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Doesn't matter to me who's in charge of any city, county, or country, as long as they do a good job.
The problem with the regime in the City of Atlanta is that they're not doing a good job, and the short term history has been one of corruption and fiscal mismanagement. How can a city wake up one day and "discover" that they city has over $100 million in surprise deficit?
I totally agree and my post was made the OP would seem to feel threatened and uncomfortable. Then says the cliche saying, "i have black friends" like that validates something.
With all do respect, why would it not make a difference if the OP had "black friends?" Of course it does. It sounds like the OP moved to a diverse city and what he/she witnessed and experienced was his/her opinions. If a person was really discriminatory against a certain race, I don't think they would move to a diverse city and have friends of a race that they supposedly didn't like. It doesn't make any sense. Perhaps your the one that is discriminating against races other than your own because your philosophy seems to be a bit warped and narrow-minded. If you want to expand your thinking, try traveling and living in more progressive thinking areas of the U.S and get out of Atlanta.
I wanted to express my opinion of living in Atlanta and the surrounding areas for over 7 years. If you are considering moving to Atlanta metro area for better job opportunities and lifestyle, my recommendation is look elsewhere.
I'll list what I found to be the positives and negatives of living in the good ol Peachtree State.
Positives:
Overall decent climate
Reasonable airfares to get out of town
A lot of trees
Somewhat international feel- nothing great nothing horrible
Negatives:
Traffic is awful. Public transportation sucks. Long Commutes with rude ignorant drivers.
Low Paying Jobs.
High rent in decent areas.
Discrimination against anyone that is not African-American is "thick" down here.
Bosses at work don't control themselves when speaking to workers. A lot of the supervisors are rude, arrogant, and ignorant. I don't care if there are a lot of Fortune 500 companies here. Many sources say move to Atl. lots more businesses there hiring. Do you know why a lot of businesses move to atlanta? Because there are a lack of unions down here. They can fire at will and harrass their workers and there isn't much you can do.
The GA dept of labor is backwards. Trying to collect unemployment in this state is a major challenge. Your lucky if you can get assistance looking for a job from this agency. I tried more than once and it was like they wanted me to continue to be unemployed. It's pathetic.
Taxes are outrageous for what you get. Park and Recreation system is sorely lacking. There aren't many decent parks in the metro area to hike and get away from the rude people. There have been a series of crimes on the "better" biking trails.
Education quality is horrible. Both in the schools and universities. If you want quality head North. If you are highly educated you may feel out of place in Atlanta.
Restaurants do a lot of microwaving. People here think that since they getting a lot of food that the food is great. Sorry, but when did quantity replace quality when it came to great tasting food. Restaurants use a lot of sugar, salt, and fat in their dishes. That's why there are so many overweight people in Georgia.
Many people here are phoney. They smile to your face and backstab you the next minute. When you really need help, they are nowhere to be found. Someone is always trying to scam you out of your money. Yes, this includes the doctors and lawyers down here. No wonder bankruptcy is prevelant. It's not uncommon to see people yelling and screaming in public like they are going to be rewarded by who can shout the loudest. Respect is unheard of in the ATL. Your not rewarded by your hard work, down here, your rewarded by how lazy you can be.
Crime is rampant. Shootings on the streets and in the courthouses. Incredible!
Smog alerts are common. Georgia is not known for being environmentally friendly.
Houses are poorely constructed. They look nice from the outside but the building material is poor and weak. The houses are like disposable plates.
I could go on but I think you can get an overall impression of HOTlanta. Consider other areas of the country if your deciding to move here. Other parts of the U.S. may not have as many job opportunities but I think they would have a better quality of life. As soon as I can get enough money from the minimal paying jobs-I moving from the Peachtree State.
After living here for a long time I now know why they call it HOTlanta. It's not because of the weather. It's because it's filled with a lot of HOTHEADS.
Bad traffic is an understatement. Even in the suburbs(in northern Cobb County) rush hour can last into 8 or 9 pm now. Alot of people don't care about driving politely or safely. Part of it is the "I don't have time to be polite today because I have to get to work." What I also notice is that many drivers are hostile towards pedestrians and cyclists. The mentality is as follows: "yes, you have the right of way, but I also have a deadly weapon weighing in at 8 tons and no patience, so get out of my way" and in addition "bicycles might technically be vehicles and belong in the street, but I have places to go and you're holding me up, so GET ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD!" Sometimes motorists have tried to scare me while I was on my bicycle.
Low paying jobs? Well there are alot of low paying jobs everywhere, but what I notice in metro Atlanta is that everyone seems to be competing for them too, so sometimes you're lucky to get a low paying job.
I don't know much about rent other than I know I would not be able to afford rent in ATL.
Discrimination against anyone that isn't African-American, well I wouldn't be surprised about that happening inside the city of Atlanta. There has been alot of "this is our city and we don't want intruders coming in" mentality. In the suburbs it is often the other way around too. This city isn't the racially harmony that alot of people want the world to believe. The difference is that most people down here are afraid to talk about it because it would "ruin" Atlanta's image. This takes me into the next discussion about phoniness. I see alot of phoniness in metro Atlanta as a whole. There is alot of "smile in your face stab you in the back" attitudes around here. I have run into it. OF course that could be anywhere in the USA too.
