Why come to Atlanta? I just don't get it... (Dunwoody: unemployment rate, neighborhoods)

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by researchnerd

I moved here from Boston in 1994, when I transferred with my job. The three big things for me at that time were climate, cost of living, and job market. Now that the employment situation has done a complete 180, I've considered moving back to be near family, but the job market isn't any better up there, and the other two reasons are still valid.



I disagree that "most" of the school systems are bad. Some are awful, some are mediocre, some win awards, just like anyplace else.

I also disagree about the pay, at least in my industry. According to a recent salary survey, I'm making almost as much here as I would in SF or NYC. I would probably have to take a salary cut if I moved back to Boston, even though the cost of living there is a lot higher. The economics just wouldn't make sense...so here I stay, for now. Pay varies, of course, by industry, so YMMV.

What industry are you in?

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by tonygeorgia

I felt the same way until I moved from Atlanta. Try moving to nyc, dc, san fran, Miami,etc and I bet you will appreciate here a lot more, I'm not talking about visiting but move to those.cities for at least 4+ years and you will be running to come back I used to complain about marta until I went to Vegas and had to wait 30+ mins for a shuttle. I complained about paying 50 cent on ga 400 until I drove on the nj turnpike. I complained about our cold nap until I went to Chicago in the winter. I took the trees here for granted until I went to tx and boy that is an ugly state

Tony,

I think I flagged your post as spam in error when I was trying to reply to you. I apologize for that.

I hear what you are saying. But my things is, all the opportunities that people speak of, I don't see them. It seems the only people getting opportunities as of late are people who are transferring here from other cities with good-paying jobs already in tow. I know many people who transferred here with good jobs but once they lost those jobs, they haven't been able to find anymore work here in Georgia; or if they do, it's for way less money. If you are already on the ground here so to speak, and you are under or unemployed, you will most likely not be able find a decent-paying job, if at all--degree or not.

I'm from Chicago so I know what excellent public transportation is, and it ain't MARTA lol. I have had to wait 30-60 minutes for a MARTA bus on several occasions, the trains break down often (I flunked a college math couse because the train would literally break down every time I had an exam, making me late for class and I'd leave work 2 hours early) and it takes 2-3 hours to travel less than 5 miles.

I guess it's all relative. I know a lot of people don't like cold but even in the dead of winter in Chicago, the buses and trains run like clock work and you can get where you need to go. If we are going to compare cities, Chicago has a lot more things to do, a lot more top-notch attractions, many free activities (Atlanta attractions are subpar and expensive) and you can still do them in the dead of winter because you can get around. I can't speak for the cities you mentioned because I haven't lived there.

I lived in Chicago all my life and moved to Atlanta as an adult and I just found Chicago to be a much more enjoyable city.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Georgia is certainly no promised land when it comes to finding jobs.

However, one of the key factors is that we run a pretty tight ship here. I realize not everyone is a Republican, but you have to admit that a hard core red state like Georgia tends to keep taxes low and isn't going to waste a lot of money.

I worked for State and local government in Georgia for ten years and believe me when I say they waste a lot of money lol

[Cameron H]

My wife and I have been here for eight months now, and we absolutely love it. Here are some of our top benefits:

* Climate: four seasons, but with a very mild winter.

* Cost of Living: I kept the same salary moving from Minneapolis, and CoL in Atlanta is about 15% lower.

* Beautiful neighborhoods: I've lived in New Orleans, Houston, Austin, L.A., and Minneapolis for extended periods. Atlanta - the city itself - is blessed with a lot of natural beauty.

* MARTA: I take it everyday to work (20 minutes from Midtown to Dunwoody) and only drive my Porsche on weekends and road trips. It needs to be expanded, but it's a rare amenity in the Sun Belt.

* Location: We spent last weekend on the Tail of the Dragon in the Smoky Mountains. We're a few hours from Savannah and a few hours from the white-sand beaches of the Florida panhandle. The airport offers nonstop flights throughout the U.S., Carribean, and many destinations in Latin America and Western Europe.

* Culture: We love the diversity, we love the fusion of Southern culture with a modern, cosmopolitan city.

* Midtown: Not many walkable urban neighborhoods like it in the Sun Belt. It's just a perfect neighborhood for us.

