What is the pull factor for Atlanta? (Dallas, Boston: mortgage, loans)

[pirate_lafitte]

I have noticed a population surplus in the city of Atlanta(not in the suburbs but in Atlanta proper). What brings people to the city in spite of it's violence?

[gt6974a]

traffic...

[dens]

traffic...

[goozer]

Pretty simple. It's a major city (5+ million metro). Tons of jobs. Really nice weather for most of the year (including winter), despite the hot and humid summers. And it is a place where an average family can still afford a nice three or four bedroom house for $200,000 to $250,000 in a nice, safe neighborhood. Also, unlike Houston and Dallas, which I think are comparable in some ways, Atlanta is only an hour and a half away from some very underrated mountain and river recreation.

All that said, it is not a perfect city. If home prices were the same, I think a lot of people would choose West Coast cities like Seattle, SF, and LA, or East Coast cities like Boston, NY, and DC to live in. But the reality is that those coastal cities are now unaffordable for average folks. The housing and mortgage crisis that is erupting (and has yet to play out completely!!!) will further demonstrate this as banks will no longer make unaffordable loans to people who will not be able to afford them once their introductory interest rate resets.

[K'ledgeBldr]

Sunbelt- Bible belt
Abundant job market
Affordable living/ housing
That was 2006 and before

Now its 2007
Sunbelt- Bible belt
Job market slowing- unemployment rate is ticking up
Very affordable housing- But mortgage lending in crisis
Traffic is second worst in the nation
I'm sorry- what was the question again

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

I have noticed a population surplus in the city of Atlanta(not in the suburbs but in Atlanta proper). What brings people to the city in spite of it's violence?

I've seen some of your posts on these boards complaining about where you live in OTP Atlanta and frankly I don't blame you. I want to move out West in the near future, but I don't have the same desperation that you do because my experience living in the city proper of Atlanta has been wonderful. Had I lived OTP as a 20-something, I would have absolutely hated it. Hell, I doubt that I could even live out there in my 30s and into my 40s because there is no sense of place or community out there with a few exceptions.

The city of Atlanta itself has some excellent neighborhoods, some of which are even walkable. All of the cultural amenities of the metro area are easily accessible. Rather than being inudated by chain stores and restaurants, smaller independent stores and restaurants dominate. The architecture of the homes in the city has a lot of character as well.

As for the crime, it happens everywhere. You gotta be smart and careful. But the city of Atlanta overall is a great place to live.