Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We are a working couple with 2 school age kids that currently live in the SF Bay Area. We both work in tech.
Questions
1) Has anyone here made a similar move from Bay Area to ATL? How do you like it?
2) We are looking in ITP around Sandy Springs / Brookhaven. What are the recommended neighborhoods for families?
3) Our budget is about $800K. Is that too low?
4) We send our kids to private school. Any recommendations on private schools that focus on IB curriculum?
5) We both work in tech. What is the job market like?
6) We lean conservative. Are people politically tolerant?
7) Is crime an issue? What should we know?
8) Are there any hidden costs we should be aware of? Taxes, landscaping, termite, etc?
ATL officially leans liberal now, and like most metros, it's moreso ITP. Would still be conservative compared to CA however.
Hidden costs would be a termite bond, potentially an exterminator (not necessary though), and the vehicle tax (you pay a 1 time premium to register your car here).
North of I-20, crime is not an issue. That's obviously a rule of thumb, but generally holds true. North of 285 would be safer still.
We are a working couple with 2 school age kids that currently live in the SF Bay Area. We both work in tech.
Questions
1) Has anyone here made a similar move from Bay Area to ATL? How do you like it?
2) We are looking in ITP around Sandy Springs / Brookhaven. What are the recommended neighborhoods for families?
3) Our budget is about $800K. Is that too low?
4) We send our kids to private school. Any recommendations on private schools that focus on IB curriculum?
5) We both work in tech. What is the job market like?
6) We lean conservative. Are people politically tolerant?
7) Is crime an issue? What should we know?
8) Are there any hidden costs we should be aware of? Taxes, landscaping, termite, etc?
Thanks!
1) I can't answer - I've only visited the bay area but havent lived there. From what I here in heresay and also my brief encounters of what has happened in SF, Atlanta is ALOT less extreme in a political sense, but politics IS a thing in Atlanta, just not at the same extremity.
2) I've done some time in Glenridge Creek which is ITP off of Johnson Ferry Rd just outside of Sandy Springs, I'm unsure how much those homes are selling for now but they were within your budget at the time. You can give that a look.
3) No, not for Brookhaven or Sandy Springs. Buckhead you may get close or exceed it though.
4) I can't answer - I'm single and no kids
5) It's picking up pretty well in Tech. Google and Microsoft are making a presence there. Apple also seems to be making a presence there. There are plenty of fintech companies such as NCR, Equifax, Fiserve. They also have the standards such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise (Windward Pkwy in Alpharetta GA - a Northern Suburb) and Cisco (Lawrenceville GA off of Sugarloaf Pkwy).. ..It's not the tech giant innovation / stem center than San Fran is, but it's not lacking by any means either.
6) It's very difficult to answer this. Lately with uproars that have occured nationally, its difficult to gauge how tolerant people are. I personally feel that political intolerance at this age is going to be found everywhere. Both parties are heavily polarized regardless of where you live.
7) It largely depends on where you live. Certain areas ITP have seen an uprising in crime in light of the riots / pandemic. Brookhaven and Sandy Springs though still seem largely unaffected.
8) I wouldn't call those hidden costs, but the general costs of living.
-- You will be paying LESS taxes than you do in SF
-- You will be doing MORE yard / lawn care than you do in SF
-- Termites are a thing in Georgia. Unfortunately its just apart of living there, many homes are made from frame / wood, but at your price point you should be able to avoid that.
-- I don't know about SF, but I would be prepared to pay more for HOA fee's. That may or may not be a thing compared to SF, I'm unsure.
-- You don't have to worry about gloomy orange skies burning over the horizon as you'll get ample more rain... ... ...Sorry, had to throw that in there.
One very important question is: Will you both be working from home, or will one or both of you be commuting to your jobs, and if so, where in the Atlanta metropolitan area will one or both of you be commuting to?
I ask this question because not all tech jobs are located ITP.
Many tech jobs are located OTP, including in an area like Alpharetta, which has been a rising tech hub in recent years.
Also, Atlanta is a metropolitan area with a limited transportation network where, before the pandemic necessitated that many offices work from home, newcomers were often strongly advised to live as close as possible to their jobs as possible in an attempt to minimize exposure to the area’s notably heavy pre-pandemic traffic and challenging commutes.
If one or both of you have been hired to jobs that will require you to commute to workplaces outside of the I-285 Perimeter on a frequent basis, you potentially might want to consider also including some quality OTP neighborhoods as part of your housing search, according to where one or both of you might have to commute for work, if applicable.
