have gone to UGA.. She said that the people she works with that graduated from UGA had a much more enjoyable 3 years than herself.. So.. Im feeling pretty good about UGA..

Hit me with any Athens questions you like..

[Nole]

Glad you enjoyed Athens.

One of the hardest things about moving away from there was how much I missed cheap beer. And the fact that there is NO WHERE you can go where you can not wear jeans. It will be a big change from DC but everyone who moves there falls in love with the place. It is tough not to. Glad you liked it and best wishes for your time there.

And, really, ATL is only about an hour away if you are really counting.

[druidgirl]

I'm also leaving the DC area (Northern VA) to move to Athens and go to UGA.  My husband and I also fell in love with Athens when we went to visit and have put a contract in to buy a house down there, etc.  I'm glad to hear that someone else from this area (DC) will be making the same transition to a small but cool college town. 

I was a bit worried about it being to much of THE SOUTH, but I have been reasured that both Athens and Atlanta are filled with transplants from the North as well as southerners and it will not be total culture shock.  That seems to fit with my experiences when I went to visit. 

Congrats on the decision and I'll see you in the fall!

[drowles]

Cool!!!  Where are you looking to buy.. I am looking at something in the 120k range (dont have the two salary thing going on).. and its tough to find somewhere that is close to campus.. Have any suggestions?

Im looking for 3 bedroom / 2 bath place so that I can rent one or two bedrooms out if I decide to do that.. Any suggestions would be AWESOME!!!

[ahoipkem]

drowles, Athens questions for ya if you don't mind....did you talk to any current law students about housing or was most of your interaction with the real estate agent? I'm wondering where most law students live because from what I'm heard East and West Athens are quite different. Did you have any issues with parking? I got a mailing about signing up for parking passes, but I'm not sure I want to drop the extra cash if I can bike/walk or find spots on the streets easily. And oh yes, any first impressions on those UGA ladies?

[druidgirl]

The place we're buying is $150K and about 5 miles from campus.  I didn't care about being within walking/biking distance of campus and the time it will take me to drive 5 miles won't bother me since my current commute is 23 miles each way and takes well over an hour.  

My husband and I spent a weekend down there looking at places with a Real Estate agent and saw a lot of stuff in the 120-150 range.  I don't think anything we looked at was within walking/biking range but some of it was on the bus lines that run to campus (which is apparently free to anyone with a valid UGA ID).  Nothing that we looked at was more than about 5 to 6 miles from campus (driving distance, not just drawing a straight line on the map).  If you have a weekend to go down there and look I can give you the contact info. for the agent we used.  He literally picked us up at our hotel at 9 AM and showed us houses until 7 PM that night since we only had the one weekend to look.  He was also really good about only showing us stuff that fit our criteria and price range.

The one thing we did find out is that the places really close to campus are expensive (by Athens standards) and apparently go rather quickly since it is a desireable area.

[drowles]

I was only there for a Saturday so werent too many people out.. Those that where, however, were quite attractive to say the least.. I'd say get the parking pass thing.. I didnt get that mailing and need to get one.. I think it would be tough to park close to the law school facilities.. They are right adjacent to downtown Athens..

No.. didnt get a chance to talk with anyone.. (Saturday).. I plan to head down again in the next few weeks and do a formal tour.. Hopefully get to meet some profs. then.

I'd guess that most law students live in West Athens.. Seemed like a better place to be.. The East side is mostly cookie cutter neighborhoods, apartments complexes, and starbucks.. West side has more character.. without a doubt!  Unfortunately, only places I can afford to buy are on the East side.. so I may be stuck in apartment/chainrestaurant la la land..

Where you from?  You visited any other schools?  UGA high on your list?

Any other questions.. I'll attempt to answer..

[drowles]

DRUIDGIRL..

Great info!  You plan to pay your mortgage with loans?!  Thats my plan..

You know if you are on the East side or west side..  What neighborhood are you hoping to land the contract in?  I looked at a few houses in neighborhoods on the East side in that price range.. Maybe we could end up being neighbors?  I might have to up my price though..

Are you buying a brand new place?!  If not, how old?

Thanks again.. you are always really helpful!

[druidgirl]

did you talk to any current law students about housing or was most of your interaction with the real estate agent? I'm wondering where most law students live because from what I'm heard East and West Athens are quite different. Did you have any issues with parking? I got a mailing about signing up for parking passes, but I'm not sure I want to drop the extra cash if I can bike/walk or find spots on the streets easily.

I figured I'd jump in with my $0.02.

I would not count on street parking but the bus seems to be a very reasonable option.  Most of the street parking near the law building is metered parking for the downtown area.  Anything else that is close would be on campus and require a permit.  I did park on the street when I went to visit and had to be careful about feeding the meter and getting there in time to find a space.  

The other girl on my tour asked about housing and the dorms.  The 1L giving the tour told her to avoid the dorms.  She also told her the law school has a service to match law students who are looking for roommates.  You might call and ask the admin office about this.  I think she said they send out something in June, but I'm not sure.  Also, she said that most of the student friendly apartments are on the bus line (buses are free with a UGA ID) and fill up fast.  Sorry I don't know more but I didn't really pay a lot of attention.  I can give you the e-mail address for the 1L girl who gave the tour if you want (PM me).  I know she is living in an apartment near campus and she would know the area better.

Also, I second the West side recommendation.  Not much on the East side but houses.  Everything else is on the West side and I was told the traffic is better coming from the West side to campus.

[ahoipkem]

I'm from Michigan and I sent my 2nd seat deposit in a couple of days ago, so I will definitely be seeing you guys there in the fall. I don't have the assets to purchase a house, so I'm in a little bit different situation then the rest of you. I'm moving to Athens in June and subleasing a place for the summer while I establish in-state residency, adjust to living in a new place, and find a place for the school year.