Nye's Digital Lab produces weekly scribbles about creativity at the intersection of artificial intelligence and distributed networks.

This week, I'm writing about my home, Savannah, GA, and why creative professionals, tech workers, entrepreneurs tired of high-cost/low-opportunity markets might consider sustainable growth in a livable city. Especially now.

Five years ago, I made a decision that surprised everyone I knew in Los Angeles: I packed up my life and moved to Savannah, Georgia.

This wasn't just any move, my family and I were leaving behind the supposed epicenter of creativity and opportunity, trading Hollywood movies and Venice startup culture for Spanish moss and Southern charm. I was someone who had built a career in movies and video games, a journeyman computer graphics artist, who had spent time on every back lot in LA. I had never had sweet tea or a seafood boil. Moving to the other side of the country seemed to be walking away from everything I'd worked toward.

It's been an interesting few years for me. My research and creative practice has tripled. My friends and support network doubled. And, I've swapped out "dude" for the common parlance of "y'all."

Here's what I am going to drive at you with some data to back it up: sometimes the smartest moves happen when everyone else is looking in the opposite direction. As AI reshapes entire industries and economic uncertainty looms, Savannah offers something increasingly rare—genuine opportunity at a sustainable cost, in a place where you can actually build something with your time and passion.

• Savannah Growth

• The Research Triangle

• SCAD, The Creative Anchor

• Savannah Arts Scene

• Economics ... and What's Coming

• About to have a moment?

The thing about living through LA's boom-and-bust cycles is that you learn to spot the difference between real growth and venture capital theater. Savannah's expansion feels different because it's built on fundamentals, not speculation.

The Port of Savannah just hit a 10% growth rate in container volume, (1) making it the fastest-growing container terminal in the U.S. Despite economic downturn, that still means logistics jobs, tech solutions for supply chain management, and the kind of steady industrial growth that creates sustainable employment. Gulfstream continues to expand their luxury aerospace operations here, and the Hyundai plant is bringing advanced manufacturing to the region.

The tech scene is growing at 18% annually, outpacing the national average, (2) but it's not the frothy startup culture of Silicon Valley. Software developer demand has jumped 21% since 2022, (3) driven by real business needs—companies need AI implementation, cybersecurity solutions, and supply chain technology. (4) These are problems that need solving, not valley apps that need VC funding.

My wife, a dedicated California surfer, was skeptical about leaving the coast. But she found surf breaks at Tybee Island, and we discovered something we'd lost in LA: space to think, create, and build a family without the constant anxiety of escalating costs and over-saturated competition.

My worry was that I would lose a community of start ups, artist meet ups, and coworking systems that fueled my entrepreneurship habit. Yes, LA has a rare mix that is un-replaceable. However, I am optimistic that something similar is now emerging in the wildest and most beautiful of places in the American South... Savannah.

It's easy to look at Austin or Miami as models for economic boom. But those cities are much too large to be used as examples for Savannah to model from. For me, the most compelling model for Savannah's growth potential comes from Raleigh, North Carolina.

In the 1950s, North Carolina's per capita income was among the lowest in the Southeast as graduates left for better opportunities elsewhere. (1) The solution was called Research Triangle Park—a deliberate collaboration between Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill, and NC State that transformed the region into one of America's premier innovation hubs. (2)

The Research Triangle model worked because universities collaborated on joint research facilities and technology transfer. Today, RTP performs $6 billion in combined annual research expenditures and supports over 2 million residents in a thriving innovation economy. (3) Companies began to located there not for tax incentives, but for access to coordinated talent and research capabilities.

Savannah has similar potential through strategic partnerships especially for the port and logistics opportunities. Georgia Southern University is already implementing this model through the Savannah Harbor Innovation Partnership (SHIP) and their Business Innovation Group, which has assisted over 3,000 entrepreneurs in creating 380 new businesses. (4) Their Logistics Technology Innovation Corporation combines academic research with venture capital to commercialize breakthrough technologies, receiving a $600,000 Economic Development Administration grant to "accelerate technology entrepreneurship" in the coastal region. (5)

The missing piece is intentional coordination with Augusta University's medical school, Georgia Tech's engineering programs, and Emory's research capabilities. These aren't insurmountable distances—they're actually shorter than some Research Triangle connections.