Along with ITP areas like Brookhaven, the ITP part of Sandy Springs and even parts of Buckhead, you potentially might consider making OTP areas like the OTP part of Sandy Springs, East Cobb, Dunwoody, Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Roswell and even parts of Peachtree Corners be part of your housing search according where you might have to commute to work, if a commute is part of the equation.
All of the aforementioned ITP and OTP suburban neighborhoods are also very likely to be very tolerant (if not exceedingly tolerant) of metropolitan conservatives like yourselves.
Though many parts of the aforementioned ITP and OTP suburban neighborhoods have started to trend more towards the Democratic Party in their voting patterns in the most recent election cycles (as has been the case with many closer-in suburban communities all over the country), all of the aforementioned ITP and OTP suburban neighborhoods were dominated by relatively moderate conservative Republican voters until about 2016 when many of those areas started to trend noticeably towards moderate Democratic Party candidates.
But even with many parts of the aforementioned ITP and OTP suburban neighborhoods currently trending towards the Democrats, suburban conservatives continue to be a very major (and even at times domineering) part of the political and social equation, particularly through many affluent swaths of areas like Buckhead, Brookhaven, Sandy Springs, East Cobb, Dunwoody, Peachtree Corners, Roswell, Alpharetta and Johns Creek.
Though, there is no denying that the most recent electoral results definitely reflect that the political power of moderate and progressive suburban North Atlanta residents appears to be on a stunning rise after decades of political domination by conservatives.
When it comes to private schools that focus on IB curriculum, the first school that comes to mind is the Atlanta International School in Buckhead.
You can pretty much live just about anywhere in Atlanta for $800k
Plenty of Private Schools to choose from regardless of what specific area you choose
Brookhaven has their own police department and they will actually come out if you call unlike APD. Brookhaven also outsources most of their city services so they are cheaper, better, and more efficient than say if you lived in city of Atlanta proper. Very safe area and a great area to raise a family.
Why do you want to move to Georgia, in particular? We have so many people with money moving in from California already
and everything's getting gentrified. And with people who don't really care for Georgia or Atlanta to begin with. It's just cheaper.
Why do you want to move to Georgia, in particular? We have so many people with money moving in from California already
and everything's getting gentrified. And with people who don't really care for Georgia or Atlanta to begin with. It's just cheaper.
While they never explicitly stated why in their inquiry, one most likely can infer that the OP and their significant other wants to move from California (the Bay Area) to Georgia (metro Atlanta) because of the significantly lower home prices in metro Atlanta when compared to the (often ridiculously and notoriously costly housing market of the) Bay Area.
The OP’s question asking if an $800k budget is too low for housing seems to provide a very big hint as to what their motivations most likely may be for wanting to move from the Bay Area to Atlanta.
The fact that one can purchase much more house in a highly desirable area for the same or even lesser amount of money in Georgia than one can purchase (or rent) a home for in California, makes Georgia (including and particularly metro Atlanta) an increasingly attractive destination for many Californians.
... That includes many affluent Californians with higher incomes who (despite higher incomes) sometimes may still struggle to afford housing costs in a state that has a reputation for having ridiculous and even notoriously high housing costs, particularly in populous urban areas with highly competitive housing markets like Southern California and the aforementioned Bay Area.
(The logistical convenience of being the site of the world’s busiest airport, having a warm but relatively mild climate, having great natural beauty and being located near numerous Southeastern getaway and vacation spots likely also makes a Georgia a highly attractive relocation destination as well.)
And why do you assume that the OP “does not really care for Georgia or Atlanta” just because they may be from a larger and more populous state like California?
The OP and their significant other most likely would not have taken the time to type up a message on a board inquiring about home prices, private schools, the job market and other quality-of-life issues if they did not find Georgia to be an attractive place to possibly move to.
Many people who move to Georgia from other parts of the country (including larger, more populous states like California, New York, Illinois, Texas and Florida) often seem to care enough about Georgia to become deeply involved in the community after they move here, including to the point of volunteering in the community in various ways, investing in the community financially and/or even up to becoming politically active, contributing significant sums of money to political campaigns and/or even running for public office.
Someone who may want to move to Georgia from California should not be assumed to “not really care for Georgia or Atlanta” even if one of their major motivations for moving may be to cut their living costs.
There’s nothing at all wrong with wanting to improve one’s quality-of-life by reducing one’s living costs by moving to a less-expensive (but still high-quality) area.
