Atlanta's traffic/pace/atmosphere? (Decatur, Druid Hills: extended stay, transplants, crime)

[stewarthaas]

Hello, I am debating on an extended stay or permanent move to the Atlanta area for railroad training with CSX. I am from a town of 25,000 and not too big on the city life but for temporarily I won't mind it and I have always thought southeners were friendlier and more laid back in most cities I've been to. But I have never been to Atlanta and my questions are.....

How is the traffic in Atlanta? Are people very impatient and aggressive?

How is the pace in Atlanta? Maybe you could compare it to some other cities or states you have been to before.

What is the general atmosphere of the city and also the metro area including the suburbs linked to Atlanta? Should I expect it to be just like any city up north such as in Jersey or New York or is the pace more laid back.

Any help appreciated.

[TakeAhike]

Originally Posted by stewarthaas

Hello, I am debating on an extended stay or permanent move to the Atlanta area for railroad training with CSX. I am from a town of 25,000 and not too big on the city life but for temporarily I won't mind it and I have always thought southeners were friendlier and more laid back in most cities I've been to. But I have never been to Atlanta and my questions are.....

How is the traffic in Atlanta? Are people very impatient and aggressive?

How is the pace in Atlanta? Maybe you could compare it to some other cities or states you have been to before.

What is the general atmosphere of the city and also the metro area including the suburbs linked to Atlanta? Should I expect it to be just like any city up north such as in Jersey or New York or is the pace more laid back.Any help appreciated.

Welcome, Stewart--yes, there are friendly people here--transplanted from all across the country and the globe. lol--j/k--local humor--Go straight to the Varsity--Atlanta landmark--featured on Diners and Dives--and that should give you an idea of how Atlanta is. <ducking and running from the mob of outraged citizens and transplants>
Chili dogs, deliciously greasy fries/onion rings, fried pies and frosty oranges

Actually there are many food options and we have a number of previous threads on this topic.

Now--each part of the city has a somewhat different personality-so I will let others give their opinions on their favorite/not so favorite areas.
In general, we have over 5,000,000 people, many corporations, colleges and universities and the city began as a center for business and transportation.

Lots of traffic--you need to live relatively close to your place of employment. When you identify an area then posters can give you the scoop on better routes for your commute.

Atlanta is about business--and there are many styles of doing business. Professional and esoteric might describe Atlanta. Courtesy is something preferred by all and crime is not taken lightly.

Another thing you might do to get a sense of Atlanta is take a driving tour. Start on Peachtree Street--then just before the Fox Theater, another iconic Atlanta landmark and a great place to go --plays and concerts--turn R on Ponce de Leon Ave. Krispy Kreme--doughnuts, the old Sears/former ATL PD building, across the street from a strip mall--Borders, and 20 or so other stores and shops, 2-3 miles and you come to Va Highland/Briarcliff Rd--Va Hi is one of the older neighborhoods--upscale shops and restaurants --charming 20-30's homes and many young professionals live here. Then comes Callanwolde--former Candler/Coca Cola mansion and you are on your way to Druid Hills/Driving Miss Daisy/Emory University and the City of Decatur.

All around this center part is the traffic--interstates filled with cars. Peak hours from around 6:30 AM to 9/10 AM and the exodus begins around 4PM and last several hours.
So take your pick of what you like about Atlanta. There are thousands of ways to enjoy living here and then again it is not the place that some prefer to be.

Some say Atlanta is like LA--others believe it compares more closely to Chicago. I don't know. We have some great trees, hot and humid in the summers--which is now, moderate winters--some very cold days/weeks, last fall for the first time in decades--major flooding--2 years before that a devastating drought. The Chattahoochee River is a good place to spend the hot and humid summer days. 'The Hooch'--tubing on the Hooch. Lots of ways to play here---work first --'Grab It and Growl'--a Southern euphenism that might be relevant.

hth

hth

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by stewarthaas

Hello, I am debating on an extended stay or permanent move to the Atlanta area for railroad training with CSX. I am from a town of 25,000 and not too big on the city life but for temporarily I won't mind it and I have always thought Southerners were friendlier and more laid back in most cities I've been to. But I have never been to Atlanta and my questions are.....

How is the traffic in Atlanta? Are people very impatient and aggressive?

Bad, and on the roads, "yes".

