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Moving to Georgia

7K views 16 replies 11 participants last post by  dir-t 
#1 ·
My wife and I are getting ready to make a retirement move. Does anyone have any experience with cycling in the Gainesville Ga &/or Greensboro Ga areas?
 
#7 ·
Why? There so many options? If you are committed to living in a slave state the Smoky Mountains offer a ton of great alternatives and you get to live with people who have been anti-slavery since before the war between the states. Plus you get incredible cycling.
 
#11 · (Edited)
AY

Its difficult to understand hate crimes in Georgia because it’s Sate Supreme Court decided hate crimes laws were unconstitutional. Nice trick. It joined Arkansas as the only 2 states. It is 5th, nationally, in recognized hate groups. It is 2nd in total lynchings behind Mississippi. Contrary to the bizarre idea that lynching is ancient history, lynchings were going strong and especially targeted black war veterans after both WWI and WWII. The last lynching occurred in 1981 in Mobile, Alabama. Millions of living people were once subject to the specter of lynching. Today Georgia is the 10th most dangerous state with Atlanta being the 7th most dangerous city.

I mean why would we dwell on something as trivial as slavery when it was abolished a few generations ago? Anyone who can say that rationally is either a complete racist or a sociopath. Same goes for anyone that can dismiss the hell and horror inflicted on black people as the result of failed reconstruction policy whose impact lasted acutely for another century but lingers on still, and not subtly.

Here is good interactive experience to see, graphically, where white people lynched black people.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smar...umented-lynchings-in-united-states-180961877/

Lombard, yes it is. But you make one massive exception in introducing southern mountain folk. They are a different culture. A nip of Georgia, East Tennessee, North Carolina... That’s a whole different discussion, but the histories are radically different.
 
#15 ·
It was thirty years ago when I moved from Athens, GA to Olympia, WA. I had lived there for 14 years - when cycling became my total addiction. Here is my take on the towns which you have mentioned. Keep in mind that both have grown a good bit since I lived down that way, but my guess is that Gainesville has grown even more than Greensboro.

Gainesville is in nice, hilly cycling country but you will be limited in available routes by the presence of Lake Lanier. The riding to the northeast through the southeast had some very nice rural roads - as did the riding to the south but my guess is that area has become all congested suburbs now.

Greensboro is a much more rural town on the southern edge of Oconee National Forest. Even though Greensboro is just off I-20, it is a bit further away from Atlanta than is Gainesville and I believe that the area is not as popular for commuters to that city. It is also next to Oconee Lake, which with Oconee NF might limit the available routes. I am guessing by your two choices that you are looking for lakefront property.

You'd be more likely to find groups to ride with in Gainesville, but that will be coupled with more congested roads. If lakefront property isn't your ultimate objective, you might look into retiring to Athens. It is larger than the other two towns you mentioned, but will possibly be less congested than Gainesville - especially if you look at property on the east side of town. There are also regular group rides heading out of this town. One of my college cycling friends just retired to a house in eastern Clarke County for the riding.
 
#16 · (Edited)
PBL450s rantings aside...we moved to Dahlonega from the north in '85 and then to Gainesville in '88. We love it here in spite of the increase in traffic during that time and yes...the increases in temps and humidity. But of course "traffic" in Gainesville is nothing compared to Atlanta...so don't let that scare you off.

There is some very good riding in Gainesville although most of it is in the northern part of the county. There are flat areas but most of it is rolling and once you get really north, up near Dahlonega, then you are really starting to approach the N. GA mountains. Depends on your age, your conditioning and what kind of riding you want to do. Also LOTS of mountain biking in these parts...but I'm a roady. Good luck!
 
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