Cody Thorpe likes to consider himself “the first friend people make in Savannah.”
So, it’s no surprise to see him top the list as this year’s Best All-Around Savannah Resident.
Working for the Savannah Slow Ride, Thorpe was already excited to hear his company had won Savannah’s Best Bar Crawl, but when he was told he’d been bestowed this coveted title, he was excited and humbled.
At 29, Thorpe has been in Savannah now for almost a decade.
“I’m originally from the greater Philadelphia area. I moved here with a friend who was living in Atlanta at the time. He came back up to Pennsylvania for Christmas break. He had a really good job offer here in Savannah. I had never been south of Maryland at that point in my life, and he suggested I move with him. I was up to try something new for two weeks. So, I packed up my car and I’ve been here ever since.”
Savannah has a way of doing that to folks.
Thorpe laughed at his journey to town.
“A fun fact is I had never even heard of Savannah before I moved here. I had heard of Atlanta, obviously, but I didn’t know anything about Savannah—especially it being a tourist destination or a place to live. I looked it up and got some information on it. I liked how it looked and I decided to give it a shot. I had never done anything super crazy and I figured… ‘hey let’s move 800 miles away.’”
When speaking about Savannah, Thorpe said, “Beside the fact that it’s sincerely beautiful, the tourism is just incredible. I had obviously been a tourist in other places, but now that I’m working in the tourism industry—having done it for some time now—I enjoy watching people on vacation and showing them my beautiful city and all that it has to offer. I think that’s the one thing that really keeps me here because I absolutely adore getting to live here every day while some people come here on a quick three-day weekend or vacation. I get to enjoy it every day of my life.
#WeLiveWhereYouVacation
Cody is also involved in a bicycle club called the Wolf Pack that has charity events all over town raising money for select organizations.
He also hosts a billiards night at The Wormhole and is a big golf enthusiast.
“I’m golfing at least twice a week. Working, golfing, playing pool, living the life that’s it,” he said.
What does the title of best Savannah resident represent to Thorpe?
“I think a lot of it has to do with—only because I’ve heard this so many times—I feel like I have a very welcoming personality. A lot of people come here or move here and a lot of times they don’t know anyone. I’ve been many people’s first person they’ve met [in Savannah]. I love to bring folks into the city, show them around and make them feel welcome. I’ve maintained most of those friendships for over a decade now. I just love making people feel welcome and I think that has a lot to do with me getting this award. For people to say I’m their first friend in Savannah seriously moves me.”
Chatham County has seen an influx in people moving here. Thorpe said for anyone thinking of moving here to Savannah, come visit first.
“If someone hasn’t been here yet and is thinking about moving here, I would love for them to come to visit to get a feel for our city. I do believe there’s something for everyone here in [this} wildly eclectic city. I have looked at cities all over the country and this is one where the community of Savannah has no problems with a 20-year-old hanging out with a 60-year-old and all walks of life can come together, congregate, and have a good time together, which is something I feel doesn’t happen in a lot of other places,” he said.
“People are wildly bonded over activities and interests here without the segregation of color or age or anything… that is a huge factor. I think that’s an interesting thing people always get to see. There are so many activities and things to do because almost everything is offered in this city.”
He paused for a moment. “Okay…maybe there’s a lack of an amusement park... but we pretty much have everything else all around us. We have great weather, although we do have to put up with some humidity here in the nine-month-long summer we have, besides that, everything is good.”
The Best All-Around Savannahian loves his beautiful city.
“I never regret not even one day moving here. I’ve met so many people along the way that have helped me continue along on my journey. I hope I have helped other people on their journey, too.”
