Moving from southern California to ATL? (Atlanta, Savannah: transplants, house, neighbourhoods)

[mojo.jojo]

My wife and I are considering a move from SoCal beach town, to ATL area, and would like to get some perspective from people who've already made a similar transition. Neither of us have ever lived in the South.

Work would be in Norcross, and our research inclines us towards Roswell, or even as far as Marietta, mainly because the schools sound good, and those seem to have decent housing options. We have two children starting High School.

The question is, how likely are we to enjoy the lifestyle there? We like going out to good, non-chain restaurants, taking weekend trips, and kids/family activities. Want to make sure there's plenty to do for teenagers, (not the mall!) Enjoy neighbourhoods with good shopping and local businesses.

We realize there'll be an adjustment socially and culturally. We'd love comments from those who've already made the transition, or those familiar with both areas?

Also, we're planning to come visit within the next couple months. Are there any specifics we've missed? Any suggestions on additional research we should do before visiting?

[atlantagreg30127]

First of all, the fact you're coming here to visit and check out the area is VERY recommended, and highly suggested, so on that part you're doing good.

Next, if you work in Norcross and wind up living in Marietta, you'll be breaking one of the ultimate traffic sins in Atlanta by living on the opposite side of the metro as where you work. Atlanta was recently rated as having the second worst traffic congestion in the country, right under L.A., and this is the biggest reason. So many folks move here before studying the lay of the land and it just seems that 80% of them live on the opposite side of town as where they work. HUGE nono. If you work in Norcross, live in Gwinnett. If you work in Marietta, live in Cobb. If you work downtown, then if you're urban live intown, if not, well, you're done for anyway. LOL

Culturally Atlanta does not have the "Kum-ba-yaness" of SoCal. In some ways that's good 'cause it's not TOO politically correct here, but on the flipside, there is a certain amount of racial tension. The "other cultures" (Latino/Hispanic, Asian, etc) seem to vanish into their own sections of town and not have specific intown areas that represent them like a Chinatown, Little Havana, etc. Atlanta is more liberal than the small "older South" towns, but it's still not "West Coast Liberal" if that makes sense. You will see a certain number of events like arts festivals, then see certain specific ones like "African-American Arts Fest", etc., but you rarely see Hispanic or Asian festivals that are heavily advertised or large in scale here. One other note is that in the city you will see a mix of folks, but religion is still huge in the burbs. As in even in some of the suburban townships, town leaders will allow religion to dictate the way they make decisions. Not something discussed openly, but it's there. There are certain denominations that feel they are right, all others are wrong, and you will in some areas feel that. In others not so much. Just avoid talking about religion or politics and you usually stay on safe ground. LOL

We have no ocean (well, we do, but it's 4.5 + hours away). But we do have the north Georgia mountains 1.5 hours North of the city, with a handful of quaint little towns in them. A couple of them have an arts/crafts community, and one (Helen) is like a small Alpine village. Approximately 2 hours North is Chattanooga which is a neat smaller city to visit with an excellent Aquarium and riverfront park area. To the South 4 or so hours is Savannah, and 5 hours SE is Charleston, SC which is a great place to visit. Approx 3 hours NE is Asheville, NC which is a neat arts-themed city which attracts tons of visitors in the fall and winter. So there IS stuff to do around. Even here, you have Stone Moutain Park (but avoid living in Stone Mountain city). Six Flags is kinda dumpy but some still go there, and there are a number of parks with hiking trails along the Chattahoochee River.

Intown you have unique restaurants. In the burbs 95% of them are going to be chains in strip mall shopping centers. For schools see the thread about school ratings at the top of the Atlanta forum page. Atlanta does NOT have a central downtown shopping district like you would see in San Fran, NYC, Seattle, etc. This is a mall city. There are small areas scattered throughout the city with shopping areas (Buckhead, Virginia Highlands for boutiques, Decatur), but in general, it's a suburban mall kind of place when it comes to shopping. Downtown is very small and compact for a city of this size, and has a few touristy things like the Aquarium, Coke museum, etc., but also a bit of a problem with vagrants.

Transit is a bit lacking. We do have a rail system (MARTA) that has stations that hit the downtown area and a couple of mall areas, but it does not extend into the suburbs, and they run the bus system in Atlanta. We have no commuter rail at all. There are a couple of small suburban bus services, a few express bus routes here and there, and that's pretty much it. Again, like L.A., Atlanta is an automobile town. People here pretty much drive their cars to their mailboxes.

