Potentially Moving to Atlanta (Decatur, Washington: best city, apartment, renting)

[foster40]

Hey All,

I am thinking about moving to the Atlanta area and would appreciate any information you can provide. I am looking to leave the DC area as the cost of living is outrageous and I find it hard to meet people and due to the transient nature of the area the people I do meet usually end up moving away. Therefore, I am looking to live in an area where there is a sense of community and people actually want to know and talk to their neighbors.

I will be renting. An apartment is okay but would prefer a town home.
My budget is $0-$1300.
Will be working at Emory University on Clifton Road. Prefer a short commute 30 minutes or less.
No Children, single, 30-something.
I would like a mix of both suburban/urban. Would like to be in walking distance to grocery, restaurants, bars, parks, etc. But also looking for an area that is peaceful and clean.
I haven't heard good things about the train system and I am not much of a bus rider, so that does not really matter.
Prefer a culturally diverse neighborhood, a mix of black and white and other cultures.
Airport access not important

I would love to hear from people that may have moved from the DC area to Atlanta. I love the DC metro area for the culture, the wide range of activities, the economy, career opportunities, educational systems and opportunities. What will I lose by moving to Atlanta, what will I gain, what is basically be the same.

Thanks in advance for any and all responses.

1.

[gerrythesnake]

I lived in both cities. As long as you have a job before you get here you will be ok.

DC has better museums, transit, jobs and it is closer to NYC.

Atlanta has better restaurants, our COL is wayyyy cheaper, we have more direct flights, we have friendlier people, we have more quality entertainment, we have a better selection of women (if you are a guy), etc. We aren't there yet but we are getting "there" fast.

DC has more traffic due to the smaller lanes on the highways and more traffic on 95 on Saturday's and Sunday's but overall not that much different.

The climate is about the same even though DC gets a few degrees colder and has more snow.

Overall, DC is already "there" and Atlanta is getting there. Atlanta is a few years behind DC in walkable communities, museums and transit (due to receiving federal dollars). DC has its own identity because it is DC and Atlanta is still getting there. Atlanta will be closer to getting there next year when several huge developments will open in Atlanta they are going to change Atlanta completely. DC's entertainment is easier to find but overall IMO Atlanta has more entertainment but here it is not in your face. You have to look for entertainment more here but it is here and we have plenty of it if not more. Overall DC and Atlanta are the same but they are both also very different but the change will not be bad as long as you know you know DC is DC and Atlanta is Atlanta.

As for neighborhoods you would Inman Park and Virginia Highlands would fit you perfectly. It is basically right next to the city and it isn't that far from your job. That area is plenty of bars, it is near Atlanta's largest park, near hiking trails, etc.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally posted by foster40:
I would love to hear from people that may have moved from the DC area to Atlanta. I love the DC metro area for the culture, the wide range of activities, the economy, career opportunities, educational systems and opportunities. What will I lose by moving to Atlanta, what will I gain, what is basically be the same.

gerrythesnake makes some excellent points about the differences between Washington DC and Atlanta.

After what was seemingly years and years of a continuous economic expansion, the economy and job market in Metro Atlanta is once again growing slowly and gradually, but continues to be very-soft in the aftermath of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression...an economic downturn that hit the Atlanta region harder than it had been hit by any downturn in the post-World War II era.

Depending on the field, career opportunities are possible, but not necessarily as overwhelming or as plentiful as they were in past eras when Metro Atlanta's economy was much more robust (during the 1980's, '90's and even the mid-2000's).

With a higher education system that is anchored by universities such as Georgia State, Emory, Georgia Tech, the HBCU's of the Atlanta University Center, etc, and an excellent system of publicly-funded community colleges and technical schools, the Atlanta area has lots of opportunities for higher and continuing education, though those opportunities are not necessarily as hallowed or as highly-regarded as D.C. with its system of higher education that is anchored by universities such as Georgetown, American, George Washington, Howard, etc.

With regards to culture, as gerrythesnake stated, Atlanta is admittedly a little light on the museum scene, though overall moving into Atlanta is like getting in on the ground floor when it comes to culture as Atlanta has a burgeoning cultural scene that needs much nurturing to realize the immense amount of potential that it has.

