[MRM]

My sister lives in Statesboro and her in laws are from Brunswick. We visit them quite a bit. Over the years I've spent several weeks in or around Brunswick, St. Simons and Jekyll. Everything Bob said is true, and more. If you like living in the south, this is as good as it gets. St. Simons often gets compared to Hilton Head, but in a good way.

Brunswick proper is on the mainland. St. Simon's Island is just a short drive across the causeway, and Jekyll is just a little bit farther drive from Brunswick. Both Jekyll and St. Simon's are islands, although they're large enough to feel like they're part of the mainland and Brunswick is close enough to the ocean to feel like an island.

St. Simons can be an expensive place to live because it is very much a vacation house and tourist-oriented place. You have a real mix of fairly expensive eating and living options along with some pretty reasonable choices if you are willing to stay a short walk or drive away from the beach. Jekyll is more where the locals have their vacation cottages. Both are absolutely gorgeous. The beaches on Jekyll are probably a little better because they're wider and less developed. St. Simons is clearly where the action is.

Living in Brunswick gives you access to both islands, plus a very nice, old-style southern town with a very reasonable cost of living. If you want to really live cheaply, you can live in an unincorporated area just outside of Brunswick and be close enough to the beach to satisfy any desire for water and scenery.

Brunswick, St. Simons and Jekyll are all very historic. There's a trolley tour that runs on St. Simons during the summer. If you are even thinking about moving to the area, do yourself a favor and take the tour. You'll see one of the oldest churches in the US, going back to pre-revolutionary times, Civil War monuments, the remnants of old plantations, the spot where Charles Wesly (founder of the Methodist Church) gave his first sermon in the New World, things like that. Jekyll used to be a private island where the Firestones, Fords, Astors and Vanderbilts vacationed. They deeded the land to the state after WWII and now the entire island is owned by the state, although private homes and development is allowed, with 99 year leases on the land. The Great Estates are still preserved and you can tour them.

As Bob said, you're a hop skip and a jump to Jacksonville, Florida or Savannah Georgia.

All in all, it's a really nice place. Lots of vets retire to there.