Let’s talk about some of the pros and cons of living in Thomasville, Georgia. I’m all about helping Thomasville, Georgia families realize their dream of home ownership. I’ve lived in Thomasville, Georgia, my whole life and I’m going to give you my honest opinion on what I think are some of the great things about living in Thomasville, Georgia, and honestly what some of the downfalls are about living in Thomasville, Georgia.
Pro #1 — Historic Downtown Shopping District
One of the best things about living in Thomasville, Georgia is our historic downtown shopping district. Thomasville’s historic downtown is a shopper’s dream come true, offering dozens of charming retail shops and restaurants on brick streets. At Christmas time our picturesque downtown looks like one of those towns that you see on the Hallmark channel. Downtown Thomasville has an amazing variety of shops, boutiques and specialty stores to suit any tastes. Plus we have some amazing locally owned restaurants downtown that not only offer amazing food, but they also have amazing atmospheres like Grassroots Coffee Company, who roasts and produce its own coffee right here in downtown Thomasville, or you can visit Farmers Daughters Vineyards and Tasting Rooms to taste their award-winning wines made locally, or you can dine at the Sweet Grass Dairy Cheese Shop and Restaurant to taste and purchase delicious, artisan cow cheeses, handcrafted by Sweet Grass Dairy and I definitely cannot leave out Jonah’s restaurant which was featured in Southern Living magazine. One of their most popular items is fish and grits and believe me, if you want eat here, you better show up early.
Con #1 — No Shopping Malls
Thomasville does not have any shopping malls, or even a Target, but if you can’t find what you are looking for in one of our many retail shops, no worries. The nearest target is only 25 miles from Thomasville located just over the state line in Bradfordville, Florida. Tallahassee actually has three Targets. So you can take your pick. Additionally, Governor’s Square Mall is only 35 miles from Thomasville.
Pro #2 — Medical Care
Archbold Medical Center is a four hospital, three nursing home health system with 540 patient beds. They employ more than 2,500 people and boast an outstanding medical staff of nearly 200 qualified physician specialists. Our flagship hospital here in town, Archbold Memorial Hospital, is a 264 bed hospital located in Thomasville, Georgia. Archbold Medical Center is committed to bringing you the most up to date technology from cancer screenings and treatment, to surgical and orthopedic procedures.
Con #2 — No Nightlife
If you’re for dance clubs and late night entertainment, you won’t find a lot of that in Thomasville, but the good news is that you are in close proximity to both Tallahassee, Florida and Valdosta, Georgia. Both towns offer lots of clubs, bars, and late night entertainment. Tallahassee is only about a 30 to 40 minute drive, and Valdosta is only a short 40 minute drive away, but keep in mind there are some really great restaurants with bars located in downtown Thomasville with some really great atmospheres that keep their bars open late on Friday nights.
Pro #3 — Our Events
Thomasville is home to world renowned events and festivals that feature everything from roses, to planes and Christmas carols. This year, we had the Black History Celebration in February. There’s the First Friday Sip and Stroll on the first Friday of every month where participants can go downtown Thomasville to sip, shop and stroll. Plus there’s live music and special open late hours by participating merchants. Every April is the Thomasville Rose Show and Festival. It’s a top 20 event in the southeast featuring flower shows, parades, music and more. In November, we’ve got the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival, a premier celebration of arts and culture in the Red Hills region of southwest Georgia and North Florida. This attracts sporting and wildlife enthusiasts. It’s sponsored by the Thomasville Center For the Arts and we’ve got Victorian Christmas in December, journey into the past as we usher you into the spirit of Christmas long ago. This festival will take you back in time to Thomasville’s Victorian past where you’ll stroll the bricks and be entertained by performers, carolers and musicians. These are just some of the events Thomasville celebrates throughout the year.
Con #3 — Gnats
While there are gnats found neared wide most everywhere, the southern species found in the deep south will in all likelihood carry you away. They show up in a cloud form, swirl all about your face and aspire to pepper the center of your two front teeth at any reported outdoor gathering. This is most likely because Thomasville Georgia is South of the gnat line, which is just one of the many wonders of the deep south, but as far as we’re concerned, the gnat line is just a gauntlet of hovering swarms of these pestering insects known as gnats guarding the unseen border south of the Mason Dixon line. The good news is that No Natz is a great bug spray that you can find in many stores all over Thomasville.
