Milwaukee to Atlanta or Dallas (Marietta: best town, income, property taxes)

[Hephaestion]

The above comments are very good, but I must say I find Atlanta infinitely more stimulating than Dallas. Atlanta inside the Perimeter Highway I-285 is much more liberal than Dallas, with more creative arts and cozy neighborhoods than Dallas ever dreamed of having. Piedmont Park and the Atlanta Botanical Garden are such a delight, as is the amazing Georgia Aquarium. And there are many gorgeous drives to be taken outside Atlanta... to Helen in the mountains, to the amazing antebellum homes of Madison & Social Circle, to FDR's home in Warm Springs, and so much more. Gorgeous Savannah and beaches are close enough for a weekend trip, as are the Smoky Mtns. Atlanta airport is MUCH better than Dallas's airport, I think, and is accessible by subway. I would rather live close-in than in Alpharetta but I know many people who live in Alpharetta and love it. The Chattahoochee is there, and schools are very good.

[whynot1986]

Hephaestion: Clearly a matter of opinion. Dallas has at least two in-city lakes (Bachman and White Rock), and though small they are quite enjoyable and very accessible . The only lakes near Atlanta that the public can use are Allatoona and Lanier. If you get into the large, loud, beer-guzzling, radio-playing, truck-driving, misbehaving white trash thing then that's fine I suppose. In 13 years I have been to Lanier and Allatoona fewer times than I used to go to White Rock in just one year.

Speaking of White Rock lake, have you ever been to the Arboretum by its side? More than gives the Atlanta Gardens a run for its money, and you get to see the lake from many parts of it, which aids the natural feel.

As for the other places you mentioned (Helen, etc) they are fine - one time. Very limited in scope and not really cultural attractions in any way. For instance, Helen's claim to fame is that it is an 'Alpine Village'. But it's an IMITATION Alpine village, for heaven's sake, created (or rebuilt) solely for the purpose of attracting tourists, and the crowds there are hardly what one would call 'stimulating', unless one is referring to blood pressure. The whole thing is one big tourist trap, every bit of it lined with hokey stores that rip off tourists. Once was enough.

If you think Atlanta airport is better than Dallas then it is clear you have not been to one of them. When I used to travel on business in Dallas, I could park my car near my gate, so near I could go up one level, look down and to one side, and see my car. I'd look to the other side and see the gate! Each of them would be about a 45 second walk away. (Disclaimer: I don't know how much of this has changed since 9/11/2001). In Atlanta forget that - the car is in another zip code! From the time one parks till you reach the gate can easily be an hour. And what's with that rail track within the airport that goes a mile in a straight line from end to end? Did they never hear of building on a radius? And the depressing ride itself... oh God...

A lot of the 'attractions' in Atlanta are there just for the sake of drawing tourists and lightening their wallets. Underground (what a pit), Coke museum (what's the point again?), Cyclorama (ditto), Centennial Park (an eyesore and you have to fight off criminals and panhandlers to get anywhere near the place, not that you'd want to get near it after the first time). The High Museum and Symphony Hall are a joke in their esthetics and acoustics, respectively. The Aquarium is a blight and perhaps the best example of the triumph of marketing over substance and a huge confirmation of PT Barnum's motto.

The main natural advantage Atlanta has is the greenery, which the corrupt politicians keep destroying by being in the pockets of the developers, and the river, which pretty much eveyone insists on polluting first chance they get.

I still think Atlanta has a *slight* edge over Dallas but not for the reasons you mention. And if I keep getting reminded of these abominations, I might just have to reconsider that opinion as well.

[Pders]

Live in Dallas and Atlanta. Have not been to Milwaukee.

Found Dallas to be flat, boring, harsh weather, and worst of all in a state like no other- Texas. In Dallas about the only thing people did was see movies when not working. That's because there is simply nothing going on there and the locals told us as much. There is an area of the size of Atlanta's midtown that contained the entire vibe of the city. What irked me about the people there is they can't stand or handle any criticism of the town and especially that state.

There is hightech in Dallas, but telecom corridor has been blown away. Nortel is in BK after all and San Jose ate their lunch. So it's hit or miss with jobs. Cost of living though is good. You'll have money to shop and that's about all there is to do there. Note that many roads are toll roads even surface streets and they look aweful. Ugly town and place. Traffic is bad in Dallas however because it is two metros your just as likely to drive 30min at highway be in a speed as spend it in traffic. You may live 50 miles away and still be in a suburb.

