Job offer in the Atlanta Area!! (Duluth, Washington: rent, condos, neighborhoods)

[hadleygirl]

I've recently been offered a job in Atlanta as a Spanish teacher at a bilingual school..Im just not sure whether I should accept the job or not as I have no idea about Atlanta and/or whether id like it or not.Im a city person! raised in Madrid, Spain (6mill.ppl city) lived close to London in England and am now suffering from isolation in Western Massachusetts. I desperately seek advise! My other options job-wise are :Bellevue,WA- Houston,Tx Or Arlington,VA..what do you think?thanks
P.S: I dont have a car/drive!!

[xxman777]

Atlanta is nothing compared to Madrid. Atlanta is more of a giant suburb with a few intown neighborhoods which are somewhat urban (although not urban at all compared to Madrid). If you don't have a car you are going to find it difficult to get around Atlanta, especially if your job is outside Fulton or Dekalb counties. Personally if I was in your shoes and I had to pick between those four cities I would pick either Bellevue (if you can stand the rain) or Arlington.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by hadleygirl

I have no idea about Atlanta and/or whether id like it or not.Im a city person! raised in Madrid, Spain (6mill.ppl city) lived close to London in England and am now suffering from isolation in Western Massachusetts. I desperately seek advise! My other options job-wise are :Bellevue,WA- Houston,Tx Or Arlington,VA..what do you think?thanks
P.S: I dont have a car/drive!!

_________________________

Ok, the "P.S." is what would do you in, here.

Ever been to L.A.? Atlanta is a scaled down version of L.A. (with twangs and grits). VERY spread out in all directions, with 3 interstate highways being the literal lifeline of all the suburban residents and their cars. It's a "car city" in every sense of the word.

We do have a subway system (MARTA) and while it's fine for what it is, it is no way close to being the type of thing you'd find in NYC or London, or even the Washington DC area system. In those cities you could in theory live without a car - in Atlanta it's very difficult and very limiting to live without one.

You are also listing places with lots of unique cultural things about them. Atlanta is a business and convention city with some sports and a bit of tourism as a byproduct. It is not "unique" in the sense that for the most part it has a relatively small downtown area (with lots of bums), with some touristy things (aquarium, etc), and the rest is just tons and tons of suburbs with generic stucco shopping centers with chain stores in them. There are worse places, but it's not going to compare to some of those you listed, or those available if you have a choice and complete freedom to move where you like.

Of those you listed, I'd pick Washington State *if* you can get/drive a car. Their public transit is even worse than here, BUT, there's a lot more to do there (you have the ocean, good music/club scene, and you're only an hour or two either way from Portland or Vancouver). Second choice would be Washington just from a historic point and very good transit system. Houston is like Atlanta for the most part, only even more humid, so that would be off the list.

[justone321]

I think you'll be happiest in Houston, TX. The people are very nice and it is urbanized with a suburban feel.

[lastminutemom]

Houston -- without a car, I don't think that is a very good idea at all.

Where is your job here -- not the specific school, but the part of town?

What type of rent would you be able to afford?

Arlington might be a better choice, certainly Washington DC as an area is more cosmopolitian, I think and public transportation is far better there than here, but it is very $$$$$ to live in the area.

[jxu66]

You need to figure which part of atlanta the job is located? Buckhead, midtown, Duluth or other areas. Otherwise, nobody can give you good answer.

[xxman777]

I agree with Greg. The Seattle areas rail transit is pretty bad (they don't actually have any right now), but they do have a really good bus system (much, much better then Atlanta's) if you can stand the bus. Seattle also has spent a lot of money on putting in bike and ped infrastructure so it is really easy to get around without a car or transit. Of course if the school you are looking at is far from any sort of bus line it would very difficult to get there.

DC is a much better choice as far as not being car dependent. However if I remember correctly Arlington has very limited rail service as well so you are going to end up using the bus as well (and it's harder to bike there because the streets are smaller).

Originally Posted by justone321

I think you'll be happiest in Houston, TX. The people are very nice and it is urbanized with a suburban feel.

I think that is exactly what the OP is not looking for.

[SupaDaveXP]

Arlington is minutes away from Washington D.C. If you find a place near the metro (subway), you're golden. I had a few friends that lived in Arlington, yet worked in DC, and they had no problems with commuting . I can't speak on the other cities as I'm unfamiliar, but the DC Metro area provides plenty of entertainment and all day/night entertainment. Also, DC offers a great blend of culture from people all over the world, and since many of their historic buildings borrow architectural designs from our cousins overseas, I wouldn't be surprised if you're (somewhat) reminded of London or Spain. The only drawback with living outside of DC is the cost of living. I'm minutes away and my neighbors are selling their two-bedroom condos for $405K+.

[LLD]

I grew up in the Houston area, lived in the DC metro area for almost 10 years, have visited Atlanta several times and currently job hunting there, and was also in Madrid a year or so ago.

For the urban feel, amenities, and not driving -- Arlington is your best bet. And the DC metro area is very international. But the cost of living is very high so that is the trade off.

[gt6974a]

I didn't know we had bilingual schools, hope it's not a public school.

If it's bilingual and it's public, it can't be good.