Editor:
RE: Attracting retirees to Statesboro and Bulloch County
I read with great interest the article written by a representative of Keep Bulloch Beautiful that appeared in the newspaper recently regarding his thoughts on attracting retirees to Statesboro and Bulloch County.
The article contained several good thoughts on what could be done to attract this growing segment of the population to the area.
As recent retirees in our mid 50s, my wife and I chose Statesboro to be our retirement community after spending several years living and working in the Atlanta area. We visited several small towns and communities in Georgia and chose Statesboro for the following reasons:
1. The overall quality of life in the community
2. Affordable housing
3. Low property taxes
4. Convenience to a major population area (Savannah)
5. Good race relations
6. Low crime rate
7. Potential for solid growth
We have generally enjoyed living in Bulloch County for the last three years. However, there are issues that need to be addressed.
By writing this article it is our desire to give the director of Keep Bulloch Beautiful and other officials in city and county government an opportunity to see the whole picture from the view point of retirees and what they look for in searching for a retirement community.
We have talked at length with other people in our age group and older who desire to leave the Atlanta area and with friends and family who live in other large metropolitan areas. The seven reasons mentioned above are always topics of discussion and considered by all as priorities when selecting a retirement community.
The five negatives listed below also come up in the conversations.
1. The lack of a major grocery chain store such as Kroger or Publix
2. The lack of name brand chain restaurants
3. The unusually high cost of medical services in the community
4. The lack of name brand retail stores in the community
5. The rules and regulations set forth by the Alcohol Control Board that discourage name brand restaurants and any other name brand firms selling alcohol in any form from investing in Statesboro and Bulloch County due to said rules and regulations
The director of Keep Bulloch Beautiful hopefully will have his thoughts on attracting retirees to the community and the contents of this editorial placed on the table with local city and county officials for discussion.
Statesboro and Bulloch County have the potential for growth, particularly in increasing the numbers of retirees who choose to make this their retirement community. On a very positive note the vast majority of retirees today bring a wealth of knowledge with them as well as substantial retirement compensation packages. This group offers a huge revenue gain to the local economy. Failing to make the area attractive to this group of people is not something officials should take lightly. It would be wise to note that there are numerous other areas taking very positive steps to attract and keep this segment of the population.
We had neighbors on our street who retired to Statesboro and spent five years waiting and hoping the day would come when the negatives listed above would be addressed. For them that day never came. They decided to move to Ohio rather than wait any longer. This couple had a retirement income approaching six figures annually.
We decided to wait a reasonable amount of time for positive action to be taken on these issues also. After three years living in the community, we are concerned that city and county governments do not view these as serious issues all new retirees to the area or those considering retiring in the community want to see addressed.
We, as many other new retirees to the community, frequently drive to Savannah or to the Atlanta area to shop and enjoy dining out at major chain restaurants. We also shop at Savannah area Kroger or Publix grocery stores. We are not by any means in the minority by doing this. The large number of automobiles with Bulloch County license plates we see in parking lots in Savannah grocery stores and shopping centers attest to this.
The revenue that leaves Bulloch County each day is gone forever and until these concerns are addressed, that revenue will be other counties’ gains and Bulloch County’s loss.
The failure of local officials to address these five negative issues in a timely manner only serves to delay Statesboro and Bulloch County from reaping the benefits retirees in large numbers could bring to the community.
Joe and Marsha Herrington
Statesboro
RE: Attracting retirees to Statesboro and Bulloch County
I read with great interest the article written by a representative of Keep Bulloch Beautiful that appeared in the newspaper recently regarding his thoughts on attracting retirees to Statesboro and Bulloch County.
The article contained several good thoughts on what could be done to attract this growing segment of the population to the area.
As recent retirees in our mid 50s, my wife and I chose Statesboro to be our retirement community after spending several years living and working in the Atlanta area. We visited several small towns and communities in Georgia and chose Statesboro for the following reasons:
1. The overall quality of life in the community
2. Affordable housing
3. Low property taxes
4. Convenience to a major population area (Savannah)
5. Good race relations
6. Low crime rate
7. Potential for solid growth
We have generally enjoyed living in Bulloch County for the last three years. However, there are issues that need to be addressed.
By writing this article it is our desire to give the director of Keep Bulloch Beautiful and other officials in city and county government an opportunity to see the whole picture from the view point of retirees and what they look for in searching for a retirement community.
We have talked at length with other people in our age group and older who desire to leave the Atlanta area and with friends and family who live in other large metropolitan areas. The seven reasons mentioned above are always topics of discussion and considered by all as priorities when selecting a retirement community.
The five negatives listed below also come up in the conversations.
1. The lack of a major grocery chain store such as Kroger or Publix
2. The lack of name brand chain restaurants
3. The unusually high cost of medical services in the community
4. The lack of name brand retail stores in the community
5. The rules and regulations set forth by the Alcohol Control Board that discourage name brand restaurants and any other name brand firms selling alcohol in any form from investing in Statesboro and Bulloch County due to said rules and regulations
The director of Keep Bulloch Beautiful hopefully will have his thoughts on attracting retirees to the community and the contents of this editorial placed on the table with local city and county officials for discussion.
Statesboro and Bulloch County have the potential for growth, particularly in increasing the numbers of retirees who choose to make this their retirement community. On a very positive note the vast majority of retirees today bring a wealth of knowledge with them as well as substantial retirement compensation packages. This group offers a huge revenue gain to the local economy. Failing to make the area attractive to this group of people is not something officials should take lightly. It would be wise to note that there are numerous other areas taking very positive steps to attract and keep this segment of the population.
We had neighbors on our street who retired to Statesboro and spent five years waiting and hoping the day would come when the negatives listed above would be addressed. For them that day never came. They decided to move to Ohio rather than wait any longer. This couple had a retirement income approaching six figures annually.
We decided to wait a reasonable amount of time for positive action to be taken on these issues also. After three years living in the community, we are concerned that city and county governments do not view these as serious issues all new retirees to the area or those considering retiring in the community want to see addressed.
We, as many other new retirees to the community, frequently drive to Savannah or to the Atlanta area to shop and enjoy dining out at major chain restaurants. We also shop at Savannah area Kroger or Publix grocery stores. We are not by any means in the minority by doing this. The large number of automobiles with Bulloch County license plates we see in parking lots in Savannah grocery stores and shopping centers attest to this.
The revenue that leaves Bulloch County each day is gone forever and until these concerns are addressed, that revenue will be other counties’ gains and Bulloch County’s loss.
The failure of local officials to address these five negative issues in a timely manner only serves to delay Statesboro and Bulloch County from reaping the benefits retirees in large numbers could bring to the community.
Joe and Marsha Herrington
Statesboro