And seeing someone express interest in moving to Georgia from California because Georgia is (significantly) less expensive than California should not in any way make Georgians feel interior about themselves.
Georgians (including metro Atlantans) should feel proud that people in other parts of the country and the world view Georgia as being a desirable place for people to want to relocate their families and lives to.
I know that some people may not see it that way, but being a destination for people to relocate their families and lives (jobs, homes, businesses, investments, volunteer work, etc.) should be something that causes some people to want to lash out at others out of irrational and puzzling feelings of inferiority and/or insecurity.
It's not a sense of inferiority... the city is changing considerably.. I'm over the clear cutting, over the rude drivers, over the gentrification. We have big beautiful historic homes that would be the envy of most native ATLiens, but it's not enough for some of the people moving in, they want even more, to buy the best houses on the block, and then make ridiculous McMansions out of them.
I don't have a problem with new people moving in, but these people are coming in at the top of the food chain, with tons of power and influence, and remaking the city to suit themselves. This is not immigrants fleeing to seek a better life, this is millionaires moving in en masse, buying up the city for themselves, and waving the weeny in our faces. Asking if $800,000 is too low a budget to buy a house??? How are we supposed to compete with that? That's more money than many people here have ever seen in their lives... When you come in with money like that, you have the run of the place. And that's exactly what's happening all over ITP. Whole communities gone within a matter of years. This isn't a balanced playing field.
It's like you work hard for a long time saving up, thinking, maybe I'll live there one day, if I'm lucky. You see it for years, and then in the matter of a few months, you watch some putz in an Audi cruise in, buy it like it's a stick of gum, chew it up, spit it out, and move on to the next fad. It's downright demoralizing.
It's not a sense of inferiority... the city is changing considerably.. I'm over the clear cutting, over the rude drivers, over the gentrification. We have big beautiful historic homes that would be the envy of most native ATLiens, but it's not enough for some of the people moving in, they want even more, to buy the best houses on the block, and then make ridiculous McMansions out of them.
I don't have a problem with new people moving in, but these people are coming in at the top of the food chain, with tons of power and influence, and remaking the city to suit themselves. This is not immigrants fleeing to seek a better life, this is millionaires moving in en masse, buying up the city for themselves, and waving the weeny in our faces. Asking if $800,000 is too low a budget to buy a house??? How are we supposed to compete with that? That's more money than many people here have ever seen in their lives... When you come in with money like that, you have the run of the place. And that's exactly what's happening all over ITP. Whole communities gone within a matter of years. This isn't a balanced playing field.
It's like you work hard for a long time saving up, thinking, maybe I'll live there one day, if I'm lucky. You see it for years, and then in the matter of a few months, you watch some putz in an Audi cruise in, buy it like it's a stick of gum, chew it up, spit it out, and move on to the next fad. It's downright demoralizing.
As long as people from California, New York, and New Jersey continue to move to Atlanta housing prices are going to continue to increase. These buyers are often cash buyers as well. This is great if you own a home because it will continue to appreciate. Atlanta will continue to evolve and change and that isn't a bad thing. Gentrification of intown Atlanta isn't going away. Its here to stay and it is making the city more diverse and vibrant. This isn't going to change anytime soon.
It's not a sense of inferiority... the city is changing considerably.. I'm over the clear cutting, over the rude drivers, over the gentrification. We have big beautiful historic homes that would be the envy of most native ATLiens, but it's not enough for some of the people moving in, they want even more, to buy the best houses on the block, and then make ridiculous McMansions out of them.
I don't have a problem with new people moving in, but these people are coming in at the top of the food chain, with tons of power and influence, and remaking the city to suit themselves. This is not immigrants fleeing to seek a better life, this is millionaires moving in en masse, buying up the city for themselves, and waving the weeny in our faces. Asking if $800,000 is too low a budget to buy a house??? How are we supposed to compete with that? That's more money than many people here have ever seen in their lives... When you come in with money like that, you have the run of the place. And that's exactly what's happening all over ITP. Whole communities gone within a matter of years. This isn't a balanced playing field.
It's like you work hard for a long time saving up, thinking, maybe I'll live there one day, if I'm lucky. You see it for years, and then in the matter of a few months, you watch some putz in an Audi cruise in, buy it like it's a stick of gum, chew it up, spit it out, and move on to the next fad. It's downright demoralizing.
Well, if it’s any consolation, pretty much the same thing has been happening throughout much of the greater Sun Belt and greater American South from interior Western metros like Las Vegas, Phoenix and Denver, to Texas metros like Austin, Dallas and Houston, to other Southeastern metros like Nashville, Charlotte, Raleigh, Washington DC and the Florida metros.
