Single mother Possibly moving in 2016 (Atlanta, Duluth: 2014, apartment, rental)

[Bostontosomewhere]

Hi All,

I'm looking into possibly moving to Atlanta in 2016. I would really like to move sooner, but really don't want to rush into anything. Anyway, I'm a single mother to a 7 yr old and not sure what the best area would be for me to look into. I've been looking into Duluth and not sure if it's a great area to raise a child.

So my questions are..

What area would you recommend I look into? I grew up in Boston,ma , lived in Florida for about 2yrs, then moved back to MA but I'm currently living in a somewhat surburan/city-like area. I'm a young 30yr old african American woman and would prefer a welcoming community.

How is Duluth? Employment, Crime rate and school system.. Etc . I was told by a family friend to look into south Georiga. How would south Georgia compare to Atlanta?

Are staffing agency's a good way to find work before I move? My BS is in accounting but work in insurance industry. With that said, are the prospects good for someone like me? I'm leaning towards pursuing a masters program in IT/IS and wanted to know what the market is like for an African American woman in Ga.

Overall, I need insight and any information you can share is greatly appreciated.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that I would prefer renting around $1200- 1400

[afdinatl]

I would move sooner. Don't move to South Ga, stick to metro area since you are used to city living.


Put your resume out there to see what happens. As far as where to move I would find a job first.


You can get a job and go to school here. Your company might even pay for some of it.For a 2 bedroom in the suburbs you can get something nice for around $1050+.


Btw it's not a matter of rushing into anything. It's more about finding the right job. I wouldn't wait until 2016 if you can get a job because Atlanta is an extremely fun city and you will be missing out on a lot of events

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Bostontosomewhere

Hi All,

I'm looking into possibly moving to Atlanta in 2016. I would really like to move sooner, but really don't want to rush into anything. Anyway, I'm a single mother to a 7 yr old and not sure what the best area would be for me to look into. I've been looking into Duluth and not sure if it's a great area to raise a child.

So my questions are..

What area would you recommend I look into? I grew up in Boston,ma , lived in Florida for about 2yrs, then moved back to MA but I'm currently living in a somewhat surburan/city-like area. I'm a young 30yr old african American woman and would prefer a welcoming community.

How is Duluth? Employment, Crime rate and school system.. Etc . I was told by a family friend to look into south Georiga. How would south Georgia compare to Atlanta?

Are staffing agency's a good way to find work before I move? My BS is in accounting but work in insurance industry. With that said, are the prospects good for someone like me? I'm leaning towards pursuing a masters program in IT/IS and wanted to know what the market is like for an African American woman in Ga.

Overall, I need insight and any information you can share is greatly appreciated.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that I would prefer renting around $1200- 1400

My advice to you is to not get fixated on one particular area like Duluth because you don't yet know where your job will be located in the Atlanta metro area.

Unlike Massachusetts, transit options are very limited to non-existent throughout much of the Atlanta suburbs so driving will likely be a necessity in most cases which means it will be important to know where your future job will be located so that you can look for a quality place to live that will be relatively close to where you will be working so that you can minimize your rush hour commutes to and from work.

Quality suburban areas like Duluth can be found throughout the Atlanta metro area so don't get fixated on one particular suburb without first knowing where your future job will be located so that you can attempt to minimize your rush hour commuting to and from work.

[Bostontosomewhere]

Thanks for the advice so far..

I would mover sooner, but I'm scared of just uprooting and changing my child's school so fast.

How would you recommend an out of stater to look for a job?

I'm also not too afraid of commuting because I don't think anything can compare to bostons traffic. Currently, my commute to work is 1 1/2 -2hrs.

[afdinatl]

Originally Posted by Bostontosomewhere

Thanks for the advice so far..

I would mover sooner, but I'm scared of just uprooting and changing my child's school so fast.

How would you recommend an out of stater to look for a job?

I'm also not too afraid of commuting because I don't think anything can compare to bostons traffic. Currently, my commute to work is 1 1/2 -2hrs.

As far as moving military kids have to move all the time so I don't see that as a major problem.

As far as looking for a job just apply to them

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Bostontosomewhere

Thanks for the advice so far..

I would mover sooner, but I'm scared of just uprooting and changing my child's school so fast.

Originally Posted by Bostontosomewhere

How would you recommend an out of stater to look for a job?

Something that help you land a good job from out-of-state is to call the employers that you might be interested and establish a rapport by phone with the people the company who may be in charge of hiring and personnel decisions.

Just kind of establish a good relationship with prospective future employers by phone, come across as positive and eager to work there and have them anticipating your application.

Originally Posted by Bostontosomewhere

I'm also not too afraid of commuting because I don't think anything can compare to bostons traffic. Currently, my commute to work is 1 1/2 -2hrs.

Back in late January 2014 the Atlanta area had a widespread traffic jam that lasted the better part of two days when a midday snow and ice event of roughly 2.5 inches hit the metro area during the lunch hour (about noon).

Atlanta has its own unique traffic issues that cannot be overlooked or understated, traffic issues made worse in many areas by a severe lack of adequate road and transit infrastructure.

