A couple of questions about Atlanta! (Boston: apartment, rentals, insurance)

[laurieb73]

Hello to all!

I'm probably moving to Atlanta next year and I have a couple of questions i would like to asK:

!) The cost of living, is it affordable?

2) How are the the job opportunities, especially in the marketing and advertising industries?

3) Is it there much to do around?

4) How is the weather over there?

5) How are the people in general?

[irvm]

Originally Posted by laurieb73

Hello to all!

I'm probably moving to Atlanta next year and I have a couple of questions i would like to asK:

!) The cost of living, is it affordable?

2) How are the the job opportunities, especially in the marketing and advertising industries?

3) Is it there much to do around?

4) How is the weather over there?

5) How are the people in general?

No, yes, no, horrible, nice.
But not necessarily in that order.

Really - ya got to be more specific. Where are you now, what can you afford,
what do you like to do, etc.

[K'ledgeBldr]

I thought you said a "couple" of questions!
1. Affordable? Compared to what?
2. Plenty- if you work for peanuts (realitive)
3. Plenty- just depends what you're into
4. 4 seasons- which is more than can be said for other parts of the country
5. any adjective will work- just depends on the person

[laurieb73]

Ok guys, I'll make it easier for you...

I'm a young professional, moving from Puerto Rico. I need a change in my life and career. Already have two years, almost three of experience in the advertising industry. Don't have a lot of money, obviously i can't afford a city like Boston, NY, San Francisco and so on. The weather, well, i don't care that much about it, i'm used to the tropical weather and reaaally bad traffic. I would love to experience the four season change, i don't have here, obvious i live in the Caribbean. I'm career oriented person but i love to hang out, definitely a night life kind of person. In terms of the city size, maybe not as huge as NYC but not as small as a town in the middle of nowhere. I hope i was a little more specific to you. Keep on writing. Thanks

[atlantagreg30127]

"Loves to go out" and "not a lot of money" may not go hand-in-hand here. Partying costs money, ya know.

If you don't have a job lined up it could be more difficult. You can get a 1BR apartment in the $900 a month range downtown or on the main drag in Midtown, and for less ($700s) off the main paths or out a bit. Then you have to factor in car tag costs, insurance, etc. Utilities are reasonable.

Stuff to do depends on you. We don't have an ocean or bay, no sailing (unless you go to lake Lanier after the drought ends). No ski slopes. But we have varied other attractions that you will either love or consider lame, depending on you.

Insane traffic is an understatement, so hopefully you've visited here to understand fully what folks mean when they talk about it.

No one's going to be able to tell you if you'll like it here or not. You really need to come here for a week (or two) and check it out first hand before you commit to a move.

[laurieb73]

Ok, well, i'm not moving out in two weeks. I'm still in the process of applying and interviewing. Definitely not moving until i get a good job first. But I ask to get a general idea. Thanks Atlanta Greg.

[Bebop]

Originally Posted by laurieb73

Hello to all!

I'm probably moving to Atlanta next year and I have a couple of questions i would like to asK:

!) The cost of living, is it affordable?

2) How are the the job opportunities, especially in the marketing and advertising industries?

3) Is it there much to do around?

4) How is the weather over there?

5) How are the people in general?

I've spent time in the San Juan area and have friends there so I have a little bit of a basis for comparison.

1. The cost of living is getting higher, but I think salaries are much more in line with cost of living in Atlanta compared to Puerto rico. Atlanta is still less expensive than most large metros.

2. I'm not too familiar with these fields, but overall the job market isn't too bad.

3. This too depends on what you like. Of course there's no beach. But the nightlife and shopping are otherwise about the same as metro San Juan...if not a little better. Hip/hop is big here, but if you're not into that you can find pretty much any kind of music. Concerts of all types are plentiful, as is sports.

4. Summers will be similar to Puerto Rico. Fall and Spring are very nice...not too hot, not too cold. Winters can get cold...but really cold spells dont' last too long. Usually it rains a lot during certain months...but right now there's a drought going on.

5. People are generally nice. I hear a lot of people are moving here from Puerto Rico recently, but the Puerto Rican community isn't concentrated in one area. Atlanta attracts a lot of recent college graduates from all over the country. So it's generally easy to meet people because every one comes from other places.

[IntownHomes247]

Good for you! So many people have been moving here without lining up a job first only to find out that it's not as easy as they thought to find one.

Once you find a job, you'll be able to narrow down which part of the city would be most convenient to live in. Since you like "nightlife", I'm guessing that you'd prefer the Midtown area, which is, of course, one of the most expensive areas in the city. Fortunately (for you), the current downturn in the condo market has increased the availability of rentals units so you might be able to find something affordable.

One of the advantages of Midtown is the fact that the MARTA rail system cuts through the middle of it. This means that there are lots of times when you won't need to drive. Also, one of the city's biggest parks is right there (not quite Central Park, but very nice) and there's lots of shopping, good restaurants, all within walking distance.

[netdragon]

I work in the advertising industry as a software manager for a company that provides tools to creative agencies, so I can answer #2. I'd say that Atlanta has its fair share of mid size advertising and creative agencies. Nothing like in bigger cities like NYC and LA.

However, I'd also consider it much less competitive to get a job in the ATL area in advertising/marketing than in other places.

There are also some big brands here.

Some brands:
Coca-Cola
Home Depot
Weather Channel
Bank of America
Suntrust
CNN/Turner
Dixie
Delta

Advertising Companies:
Van Winkle and Associates
Moxie
Eyewonder, Inc

I also found this list of agencies