County residents exchange commutes for life in Oglethorpe
Many Oglethorpe County residents work outside of the county, often in pursuit of careers or opportunities that aren’t available inside the county’s borders. These residents commute to and from Oglethorpe County because they love its slower pace of life and community.
The Oglethorpe Echo asked them to share their experiences.
Mandy Garrett, parapro Martinez Elementary
Every morning, Monday to Friday, Mandy Garrett wakes up at 5:30 a.m. and gets ready for the day. She makes sure to leave her house by 6 a.m. to begin the roughly an 80-minute drive to Martinez Elementary in Columbia County, where she works as a paraprofessional teacher.
“I absolutely love the farm life, the drive is truly a very peaceful drive to and from work,” Garrett said. “And as far as the community itself, it's a very loving county.”
After marrying her husband, Cliff, Garrett moved from Augusta to live with him in Oglethorpe County, where he owned a 38-acre farm. Before Garrett started working at Martinez Elementary, she worked as a second-grade teacher in Greene County with her husband.
“My husband is a hobby farmer, so we have a full farm life,” she said. “You can't just pick up and move to a neighborhood here, and then my husband and I both pretty much have the same commute to both of our schools.”
After having her first child, Colton, in 2024, Garrett switched to her job in Columbia County so she can drop Colton off at her parents’ house, where they watch him while she works.
Garrett said her original plan after having Colton was to get a job in Oglethorpe County and drop him off at Oglethorpe Children’s Academy while she was working every day. However, they had to resort to plan B when she couldn’t find a teaching job in Oglethorpe.
After her long work day, Garrett runs errands, picks up Colton from her parents’ home and makes the long drive back home, arriving around 6:30 p.m. every weeknight.
Despite the long commute, she loves her job.
“The experiences here (Columbia County) have been phenomenal,” Garrett said. “The resources here are just undeniable, and what they provide for the teachers are just out of this world.”
As for the future, Garrett could see herself working in either county.
“If he (God) wants me to stay in Columbia County, that’ll work,” Garrett said. “If not, I would love to be in Oglethorpe.”
Courtney Brown, hairdresser Elle Cee's Salon & Spa, Athens
Courtney Brown is an Oglethorpe County native who makes a 35-minute, without traffic, commute to Athens. For the past year and a half, Brown has worked as a hairdresser at Elle Cee's Salon & Spa.
Brown chooses to live in Oglethorpe County instead of moving to Athens.
“I like the slow pace of Oglethorpe, and I enjoy the scenery and the people that I live around, and I still go to Salem (Baptist Church) so that’s a big part of my life,” Brown said. “Leaving doesn’t sound amusing to me.”
Her days usually start with letting out her dogs and heading to work. Brown’s day-to-day schedule and clients change.
“It’s not the same thing every day,” Brown said. “So it’s not that boring.”
Working in Athens brings Brown professional opportunities that she says aren’t available in Oglethorpe, especially with the younger age group, which are her typical clients.
Brown said if the younger demographic in Oglethorpe County continues to grow, she could see herself possibly trying to work or open a salon in the county.
“I don’t have the outreach to the community in Oglethorpe that I do in Athens, and social media is a big part of my job, and it does reach Oglethorpe clients, but the age group and the price range is different in Oglethorpe,” Brown said.
She said working in Oglethorpe County over Athens would affect how much she could charge clients, but the change is an adjustment with the increase in traffic and people that Athens brings.
“It all boils down to, I still love where I’m at, and I still (think) that the pros outweigh the cons in that situation,” Brown said.
Robert Wadsworth, pilot Southwest Airlines
To Robert Wadsworth, a Southwest Airlines pilot, the two-to-three hour commute to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is worth it. Oglethorpe County even compelled Wadsworth, originally from DeKalb County, and his wife, originally from Athens, to change their early plans from moving to Atlanta after getting married 35 years ago.
“We enjoy our neighbors,” Wadsworth said. “So after about five years of living there, we just decided that we’re just going to build here and stay here, and we built what I call my forever home.”
Wadsworth has been a pilot for about 25 years and makes the commute to Atlanta one to two times a week — six times during November. Wadsworth takes the longer, more relaxing route through the country to get to work in the mornings.
“I usually don’t go the most direct way,” he said. “I go the most relaxing way — I gotta go through the countryside.”
While he doesn’t consider the drive to work an issue, the drive home is different.
“That’s typically the hardest part about my job, coming home from work, because typically I’ve worked late at night, so I’ve had to make that drive as late as 2, 3 a.m. in the morning to get home at 4 (a.m.),” Wadsworth said. “That is the worst part of the drive is that late drive home.”
Working for Southwest Airlines in Atlanta versus a pilot in Athens has been better for his career in terms of pay and opportunity. However, Wadsworth predicts he will consider a career in Athens after retirement.
Part of that draw is separating his work and home life with his wife, Mary, and two daughters, Lizzie and Kate, due to Oglethorpe County’s slower pace of life and sense of community.
“I just enjoy that part of being. I have my land, I have my peace and quiet, I have my neighbors,” Wadsworth said. “It’s just a more relaxing lifestyle to me.”
Timmy Gay, sales rep Athens Ford
Timmy Gay, Athens Ford sales representative and Crawford resident, finds Oglethorpe County has a positive impact on his Athens career and family.
“Because I live here in the community, I try to make sure that I can bring my work to the community,” Gay said.
Gay and Athens Ford have connected with Oglethorpe County through events, such as donating money to the Oglethorpe County Elementary School’s new playground equipment and leading a “Hakuna Matata” singalong with the primary school teachers and when showing off a Ford car.
“What’s helped me in my career at Athens Ford is actually a lot of people in Oglethorpe,” Gay said. “I’ve actually gotten with the school system, and actually we’ve been able to donate.”
Gay was born and raised in Valdosta and has been an Oglethorpe County resident for more than 10 years. He has been an Athens Ford sales representative, per suggestion from his wife, Jenna, for around six years.
Gay’s commute to Athens Ford is around 25 minutes.
“I actually live right behind the rec department, and that’s a big thing with my family, because my wife is a teacher in Oglethorpe, so her commute from the house to her school is five or 10 minutes,” Gay said. “I would rather travel 30 minutes or 40 minutes, on a bad day, than her having to just travel five or 10 minutes,” Gay said.
When Gay and Jenna moved to Oglethorpe County, they rented a house from family members who had relocated to Athens but had kids in the Oglethorpe County schools. The family ties helped connect Gay, his wife and their two sons, Tristan and Jensen, to the county.
“We eventually just started going to their games and the rec department and things like that,” Gay said. “That kind of brought us more closer to the community of Oglethorpe.”
Working in Athens and living in Oglethorpe County has provided Gay a way to strengthen his career while maintaining his family’s lifestyle.
“I’d rather stay living here and have to take a little extra commute,” Gay said. “I want to see my family more, but I will sacrifice a little bit more time if I have to, just so we can stay living where we're at.”