Pro #4 — Our YMCA
Our YMCA runs all other sports programs and community events for the entire county, including senior citizens and special events such as the Rose City Run and our local Christmas parade. They have three facilities, which feature state of the art equipment, indoor and outdoor aquatics, one of which is an aquatic park with a zero depth activity pool, two water slides, pop up fountains, sprinklers and raindrops, gymnastics center, game activity room, gymnasiums, childcare and more. The YMCA is making a difference in the lives of our children and our families in our community and we’re so lucky to have our YMCA and the people who run it.
Con #4 — Not Many Hunting Or Fishing Spots
If you were looking for public hunting, fishing, or a place to go boating, you won’t find much of that in Thomasville, but here’s the great part. You can find some really great options close by. We live in close proximity to the Gulf Coast beaches. The nearest beach is only about an hour drive. For boating we’ve got the Flint river and lake Seminole, which is about a 45 minute drive, plus there are several lakes in Tallahassee, which we already mentioned is very close to Thomasville, Georgia, plus Thomasville, Georgia is conveniently located close to many wildlife management areas, like Chickasawhatchee, Silver Lake and River Creek, just to name a few, where you can enjoy hunting, fishing, and camping. So, honestly, we’re only a few minutes away for any kind of day trip that you want, either going to the beach, or going fishing, or just going boating for the day.
Pro #5 — Local Goods
So many things are made local and fresh in Thomasville. Lewis Produce/State Farmer’s Market, which is the second largest commercial fresh produce market in the southeast, where you can purchase in season produce and other homemade items at the locally owned stand at the market. We’ve got the Blackberry Patch, harvesting fresh produce and preserving them in jams, jellies, and syrups. Blackberry Patch distributes its products around the world. The Bread Wagon Bakery, which specialists in Amish and Mennonite made products like cream cheese, frosted cakes, lemon squares, coconut cream pies, flaxseed bread and other country goodies like snack mixes, jams and jellies, apple butter, and dried fruits. Collins Pecans, located in Thomasville, Collins Pecans buys and sells locally sourced pecans. They also create candied pecan products, assorted syrups, pecan gift baskets, holiday gifts, and more. Is it pecan or pecan? I’ll let you decide. We’ve got Farmer’s Daughter Vineyards, which produces award-winning wines and Grassroots Coffee Company roasts and produces its own coffee right here in downtown Thomasville. We’ve got Sweet Cacao Chocolates who creates only the finest chocolates and Sweet Grass Dairy, which produces delicious artisan cow cheeses and I’ve got to mention Flowers Bakery Company, and Bakery Store, maker of Sunbeam Bread, Nature’s Own Bread, Blue Bird Snack Cakes and other delicious items. Flowers Foods has been headquartered in Thomasville since 1919. There’s nothing quite like the scent of fresh baked bread in the air from the bakery located downtown, or tasting a freshly made Flowers honey bun that melts in your mouth.
Con #5 — Limited Grocery Stores
We have limited grocery stores. We don’t have a Whole Foods or a Trader Joe’s and we don’t have a Costco or Sam’s, but we’ve got a Publix and Thomasville that offers a lot of great food items and it has a fabulous deli and produce section. In addition, we have a Harvey’s grocery store and we’ve got an IGA grocery. Also, if you are looking for a Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, or a Costco, it’s just a short ride over to Tallahassee, where you can find these stores.
Now to end on a positive note, Thomasville is small town living with a small town feel. You can get just about anywhere in Thomasville in only about 10 minutes. With only about 19,000 people living in Thomasville, Georgia. There is no heavy traffic and no traffic jams. It’s normal to see residents walking and biking around town or riding in their golf carts. The people are friendly and it’s truly peaceful, easy living. So now it’s time for a question for you. I’m really curious what you guys think are some pros and cons of living in Thomasville, Georgia.