Welcome to Local Finds by Easy Home Search, where we explore what
it's actually like to live in communities all across the United States.
I'm Michael here with Amanda, and today we're heading to Augusta,
Georgia, Georgia's second largest city and the nine communities
surrounding it that make this one of the most interesting metros in the South.
Augusta is one of those places I think people have a very specific
image of in their heads, and then you start looking at it more closely and
realize there's so much more going on. Most people hear
Augusta and immediately think of one thing. The Masters,
the green jacket, the azaleas, the Masters, which
is genuinely iconic. No argument there. But Augusta sits
on the Savannah river and anchors a metropolitan area that actually
spans two states, Georgia and South Carolina.
That geographic reality shapes everything about the communities surrounding
it. And if you've ever wanted to explore homes in this area, you can
do that on Easy Homesearch.com where we track data on
over 120 million US properties, including everything
in this market. And that two state reality isn't just geography
trivia. It actually changes your school options, your tax
situation, the whole character of the neighborhoods you're looking at.
Exactly. So today's episode covers nine of those communities
across both states, each with its own distinct personality.
Whether you want a nationally ranked suburb with every amenity, a
resort town that grew into a real place to live, or a tiny
downtown where neighbors cruise around on golf carts, this area
has genuine range. I love when a metro has that kind of
variety. Okay, where do we start? We start at the top.
Evans, Georgia. In 2020, Money magazine
ranked Evans the best place to live in America. Number one
in the entire country. Number one in the entire country. And
the criteria weren't one dimensional. It was a combination of low crime
rates, financial stability, accessible health care, and green
space, all scoring well together. That's a holistic picture of a
community that genuinely functions. Family Circle magazine had
also named Evans one of the best towns for families. So
multiple major publications were independently landing on the same place.
When recognition like that comes from multiple different sources independently,
you start to take it seriously. It's not just one outlet with an
angle, and you can feel it in what Evans actually offers. Day to day,
excellent schools, several golf courses. Jones Creek
Golf Course is a standout. Splash parks and playgrounds for
kids. The historic community center park hosts live
performances. And Bartram Trail runs right through the area.
It's a significant nature trail, named after William Bartram, the
naturalist who explored the Georgia and Carolina landscape in the
1700s. It's the kind of outdoor resource that puts a place
in a different category. Commute into Augusta about 20
minutes on i20, roughly 15 miles. You're getting
genuine small town quality of life without being cut off from a major
city's job market. Medical facilities, all of it.
That balance is hard to find. And the food scene, because
dining always tells you something about where a place is actually headed.
Evans delivers T. Bon's Steakhouse, Reinhardt's
Oyster Bar with their Beyond Casual Atmosphere
boutiques scattered through the downtown. Enough variety that you're not
making a 40 minute drive every time you want a quality meal out.
Small town charm without small town limitations
Evan sounds like the kind of place you move to for a job opportunity and
15 years later, you're still there because you just like
it. That's exactly the feeling. Next stop,
Grovetown, Georgia. And Grovetown's tagline captures
something true about the a community that cares. I
like that. Grounded, not pretentious. How big a
community are we talking? Just over 16,000 residents.
Not tiny, but still carrying a genuine small town feel.
It sits roughly halfway between the state capitals of Georgia and South
Carolina on the northern end of the Middle Savannah river
subbasin just northwest of Fort Gordon, and the cost of
living is below the national average. The index came in at
93.7, which is meaningful when you're comparing it to other
metros of similar proximity to a major city below national
average that close to a major metro. That's a real economic
draw. What about employment? This is what sets Grovetown apart
from a typical bedroom community. Major employers like John
Deere, Serta and GIW Industries have operations
there, so there's genuine economic activity rooted in the town
itself, not just residents commuting elsewhere and coming back to
sleep. And the public school system is considered one of the finest in the state
of Georgia. Good jobs, excellent schools, below
average cost of living. A lot of families are out there
specifically searching for that combination. And Grovetown has been
around since 1881. The modern city has been actively
reinventing itself from what it once called a country
crossroads into a contemporary community with modern
amenities alongside its old fashioned charm. There's real
history here, and there's real forward momentum. That combination
is worth paying attention to. History and
momentum. I like it. What's next? Third
stop, and this one comes with a genuinely unexpected origin
story. Harlem, Georgia. Wait. Harlem,
Georgia. Harlem, Georgia. Named after Harlem, New York.
The story goes that a visiting New Yorker looked around the new town and
told a local resident it reminded him of the Harlem neighborhood back Home,
which at the time was considered quite an affluent and artistic part of New
York City. The name stuck. That is not the
origin story I was expecting from a small town in Georgia. It
gets better. About 3,000 residents. Columbia County's
hidden gem. As people there will tell you a genuine small
town lifestyle. The kind of place where you might pass a neighbor cruising
by on a golf cart on their way into the historic downtown on a Tuesday
afternoon. A golf cart? Tuesday. I could genuinely
get used to that pace. It says something about how people feel about being
out in their community, not sealed inside a car. And speaking
of community identity, Harlem is the birthplace of Oliver Hardy
of Laurel and Hardy fame. Born there in 1892.
