Moving from Portland Or

[spacelord75]

Oops - well, based on all the replies, I'm guessing he's still enjoying the plethora of awesome microbrews in the fine city of Portland. I wouldn't say I would blame him.

[gahomes247]

Originally Posted by MegaJoy

If we could please everyone in the world---we would have world peace.
Atlanta, GA like all Cities have problems---It is left up to you to make the best of your new City. I moved here from Maryland, i love Atlanta, GA. The weather is my favorite..NO SNOW

megajoy, I am with you. I am so glad to read some good comments about GA
I love Atlanta TOO. We came from Southern California

Make It a Great Day

[lyukos]

I would give up on the half-acre. If you must leave lovely, progressive Portland, then parts of the Decatur/Emory area would be great for you. Houses aren't so cheap that that you could get that amount of land there but the schools can be very good if you get the right ones.

If you go so far out that you can get a half-acre for that price, traffic is going to be a real issue, but you might be able to get a house with a reasonably nice garden if you shop around carefully for some time. It is going to be really important to do your homework on this. There are some nice mommy's groups that could probably give you good advice.

[DukeMBAHSM]

As a native Portlander, I would suggest Decatur, but with a smaller yard. The bottom line is that unless you are way way out or in Buckhead, a lot of a half acre will be hard to come by. There is the possibility of that in the Toco Hills area near Emory, but the house you would get in your price range will make an old single-wide seem luxurious. Here, buy neighborhood and neighbors. Look in the Oakhurst area of Decatur. If you have kids, Decatur schools may not be as good as advertised. Taxes are quite high, too. less than Portland, but remember here there is a high sales tax. Toco Hills has very good schools and lower taxes, but some areas may have less of a neighborhood feel. If you like people and want to be friends with your neighbors, look carefully. You will like the weather and lack of endless rainy days and slugs, but the traffic will take some getting used to.