Now on to Atlanta- overwhelmingly AA. Downtown is an abyss, although places like Buckhead and Vininngs are rather nice and new. Things to do include the mountains north and possibly ocean on the weekends like Florida or the Atlantic. The Atlantic is a let down though. Atlanta used to have lots of high tech but lately it seems to have really lost its luster. I know more than a few looking now. Cost of living is very good but traffic is prety bad getting into downtown. Good news is you might not be working there because job centers are spread out across town.

[plessthanpointohfive]

I'm a bit baffled by the posts bashing Atlanta's airport over Dallas'.

I mean, really?

ATL is the busiest airport in the world.

And let me tell you, as someone who travels a lot for work....considering the amount of people who move through ATL they do a HECK of a job. I've NEVER had to actually be there 2 hours before a flight - domestic OR international. The longest I've waited through those loooooooooooong security screening lines was 20 minutes.

Please...

[Pders]

But you have to admit that DFW is more central to living than Jackson. I say Jackson for a reason too. DFW though has a nice toll to pay in and out. And there's also Love.

But as bad as it sounds MARTA blows Dallas transit away. Dallas is too white and way over the top, beyond the top, conservative(actually I won't offend true conservatives and simply say republican) to be shuttling poor folks around. Don't forget who lives and is very very welcome there, our own W.

[gladt]

Used to live in Atlanta and now live in Dallas. Both cities are great just depends on one preference. I don't know where the above poster gets that Dallas "has nothing to do". To me that is a comment I just don't understand. And I don't go to movies.And, yes, shopping in Dallas is a big deal. More shopping option here than just about everywhere else except larger metros. Dallas has a very large arts scene. Angelika theatres. All sorts of restuarants. Huge and accessible airport(s). Beautiful intown neighborhoods. Fantastic suburbs, Amusements parks. Zoo. Ft. Worth downtown area. Good higher educational institutions (love SMU!). Sports galore. Lakes.
If people can's find something to do in metros like ATL and Dallas (5.5 & 6.5, respectively) then I don't know what to tell them.

[Pders]

That poster gets that from living there. People who lived in Dallas for longer than I did, used to tell me how friends would visit them and be bored because there isn't anything to do there. Zoo's are good example. Not that it isn't cool, but it's not something to say "wow look at all the things here, a zoo."

Now Ft Worth is cool. That is something Atlanta doesn't have. But because Dallas people can't stand Ft Worth people, I didn't bring it up. Funny how Ft Worth pops up only when it helps make Dallas look good.

And Emory owns SMU, it's not close.

[gladt]

^^^
Sorry, I'm not from this area. Been here only six months, so I don't know anything about "Ft. Worth...only when it makes Dallas look good" attitude that may exist here. To me, I consider DFW be one and the same area. As for Emory, yes Emory is a better school. But I love the setting of SMU. Just my opinion. Was not trying to compare anything.

[portyhead24]

Originally Posted by Pders

Dallas is too white and way over the top, beyond the top, conservative(actually I won't offend true conservatives and simply say republican) to be shuttling poor folks around. Don't forget who lives and is very very welcome there, our own W.

You can't be serious. Too white and too conservative? What Dallas did you live in? and as far as W goes he is free to live where he wants to. I can guarantee I and many people I know aren't ecstatic about him living here, but at the same time we're not gonna have a protest or try to run him out of town.

[blondandfun]

Originally Posted by whynot1986

A lot of the 'attractions' in Atlanta are there just for the sake of drawing tourists and lightening their wallets. Underground (what a pit), Coke museum (what's the point again?), Cyclorama (ditto), Centennial Park (an eyesore and you have to fight off criminals and panhandlers to get anywhere near the place, not that you'd want to get near it after the first time). The High Museum and Symphony Hall are a joke in their esthetics and acoustics, respectively. The Aquarium is a blight and perhaps the best example of the triumph of marketing over substance and a huge confirmation of PT Barnum's motto.

Thank you thank you thank you!!!
Amen!!

What's moronic is that the developers wanted the Aquarium to boost the area and they were planning some grand things. Yet the aquarium is dominated by loud uncontrolled school children... absolutely the WORST place to go to have a relaxing weekend... the only reason it's the "biggest in the world" (joke, another statistic) is because of the God-awfully large atrium which does NOTHING but make the place even more chaotic.