Every year on the first weekend of October, thousands of people come
to the downtown for the Oliver Hardy festival. A whole town
turned a legendary comedian born there over a hundred years ago
into their signature annual celebration. That is
genuine community identity. And it doesn't happen by accident.
It really doesn't. These communities know who they are and they hold
on to it. Alright, let's cross the river. Number four on our
list and our first South Carolina entry, North Augusta.
We are literally crossing the Savannah River. The Savannah river
is the state line. Georgia on one side, South
Carolina on the other. North Augusta sits right on the South Carolina
bank and is known as South Carolina's riverfront. More than
20,000 residents, minutes from both downtown Augusta and the
city of Aiken and fully integrated into the Augusta Aiken
metropolitan area. The city has been growing along that river for well over
a century. So you could have a South Carolina address and still
be completely woven into the fabric of the Augusta world. Different
state, same community. That's exactly the reality for a lot
of residents there. And the riverfront setting isn't just a scenic
backdrop. North Augusta has invested in parks, trails
and recreational spaces along the water. It gives the city a
genuinely beautiful anchor that not every suburb can offer.
Beautiful neighborhoods, progressive city government. And the Aiken
county school district serves school age kids there. The sixth
largest district in all of South Carolina, sixth
largest in the state. Real infrastructure, real
resources. That's not a small suburban afterthought. Not at
all. Golf courses, parks, shopping. The
lifestyle package is complete. North Augusta is a strong option
if you want to be close to everything Augusta offers while having a bit
more breathing room and a South Carolina address. I keep
thinking this list covers such a wide range. What about
the communities that are more genuinely pulled back, more rural,
more tucked away from the city? Those are coming. And one of them has one
of the most Interesting founding stories. On the entire list, a Cuban
immigrant who purchased a plantation in 1869 and a
canal system that literally powered Augusta's industrial economy
for over a century. That is not what I expected from a
suburbs episode. Augusta's got more layers than people give it credit
for. We'll dig into all of it right after this. The Augusta metro has
a way of surprising people. And one of the best examples of that is
Martinez, Georgia, a northwestern suburb of Augusta,
part of the greater metro area, and home to one of the most
unexpected founding stories in the region. Okay,
tell me about this Cuban immigrant in the plantation. So the town
is named after Jose Martinez y Saldivar, a wealthy
Cuban immigrant who purchased a plantation in Columbia county back
in 1869. He named it El Cordero
Rancho. The Lamb Ranch in Spanish. The original
mansion. Several outbuildings, barns and even a water
tower still stand on the property today. The ranch is now about 20
acres. But the history is all there. A Cuban immigrant's
19th century plantation becomes the namesake of a
modern Augusta suburb with 30,000 residents.
You genuinely cannot make that up. And the history goes
deeper. The Augusta Canal, a remarkable piece of American
industrial infrastructure, begins in Martinez. The head
gates were built in 1845, harnessing the power of the
Savannah river to bring water and transportation directly to
Augusta. That canal powered a string of factories along its
banks and helped propel Augusta into a major manufacturing
center in the south. So Martinez isn't just a suburb that
happened to be nearby. It's actually where the engine that built
Augusta started. Exactly right. And you can experience all of
that today. The Canal trail runs from Martinez into downtown
Augusta. You can walk or bike it, rent a canoe, take
the canal boat tour. The Columbia County Visitors center sits in a
refurbished lock keeper's cottage and has exhibits about the
canal's history. The original dance pavilion from 1880
and the Savannah Rapids Pavilion are are both still there. Outside
a canal trail into downtown with a boat tour and a restored
dance pavilion from the 1800s. That is a
genuinely rich outdoor and cultural package for a suburb.
And Reed Creek Wetlands and Interpretive center is just minutes away.
Public programs like wilderness survival classes, frog call
surveys, nature walks with kids. Modern Martinez
has more than 30,000 residents, good schools and strong
access to shopping and dining. It manages to be both
historically fascinating and completely livable as a modern
suburb. That's the sweet spot, isn't it? A place with enough
character that it has its own identity, not just a grid of
subdivisions around a strip mall. Well said. Alright, let's
shift gears. Into something a little different. Thompson, Georgia. This
one is for people who genuinely want the small town. How small are we
talking? Just over 6,500 residents.
Founded in 1837 as a depot on the Georgia railroad.