As AI transforms healthcare, medical researchers could collaborate with interface designers and data scientists to produce breakthrough medical technologies. As blockchains transform logistics and civic technologies, Savannah entrepreneurs could build real world solutions with global impact.

The opportunity exists ... if there's the same deliberate vision that created Research Triangle Park.

The relationship between SCAD and Savannah is beautiful and complicated.

Like many university towns who share their streets with students, there are ongoing conversations about development, housing costs, and community impact. Some longtime residents worry about rapid growth, while others see the economic vitality that 17,500 creative dreamers and international students bring to a city that might otherwise struggle to maintain its historic infrastructure. (1)

But what I've observed is something more productive than "typical town-gown friction." SCAD doesn't just occupy Savannah—it often restores it. The school has renovated dozens of historic buildings that were abandoned or deteriorating, preserving the city's architecture while creating a number of cutting-edge facilities. The SCAD film fest brings movie stars to downtown Savannah. SCAD events have pulled in attention from Nvidia, Microsoft, Epic, and dozens of other multinational technology firms. (2) The school, the jobs, and the infrastructure are a life force for the city.

SCAD generates $1.3 billion in economic impact for Georgia.(3)

Here's what struck me about SCAD: the creative diversity goes far beyond traditional creative hubs. In LA, most people I knew were UX designers, screenwriters, or visual effects artists—everyone chasing the same narrow success. At SCAD, fashion students can collaborate with tech students on wearable devices. You see interdisciplinary thinking that actually solves problems rather than just filling industry pipelines.

The symbiosis works because both SCAD and Savannah are both now looking beyond entertainment industry networking toward real challenges. Students are beginning to reconsider LA or New York careers. Many could apply creativity directly to Savannah, or their hometown's growth in Kentucky or India!

As AI transforms creative industries, the designers and developers I work with aren't just worried about replacement—they're experimenting with AI as a creative tool for community building. In short, Savannah has an opportunity to work on what's next.

What jobs will that be?

Georgia's film industry spent $4.1 billion in the state in 2023, benefiting Savannah's infrastructure and talent pipeline. (4) But as someone who has been there and done that - I'm more interesting are emerging opportunities: Distributed logistics systems for the port and city, better healthcare interfaces, and educational technology for rural Georgia areas. Tourism dollars can fund immersive VR or AR experiences with Savannah ghosts and historical walking tours. These systems need driven, passionate creatives more than technology programmers. AI will make things easier to build, but the need in these sectors will become increasingly pressing.

Creative education and community development can reinforce each other. The question isn't whether SCAD and Savannah can coexist, but whether they can evolve together into something neither could achieve alone.

Beyond the institutional support, Savannah offers something harder to quantify but equally valuable—a genuine creative community that welcomes working artists. I work with several professors who are all independent and publishing game developers, creating and shipping their own projects while teaching. This is also true of designers, painters, and furniture builders. This isn't unusual here; it's expected. There are local VR and VFX start ups, and dozens of independent game designers who come (ahem... if I may be so bold) fueled by one of the leading game departments in the country.

Also ... When you walk through my neighborhood and actually see the artist Panhandle Slim—the soft-spoken muralist whose political portraits appear on walls throughout the city—you understand that creativity isn't just taught in classrooms, it's lived everywhere here.

The Starland district is worth spotlighting in this context. What began as two SCAD graduates renovating the abandoned Starland Dairy in 1999 has evolved into Savannah's creative epicenter. The 35-block area centers around Bull Street and features everything from Foxy Loxy cafe to Arts Southeast, which provides 26 private artist studios and hosts the monthly First Friday Art March. (1) Creative street artists use the city as their canvas for graffiti art, while venues like Water Witch Tiki Bar and Bull Street Taco light up foot traffic. (Get the fried fish taco.)

Two Tides brewing is one of my favorite locals in this area. Service Brewing has a fantastic space close to the river, and local beer events paired with food trucks are a common activity.

My hope? A sign of better and more adventurous local brewing yet to come to the area.

The truth is that big cities are prohibitively expensive.

AI will make this exponentially worse, and many will lose paying work. A percentage of Savannah's growth will be new transplants, like artists and entrepreneurs looking for a new life opportunity.

