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We are moving down to the Atlanta area soon from Richmond, VA BUT...I lived in the Chicago area my whole life before moving to Richmond. It is good to read on here that people do love Atlanta (overall) because I'm nervous about it. In my mind, NO city compares to my beloved Chicago. I know that will always be true but I hope my family will grow to love Atlanta too as we're there for my husband's job and the kids will be going to school there for the unforseeable future.
Honestly, yes the weather is probably "better" in the south, milder winters, etc... however, I do miss the crisp Falls of Chicago and even winter there. Those snowstorms can be fun, when you're all curled up inside drinking your hot chocolate in your big sweater, after shoveling. Also, I think the summers in Richmond are TOO hot and I'm quite sure Hotlanta will be the same (or worse!). UGH. Chicago is beautiful, it has every amenity known to man and even though I'm a mom now, I sure do like reminiscing about my youth spent going downtown, the nightlife of Chicago, the pro sports (esp. when the Bulls were king)! Chicago is an amazing city! That said, the cost of living there truly is atrocious. Affording a nice home can be close to impossible!
Anyway, at least I can still visit my extended family and get my Chicago fix every year. That city will alway be my heart. But we are looking forward to our move to Atlanta and hope it's great for our family! It seems like a great and very pretty area!
p.s. I also miss Lake Michigan and think it's a darn shame that Atlanta has no major body of water nearby!!
We are moving down to the Atlanta area soon from Richmond, VA BUT...I lived in the Chicago area my whole life before moving to Richmond. It is good to read on here that people do love Atlanta (overall) because I'm nervous about it. In my mind, NO city compares to my beloved Chicago. I know that will always be true but I hope my family will grow to love Atlanta too as we're there for my husband's job and the kids will be going to school there for the unforseeable future.
Honestly, yes the weather is probably "better" in the south, milder winters, etc... however, I do miss the crisp Falls of Chicago and even winter there. Those snowstorms can be fun, when you're all curled up inside drinking your hot chocolate in your big sweater, after shoveling. Also, I think the summers in Richmond are TOO hot and I'm quite sure Hotlanta will be the same (or worse!). UGH. Chicago is beautiful, it has every amenity known to man and even though I'm a mom now, I sure do like reminiscing about my youth spent going downtown, the nightlife of Chicago, the pro sports (esp. when the Bulls were king)! Chicago is an amazing city! That said, the cost of living there truly is atrocious. Affording a nice home can be close to impossible!
Anyway, at least I can still visit my extended family and get my Chicago fix every year. That city will alway be my heart. But we are looking forward to our move to Atlanta and hope it's great for our family! It seems like a great and very pretty area!
p.s. I also miss Lake Michigan and think it's a darn shame that Atlanta has no major body of water nearby!!
Nice post, and welcome to Atlanta (next year). Of course they aren't Lake Michigan, but Lake Lanier and Lake Allatoona are both large recreational lakes less than an hour from Atlanta. Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair are both just a little further (less than 2 hours) but even larger than the first two. People in Atlanta use the lakes (boating, skiing, vacation homes, etc) regularly and they are considered Atlanta's waterfronts.
Ooh, thank you Joe Tarheel! That is GREAT news!!! I absolutely love inland lakes; I grew up going to Wisconsin lakes and that is one of the things I miss about "home" the most, those lakes! I'm thrilled to hear that there are some beautiful ones nearby to Atlanta, THANK YOU!!
I know this thread has gone on a while. But to answer your question succinctly as someone who moved here from Chicago, yes.
Our circustances are different though so you may end up liking it here. I've lived here many years and Atlanta has never grown on me in a positive way and I have tried my best to like it, buying into people telling me how great Atlanta is while being dishonest with myself about the fact the I just don't really see all the greatness people keep talking about.
As a major city, Atlanta has a lot less to offer than Chicago or NYC. Just my opinion. The people I find who loved moving here the most are people who moved here from smaller southern cities so they see Atlanta as big time. other people I know who have moved here from Chicago, NYC, LA or DC have either left or want to leave. Again you may like it here. Come check it, explore it and compare your options.
*I typed this on my phone so please forgive any typos or grammatical errors.
Hi Atlanta_BD! Well, I already know I'm not likely to fall madly in love with Atlanta. I am just way too Chicago-centric. I compare everything to Chicago and no one can ever compare to my hometown city. I have lived in Richmond, VA for many years and it was an incredible culture shock to come down here-the south, small city, hardly any of the amenties of Chicago. I have had a hard time since the beginning but that said, over time I did grow to love Richmond in many ways and have some attachment to it as it has been our home for awhile. It's a very nice city, just not "me", not for the long haul for sure.
Atlanta will be closer to Chicago in feel if only because it's a much larger city than Richmond with pro sports, big museums, culture, etc... So that part will feel a bit more familiar to me and I'm hoping we will grow to love it in some capacity. Right now I don't have a choice really-this is where my husband's job is taking him and we're along for the ride. If it were up to me I would definitely be in Chicago. Since it's not an option now I have to adjust to where I'm going and hopefully bloom where I'm planted, in Atlanta. Really crossing my fingers that it's the right move! Thank you for your feedback Atlanta_BD, it helps to hear another Chicagoan's perspective.
I know this thread has gone on a while. But to answer your question succinctly as someone who moved here from Chicago, yes.
Our circustances are different though so you may end up liking it here. I've lived here many years and Atlanta has never grown on me in a positive way and I have tried my best to like it, buying into people telling me how great Atlanta is while being dishonest with myself about the fact the I just don't really see all the greatness people keep talking about.