So this community's roots go back nearly two centuries and it still
carries that character. Small, distinct, proud of its
identity. Railroad town history. You can always feel
that in the bones of a place. Thompson has Clark's Hill Lake
nearby, one of the largest lakes in the eastern U.S. which
makes it a genuine destination for boating, fishing and
outdoor recreation. And culturally, the town punches well
above its weight. The Blind Willie Mactel Music Festival
celebrates one of the most important figures in blues history.
Blind Willie Mactel, the Georgia born musician whose
influence reached everyone from Bob Dylan to the Allman Brothers
and the Belmead Hunt opening meet carries on a long equestrian
tradition in the area. The Blind Willie McTell Music Festival.
Blues history, a massive lake, an old railroad
town that is a very specific, very rich identity
for a community of 6,500 people. Thompson is the kind
of place that draws people who are done with noise and pace and want
something genuinely different. Easy access to Augusta when you
need it, but a real sense of arrival when you come home. I love
that framing. Okay, number seven on the list goes even
further out. Warrenton. Warrenton, Georgia. About
38 miles outside of Augusta. Just over 2,000
residents. And here is where the phrase people know your name
stops being a cliche and starts being a literal description of
daily life. What does Warrenton look like? Is there a real
downtown? A beautiful one? The downtown area and homes on
Main street are are included on the National Register of Historic Places,
described as having what the register calls an abundance of
historic buildings. Antique shops, gift stores,
restaurants around the town square. The Museum of Cultural History
is housed in the historic East Warrenton Depot. And the Knox
Theater, which is undergoing restoration, is a short walk from the Chamber
of Commerce. There is something genuinely special about a small
town that has a functioning museum in a restored train
depot. That's a community that takes its own story
seriously. And they celebrated. The annual Sportsman's festival
runs every summer. Other events happen throughout the year. For people
who want a true connection to place, who want to be somewhere that has
accumulated meaning over time. Warrenton delivers that in a way that
larger suburbs simply cannot replicate.
38 miles is real distance from Augusta, but for the
right person, that's actually the point completely.
And it brings up something worth saying. The communities on this list aren't
ranked in terms of best to worst. They represent genuinely different
versions of what a good life looks like. Warrenton is for someone
who's consciously choosing distance and quiet and routes,
that's a real and valuable preference. Alright, we've got
two left and both of them are over the South Carolina
state line. Let's do Aiken Aiken,
S.C. founded as a resort town and that origin never
fully left, Aiken has been recognized as one of 21 best
towns for boomers, one of a hundred best communities for young people,
and one of a dozen distinctive destinations, multiple
audiences, multiple national recognitions. That is a
wide range of accolades from very different evaluators.
That doesn't happen unless the place has real bones. Aiken's
identity is built around an outdoor active lifestyle and
equestrian culture sits at the center of that. Sporting competitions,
equestrian events and festivals run regularly throughout the year.
Housing options include spacious lots and dedicated equestrian
communities, which is a genuinely rare thing to find in a suburb.
I know people who have specifically relocated chasing that
lifestyle. Horse properties within striking distance of a real
city are not easy to find and the rest of the lifestyle
package holds up. Hitchcock woods, one of the largest urban
forests in the US is right in Aiken. Hopelands Gardens,
a flourishing downtown with locally owned restaurants,
cafes and foodie festivals, golf courses. The schools
are well regarded and the community is genuinely growing. People
discovered it as a destination and then decided to stay. It's
one of those places where the resort town energy never felt
artificial because the landscape actually supports it. The the
woods, the trails, the open land. It's the
real thing. Exactly. And if Aiken is compelling, but the
price point is a consideration, the last community on our list is
worth a close look. New Ellenton, South Carolina Just a short
drive from Aiken. How close? Close enough that Newellington
residents have easy access to everything Aiken offers. While the
median home value in Newellanton sits around
$181,000. The making it one of the most
affordable options in this entire region. About 2200
residents genuinely tight knit. The kind of community where
events and gatherings aren't scheduled on a calendar so much as
woven into how people live. Affordable, small scale,
community oriented and within reach of a larger town's amenities.
That is a very appealing combination for a first time
buyer or someone looking to stretch their dollar. In a real community,
the mean commute time is just under 24 minutes. Manageable for
anyone who's willing to trade some proximity for significantly more
house, more land and a pace of life that larger suburbs
struggle to offer. And it's worth noting all nine communities we
covered today sit within the orbit of a real, functioning city.
Augusta brings the hospitals, the universities, the professional
opportunities. These suburbs let you access all of that without living
inside it. Two states, nine communities.
Everything from a nationally ranked suburb to a resort
equestrian town to a tiny historic downtown
where people are still restoring a theater. Augusta's orbit
has a lot going on. And if any of these places caught your eye or
sparked a little curiosity about what homes actually look like on the inside
in any of these communities, this is exactly what
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on the next episode of Local Finds as we keep exploring real
estate all across the United States.