Smog is common and I think few people care. Atlanta is not environmentally friendly and neither are the suburbs. I have walked along some of the roads and actually picked up trash that other people have dumped on the ground. Alot of people here don't seem to care. Atlanta is one of the most violent major cities in the USA. Violence is common in the suburbs too.
I want to leave this city just as bad as you. The only reason I am staying is because I am in college and tuition for in-state students in very cheap in GA(at least for the university I am in). If I leave then the cost of college for me will go up sky high, because I would be out of state.
-Because there are a lack of unions down here.
-They can fire at will and harrass their workers and there isn't much you can do.
-Trying to collect unemployment in this state is a major challenge.
Your not rewarded by your hard work, down here, your rewarded by how lazy you can be.
Your last point contradicts the other three. Also, Detroit's run by unions, think that's working out for them?
On one hand, some people are complaining about all the southern phoniness. On the other, it has been stated there are very few southerners living in the ATL area. Which is it?
On one hand, some people are complaining about all the southern phoniness. On the other, it has been stated there are very few southerners living in the ATL area. Which is it?
I believe that people are refering to the fact that there are very few native Atlantans living in the Atlanta area overall - not native Southerners. There are people from all over the South who flock to Atlanta just like those from everywhere else - so Atlanta doesn't have a shortage of Southerners here - just not many natives to the city of Atlanta left over since the growth began decades ago.
Traffic is awful. Public transportation sucks. Long Commutes with rude
ignorant drivers. Traffic is only bad if u live 50+ miles from your job. Live near your job and you will not have a problem with traffic. Live near your job, do a reverse commute, or love for the marta rail expansion the next time. Traffic isnt as bad as DC, LA, NYC, etc even though they have better rail.
I live less than 5 miles from my office and it can take almost an hour to get home. Traffic is atrocious. If I had to get away from traffic in Atlanta I'd have to live in my office.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chip1980
Low Paying Jobs. Low paying jobs= low cost of living. Move somewhere that has high paying jobs only means the cost of living is high as hell. Example....DC
Not true at all. Example, Orlando, full of low paying service jobs yet housing is more expensive than here. Also I don't believe that Atlanta is full of low paying jobs. I think there's quite a bit of opportunity to earn wealth. Even though I agree with quite a bit of the OP's opinions of Atlanta.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chip1980
High rent in decent areas. Try moving anywhere north of Va or on the west coast and you will pay high rent to live in the ghettos
I can't comment on this, what does one consider high rent?
Quote:
Originally Posted by chip1980
Discrimination against anyone that is not African-American is "thick" down here. Well thats what happens when u steal people from another country
Wow, can you please enlighten me as to when in the last couple centuries that people were 'stolen' from another country. This is 2008, there is no room for that kind of attitude. People should be looking towards a better tomorrow, not harping on something that happened so long ago. Nor when they were even alive to remember it.
Crime in Atlanta isnt as bad as DC, Bmore, Philly, New Orleans, Chicago, LA, Nyc, etc. Check the FBI crime stats. Having 90-110 murders in other cities is unheard of
Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report, 2006 (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/2007prelim/ - broken link)[/quote]
I just need to chime in on the Chicago comparison and make something clear. If you are buying a home then on average you are going to get a hell of a lot more for your money in Atlanta than in Chicago. My sister and brother in law moved from Chicago (God DAMN THEM) 4 years ago and they did so for precisely this reason. To live in Chicago and meet the mortgage on their place (which was a nice place) they would have both had to have worked after they had children (2 to date). In Atlanta, it was easy for her to stop working and they bought an equally nice but bigger place for considerably less money. That's buying. And there simply can be no meaningful argument about it. Atlanta is much cheaper. Fact.
Further, taxes in Chicago are a lot higher.... ahem.... 10.25%. Atlanta is 8%. It adds up. But on the issue of food, drink, etc, they are roughly the same.
HOWEVER if you are renting in either Atlanta or Chicago, you're not going to find a lot of difference. At the end of the day, you seem to get a little more in Atlanta for your money. I'd say there's roughly a 200-300 dollar difference, in general, between the two cities in favor of ATL. BUT if you're savvy, you can easily find a choice apartment in Chicago, in a safe, fun neighborhood for 700-900 month, often with utilities (or at least heat, which is what matters) included. The same holds true for Atlanta. It' a simple fact. Chicago is a renter's market. And to add to the equation, it is easy to avoid trouble in Chicago if you have any sense. Easy. Can anyone honestly say the same thing about Atlanta intown? I doubt it.
The worst thing about Chicago is the hyper competitive job market and the winters. Otherwise it is an absolutely wonderful city. Atlanta wins on both of these points, but if you're renting there's not a hell of a lot of difference between the two otherwise.
On one hand, some people are complaining about all the southern phoniness. On the other, it has been stated there are very few southerners living in the ATL area. Which is it?
Both.
Georgians as a rule very much dislike Atlanta. However, Georgians as a rule are also very intolerant people that do not value education.
This is a complex place filled with dead ideologies that were allowed to live due to the isolation of the deep south. Perhaps that is changing though.
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