Don't Move to Atlanta (Dallas, Boston: environment, lawyer, smog)

[Atlnot]

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.

[j0ja]

Well, some of what you posted is your opinion. I do agree with some of it, though. It sounds like some of your issues are personal regarding work. Yes, I have been discriminated against, I think most of us experience some set backs at the job: no matter what race, age, or gender we are.

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.

This may depend on where you are in Atlanta. I could see this in some areas, but not all. Being educated isn't everything either. I am usually not impressed by people due to their education credentials. The way people treat others and their demeanor mean more than whether or not they attended college. I do believe, however, that the attitude among some people from the South that they don't hold education in as high regards as some in the North do, but that is a very broad statement to make. I disagree with you on some of your statements.

Do you know why a lot of businesses move to atlanta? Because there are a lack of unions down here.

IMHO, unions in of themselves are becoming obsolete anyway. Membership in the largest unions in the US has been decreasing in large numbers over the last 20 years or so. There was a purpose for unions in the industrial area, but nowadays, not as much as our economy has drastically changed in the last 30-40 years. Not having that many unions in GA may have allowed cost of living to be lower here. It definitely makes a difference.

I hope you find more happiness in another city. I have had a lot of hard times, too, but I don't blame it all on my employers, where I live, and so on, but I believe I *can* see how you might think that way.

[CrownPrincess]

I must agree with you...but I would never tell anyone don't move down here. I have this conversation with my family all the time. My experiences and perceptions are very different from them. They think Atlanta is just great while I hate everything about it. The best thing I can do is...like you...raise enuff money to blow this camp and not look back. It's hard to believe...but some actually love Atlanta. It's simply not for everyone.

[blackrabbit]

I have lived in 5 major cities in the US (NYC, LA, Boston, DC and Atlanta. Atlanta is the easiest to suceed in of all 5. If you can't get a good job here in Atlanta then its time to look inward at yourself and skillsets not blame the city...........................

Out of interest tell us where there is a city that pays more, has lots of jobs and yet costs are lower? I have not found one. Probably the closest is Dallas in size and it has the same issues as Atlanta.

I think most of Atlanta's problems are typical US problems. The whole country is terrible for the environment and education compaired to other 1st world nations..

So I am not saying its a great place to live but it is a good place to live cheaply and save/earn good money thats why so many people move here.

[chip1980]

Negatives:

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.

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


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


Discrimination against anyone that is not African-American is "thick" down here. Well thats what happens when u steal people from another country

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
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/2007prelim/

[CrownPrincess]

It definitely is not cheaper. Rent is lower than in Chicago but at the same time...the tenant pays all utilities...which are expensive as all get out. Water is ridiculous! Food is more expensive down here and the quality sucks! Ever since I've been here, I've had to stop eating chicken cause it's so darn bloody. Never had that problem before. Restraunts leave much to be desired. The jobs are scattered...if you find one you probably have to travel quite a distance to get there. Culturally Atlanta has nothing to offer. It lacks soul and personality. To me it's just a big oversaturated space with people driving around in circles at a high rate of speed. But this is just my experience.

[neil0311]

Sounds like just a slew of gross or outrageous generalizations mixed with your own biased personal opinions. There are these things called moving trucks and interstate highways. It might be time to use both.

[LovinDecatur]

Originally Posted by CrownPrincess

I must agree with you...but I would never tell anyone don't move down here. I have this conversation with my family all the time. My experiences and perceptions are very different from them. They think Atlanta is just great while I hate everything about it. The best thing I can do is...like you...raise enuff money to blow this camp and not look back. It's hard to believe...but some actually love Atlanta. It's simply not for everyone.

Yes, it's simply for people that are well-adjusted and secure within themselves. The rest of you can keep jumping from place to place, looking for what you'll never find. Good luck.

[Atlantasfinest]

Discrimination against anyone that is not African-American is "thick" down here. Well thats what happens when u steal people from another country

Hilarious!!!

[chip1980]

Originally Posted by CrownPrincess

It definitely is not cheaper. Rent is lower than in Chicago but at the same time...the tenant pays all utilities...which are expensive as all get out. Water is ridiculous! Food is more expensive down here and the quality sucks! Ever since I've been here, I've had to stop eating chicken cause it's so darn bloody. Never had that problem before. Restraunts leave much to be desired. The jobs are scattered...if you find one you probably have to travel quite a distance to get there. Culturally Atlanta has nothing to offer. It lacks soul and personality. To me it's just a big oversaturated space with people driving around in circles at a high rate of speed. But this is just my experience.

Atlanta is cheaper than Chicago. Chicago is too cold, too many gangs, etc