Really, it's got a huge amount to offer. That said, no city will be for everyone.

[cittic10]

Because the people currently reside in dead end hell holes.

Atl might not be a dream destination but it's a lot better than most of the hell holes out there.

[atltechdude]

I think a lot of people come for employment and the low cost of living.

[tonygeorgia]

Originally Posted by Atlanta_BD

Tony,

I think I flagged your post as spam in error when I was trying to reply to you. I apologize for that.

I hear what you are saying. But my things is, all the opportunities that people speak of, I don't see them. It seems the only people getting opportunities as of late are people who are transferring here from other cities with good-paying jobs already in tow. I know many people who transferred here with good jobs but once they lost those jobs, they haven't been able to find anymore work here in Georgia; or if they do, it's for way less money. If you are already on the ground here so to speak, and you are under or unemployed, you will most likely not be able find a decent-paying job, if at all--degree or not.

I'm from Chicago so I know what excellent public transportation is, and it ain't MARTA lol. I have had to wait 30-60 minutes for a MARTA bus on several occasions, the trains break down often (I flunked a college math couse because the train would literally break down every time I had an exam, making me late for class and I'd leave work 2 hours early) and it takes 2-3 hours to travel less than 5 miles.

I guess it's all relative. I know a lot of people don't like cold but even in the dead of winter in Chicago, the buses and trains run like clock work and you can get where you need to go. If we are going to compare cities, Chicago has a lot more things to do, a lot more top-notch attractions, many free activities (Atlanta attractions are subpar and expensive) and you can still do them in the dead of winter because you can get around. I can't speak for the cities you mentioned because I haven't lived there.

I lived in Chicago all my life and moved to Atlanta as an adult and I just found Chicago to be a much more enjoyable city.

downtown Chicago is nice but I couldn't deal with the overcast daily, the winters,etc and you know our women will blow Chicago women out the water but like I said its hard to appreciate things until.you leave for a.long period if time

[RoslynHolcomb]

I hear what you are saying. But my things is, all the opportunities that people speak of, I don't see them. It seems the only people getting opportunities as of late are people who are transferring here from other cities with good-paying jobs already in tow. I know many people who transferred here with good jobs but once they lost those jobs, they haven't been able to find anymore work here in Georgia; or if they do, it's for way less money. If you are already on the ground here so to speak, and you are under or unemployed, you will most likely not be able find a decent-paying job, if at all--degree or not.

That's what I see as well. People are transferring here with their high-paying northeast salaries intact. Thus, for them this is a paradise. For the rest of us, not so much. They've also come here with an anti-tax mentality which might have served them well in the northeast where amenities, resources and safety nets are plentiful, but here where we have none of those things their presence makes ut signigficantly more difficult and expensive to live here.

[3piecechickendinner]

Whats drawing me to Atlanta is the cost of living and the fact that I would be around more of my kind(young, black, professionals)...Im currently in Boston paying 3407 a month for a 2 bedroom and no one looks like me...Kinda depressing...So Im jumping at the idea of paying 1500 a month for (in Boston terms) a baby mansion....Ive tried Houston, but I seriously could not take the darn heat, I only saw my neighbors in the Winter and again in the affluent neighborhood of The Woodlands, no one looked like me...

[DunwoodyPanhandle]

Atlanta has fallen on hard times, and it is not recovering anytime soon. I'd give the region at least another decade before it sees robust growth, but, by then, it will have surely been lapped twice by Houston and Dallas.

To put it simply, Atlanta has had more people than jobs for a decade now, and, obviously, the gap widened after 2008. The gap only continues to widen. Adding the spectacular collapse in home prices and declining real income to the region's employment woes, and you have the dismal economy of Atlanta.

Originally Posted by 3piecechickendinner

Whats drawing me to Atlanta is the cost of living and the fact that I would be around more of my kind(young, black, professionals)...Im currently in Boston paying 3407 a month for a 2 bedroom and no one looks like me...Kinda depressing...So Im jumping at the idea of paying 1500 a month for (in Boston terms) a baby mansion....Ive tried Houston, but I seriously could not take the darn heat, I only saw my neighbors in the Winter and again in the affluent neighborhood of The Woodlands, no one looked like me...

Please use common sense and do not re-locate to a city with such a terrible economy. Have you considered Charlotte?