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Recently my fiance and I took a road trip from Miami to Chicago, we both have were born and raised here and wanted to see something different. On the way there we drove through ATL and many other cities and we both got the feeling of being so disconnected down in Miami. This simmered and now that we are back here, we are just dissatisfied with this city.
After some talking we came decided that a move would be good for us and ATL was a good place try out. I work in banking and she works is a Graphic Artist, we both are successful in our careers and are in a position to move.
That being said, the reason I am posting here is to get a better feel of the city from a residents view. Which neighborhoods are fitting for young professional couples? What is the quality of living like? How expensive is the city, etc? Traffic is not a very big problem, we deal with that here and its a given when moving to a large city.
Basically, we are sick of the plastic and artificialness of Miami, this city is only geared toward certain markets and people and we want a better place to start and raise a family. So please, tell me what you guys like most about ATL! I am really excited to hear from all of you
Location: Formerly NYC by week; ATL by weekend...now Rio bi annually and ATL bi annually
1,522 posts, read 2,245,359 times
Reputation: 1041
Hello! I myseld made that move back in 04 (though I wasnt a native of Miami). It is a good move to make. There are multiple areas that would be a good fit for you guys; Camp Creek area, Marietta, Kennesaw if you dont mind a lil extra commute, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs, Tucker, Chamblee, some parts of Decatur, abd Intown. What would a budget for rent or home purchase be? Right now is a good time to buy due to low home prices. There IS income tax here unlike FL, but property taxes are WAAAYY lower than FL.
Thanks for the response, currently my fiancee commutes 30 miles one way for work and my own commute is 5 miles. So we are okay with driving if it is required. We would like to rent first before purchasing and are comfortable with up to $1300 a month. State income taxes are something that we are okay with. We don't need a house but a condo or apartment will do fine. We are 25 and 26 so a younger area will be best.
Location: Formerly NYC by week; ATL by weekend...now Rio bi annually and ATL bi annually
1,522 posts, read 2,245,359 times
Reputation: 1041
Quote:
Originally Posted by monibee
Thanks for the response, currently my fiancee commutes 30 miles one way for work and my own commute is 5 miles. So we are okay with driving if it is required. We would like to rent first before purchasing and are comfortable with up to $1300 a month. State income taxes are something that we are okay with. We don't need a house but a condo or apartment will do fine. We are 25 and 26 so a younger area will be best.
OK. You should check out Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Downtown ATL, VA Highlands, Marietta and im pretty sure I left some areas out. Pretty good areas to commute to and from work. Good luck.
Location: ๏̯͡๏﴿ Gwinnett-That's a Civil Matter-County
2,118 posts, read 6,379,725 times
Reputation: 3547
I grew up and lived in miami for many years prior to moving here. Lived here about 12 years. So those are my credentials.
I totally understand the superficial plasticky people and major quality of life issues down there (particularly if you aren't a multi millionaire). Not to mention the crime, hurricanes, lack of jobs, low pay, high real estate prices and all of the local drama, corruption etc etc. Never the less, I believe there is more to do down there and also, Miami is an easier place to make and keep (that's important) friends. That's my opinion.
But you didn't ask about things to do or making friends, you asked about raising a family. And when it comes to doing that, you've just hit the family-raising-jackpot. That seems to be the number one thing that people do here.
Miami is a much smaller city not just in population but in size. Even though the traffic is far far far worse in miami (yes I said it), because everything is so spread out here, you could find yourself sitting in the car just as long if not longer. Miami is more laid back and Atlanta just feels like a rat race in comparison. I know that must sound incredibly unbelievably surprising. But that's my take. Here, people seem to get into this sort of mundane lifestyle and nobody ever wants to do anything. Miami just felt to more more like a large group of small communities whereas Atlanta feels like one contiguous, never-ending place even though the urban core has a completely different vibe than the suburbs.
My family comes up to visit frequently, it's like a vacation for them from all the madness to come up here but when they get here it's like they're wired. They constantly want to do something and in my area, there isn't much for them to do.
As for the cost of living, when you add up all the numbers, I think it'll come out maybe about the same. It's tough to say. We have state income taxes here, higher sales tax except for a couple counties, we pay property taxes on our cars (although that's soon changing thank god), and we commute longer distances. On the other hand, car and home insurance is much less up here, many of the electric companies are actually non-profit co-ops and you'll more than likely pay a lot less for utilities anyway. (I haven't turned on the A/C in about a month) Right now you can buy homes for less than they cost to build in the suburbs so the housing prices are definitely cheaper although a word of caution, the flip side to cheaper housing means you shouldn't expect to have an easy time selling your home when the time comes and you shouldn't expect the value to increase like it would in miami where you've run out of room to build houses.
Others here have rattled off some areas to look at. Back to reality... you're going to need to find out where you're workplace is located first and your budget.
Rent first. Make 100% sure you're staying for a lonnnng time.
Atlanta is like the Hotel California.
You can move out any time you'd like but you can never sell. Especially with the in town condos. Be careful with those.
That's my $0.02. YMMV.
Good luck to you and I encourage you to spread your wings and get out of Miyamma. The change of culture, seasons, all of that is worth experiencing.
Thanks for the info, I just want a more family oriented atmosphere. There is no sense of community in Miami. You live next door to people that you never speak to, the people are rude and it is just not a place I care to be anymore. I grew up here, and I am sick of it.
I can transfer to a Chase of my choice, which is where I work. I looked on the internet and saw that there are many locations in Atlanta to choose from. My fiance will most likely work downtown but she is used to a 30 mile commute.
