Will a loud, Italian-American, Catholic Northerner be rejected in Buckhead? (Atlanta: neighborhoods, living in)

[BobKovacs]

As an ex-New Jerseyan, I had to chime in here. If your wife is hell-bent on Buckhead, she's likely to be sorry disappointed, and we both know that when Momma's not happy, nobody's happy.

As said above, you're not going to get into the Peachtree Golf Club, and if you did, you'd stick out like Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack.

Regarding "acceptance", if you move into a multi-million dollar neighborhood in Buckhead, you might be "accepted" in the neighborhood, at least to your face, but behind your back you and the wife are going to be "those loud people from New Jersey" and will never truly become a part of the "club".

Your kids are likely to get some grief at school- kids are kids, after all- but to what degree they get it will depend on them- if they look and/or act like the kids from Jersey Shore, they'll surely get in much worse than if they don't.

I'll offer this advice:

1. Figure out where you'll be working first- you don't want to live on the opposite side of the metro from where you work. If you're affiliated with a hospital, try to narrow down potential hospitals you'll be working at. If you're in private practice, try to figure out where you'd want to establish your new practice. The same goes for your wife- she should look into potential employers and their locations.

2. Look at some of the areas outside of Buckhead- you're likely to receive more "acceptance" in an area with a greater number of transplants than you are in the older, established areas.

3. Give us an idea of what part of NJ you're leaving, and what you'd like to replicate in your new place. It'll help in figuring out what area might be a good fit for you.

Lastly- bring us a few good pizzas and some rainbow cookies when you get here! lol

[LastChances]

You won't be rejected, there are already rich, loud NYers in buckhead/alpharetta etc. The old Southern people gave up on Atlanta years ago. They are not 'city' people in the way the NE is.

[Gil3]

Originally Posted by plessthanpointohfive

You need to move to New Orleans. They'd LOVE you there!

Actually, I'm Italian, of Sicilian descent (but I'm half Irish) and originally from the New Orleans area. The reason I mention it is because NOLA is mostly Catholic and there are a lot of loud happy people there. And your accent won't stand out. Ever heard a real New Orleans accent? It's very Bronxy with a southern twist.

Anyway, as for Atlanta, what makes your wife set on Buckhead? It's not the only good part of town. There are several good, safe, nice areas. Or is she set on super-upscale and plain old middle upscale isn't good enough?

Will either of you already have jobs when you come down here? Where will you both work? What's your budget for housing? Are you open to public schools at all (there are some very good ones in the city)?

Pleasant,

What you decribed fits perfectly I have told people it's king of Boston, mixed with Southern.

I'm from N.O., but never had an "real" N.O. accent. However, I went to a cookout up here not too long ago and met a couple. I knew exactly where they were from. It was great running into some people from home.

[plessthanpointohfive]

Originally Posted by Gil3

Pleasant,

What you decribed fits perfectly I have told people it's king of Boston, mixed with Southern.

I'm from N.O., but never had an "real" N.O. accent. However, I went to a cookout up here not too long ago and met a couple. I knew exactly where they were from. It was great running into some people from home.

Yeah, I don't talk Yat, either. I didn't grow up IN NOLA, though. I lived in Lutcher, about 45 min away. But all my family live in NOLA and Metairie, and Kenner, etc. So I spent a LOT of my youth there.

After spending nearly 9 years in Atlanta I have the most neutral accent. I might have had the slightest Lutchas accent when I got here but it's been scrubbed. People are often surprised I grew up in the south at all. My husband is originally from Gueydan...boy did he sound Cajun when I first met him. The only thing left in his accent is the way he says works like fork and horse...he says them as fark and harse.

I've never found out the REAL reason NOLAns have that "northern" accent. I've heard several things...that it's because it's a port city that had a similar influx of cultures as NYC...that back when the US was trying to make sure it had control of the NOLA port and most people were French or Creole speaking they sent a whole lot of New York teachers down there to teach English in the schools (that sounds like the least likely story).

Yat dialect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

OK, off topic...sorry.

But you're right...I can usually tell when someone is from NOLA, though I'm getting rusty. Sometimes I ask and they're actually from Boston or Jersey.

[ooNewJerseyRelo1971oo]

Thank you very much for the responses. I will try to answer everyone's questions.

We are from Mantoloking, New Jersey, which is a far suburb of New York.

My wife is bent on Buckhead because she would generally would prefer a "super upscale" area, and Buckhead is nationally renowned as being one. We have been told by some of our neighbors that if we moved to Atlanta, Buckhead would be the only place that would meet our "Northeastern expectations", although I am unsure if that's the case... this is just what we have been told.

