Atlanta and Charlotte Differences? (crime, houses, buying)

[mom2gurls]

We really like both places, jobs are easily relocatable in both places. So leaving without a job isnt a problem. Would love to hear to the good, the bad and the ugly from people who have compared the two areas..why they chose one over the other.

We are leaning towards gwinnett or the buckhead area or even alpharetta.

We are slightly leaning towards atlanta...it just seems a tad more cosmpolitan, but we are worried about what we read with regards to the rodents and critters. (flying roaches all over the place and the kids cannot play in the backyards because of fire ants). I camed armed and ready when we were in buckhead.

But I didnt observe any of the things I managed to read. If we are buying in a new subdivision...will we really have a massive bug problem? Do kids play outside on the grass because of the ants.

I thought the critter and creature problem was more for south carolina?

Anyone who has experiences of thoughts on charlotte and atlanta...I would love to hear.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by mom2gurls

We are slightly leaning towards atlanta...it just seems a tad more cosmpolitan, but we are worried about what we read with regards to the rodents and critters. (flying roaches all over the place and the kids cannot play in the backyards because of fire ants). I camed armed and ready when we were in buckhead.

You must be coming from central L.A. or Manhattan if you're worried about bugs. LOL

Both cities have fire ants. Both cities have roaches. As a matter of fact, in the suburbs AND within the city limits intown in both cities, you'll find things like Possums, Raccoons, and even Coyotes (I won't talk about the snakes), which are numerous in either area. Your biggest concern in Atlanta at least regarding kids, should be the crime, traffic, smog days, and public schools.

Charlotte isn't (any longer at least) a hick town. They're rapidly growing and have many of the ammenities that you have in any other larger city. Their metro population is just under half of Atlanta's (which might be a good thing overall), and their economy is fairly strong. Both cities have access to mountainous areas and reasonable driving distances to the ocean. Charlotte gets more snow than Atlanta (rare here), but overall each city has four distinct seasons.

Charlotte probably at this time has a more competent city government. Atlanta has more fortune 500 and corporate HQ offices than Charlotte, but if as you say your jobs allow for either city as a choice for relocation, I'd personally opt for Charlotte... you'll be getting much of what Atlanta has without some of the crud we've accumulated over the years. Just my opinion.

[mom2gurls]

You are on the money....the standard things we are looking for apply..good schools, pollution, great family environment. We stayed in the lennox section..and like the buckhead area....but I would rather live a tad outside. Also we do like the cosmo flair.

Charlotte was nice too. I am used to the heat as I am from the southwest. Dh is used to the rat race and traffic as he is from the northeast. So atlanta seems to have both, traffic and heat..so their lies our compromise! LOLOL.

I would like to think late next year..but who knows...a relo could happen whenever they tell us (but no sooner then next year). So we started going on our scouting missions.

I have read that charlotte has less of a crime issue (I know crime is everywhere)..is less humid (we might have lucked out and just been there during non humid days).

What about the race relations issues. I have no northern accent..so people probably wouldnt know us from adam.

AtlantaGreg--what crud are you talking about....LOL.

A part of me is asking because apparantly charlotte keeps winning the best place to live..chattanooga is on the list..but I see no atlanta :-(

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by mom2gurls

I have read that charlotte has less of a crime issue (I know crime is everywhere)..is less humid (we might have lucked out and just been there during non humid days).

What about the race relations issues. I have no northern accent..so people probably wouldnt know us from adam.

AtlantaGreg--what crud are you talking about....LOL.

A part of me is asking because apparantly charlotte keeps winning the best place to live..chattanooga is on the list..but I see no atlanta :-(

Charlotte does have less overall crime problems than Atlanta. I believe in some areas it's a bit above the national average, but in some areas Atlanta is WAY above it, so overall Charlotte has less of a crime problem.

Race relations are better in Charlotte. It's been discussed here on the board (sometimes rather heated). There always has been and still is a tension here between white and black and growing black vs. Hispanic stuff, but most report little in the way of that in Charlotte. You won't see any of the stuff you see in L.A. or other larger cities regaring race wars in either city here, but it's still there - moreso in parts of Atlanta.

