which one would you prefer live in Atlanta , Portland or Philadelphia ? (state, crime)

[Atlanta_BD]

Mansoor, you have a big decision to make so weigh your options heavily. The area AI is located in is expensive in terms of housing. The areas close to the school that have cheap rent aren't that safe, even though they are in the suburbs. So if you rent in certain nearby areas be careful.

Also, Atlanta has a crime rate higher than most other major cities, including Philly and NYC. I'm not saying you have to be fearful of your life everywhere you go here. In fact, the area where the school is is pretty safe, but it's not Atlanta. As with any city, be aware of your surroundings and stay away from certain areas.

I just don't want you to develop a false sense of security by assuming Atlanta is safer than Philly. It actually isn't.

Just also remember to keep in mind that while AI is on the train, other parts of the metro are not as accessible by transit so you will have to keep yourself confined to a smaller portion of the city to be able to completely rely on transit. And because everything is not conveniently located here, it will be difficult to do things like get groceries if you don't live walking distance from a grocery store in an area with side walks. I'm not sure how close to the campus you will live but there is a grocery store in the area. There is a grocery store (called Kroger) on Commerce Dr. which isn't too far from the campus. You could swing a walk there or ride your bike as long as you put a basket or saddle bags on your bike. There's another Kroger in N. Decatur Rd. which is a little further away which you can get to by bus (#125 I believe). Also the DeKalb Farmers Market is close by on Ponce de Leon Ave. Ponce de Leon is right near the campus and you can catch the #2 bus the farmers market. They have a great variety of foods from all over the world.

In Atlanta there are many areas that don't have sidewalks. You can however mount your bike on the buses here. They are working on putting more bike paths in the city. Too bad you can only apply to AI. SCAD in Midtown really would have given you better access to more transit, nightlife and bike paths. Are you sure you can't apply for other schools?

Metro Atlanta is pretty difficult to navigate without a car so you have to be very strategic when it comes to choosing where you live. Having a bike to fill in the gaps is a great idea. And also because the public transit here isn't that great it could take 2 to 3 hours to go short distances on the bus to run simple errands. Plan wisely and good luck!

[gerrythesnake]

Crimes rates to not give an accurate picture of crime since some cities are more dense or have more square miles than others. Plus some cities all the crime might be in only a few areas making the crime in the overall city seem worse than it really is. Generally crime can be avoided as long as you do not live in certain sections of the city.

Killadelphia is 143 square miles. Philly had over 300+ murders last year.

Atlanta is 132 square miles. Atlanta had 85 murders last year.


People lie, numbers don't

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by gerrythesnake

Crimes rates to not give an accurate picture of crime since some cities are more dense or have more square miles than others. Plus some cities all the crime might be in only a few areas making the crime in the overall city seem worse than it really is. Generally crime can be avoided as long as you do not live in certain sections of the city.

Killadelphia is 143 square miles. Philly had over 300+ murders last year.

Atlanta is 132 square miles. Atlanta had 85 murders last year.


People lie, numbers don't

People can research the numbers for themselves. I was surprised at how much crime Atlanta had after I moved here. When people are moving to new cities, their prime concern is often safety. Be fair and give people the whole story. For a city its size, Atlanta has a lot of crime. There's no denying that and no one needs to lie about it.

"With a crime rate of 89 per one thousand residents, Atlanta has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 11.

With a population of 432,427, Atlanta has a combined rate of violent and property crime that is very high compared to other places of similar population size. Regardless of whether Atlanta does well or poorly compared to all other cities and towns in the US of all sizes, compared to places with a similar population, it fares badly. Few other communities of this size have a crime rate as high as Atlanta.

For Atlanta, we found that the violent crime rate is one of the highest in the nation, across communities of all sizes (both large and small). Violent offenses tracked included forcible rape, murder and non-negligent manslaughter, armed robbery, and aggravated assault, including assault with a deadly weapon. According to NeighborhoodScout's analysis of FBI reported crime data, your chance of becoming a victim of one of these crimes in Atlanta is one in 69."

I'll let you have it your way. Atlanta is very safe and that numbers that point to Atlanta's high crime are all made up.

[Atlanta_BD]

Philadelphia Population: 1,536,471
No. of crimes per 1,000 residents: 50
Chances of being a victim of crime in Philadelphia: 1 in 84

Atlanta Population: 432,427
No. of crimes per 1,000 residents: 89
Chances of being a victim in Atlanta: 1 in 69

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by FromGA

Mansoor, as for Philadelphia, New Jersey is across the river, and patco trains go from nj to Philadelphia. On the Pennsylvania side, the train system is septa

Also, if Monsoor wants mostly rail transit, then I guess Philly is much better built out in the city and much further beyond. He should check out Atlanta's system to see if it covers his needs.

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

A lot of tradeoffs here
Safety: Portland
Cost: Atlanta
Nightlife: Philly as you also have New York within reach, plus Atlantic City is nearby, DC, etc.

I think Atlanta is the best all-around though. Portland is very expensive and they have the "Portland Freeze", people are not very friendly. Although your housing budget is still a bit low for Atlanta but your dollars will probably go further here.

What is this "Portland Freeze" you speak of? Have you experienced it yourself? Portland is a very friendly city. It's just not a fake city. People aren't going to become your best friend for life the first time they meet you. They'll take some time to get to know you.

But certainly, OP, if it's partying you're looking for, not studying, that's really not Portland's vibe. It's much lower violent crime rate than the other two are pretty indicative of that.

[RightonWalnut]

Originally Posted by gerrythesnake

Crimes rates to not give an accurate picture of crime since some cities are more dense or have more square miles than others. Plus some cities all the crime might be in only a few areas making the crime in the overall city seem worse than it really is. Generally crime can be avoided as long as you do not live in certain sections of the city.

Killadelphia is 143 square miles. Philly had over 300+ murders last year.

Atlanta is 132 square miles. Atlanta had 85 murders last year.


People lie, numbers don't

Philadelphia is actually 134 square miles in land area. Are you dyslexic? It also has a population of 1,547,607 as of the 2012 census and has a population density of 11,379.
Philadelphia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Atlanta is 131 square miles in land area. It has a population of 432,427 as of the 2011 census and has a population density of 3,188.
Atlanta - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They are practically the same size in land area and Philadelphia still has nearly quadruple the amount of people that Atlanta has.

As the nice people before me also posted, ATL also has a significantly higher crime rate.

Philadelphia Population: 1,536,471
No. of crimes per 1,000 residents: 50
Chances of being a victim of crime in Philadelphia: 1 in 84

Atlanta Population: 432,427
No. of crimes per 1,000 residents: 89
Chances of being a victim in Atlanta: 1 in 69

[RightonWalnut]

Originally Posted by Mansoour

Yh I already think about it but many people said that the city isn't safe
this thing really confused me !
anyway I come out with one idea , how far is New Jersey form Philly ?
My friends are living there is it possible to live in Jersey and study in Philly ?
If not how about study in New York and living in Jersey ?

You will be fine in Philly. It is a great city. If you want a great college experience you want to be in the city not in the suburbs.

[RightonWalnut]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

A lot of tradeoffs here
Safety: Portland
Cost: Atlanta
Nightlife: Philly as you also have New York within reach, plus Atlantic City is nearby, DC, etc.

Philly has better nightlife than both Portland and ATL combined without New York, AC and DC being close by.

[Chilly Gentilly]

Allow me to prevent any ensuing arguments between Atlantans and Philadelphians. I'll paraphrase.

OP's 1st post: Hey guys, which one...Philly, Portland, or Atlanta?

OP's 2nd post: I like Atlanta.

Done. Moving on...

/thread