I plan on opening my own practice down there, and my wife may not work since the cost of living is lower. We would prefer not to use public school. Our budget is up to $3M.

Someone suggested that we not move to Atlanta at all. Atlanta really is our only option. We want to stay on the east coast to be a short plane trip to visit our family. We considered DC but after they got slammed this winter my wife said no way. We also considered Charlotte, but wouldn't we have an even harder time fitting in there?

We are not worried about Atlanta not being a Catholic town and not being left-leaning.

As for working into the old guard, this is not a priority. But, I would like to establish connections with some of the "movers and shakers", so maybe one step below the old guard? Is that possible? To give an idea, if down the road I want to get my son a summer job at one of Atlanta's top law firms, I would like to be friends with one of the partners at that law firm. I hope that makes sense.

We aren't incredibly loud, but we are not soft-spoken Southerners, is really what I meant. We were born and raised in Jersey and came from lower-income families so we do sound like we could be on Jersey Shore.

As for the country club, wasn't aware that Peachtree was so exclusive. It doesn't matter what club we join, as long as it isn't to far from our house for daily summertime pool trips.

I hope this helps.


Someone said try Dunwoody or Sandy Springs, are there any other areas to check out?


If we do move to Atlanta, that will be a final decision and we plan on staying there indefinitely. We want our kids to stay there when they grow up. So, we are planning on permanently establishing ourselves there, if that helps figure out what our needs will be. We want to make close friends, we want our kids to fit in and like it, we want to make connections, the whole bit.

Sorry this is so long. Any more info would be greatly appreciated. I have gotten mixed responses, so hopefully if Buckhead isn't the place for us, we can figure out what place is.

[BobKovacs]

If it was me, I'd look at some of the high-end developments in some of the farther-out suburbs- places like St. Marlo or Country Club of the South in Duluth, Bridgemill in Canton, or Big Canoe. Not only will you get much more for your money (you'll go into shock when you compare to what your money will buy in NJ), you'll be surrounded by transplants, and get all the benefits of living in the Atlanta metro without having to be "in" Atlanta like you would be in Buckhead.

IMO, Buckhead isn't all that spectacular of an area to begin with- some of the areas it borders are somewhat sketchy (Buford Hwy, for example), the traffic sucks, and you're paying a huge premium for the address (both on the upfront purchase and the taxes). If you were a corporate executive who needed to work in Midtown or downtown, or you needed frequent access to the airport, it might be a different story, but for a doctor in private practice, I don't think it's an ideal move. The only exception would be if you had a specialty that required you to locate intown.

I guess the question is- why does your wife want the "super upscale" area- is she a clothes-horse who needs to go shopping daily, or does she just feel that she'll feel better being in such an area?

[ramblinwreck17]

Buckhead is the last bastion of Southern aristocrats in Atlanta. You will be infiltrating a heavily fortified Confederate position. Godspeed.

I have an aunt and uncle who are members at Cherokee. It's still pretty stuffy there but I think Cherokee might be your best bet as well.

Originally Posted by ooNewJerseyRelo1971oo

Hello. We are thinking of moving from NYC to Atlanta. My wife and I are both 30-somethings. I am a doctor and she is a lawyer. We were born and raised in New Jersey.

My wife is sick of the cold weather, and after we were slammed this winter my wife says we move or I get the dog house. We want to stay in the East, and want a big city feel, but didnt want to go as far south as Miami. So, Atlanta fits the bill. We did research and my wife wont settle for anything less than Buckhead.

We want to join Peachtree Golf Club and we want to send our kids to Westminster or Lovett. What my wife is worried about is that as full-bred Sicilians with Jersey accents we wont be accepted in "Waspy" Buckhead, especially after Jersey Shore.

My younger cousin moved to Atlanta a couple of years ago and attended Westminister, and he has told me that some of the Buckhead kids called him a "guido" and the parents were very unfriendly to my aunt and uncle.

We will be stereotyped in Buckhead, or are the people accepting?

Will people be unfriendly to us at the Country Club?

Would we be better off in an area in Atlanta less "Waspy" than Buckhead?

Will our kids be made fun of?

Thanks for any responses!

[aries4118]

Considering your criteria, I recommend Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Ansley Park, Vinings, and Druid Hills...as well as Buckhead.

[plessthanpointohfive]

You might be happier in Ansley Park. It's in the city. It's really upscale. But instead of exclusive old Atlanta families it's more transplants.

Ansley Park

It's a really beautiful neighborhood. I run through there all the time and it's very, very elegant.

[reporter25]

Based on a number of factors Ansley Park would be considered the most upscale and exclusive neighborhood in Atlanta. Ansley Country Club is also located within the neighborhood, nestled in the heart of the city. It's member base has no shortage of "movers and shakers."