The crud I was referring to was the crime, smog, sprawl, and traffic I talked about. I moved to Atlanta in 1984 - it was very much like Charlotte is today both in terms of size and other things. Much nicer (in my opinion). But unchecked, unplanned, and sprawling growth have caused some major issues here which for those of us who have been here that long of a time, causes use to see how the quality of life has gone downhill in those years. Newcomers will simply see it as it is - older timers like us see it as it WAS, and can see how it slipped. Charlotte today is very similar to the way Atlanta was in 1984 - bigger city but not sprawled and problemed (yet).

If you like "cosmo", forget Chattanooga. Personally, I like Chattanooga and it has some very nice qualities to it (the downtown Aquarium area, georgraphic location, etc), but it 'aint no NYC, that's for sure. More like Mayberry wtih a touch of redneck and a smidgen of class. LOL. Probably not your thing.

Charlotte wins. Admit it.

[hokiehigh]

I think they are pretty similar. Charlotte is really nice but it has its issues. I would choose Atlanta b/c it actually has some independent restaurants, etc... Charlotte is so new that everything is pretty much chain restaurants/shops. Plus, I would rather be in Atlanta b/c of the diversity in jobs. Charlotte is pretty much a banking town. You will probably be happy in either. Good luck! Also, I never had issues with bugs in Charlotte except for the canker worm.

[greg_atlanta]

Charlotte could be considered the belt buckle of the bible belt. You can decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

[LovinDecatur]

Charlotte 2008 = Atlanta 1985
Atlanta 2008 = Los Angeles 1985

[postprime]

Originally Posted by mom2gurls

We really like both places, jobs are easily relocatable in both places. So leaving without a job isnt a problem. Would love to hear to the good, the bad and the ugly from people who have compared the two areas..why they chose one over the other.

We are leaning towards gwinnett or the buckhead area or even alpharetta.

We are slightly leaning towards atlanta...it just seems a tad more cosmpolitan, but we are worried about what we read with regards to the rodents and critters. (flying roaches all over the place and the kids cannot play in the backyards because of fire ants). I camed armed and ready when we were in buckhead.

But I didnt observe any of the things I managed to read. If we are buying in a new subdivision...will we really have a massive bug problem? Do kids play outside on the grass because of the ants.

I thought the critter and creature problem was more for south carolina?

Anyone who has experiences of thoughts on charlotte and atlanta...I would love to hear.

One thing about Atlanta, and this will be very noticeable if you are coming from the West, is that we have extremely high pollen counts. The price we pay for all the wonderful trees. Not sure how Charlotte compares on this. As for critters, in the South: There will be bugs!

[mrdkb]

I moved to the Atlanta Area (Gwinnett) a couple of years ago while my parents moved to Charlotte (University Area). I visit Charlotte often. Here's my take. Charlotte is newer and cleaner but doesn't offer much entertainment or natural beauty. Charlotte has tons of vinyl houses - which I don't understand. Traffic is much better in Charlotte - but it doesn't have a true city even though there "uptown" area is a nice for night life. I would only live in Providence HS and Audrey Kell HS area of Charlotte. Crime in Charlotte has increased dramatically and most of the flight is toward the south of Charlotte on the border of S. Carolina. Overall Charlotte is OK place to live but it seemed pretty boring. Atlanta needs to stop the sprawl, deal with it's crime, and traffic. Atlanta is much - and I mean much more diverse but has a racial past that contibutes to it's sprawl.

[postprime]

Originally Posted by hokiehigh

I think they are pretty similar. Charlotte is really nice but it has its issues. I would choose Atlanta b/c it actually has some independent restaurants, etc... Charlotte is so new that everything is pretty much chain restaurants/shops. Plus, I would rather be in Atlanta b/c of the diversity in jobs. Charlotte is pretty much a banking town. You will probably be happy in either. Good luck! Also, I never had issues with bugs in Charlotte except for the canker worm.

I agree about Charlotte and the chain restaurants. People from Chicago, NY etc. used to say the same thing about Atlanta (and most still do). Atlanta is definitely more cosmopolitan than Charlotte though.