Hello everybody! It’s been a long process of vetting destinations and my girlfriend I have narrowed it to 2 choices. We aren’t committed (or even necessarily looking) to be in the epicenter of either place - surrounding suburbs are fine! Just looking for wisdom in this sub from folks who have experience with either place to help guide us.

We’ll be leaving Washington, DC this summer after ~4 years living here (separately) post-college. Factors making the grass elsewhere seem greener are: 1) cost of living , 2) having more space / a yard, and 3) just having a change of scenery/fresh start somewhere new.

Us:

Been together for several years. Have a bulldog we both adore. Both liberal / somewhat cosmopolitan types but down to earth, both from relatively rural/conservative areas. Enjoy the outdoors artsy/alternative scenes.

Me: Will be working my DC job remotely (political polling), so will be looking to make some new friends wherever we end up. I’m a musician, I love sports, would like to get involved in the community somehow wherever we go.

Her: Recently graduated from Masters of Social Work program, will be looking for employment at private therapy practice, hospital, school, etc. Into crafts and reading, cooking and gardening.

Impressions right now:

Wilmington - we like Wilmington itself as well as the Hampstead/Topsail Beach area to the north. My concern is a) in the summer it may be overrun with tourists and b) during the school year it may get too “college town” for my liking. And while it’s a nice coastal place I don’t know how much interesting stuff there is to see/do.

Savannah - we like Savannah as well as surrounding areas like Wilmington Island, Tybee, Pooler, and Bluffton SC. Slightly concerned about the summer heat for our bulldog who overheats easily. Seems like there’s a lot to do there!

Considerations:

Vacation season - Stated above. Both these are popular vacation destinations - how does that affect residents?

Social - We’ll both be going somewhere without any connections and will be looking to meet folks, ideally somewhat similar in age/worldview. Which place is more conducive to making friends? All tips on this are appreciated!

Things to do - any insight on the food / activity scenes for locals in either place are appreciated!

Distance - My family is in western NC, hers is in Maryland. My job I will occasionally have to travel back for is in DC. Wilmington naturally has a leg up because it’s closer to all those things but I’m SO wary of settling for convenience.

Rats/bugs - someone flagged for my gf that Savannah is known for having a lot of these… can anyone comment on whether this is true?

Every bit of help/advice is appreciated!