Talk to the locals when you visit. Go downtown. Go to Marietta. Go to Duluth. Don't stick to the tourist stuff - you won't be tourists when you move here. Get a feel for the areas, the atmosphere, the traffic, and the people. Ask questions.

[mojo.jojo]

Looks like a fairly easy and stress free comute on the 92 between Marietta & Roswell....Not right?

[goozer]

I agree with atlantagreg that you need to scope out Atlanta before you make the leap. Coming from a California beach town, you are already living in what many Americans would call their dream area. Personally, I think the recent runup in home prices has diminished the quality of life in California. But if you could buy the same home for $200k in coastal California that you could buy for $200k in Atlanta metro, I suspect millions of Atlantans would be moving en masse to the Golden State.

If you are contemplating a move from California because you don't own a house (and want to) and you feel you could never afford to buy where you live now, then you may be resigned to leaving CA and Atlanta may be worth your consideration. If, instead, you own a 1800 sq ft home and you want to cash in and buy a 5000 sq ft home in Atlanta, I suspect you might regret the move. It seems a lot of California transplants make a move to buy a bigger house and then the luster of owning the bigger house wears off and regret in making the move seeps in.

California and Georgia are very different places. I lived in San Diego before moving to Atlanta, and though I'm not a native Californian, I found myself missing a lot of the things that San Diego had to offer: the beach, deserts, tall mountains...and outstanding mexican food. Atlanta had no particular draw for me, other than the fact that I landed a good job here. What got me through the occasional rough patch of regret was my acceptance of the reality that I could not afford to buy a house and support my new family in California. Much as I liked it, I knew I had to leave. And in the meantime, I have come to appreciate things about living in Atlanta that were not apparent to me during the first six months after I moved. Maybe if I win the lottery I would consider moving back to SD. But until then, I have learned to appreciate that Atlanta is not a bad place to be living for where I am in my life.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by mojo.jojo

Looks like a fairly easy and stress free comute on the 92 between Marietta & Roswell....Not right?

You originally suggested working in Norcross and living in Marietta, whichsounds like a nightmare of a commute to me.

Marietta to Roswell might not be too bad. I don't really know, tho.

[sweettea1]

Not sure what the 92 is...but listen to the posters above. If you work in Norcross you may consider Historic Norcross itself, Duluth or Peachtree Corners. You won't find many similarities to SoCal at all, and the pocket of non-chain stuff is so spread out it doesn't make much of an impact. You could also choose to live intown and reverse commute. All depends on your budget. The closest similarity I can make is Larchmont Village and Virginia Highland. If that's the kind of community you're looking for, definitely check out VA/Hi when you're here.

[Scraper Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by mojo.jojo

Looks like a fairly easy and stress free comute on the 92 between Marietta & Roswell....Not right?

Highway 92 generally moves northwest to southeast, from Woodstock to Roswell, but it does clip the extreme northeast tip of Cobb County (mailing address: Marietta) between the two.

Ga. 120 is the main road between Marietta and Roswell. Lots of traffic lights, but it generally flows very well.

I'd recommend east Cobb (Marietta). Excellent schools include Walton, Pope, or Lassiter. On the 120, you can make it to Roswell in about twenty minutes and to Norcross in another twenty to twenty five minutes. Either way, Cobb to Gwinnett commute will probably be at least forty minutes, especially during rush hour.

[PAULA53]

I am a registered nurse and am considering moving to Atlanta. The area I am considering is Henry County, the Heron Bay development. I like the feel of the place and the lifestyle. I am a little worriedd about the pay structure and the working conditions in the ospitals here. I am currently in management and teach at the local college in California. If htere are any nurses here in management could you please reply to this post and let me know your thoughts about my concern.
Thanks.

[rlee857610]

My advice is dont do it. We are the most intollerant people in the world. Hell I hate you and I dont even know you. Stay where you are, or atleast move to Iowa. Stay away from the Northside of town. If you do move here move down to Clayton County or Hell Macon would be ok. We dont like people from California in COBB county or Gwinnett. Try moving to Mississippi that would be even better.

[jpowalowski]

I moved to San Diego from Atlanta and then came back after living in SD for 2 years and LA for 1 yr. One thing I don't miss is the earthquakes!!! California was wonderful but Georgia is home to me. Housing is much more affordable and the people (except for the person that just posted that last message -- What was that???) are much friendlier. I wouldn't work in Norcross and live in Marietta, you have so many more choices Duluth, Suwanee, Alpharetta, Cumming, Roswell. Good luck!