For those of you who relocated here.... When does it feel like home? (Atlanta: fit in, transplants)

[NB9540]

I've been here since November 2013 but for most of that time I was house hunting and very stressed out. I finally closed on a home (which I love) at the end of April last year and brought my son down from NY. My son started school here in August and really enjoys it. I moved down here not knowing a single person or even having ever visited the city.

I still feel like something is missing. In fact I'm thinking that when my son is done with high school, I will probably pack up and move wherever he goes to college, or just leave the state, but I don't know where I would move to.

I guess I'm just sad that I like it here but don't LOVE it and it doesn't feel like Home. Sorry, not trying to bash ATL or anything..

We haven't really made any friends here, other than a few that I work with and rarely see, since everyone lives so far away, and they already knew people/had friends already living here... and this is the first place in my life that I've moved to and had no neighbors come over to introduce themselves. I had to walk up and introduce myself to them when I saw them outside drinking beers - and this was at least 3 months after we moved in. They told me they "meant to come say hi" but never did, and haven't bothered to since. One neighbor did tell me that it was really "cliquey" here and I guess she was right.

I guess it just feels lonely here, which is odd, considering that there's people everywhere.

Did anyone else feel like this when relocating here? Does it ever get better?

[DaBurgh]

Lets back up..Why did you move here?

[Pinkmani]

I moved here right before 5th grade and it felt like home during the 7th grade. It takes time!!!!

I've never had a neighbor ring our doorbell. They have always walked up to us when we were doing yard work, walking the dog, bringing in groceries, etc. I wouldn't have walked up to them.

[NB9540]

Lets back up..Why did you move here?

Sorry I didn't include this... I was in danger of being laid off if I stayed in NY. I make about $55K/year which was hard to replicate in NY if I quit and got another job, so I applied for a job here and got it. My company paid for (most of) the relocation.

[NB9540]

I've never had a neighbor ring our doorbell. They have always walked up to us when we were doing yard work, walking the dog, bringing in groceries, etc. I wouldn't have walked up to them.

I know what you're saying Pinkmani.. they just really don't talk to us in general, I don't know why. And actually, that seems to only be in our neighborhood. In general, I found that people here are actually VERY nice, for the most part.. much friendlier than in NY.

Maybe the loneliness and having no friends here is starting to get to me, whereas earlier I was so busy with house hunting and training for my new job that I didn't even notice it..

It's just hard because this area was the one place I was actually hoping to make some friends, since the people I work with live all over the place and it's hard to spend time together outside of work.

Back in NY I had a lot of friends in my old neighborhood and we would hang out, have dinners together, get the kids together to play.. my neighbors were also my friends.. and things weren't so spread out. Here it's a much bigger city and I feel like people don't really get together as much.

[ATLTJL]

Sometimes you have to find a part of town where you fit in. I hated Smyrna/Marietta, but loved Buckhead. If you get a dog and go on regular walks, you meet everybody who has a dog. It's also easy to meet people in dog parks. Just depends what you are into, if you like punk music go hang out at the punk bar, etc. Because Atlanta has a lot of transplants, not every neighborhood is friendly.

[Staysean23]

It takes time I been living in NY for a year and 6 months and outside the people I know it's been hard meeting people, even in the industry I work in. I meet folks but nothing consistent.

I still haven't fully committed to this whole NY lifestyle. Quality of life is just different.

But I'm hanging In there trying to full commit myself and I think you need to do the same. Give it about 3 years

[Mattie]

I think where you end up makes a big difference. Our neighborhood is very social. Our town has several groups (garden club, hiking club, volunteer opportunities, etc). We were invited to our first party before we had finished unpacking.

[DaBurgh]

Are you a college football fan? There are lots of alumni chapters here who get together for game watches, concerts, golfing, etc. You don't even have to be a graduate of the school, just a fan, and can meet dozens of people instantly

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by NB9540

I know what you're saying Pinkmani.. they just really don't talk to us in general, I don't know why. And actually, that seems to only be in our neighborhood. In general, I found that people here are actually VERY nice, for the most part.. much friendlier than in NY.

Maybe the loneliness and having no friends here is starting to get to me, whereas earlier I was so busy with house hunting and training for my new job that I didn't even notice it..

It's just hard because this area was the one place I was actually hoping to make some friends, since the people I work with live all over the place and it's hard to spend time together outside of work.

Back in NY I had a lot of friends in my old neighborhood and we would hang out, have dinners together, get the kids together to play.. my neighbors were also my friends.. and things weren't so spread out. Here it's a much bigger city and I feel like people don't really get together as much.

Can you include what area of town you moved to? What's your age and your son's age, and what is the rest of the neighborhood like? Are you a "New Yorker" type with the heavy accent and gruff, or are you a more "bro" type? There are a lot of reasons, so it would be good to know a little more about you and where you live.

For what it's worth, we bought our house in a neighborhood, and we only knew one guy down the street. Within two years, we had a whole gaggle of friends in the neighborhood that would come over for parties, would hang out at the pool, etc. I'd say at the high point, maybe 8-10 couples or singles. Almost all have moved on since. We even had parties where neighboring homes (town homes, so built together) would just open their garages and doors and the whole neighborhood was invited to come hang out...some of the best times. It's not like what you describe everywhere.

The only reason I don't feel like it's home is that we never intended to stay in this house for as long as we have, but the economy and housing market had other ideas.