Why come to Atlanta? I just don't get it... (Boston: job market, transfer)

[Atlanta_BD]

I have read on so many various forums inside and outside City-Data that there are lots of people who desire to move to Georgia. The common thread that I hear is that people would love to move here but can't find work.

I just have a few questions:

1. What do people think is in Georgia that they want to be here so bad?

2. What do they feel Georgia has to offer other than cheap housing? Most of the school systems are bad and the pay here is usually low.

3. If you keep finding that there are little to no job opportunities in Georgia, doesn't it stand to reason that there are other major issues to accompany that?

What is the appeal about Georgia that people want to come here when there are no jobs? I"ve lived here for 16 years and I've yet to see what all the hype is all about.

[futureATLien]

i've been here for about 9 months I dont see what the hype is either, but I can list the reasons why I decided to move from Maryland:
There's a reasonable amount of young professionals in the area(that happen to be black). This is the 1st time I've had mostly black friends(I went to an HBCU, but my friends were off campus). Warmer weather. Cheaper housing(but everything else is still the same price as things up north, expect medical expenses). I transferred within my company so I have a job. It's a positive environment for me to be in, plus I kept my salary, but I didnt get a raise because of it

[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

[League54]

1. What do people think is in Georgia that they want to be here so bad?

2. What do they feel Georgia has to offer other than cheap housing? Most of the school systems are bad and the pay here is usually low.

3. If you keep finding that there are little to no job opportunities in Georgia, doesn't it stand to reason that there are other major issues to accompany that?

1. Affordable Urban living, Beautiful neighborhoods, proximity to a city and outdoor activities.
2. This is a really cool place for single, young professionals. Pay is low but everything else balances out to accommodate salaries.
   
3. If you go looking for trouble you will find it but it is fairly easy to live a safe and happy life in Atlanta. If you are an educated professional who chose a field in business or medical you won't run into many problems.

When I first moved to Atlanta I wasn't sure how I felt about it but the place grows on you as you start to find your niche of interests. Add to the fact that its really scenic and green.

[Staysean23]

U can't.go off someone else experience and expect.yours to be the same. That's how people fall.in the trap of saying. I don't know what all the hype is about..Well Atlanta has been what I expected it to be. I been here 2 years and haven't had a dull moment yet. I work in public relations ( entertainment Industry)

[Tarzanman]

The most common reasons for people moving here that I hear are:

1. Bigger city (this is from people from smaller towns in Georgia or neighboring states) where there is more going on.

2. Warm climate - If you want to live in a large city and don't want to deal with freezing temperatures in the winter then your choices are limited. Anyone who doesn't want to live in Florida (which would include most Floridians, i'd wager) has to choose between Texas, New Orleans, Phoenix, or Atlanta. Yes, there are many other places that are nice to live, but most people haven't ever heard of them and so they don't make the short list of places to live.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Atlanta_BD

I have read on so many various forums inside and outside City-Data that there are lots of people who desire to move to Georgia. The common thread that I hear is that people would love to move here but can't find work.

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.

[JPD]

Anytime you ask if something lives up to they hype, just assume the answer is no. Hype is always BS.

[ATLTJL]

I think the appeal is that you can be near a very large city and have all the amenities of a major city, yet you don't have to go very far outside that city to find great neighborhoods and affordable housing.

And if you want to go to the city a lot, or have to work there every day, but want to live in a more country setting where things are calmer, it's possible to do. It's also one of the few places that has the climate of the south, but a relatively large are where the culture could be called not traditionally southern.

[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.

Originally Posted by Atlanta_BD

2. What do they feel Georgia has to offer other than cheap housing? Most of the school systems are bad and the pay here is usually low.

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.