It’s even been happening to varying extents in some of the more economically viable Northern Rust Belt/Snow Belt metros like Indianapolis; Columbus, Ohio; Pittsburgh, New York City; Boston, etc, not to mention the notable gentrification issues that a Pacific Northwest hub of industry like Seattle has been grappling with in recent years.
With a massive international airport (the busiest on the entire planet, pre-COVID), what has been a booming tech industry, what has been a booming TV/Film production industry, and with the city and metro being a top target for frequent major corporate relocations and expansions, a city/metro like Atlanta certainly is far from immune from the same gentrification pressures that every economically viable metro has been grappling with in recent years.
A state like California (including and particularly the Bay Area where the OP is planning a move away from) has had an expensive housing market and high cost-of-living issues for several years (decades even). With the issue reaching critical mass in the late-2010’s, pre-COVID, and with the issue appearing to come to a head during the COVID crisis to the point of many urban coastal Californians (probably including the OP) being completely fed up with the ridiculous housing costs (not to mention California’s high taxes) and making arrangements to leave the state for greener (and less-expensive) pastures.
... This is after years of housing prices spiking through the roof and into the stratosphere, especially in a metro region like the Bay Area, which has long featured housing prices that were significantly above average even well before the ridiculously insane price spikes of the late 2010’s occurred.
I understand your frustration with what is going on locally, but Atlanta (much like every other rapidly gentrifying major metro mentioned above) does not exist in a vacuum.
Much (if not most) of Atlanta’s growth into a major metropolis has come as a result of the internal population migration pipelines that the city/metro has had from other parts of the country like the urban Northeast and the urban Midwest (and, to a lesser extent, even urban California) for decades along with a strong internal population migration pipeline from other parts of the greater American South.
Both more-affluent and less-affluent out-of-state residents have been migrating into the Atlanta metro area for decades, particularly with Atlanta’s status as a pre-eminent relocation destination or ‘mecca’ for African-Americans.
It is just that the recent ultra high-profile U.S. Senate double runoff election and the massive amount of media attention that it generated seems to have made Georgia (particularly metro Atlanta) even much more of a very high-profile relocation target for more affluent Californians (along with affluent Northeasterners) than it likely might have been before.
The U.S. Senate double runoff election (which may have been the most expensive and most watched US Senate elections in U.S. history, by far) possibly seems to have made Georgia (particularly metro Atlanta) a relocation target for affluent Californians that potentially may be almost about equal to Texas, which has been attracting an accelerating number of affluent Californians in recent years.
That is because the ultra high-profile two-month double US Senate runoff election basically served as a 2 month long infomercial that advertised Georgia (and its very business-friendly low-cost economic climate) to frustrated affluent Californians and Northeasterners and even some frustrated affluent Midwesterners (particularly in an economically stagnant Midwestern state like Illinois).
Heck, I’ve got some relatives who make more than $70k per year who have been thinking about moving out of Southern California (currently in Orange County, CA) for years to get away from the infamously high living costs there.
My relatives LOVE California, but they seem to have reached the point where they just can’t deal with the ridiculous housing costs there anymore and seem to be becoming increasingly motivated to move out of the state so that they might be able to have a chance at enjoying a higher quality-of-life.
One of my relatives’ younger siblings moved from Southern California to Texas (Houston area) about a decade ago to seek out a better (and higher) quality-of-life.
After the publicity and attention that the US Senate runoffs generated for Georgia, my relatives who remain in Southern California now seem to be even more strongly considering a move to Georgia than they were before the election.
I know that it does not at all seem fair that affluent out-of-state newcomers can move in the state and buy larger houses and pieces of real estate.
But the reality of it all is that (like it or not) this is a free market and people can move wherever they may have the funds to want to move to.
I fully agree that it’s not good that working-class residents may get displaced from urban neighborhoods and get disadvantaged in the marketplace.
But on the other hand, it’s also not necessarily the worst thing that urban and inner-suburban neighborhoods have become popular destinations for people to move to, as opposed to the decaying and abandoned areas that they often became during the last few decades of the 20th Century.
It’s far from perfect, but ultimately it’s probably better for inner-urban/suburban neighborhoods to be considered to be popular and desirable destinations for new residents instead of sitting largely empty, deserted and abandoned and attracting much crime.
Last edited by Born 2 Roll; 01-19-2021 at 07:08 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
... ...Sorry, had to throw that in there.
