Is Ridgewood & Poplar Heights safe?
Savannah, Georgia · safety score updated nightly
Mostly yes, with normal city awareness.
VibeLoco rates Ridgewood & Poplar Heights as “Go, stay aware”.
Gogo's take on Ridgewood & Poplar Heights
“Go. Ridgewood and Poplar Heights are quiet, established residential communities that offer a calm and safe environment for visitors and short-term renters. While there is little dedicated tourism inside the neighborhood, violent crime is low and daily life is peaceful.”
About the area
Ridgewood and Poplar Heights are mid-century, suburban-style residential neighborhoods located in Midtown/Southeast Savannah near the Truman Parkway. Dominated by single-family brick ranches, mature greenery, and long-standing local families, the area serves as a quiet retreat from the bustling downtown district.
- Quiet / Suburban
- Residential
- Tree-Lined
- Car-Dependent
Walking and biking in Ridgewood & Poplar Heights
Walk score: 32/100 · Bike score: 48/100
There are no dedicated bike lanes within the neighborhood streets, but the low vehicular speeds make residential riding easy, and the nearby Truman Linear Park Trail offers multi-use trail connectivity.
Reasons to go, and reasons to think twice
Pros
- Violent crime rates are significantly lower than Savannah's historical downtown and urban core.
- Strong baseline of owner-occupied, well-maintained single-family properties.
- Low-traffic, tranquil residential street grid with shaded neighborhood lanes.
Cons
- Opportunistic vehicle break-ins and petty property theft occur occasionally along perimeter corridors.
- Strictly car-dependent layout with almost no walkable neighborhood retail or dining.
- Inconsistent street lighting on some interior residential streets at night.
Homelessness: Visible homelessness is essentially non-existent within the interior residential streets of Poplar Heights and Ridgewood, with minimal panhandling limited to major commercial strip malls on outlying arterials.
What Ridgewood & Poplar Heights is like at each time of day
- Morning · 5a – 11a
- Peaceful and safe, with local residents walking dogs and light neighborhood commuter movement.
- Afternoon · 11a – 5p
- Calm and family-friendly with minimal through-traffic on interior residential lanes.
- Evening · 5p – 10p
- Quiet residential wind-down with virtually no foot traffic and a generally secure atmosphere.
- Late night · 10p – 5a
- Very dark and deserted; while violent crime is rare, standard situational awareness regarding parked cars and property is prudent.
Transit, parking and getting around
Public transit is provided by Chatham Area Transit (CAT), with bus Route 4 connecting nearby Skidaway Road to downtown Savannah; there is no passenger rail system in Savannah.
Parking is simple and completely free throughout the neighborhood, with plentiful driveway space and unrestricted curbside street parking.
Things to do in Ridgewood & Poplar Heights
- Play a round of golf under moss-draped live oaks at the adjacent Bacon Park Golf Course.
- Enjoy outdoor tennis, ball fields, and green space throughout Bacon Park complex.
- Take a short drive to the historic Sandfly and Isle of Hope communities for coastal dining and sightseeing.
Local favorites
- Bacon Park Golf Course · Golf Course · 4.1★ (490)Historic public municipal golf facility designed by Donald Ross with practice facilities and a clubhouse.
- Castaways · Seafood Restaurant · 4.4★ (760)Laid-back neighborhood eatery serving local coastal catches, fried shrimp, and draft beers.
- Sandfly BBQ · Barbecue Restaurant · 4.6★ (1250)Beloved local smokehouse serving pulled pork, smoked chicken, and classic southern sides near Skidaway Road.
Scores are safety-driven — recent reported crime and local news plus Census income, poverty, housing, education, household and access data — refreshed nightly. Walk and bike scores are shown separately and do not affect the safety score. A guide, not a guarantee — conditions change street to street.