5 Pros & Cons of Atlanta metro (Savannah, Dallas: appointed, apartment, crime)

[CUDavidBanner]

I thought it would be informative if those familiar with Atlanta, would list their top 5 positives and 5 negatives about the Atlanta Metro area. Thanks in advance.

[xxman777]

Negatives:
1. Weather (too hot)
2. Doesn't feel like a city, it feels like a giant suburb
3. Traffic
4. Racially segregated
5. The "Walmart culture" which is anti responsible planning or good social services

Positives:
1. Growth, I love the growth spurt that the region is going through, I find it very exciting
2. Big city, decent amount to do
3. Trees (again from Denver we don't have trees)
4. Rain (once again from Denver, the change is great)
5. Job opportunities (again big city a lot of opportunity)

[TakeAhike]

A previous thread/discussion of Pro/Con Atlanta:

Positives about Atlanta?

I'm a native and I wonder about what the future will bring.
The economic growth was desperately needed --there have been some major challenges here.
Life has gotten quite complex--that is what I like least.

[DoveDiva]

Pros and Cons of Atlanta (from a native Miamian's perspective)

Pros
1. four seasons, beautiful landscape
2. affordable cost of living
3. better pay in comparison to Miami
4. an abundance of affluent African-Americans
5. great job opportunities

Cons
1. springtime (I never had allergies until I moved here)
2. traffic--that mess is crazy
3. schools--to me, they are just average (I taught in Virginia for a year so I'm spoiled)
4. sprawl
5. lack of decent metro-wide public transportation

[darkone]

Originally Posted by xxman777

Negatives:
1. Weather (too hot)
2. Doesn't feel like a city, it feels like a giant suburb
3. Traffic
4. Racially segregated
5. The "Walmart culture" which is anti responsible planning or good social services

Positives:
1. Growth, I love the growth spurt that the region is going through, I find it very exciting
2. Big city, decent amount to do
3. Trees (again from Denver we don't have trees)
4. Rain (once again from Denver, the change is great)
5. Job opportunities (again big city a lot of opportunity)

Your negative point #2 and your positive #2 sort of contradict each other. Atlanta either feels like a big city or a big suburb, but not both! Btw, most cities that are not NYC, Boston, Philly, DC, Chicago or SF tend to feel like sprawling suburbs with skyscrapers in the middle. But Atlanta is not too bad for a sunbelt city and will only improve - this is from someone who has lived in Boston and NY.

Regarding point #1, this ain't Miami where it is hot 85% of the year. October through April is very pleasant over here in Atlanta. Summers here are no different than NYC in terms of heat and humidity, only they last longer and there is no sea breeze or cool northwesterlies. I have forgotten what its like to scrape my car windows every morning and shovel snow, etc. I'll take this climate any day.

Regarding racial segregation, tell me a place in the U.S. or world which is not on a large scale. Sorry but its human nature thats partly responsible here.

[atlantagreg30127]

My list:

Pros:

1) If you can't find a job here, you're dead.
2) Retail - if you can't find a THING here, you're also dead.
3) Geography - near mountains, not too far from ocean, etc.
4) As someone mentioned, "trees". Trees vs contrete is better here than in some other larger cities (such as Dallas).

5) Winters - rare snow, rare ice, fairly mild since the climate changed.


Cons:

1) Crime, crime, oh and did I say CRIME? The evening news is a combination of Thunderdome and some kind of post-WWIII reality show.

2) Reverse descrimination common in the city (city appointed positions, etc). There's a certain "payback time" attitude among certain city leadership offices. You will rarely if at all see a Hispanic/Latino, Asian, or white person in an important appointed position in the city.

3) Traffic. It's insane. Our governor recently sent in his budget which gives no more money for public transit expansion as well. His spokesman has said on tv.. "there doesn't seem to be a need for it". Yes, really.

4) Air quality. L.A., here we come!

5) Total lack of atmosphere here. It's just a bunch of generic retail strip centers with the same stores, cookie-cutter stampled every few miles over the entire region. There is a lack of a lot of unique "village" areas here short of Virginia Highlands, etc.

I'm adding a "6": Number of vagrants downtown make it very unattractive to visitors and residents alike. It's not at all an enjoyable "walkable" downtown without being bothered for money, etc.

[xxman777]

Originally Posted by darkone

Your negative point #2 and your positive #2 sort of contradict each other. Atlanta either feels like a big city or a big suburb, but not both! Btw, most cities that are not NYC, Boston, Philly, DC, Chicago or SF tend to feel like sprawling suburbs with skyscrapers in the middle. But Atlanta is not too bad for a sunbelt city and will only improve - this is from someone who has lived in Boston and NY.

Regarding point #1, this ain't Miami where it is hot 85% of the year. October through April is very pleasant over here in Atlanta. Summers here are no different than NYC in terms of heat and humidity, only they last longer and there is no sea breeze or cool northwesterlies. I have forgotten what its like to scrape my car windows every morning and shovel snow, etc. I'll take this climate any day.

Regarding racial segregation, tell me a place in the U.S. or world which is not on a large scale. Sorry but its human nature thats partly responsible here.