Unfortunately, just about the same thing applies to Atlanta's transit system, which is undersized and disappointing for a city of Atlanta's size and stature, but has an immense amount of potential to be realized if and when the transit system is improved, upgraded and expanded so that it can adequately-serve the road-limited metro region of 6 million that is metro Atlanta.

Some other areas to consider living in are Little Five Points (which is a funky area of shops, restaurants and bars just east of Inman Park) and Decatur (which has an nice downtown urban village area with condos, shops, restaurants and bars built around a historic county courthouse and a MARTA heavy rail station), which are both only a few miles from where you will be working at Emory University.

[gerrythesnake]

With that being said I love it here and
You could not pay me to move back to DC even though I enjoyed my stay there. I love having direct flights to anywhere in the world, I love our topography, I love the nightlife, concerts, festivals, COL, I love our intown developments, the women, the food, etc. Right now is a great time to be living in Atlanta.

[seengirl]

I'm sick of everybody on here talking about Atlanta's growth and how these builders want to make everything so big in Atlanta. Like the Georgia Aquarium and Hartsfield Jackson Airport. People are trying to make Atlanta the most and best city in the world by doing all of that. I'm also getting sick of people ranting and raving over the Atlanta Braves and ranting and raving about the Atlanta Falcons and this new Atlanta Falcons Stadium and what's with all these comments about New Jersey has lost everything compared to Atlanta and that Atlanta is more superior than New Jersey and that white women from Atlanta hate New Jersey. It's really getting old. I'm just so sick of Atlanta. It's just ridiculous. I hate Julia Roberts and Robyn Lively.

[red92s]

Originally Posted by foster40

Hey All,

I will be renting. An apartment is okay but would prefer a town home.
My budget is $0-$1300.

1.

The bottom end of your budget is a bit problematic.

The area surrounding Emory (like Emory Point, although no town houses), as well as Downtown Decatur, would be my first two suggestions.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by seengirl

I'm sick of everybody on here talking about Atlanta's growth and how these builders want to make everything so big in Atlanta. Like the Georgia Aquarium and Hartsfield Jackson Airport. People are trying to make Atlanta the most and best city in the world by doing all of that. I'm also getting sick of people ranting and raving over the Atlanta Braves and ranting and raving about the Atlanta Falcons and this new Atlanta Falcons Stadium and what's with all these comments about New Jersey has lost everything compared to Atlanta and that Atlanta is more superior than New Jersey and that white women from Atlanta hate New Jersey. It's really getting old. I'm just so sick of Atlanta. It's just ridiculous. I hate Julia Roberts and Robyn Lively.

[bigstick]

Originally Posted by seengirl

I'm sick of everybody on here talking about Atlanta's growth and how these builders want to make everything so big in Atlanta. Like the Georgia Aquarium and Hartsfield Jackson Airport. People are trying to make Atlanta the most and best city in the world by doing all of that. I'm also getting sick of people ranting and raving over the Atlanta Braves and ranting and raving about the Atlanta Falcons and this new Atlanta Falcons Stadium and what's with all these comments about New Jersey has lost everything compared to Atlanta and that Atlanta is more superior than New Jersey and that white women from Atlanta hate New Jersey. It's really getting old. I'm just so sick of Atlanta. It's just ridiculous. I hate Julia Roberts and Robyn Lively.

Baby, take your Valium..

[testa50]

Originally Posted by seengirl

I'm sick of everybody on here talking about Atlanta's growth and how these builders want to make everything so big in Atlanta. Like the Georgia Aquarium and Hartsfield Jackson Airport. People are trying to make Atlanta the most and best city in the world by doing all of that. I'm also getting sick of people ranting and raving over the Atlanta Braves and ranting and raving about the Atlanta Falcons and this new Atlanta Falcons Stadium and what's with all these comments about New Jersey has lost everything compared to Atlanta and that Atlanta is more superior than New Jersey and that white women from Atlanta hate New Jersey. It's really getting old. I'm just so sick of Atlanta. It's just ridiculous. I hate Julia Roberts and Robyn Lively.

^^ post of the day

[CMMom]

Who's Robyn Lively? And when is the last time Julia Roberts stepped foot in GA? Holy non sequiturs, Batman!