We have discussed it and we definitely want the change.
For $1,300/mo you can get a nice 1/1 basically anywhere. For a 2/2 you'll have to compromise on quality or location or both. But you won't need to live 30 minutes from downtown. Unless you want to. There are many options even in a place like Midtown.
I grew up and lived in miami for many years prior to moving here. Lived here about 12 years. So those are my credentials.
I totally understand the superficial plasticky people and major quality of life issues down there (particularly if you aren't a multi millionaire). Not to mention the crime, hurricanes, lack of jobs, low pay, high real estate prices and all of the local drama, corruption etc etc. Never the less, I believe there is more to do down there and also, Miami is an easier place to make and keep (that's important) friends. That's my opinion.
But you didn't ask about things to do or making friends, you asked about raising a family. And when it comes to doing that, you've just hit the family-raising-jackpot. That seems to be the number one thing that people do here.
Miami is a much smaller city not just in population but in size. Even though the traffic is far far far worse in miami (yes I said it), because everything is so spread out here, you could find yourself sitting in the car just as long if not longer. Miami is more laid back and Atlanta just feels like a rat race in comparison. I know that must sound incredibly unbelievably surprising. But that's my take. Here, people seem to get into this sort of mundane lifestyle and nobody ever wants to do anything. Miami just felt to more more like a large group of small communities whereas Atlanta feels like one contiguous, never-ending place even though the urban core has a completely different vibe than the suburbs.
My family comes up to visit frequently, it's like a vacation for them from all the madness to come up here but when they get here it's like they're wired. They constantly want to do something and in my area, there isn't much for them to do.
As for the cost of living, when you add up all the numbers, I think it'll come out maybe about the same. It's tough to say. We have state income taxes here, higher sales tax except for a couple counties, we pay property taxes on our cars (although that's soon changing thank god), and we commute longer distances. On the other hand, car and home insurance is much less up here, many of the electric companies are actually non-profit co-ops and you'll more than likely pay a lot less for utilities anyway. (I haven't turned on the A/C in about a month) Right now you can buy homes for less than they cost to build in the suburbs so the housing prices are definitely cheaper although a word of caution, the flip side to cheaper housing means you shouldn't expect to have an easy time selling your home when the time comes and you shouldn't expect the value to increase like it would in miami where you've run out of room to build houses.
Others here have rattled off some areas to look at. Back to reality... you're going to need to find out where you're workplace is located first and your budget.
Rent first. Make 100% sure you're staying for a lonnnng time.
Atlanta is like the Hotel California.
You can move out any time you'd like but you can never sell. Especially with the in town condos. Be careful with those.
That's my $0.02. YMMV.
Good luck to you and I encourage you to spread your wings and get out of Miyamma. The change of culture, seasons, all of that is worth experiencing.
This sounds like the rant of someone who lives in the burbs.
Quote:
Miami is an easier place to make and keep (that's important) friends.
Location: ๏̯͡๏﴿ Gwinnett-That's a Civil Matter-County
2,118 posts, read 6,379,725 times
Reputation: 3547
Quote:
Originally Posted by monibee
@Critic
Thanks for the info, I just want a more family oriented atmosphere. There is no sense of community in Miami. You live next door to people that you never speak to, the people are rude and it is just not a place I care to be anymore. I grew up here, and I am sick of it.
Well I suppose things can change over time. I'm sorry to hear that.
Unfortunately it is the same here IMHO. Nobody talks to one another. People are rude.
Maybe it's because of all the florida transplants??? I dunno. There's certainly a lot of us here. I'm flanked on both sides just about by ex-miami residents. They're nice though. In fact, all of the ex-FL refugees I've met here have been nice. I guess we're just speaking each other's language.
I was hoping some of them would chime in here. I'm surprised nobody else has come forward.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Onthemove2014
This sounds like the rant of someone who lives in the burbs.
I'm not ranting but yes obviously I'm in the burbs. You will find that most people with hopes and dreams of moving to atlanta end up moving to the burbs. Especially the young couples looking for a place to raise a family.
Not knowing the OPs budget or workplaces at the time I posted, I had assumed that the expensive close-in areas mentioned would be probably be out like they are for most people. We all know employers keep moving farther and farther out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Onthemove2014
How do you figure this?
Based on my experience. It's tough to keep friends when nobody wants to do the drive, or it's always too far, too hot, too cold, too late, gotta get home to read the kids a bedtime story, blah blah blah blah blah.
Is this a just part of living in a far-away suburb? Maybe yes, maybe no. I've had friends in cobb county and dekalb and north fulton. Commuting to see them takes forever and with gas prices now it also costs a fortune. The urban dwellers that don't associate with anyone or anything OTP obviously won't have this dilemma. Then again there comes a time even in those peoples' lives where they settle down and are ready to move to out to the burbs. I've seen it time and time again.
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
11,334 posts, read 26,096,346 times
Reputation: 3996
Quote:
Originally Posted by cittic10
Based on my experience. It's tough to keep friends when nobody wants to do the drive, or it's always too far, too hot, too cold, too late, gotta get home to read the kids a bedtime story, blah blah blah blah blah.
Wow. The above sounds like an issue with the folks you're trying to be friends with, not the location.
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There's certainly a lot of us here. I'm flanked on both sides just about by ex-miami residents. They're nice though. In fact, all of the ex-FL refugees I've met here have been nice. I guess we're just speaking each other's language.