Metro Atlanta's traffic issues are particularly acute across the very popular booming Northside of the region where crushing population growth and rampant overdevelopment long ago outstripped the sparse transportation infrastructure's ability to handle the additional traffic generated by the continuous overdevelopment. Traffic can be a major problem in many areas south of the city as well.

It is because Metro Atlanta's peak-hour very heavy traffic patterns are so easily disrupted (traffic often comes to a complete standstill with just the slightest disruption in most places across the metro area) that newcomers are often advised to seek living arrangements that are located relatively close to their jobs when possible.

[LovelySummer]

Also, if OP has a better commute, she can have more time for quality of life. Working out, spending time with children, resting, etc. It's so valuable. All better than sitting in a car several hours a day.

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

Something that help you land a good job from out-of-state is to call the employers that you might be interested and establish a rapport by phone with the people the company who may be in charge of hiring and personnel decisions.

Just kind of establish a good relationship with prospective future employers by phone, come across as positive and eager to work there and have them anticipating your application.


Back in late January 2014 the Atlanta area had a widespread traffic jam that lasted the better part of two days when a midday snow and ice event of roughly 2.5 inches hit the metro area during the lunch hour (about noon).

Atlanta has its own unique traffic issues that cannot be overlooked or understated, traffic issues made worse in many areas by a severe lack of adequate road and transit infrastructure.

Metro Atlanta's traffic issues are particularly acute across the very popular booming Northside of the region where crushing population growth and rampant overdevelopment long ago outstripped the sparse transportation infrastructure's ability to handle the additional traffic generated by the continuous overdevelopment. Traffic can be a major problem in many areas south of the city as well.

It is because Metro Atlanta's peak-hour very heavy traffic patterns are so easily disrupted (traffic often comes to a complete standstill with just the slightest disruption in most places across the metro area) that newcomers are often advised to seek living arrangements that are located relatively close to their jobs when possible.

[AtlantaFam]

I have 4 kids ages 9, 10, 11, 12. I can tell you from my perspective that worrying about uprooting a 7 year old from school is not as big of a concern as you perceive it to be now. It's great to think things through thoroughly, but once you've decided to move, just move. As far as Atlanta traffic, you may be in for a rude awakening as compared to Boston. My parents are from Boston so we travel there frequently. I can say that Atlanta's may be worse. I'm not sure you want to commute into the city every day from Duluth. There are a lot of different areas to Atlanta. As a native, I wouldn't rank Duluth at the top of my list, but I'm sure there are some people that would. Jobs are not impossible to find in Atlanta, so you just have to figure out what you want to do, update your resume, plan a visit to the city and hopefully combine the visit with a job interview or two. Your rental budget for a 2-bedroom is ok, depending on where you live. Personally, I would consider renting closer to the city, closer to networking, closer to where your job will likely be, closer to universities where you could pursue your Masters Degree. Perhaps an apartment in Brookhaven - safe, close-in, diverse, convenient, welcoming, great access to all parts of in-town, yet it still gives you decent access to the northeast suburbs (Duluth) if you still want access to that. You will be welcomed in all parts of Atlanta, so don't worry at all about that. We'll be happy to have you and your child.

[Lavelle704]

Good day. We are ready to make a move to Georgia. My family need jobs. I have an associates in business management. Managed thirty employees or more in a warehouse setting. A fraud investigator risk management experience. My wife is a photo editor. We would love to have a new start. Please help us grow into a new vine. 704-877-7638

[LovelySummer]

Originally Posted by AtlantaFam

I have 4 kids ages 9, 10, 11, 12. I can tell you from my perspective that worrying about uprooting a 7 year old from school is not as big of a concern as you perceive it to be now. It's great to think things through thoroughly, but once you've decided to move, just move. As far as Atlanta traffic, you may be in for a rude awakening as compared to Boston. My parents are from Boston so we travel there frequently. I can say that Atlanta's may be worse. I'm not sure you want to commute into the city every day from Duluth. There are a lot of different areas to Atlanta. As a native, I wouldn't rank Duluth at the top of my list, but I'm sure there are some people that would. Jobs are not impossible to find in Atlanta, so you just have to figure out what you want to do, update your resume, plan a visit to the city and hopefully combine the visit with a job interview or two. Your rental budget for a 2-bedroom is ok, depending on where you live. Personally, I would consider renting closer to the city, closer to networking, closer to where your job will likely be, closer to universities where you could pursue your Masters Degree. Perhaps an apartment in Brookhaven - safe, close-in, diverse, convenient, welcoming, great access to all parts of in-town, yet it still gives you decent access to the northeast suburbs (Duluth) if you still want access to that. You will be welcomed in all parts of Atlanta, so don't worry at all about that. We'll be happy to have you and your child.

All children are not the same and all parents are not the same. Uprooting one child could have practically no effect while uprooting a different child could have a significant effect. Also, the family structure must be taken into account as well as many other things. The OP is wise to put her child high on the priority list in terms of timing. She's a child, not cargo.