The cost of living in Los Angeles is 51% higher than Savannah. (1) To maintain the same lifestyle that costs $60,000 in Savannah, you'd need over $90,000 in LA. The average rent here is $1,710 versus LA's crushing housing market where people spend 50%+ of income on rent alone. (2)

But here's the more important number: Savannah hit 208,100 jobs in May 2024, an all-time high, with 4,500 new jobs compared to the previous year. While tech companies in San Francisco and New York announce layoffs, Savannah's job market remains robust across multiple sectors. The unemployment rate sits at 3%, and there's real demand for technical skills.(3)

This matters more as economic uncertainty grows.

When recession hits hard—and most economists think it will—having lower fixed costs becomes a competitive advantage. In LA, I spent most of my income on rent and commuting. Here, I take creative risks, invest in equipment, and save.

The population is growing but it's not the explosive, unsustainable growth that prices out existing residents. It's steady expansion that creates opportunity without destroying affordability. Yes, gentrification and cultural issues will be a problem as we are invaded by big city transplants, (like me) who move here for sustainability and life maximization. However, outside investment and new ideas should be welcome to help jump start the area's massive potential.

Here's what I think about when I consider the next five years:

AI will eliminate many traditional creative and technical jobs while creating new ones we can't yet imagine. Economic volatility will reward flexibility.

My hope is that Savannah positions itself well for these challenges.

Low cost structure gives you breathing room to retrain and adapt. The growing industrial base means demand for human expertise in automation, logistics, and advanced manufacturing. The creative community provides the interdisciplinary thinking that tends to thrive during technological transitions.

And the weather ... well, Southern life ain't bad either.

So, let's do a couple of "cons"...

I swapped LA earthquakes (and fires) for the yearly hurricane hammering that will (probably) only get worse. Don't worry, I have a generator, and an evacuation plan. When it comes to climate change, I do worry about asking "how high's the water, Mama?" It's just something we need to be aware of.

Also, let's call out that Savannah get's knocked for being "slow-vannah." Maybe schedule some extra time for basic contracting with goods and services? When you are used to working with the most productive artists in the world, Savannah can sometimes, make you impatient.

And yes, the south has a political climate that the yankees sometimes are at odds with, which gives Savannah a distinctly PURPLE vibe. But as someone who grew up in New England, then spent 20 years in LA, I can attest that the people in Savannah are weird, and fun, and insanely intelligent. There are painters, and furniture builders, and music nights by the river. Current political administrations aside, arguments classically range from libertarian to social justice. We need this kind of pluralist thought to fix these problems.

I believe Savannah is a great place that is about to have it's moment.

I'm not arguing that Savannah will become the next Silicon Valley. If you are a young AI developer, you should, by all means, take your cut at surviving the AI rage in San Francisco. If you are into crypto fin-tech, you should go to New York.

I'm suggesting Savannah is something different: maybe smart technology professionals will find opportunities in places with strong fundamentals, manageable costs, and room for growth. I'm willing to bet that there are people looking to find somewhere else, that can allow them be more of themselves. Where entrepreneurs can practically use AI to solve medical system challenges, and use blockchain for logistics and civics supply chains. Maybe they just need time and support to build the strategy game they have always wanted to build.

The data supports that Savannah can provide this, but more importantly, my daily experience as a technologist does. When did I ever have real time to blog in LA? Now, my kids plays baseball and practice in our backyard. I can drive to North Carolina mountains for great breweries or stellar Florida beaches in a few hours. I work with students from around the world on projects that matter. I've met and interacted with some of the most creative people from all walks of life. The conversations I have with those outside of Savannah looking in, are increasingly encouraging.

And I do all of this without the constant financial stress that defined my California years.

Savannah is a growing center, with a creative driver, and economic opportunities that could fuel the growth of the city. It can attract others to come and invest time and money, as well as grow business and ideas within.

If you're thinking about where to build a career as everything else shifts around us, consider this: the best opportunities often exist in places where others aren't looking yet.

Savannah isn't just beautiful—it's practical. And in uncertain times, practical might be the most strategic choice you can make. If you (or someone you know) are considering a life in Savannah, GA, have them reach out to me, I'd love to spread the word.

Thanks for reading. We'll see you next time.