As a major city, Atlanta has a lot less to offer than Chicago or NYC. Just my opinion. The people I find who loved moving here the most are people who moved here from smaller southern cities so they see Atlanta as big time. other people I know who have moved here from Chicago, NYC, LA or DC have either left or want to leave. Again you may like it here. Come check it, explore it and compare your options.
*I typed this on my phone so please forgive any typos or grammatical errors.
I agree with Atlanta_BD. We moved here from Chicago 18 years ago and although Atlanta isn't necessarily a bad place, it's not anything like Chicago, which I miss dearly. If it wasn't for the weather, we'd be back in Chicago by now. We went to Chicago for vacation earlier this month and that may have been the icing on the cake. The city is better than ever and still growing! New buildings were everywhere. I dunno, do you think 18 years is long enough or should I give it a few more years before planning our return?
Hi Atlanta_BD! Well, I already know I'm not likely to fall madly in love with Atlanta. I am just way too Chicago-centric. I compare everything to Chicago and no one can ever compare to my hometown city. I have lived in Richmond, VA for many years and it was an incredible culture shock to come down here-the south, small city, hardly any of the amenties of Chicago. I have had a hard time since the beginning but that said, over time I did grow to love Richmond in many ways and have some attachment to it as it has been our home for awhile. It's a very nice city, just not "me", not for the long haul for sure.
That's how I feel about Atlanta. Though there are a few pocket neighborhoods that I like, and I love Dragon Con, Atlanta isn't me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lilac28
Atlanta will be closer to Chicago in feel if only because it's a much larger city than Richmond with pro sports, big museums, culture, etc... So that part will feel a bit more familiar to me and I'm hoping we will grow to love it in some capacity
.
Don't count on it. If you come to Atlanta expecting it to be anything like Chicago, you will be highly disappointed. I've tried to find things here similar to make my experience in Atlanta more enjoyable but they just aren't here. Come here with the mind that Atlanta is a different city entirely and find what you will like about it, but DO NOT come here expecting it will be like Chicago. It just doesn't compare.
The museums here are subpar at best. The High Museum of Art for example does not compare to the Art Institue by any stretch. Saying its permanent collection is mediocre is being generous. You can go to the High once and after that, there's really no need to go back except when there's a traveling exhibit that may interest you. It's actually pretty lame. The best traveling exhibits to the High have come and gone. The Fernbank Natural History Museum and its science center are a joke compared to the Field Museum and The Museum of Science and Industry. In fact, all of Atlanta's attractions are lame yet over-priced. Don't even let me get started on Atlanta's joke of a children's museum. I took my child once when she was younger and we never went back. It wasn't worth the $22 admission price.
Since you are a Chicago girl to the core like me, after spending an arm and a leg getting into Atlanta's attractions you may find yourself saying, "Was that it? I spent all that money on this?"
Unlike Chicago there aren't really many free festivals or activities. You even have to pay to use public park swimming pools and tennis courts here. If I'm not mistaken it sounds like you and your family will be moving here with a decent income, so having to spend lots of money every time you want to take your children somewhere or keeping them in activties so they won't be bored may not be an issue for you. And you can always travel to other cities.
Living in Chicago I never had to travel outside the city limits to do a thing. People say Atlanta is great because you can drive hours to the beach. Back home the beach was literally outside my back door.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lilac28
Right now I don't have a choice really-this is where my husband's job is taking him and we're along for the ride. If it were up to me I would definitely be in Chicago. Since it's not an option now I have to adjust to where I'm going and hopefully bloom where I'm planted, in Atlanta. Really crossing my fingers that it's the right move! Thank you for your feedback Atlanta_BD, it helps to hear another Chicagoan's perspective.
What I'd suggest is that you approach Atlanta as its own unique thing and find a way for you and your family to enjoy it with what's here. Many people come here and love it. I don't so I'm biased. This is my honest assessment as a Chicagoan living in Atlanta for over 10 years. Just find a way to make it work as best you can but if you try to see Atlanta through Chicago-colored glasses, you won't be happy. Trying to approach it through a Chicago lense, what will end up happening is that you will see more and more what Atlanta lacks compared to Chicago, so if you are wanting to keep it positive, don't do that.
Lilac28: I wanted to add that in terms of Atlanta pro sports, they love their Falcons, but here and in the south general, their passion is college sports and you will find adults who are rabid fans of teams for colle.es which they never attended. It's rahther bizarre to me lol.
Also, there are only two nice malls in Atlanta proper for shopping: Lenox.e Mall and Phipps Plaza. You will find nothing like The Mag Mile, State Street or the Northside for shopping here. Downtown Atlanta has no nice shopping . The only national clothing store in downtown Atl is Rainbow. The rest are mom and pop stores selling urban wear and trinketts.
If I were compare neighborhoods similar to Chicago it woudl be:
Virginia-Highland = Hyde Park
Downtow Decatur/Oakhurst = Oak Park maybe
Little 5 Points = Wicker Park
Midtown = Lakeview/Boys Town
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Also, I think the summers in Richmond are TOO hot and I'm quite sure Hotlanta will be the same (or worse!). UGH. Chicago is beautiful, it has every amenity known to man and even though I'm a mom now, I sure do like reminiscing about my youth spent going downtown, the nightlife of Chicago, the pro sports (esp. when the Bulls were king)! Chicago is an amazing city! That said, the cost of living there truly is atrocious. Affording a nice home can be close to impossible! 