Originally Posted by stewarthaas

How is the pace in Atlanta? Maybe you could compare it to some other cities or states you have been to before.

The newer of the nicknames "L.A. of the East" isn't too far off. Not quite as much Botox and organic foods yet, but it's getting there.

Originally Posted by stewarthaas

What is the general atmosphere of the city and also the metro area including the suburbs linked to Atlanta? Should I expect it to be just like any city up north such as in Jersey or New York or is the pace more laid back.

As was mentioned by someone else already, the suburbs can vary quite a bit depending on which one you go to. Some are more yuppie, others blue collar, some very ethnic, some homogeneous. Very varied. Atlanta like any large city is a city of transplants. I'm afraid you won't find the laid-back "Southern atmosphere" you think exists here, because Atlanta really isn't a Southern city due to the fact so many people here come from literally all over. Sure, there are Southerners here, but there are also New York transplants (by the tons), West Coasters, Canadians, people from various foreign lands, etc. There's no way to peg a generic "feel" to it.

If you haven't been here, you REALLY need to take some time off and visit first before moving, even if it's just for a work week.

[tonygeorgia]

Morning traffic | 8:00am-until 9:30am (whoever said 6:30am doesnt know what they are talking about)

Atlanta is still a Southern City.....LA is still a West Coast city even thought is filled with transplants

[neil0311]

Traffic in Atlanta is very specific to route and time of day. It can be very bad on certain roads and at certain times. On other roads, traffic is fine, and outside of core rush hours, traffic is fine. Unlike cities like NY or LA, you won't run into long waits at tunnels or bridges or traffic at night or on weekends.

Having lived in the northeast for most of my life, I find that many folks in Atlanta judge traffic by how Atlanta was 20 years ago, or by how traffic was in another small city. When you look at it by that yardstick, traffic is bad, but when you look at traffic in comparison to other large cities, it's not all that special.

[DTL3000]

How is the traffic in Atlanta? Are people very impatient and aggressive?

They can be, depending on where you are at and what time of day it is. I try to stay off of the interstates because people drive like maniac speed demons around here. Some areas like Buckhead are full of rude, impatient drivers a lot of the time. Traffic in Atlanta can be unpredictable but it usually follows the rush hour pattern.

How is the pace in Atlanta? Maybe you could compare it to some other cities or states you have been to before.

It's moderate I guess. I grew up in the sticks but have lived in small towns, medium sized cities, and NYC. It is not nearly as hectic and rushed as NYC of course but I wouldn't say it's slow either.

What is the general atmosphere of the city and also the metro area including the suburbs linked to Atlanta? Should I expect it to be just like any city up north such as in Jersey or New York or is the pace more laid back.

It's not as lively as northeastern cities for the most part. We don't have the density for the street life that makes cities in the NE so vibrant. There are neighborhoods that host occasional festivals that draw crowds but for the most part, the activity level just seems lower. It is a bit more relaxed in a lot of aspects.

Where are you training?

[NY_Esquire]

Originally Posted by neil0311

Traffic in Atlanta is very specific to route and time of day. It can be very bad on certain roads and at certain times. On other roads, traffic is fine, and outside of core rush hours, traffic is fine. Unlike cities like NY or LA, you won't run into long waits at tunnels or bridges or traffic at night or on weekends.

Having lived in the northeast for most of my life, I find that many folks in Atlanta judge traffic by how Atlanta was 20 years ago, or by how traffic was in another small city. When you look at it by that yardstick, traffic is bad, but when you look at traffic in comparison to other large cities, it's not all that special.

Thanks for this post. People were scaring the living daylights out of me with stories about Atlanta's traffic lol. Your post put me a little more at ease.

[ChevyGuy39]

"delete"

[stewarthaas]

Thanks for the input, the city I live near right now in CT has a population of 120,000 so Atlanta is probably even more fast paced then here.

The training facility is actually in Mcdonough, but it seems like that area is a suburb with lots of communities being built in an old southern charm town. If and when I do purchase a home in that area, it wont be on a .5 acre lot lol, I would much rather live out in the country on a few acres.

So if anyone has some input on the pace and traffic of Mcdonough that would be helpful.
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[tonygeorgia]

Traffic going south from 75/675 can get bad in the afternoon but for the most part traffic isnt bad.