Darkone I'm sorry that you don't agree with my view points but the original poster asked for our top 5 pro's and con's. I listed mine. Where are yours?

That said apparently, I need to make a clarification. My #2's don't contradict each other. Atlanta is a large city and therefore has plenty to do. Museums, festivals, concerts, clubs, restaurants, etc. There is plenty to do here. Atlanta does not feel like a city though. Big cities have other ways to get around other then a car. In Atlanta the public transit is pathetic, there are very small shoulders and no greenbelts making biking hazardous to your health and in the few spots where sidewalks exist they are in such disrepair they might as well be taken out. Big cities also have shopping in buildings other then strip malls with dense residential either over them or near them (creating walkable areas). With very few exceptions most of Atlanta retail is in strip malls which are cumbersome to pedestrians. The residential is very spread out, you can easily find homes in the center of the city with a lot of property and most apartment buildings, even intown are suburban style. This sentiment has actually been echoed by another poster on this very thread. I stand by my statements. I guess the problem is when I say if feels like a giant suburb I mean spatially, not culturally. Atlanta has the amenities of a larger city and so there is a lot of stuff to do here.

As far as weather, you're right it isn't Miami. But I've never lived in Miami and never would. As I said I came from Denver. Yes it gets hot there in the summer but it doesn't last for six months, and Denver actually gets snow. I really miss the snow and I can't think of anything else that I hate more about Atlanta. I remember what is what like to scrap my windows everyday also, but I appreciate the winter and the beauty it has to offer. I also feel I appreciate spring and summer much more after a harsh winter. Of course other people are going to have different opinions, a lot of people hate the snow. But the original poster asked for each persons top five and the weather is my #1 negative.

I'm not going to get into racial segregation as there have been several threads pertaining to this on this forum but I will say that I have never seen racial segregation to the extent that I have in Atlanta. Coming from Denver and what I have seen in other cities (never been to Boston) I can't think of a city which is as segregated as Atlanta is.

These are my opinions. What are yours?

[darkone]

From a Northeastern perspective:

Pros:

1. Relatively low cost of living
2. Diverse Economy (not very recession-prone)
3. Weather: Nice, long Fall and Spring weather which sort of cool off at the end and beginning respectively to create a semi-winter of sorts with little to no snow, and ice every other year possibly. Summers no worse than any other southeastern or mid-atlantic areas.
4. Road (as in Freeways and their interchanges) infrastructure
5. Can escape to Mountains, Florida beaches, Charleston, Savannah etc. within five hour drive.

Cons:

1. A pervasive "wannabe" feel with a touch of boosterism, sloganeering especially within the city.
2. Erratic as well as aggressive drivers - over here they are worse than what I have seen in Boston.
3. Walmart, McDonalds, Publix, Chic-Fil-A,Target, Super Target ....... repeat sequence indefinitely.
4. Air quality within the city during the summertime is usually poor. Can barely makeout skyline many days.
5. The "ATL" is really Philly without the world-class institutions, its a much better version of Detroit, but lacks the downtown character, and its a wannabe L.A. without the glitz and glamour.


I fully agree with xxman regarding the "city" of Atlanta's suburban development patterns and its joke of a transit system. I used to live for a while in a small town in NYS which had an efficient, extensive bus system. I never had to wait 30 min. for a bus during a weekday like I have here. I truly have fears about my car breaking down anywhere around here, even within the city limits away from Downtown, Midtown and Buckhead due to the spread out nature of the area in addition to the obvious crime factor.

[merlin70]

Pros:

1. Weather, you get 4 seasons but all are pretty mild. Winter is freezing though for a CA native!
2. The Airport, you can fly anywhere direct, even many international destinations. I found it great as a business traveler.
3. Surprisingly diverse city, you have every culture. Unexpected in Georgia!
4. Incredibly cheap compared to CA and in fact most other large metros with the exception of Texas cities.
5. Close to recreation, Lake Lanier, mountains, Florida and coast easily driveable for a long weekend.

Cons:
1. Bad planning, sometimes feels too spread out. Lots of time in the car needed.
2. Poor bicycle/pedestrian facilities. Parks are sometimes lacking
3. The state is behind the metro area in progressiveness. There seems to be a tension between the metro area and the rest of the state.
4. Air quality can be an issue
5. Continued fast growth, which will only increase traffic and other problems for the foreseeable future.

[dforce59]

Thanks to David Banner for putting this out. The responses have been as diverse as (it seems) the Atalnta surroundings are?
One note; It's unfortunate but real, I suppose) that racial segregation should raise its ugly head in these survey responses. But it is what it is. Also, there was a response about 'reverse discrimination.' These are the kinds of cons that hurt a community more than any other. But we are responsible for change. We can't wait for the politicians or some act of God to change the situation. We must be proactive and not passive, unless we are comfortable with the status quo.
Concerning vagrants as a distraction. It's no solution just to make mention of its negative connotation. These are people in need. However, their need is more for a help-up, rather than a hand-out.
I want to move to the Atlanta area, but not just for a place to live. I want to become a member of a vibrant, progressive, proactive community. I am new to this forum, but I am already excited about it and enjoy being a part of it. I see a people who really care and want good for the present and better for the future.
Thanks
Dewton