I do this every week. If you vibe to the ideas in my digital lab, consider subscribing or sharing with friends. Appreciate it.

Nye Warburton is a creative technologist and educator from Savannah, GA. This essay was improvised with Otter.ai and refined with Anthropic Claude. Data was researched with Manus, and validated with human labor.

For more information visit: https://nyewarburton.com

1. Georgia Ports Authority. "Savannah container volumes up 10 percent in October." November 14, 2024. https://gaports.com/press-releases/savannah-container-volumes-up-10-percent-in-october/

2. Nucamp. "Most in Demand Tech Job in Savannah in 2024." https://www.nucamp.co/blog/coding-bootcamp-savannah-ga-most-in-demand-tech-job-in-savannah-in-2024

3. Nucamp. "Savannah Cybersecurity Job Market: Trends and Growth Areas for 2024." https://www.nucamp.co/blog/coding-bootcamp-savannah-ga-savannah-cybersecurity-job-market-trends-and-growth-areas-for-2024

1. Wake County Economic Development. "Research Triangle Park's Historic Role in Shaping North Carolina's Economy." https://raleigh-wake.org/blog/research-triangle-parks-historic-role-in-shaping-north-carolinas-economy

2. Research Triangle Park. "Founded in 1959 and located at the center of three Tier-1 research universities, RTP is North Carolina's premier global innovation center." https://www.rtp.org/

3. Research Triangle Park. "Our Community." https://www.rtp.org/our-community/

4. Georgia Southern University. "Savannah Harbor Innovation Partnership launched to drive evolution of innovation ecosystem in the harbor region." April 30, 2025. https://ww2.georgiasouthern.edu/news/2025/04/30/savannah-harbor-innovation-partnership-launched-to-drive-evolution-of-innovation-ecosystem-in-the-harbor-region/

5. Savannah Business Journal. "Georgia Southern University named recipient of Economic Development Administration Build to Scale Grant." November 1, 2022. https://www.savannahbusinessjournal.com/news/education_career/nov-1---georgia-southern-university-named-recipient-of-economic-development-administration-build-to/article_cc0951ac-5934-11ed-832b-bf06432fe381.html

1. SCAD Enrollment: SCAD enrolls more than 17,500 students from all 50 states and more than 120 countries. Source: https://www.scad.edu/about/scad-glance/scad-facts

2. SCAD Film Festival Corporate Attention: The SCAD Savannah Film Festival is the largest university-run film festival in the U.S., hosting major industry luminaries including award-winning directors, writers, and actors, and has become a distinguished stop on the road to the Academy Awards. While the search results don't specifically mention Nvidia, Microsoft, and Epic by name, they do reference major corporate partnerships through SCADpro and extensive industry connections. Source: https://filmfest.scad.edu/

3. SCAD Economic Impact: In fiscal year 2023, SCAD generated $1.3 billion in annual economic impact for the state of Georgia, a 70% increase from the last report conducted for fiscal year 2019. Source: https://www.scad.edu/about/news-press-and-recognition/2024-02-14-scad-generates-13-billion-economic-impact-georgia-fiscal

4. Georgia Public Broadcasting. "Georgia film industry generates $4.1 billion in fiscal '23." https://www.gpb.org/news/2023/09/13/georgia-film-industry-generates-41-billion-in-fiscal-23

1. ARTS Southeast. "Community Art Center." https://artssoutheast.org/

1. Salary.com. "Cost of Living Comparison between Savannah, GA and Los Angeles, CA." https://www.salary.com/research/cost-of-living/compare/savannah-ga/los-angeles-ca

2. RentCafe. "Cost of Living in Savannah, GA 2025." https://www.rentcafe.com/cost-of-living-calculator/us/ga/savannah/

3. Savannah Business Journal. "July 1 - Savannah Sees Job and Labor Force Growth Despite Rise in May Unemployment." https://www.savannahbusinessjournal.com/community/georgia_business_news/july-1---savannah-sees-job-and-labor-force-growth-despite-rise-in-may/article_1a34f486-371d-11ef-a9de-b39798d78af1.html

• Reframing Crisis as Opportunity, April 13, 2025

• Yes, Start a Company, May 18, 2025

• My Robot Dog and Me, January 28, 2025

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