Creative types moving from Los Angeles to Atlanta? (living, moving to)

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by jerusalemtulipooz

Hello, this is my first time on this forum and I am hoping you guys could help me out. My husband and I are native Los Angelinos considering a move to Atlanta. We are both creative and have backgrounds in the fashion and entertainment industries and have visited Atlanta several times. We understand it is a great place to raise a family and have a better quality of life with a lower cost of living. Has anyone moved from Los Angeles (or another big creative city like NYC, SF, etc…) to Atlanta and how do you like it? Did you find it to be a drastic change in terms of creative vibe? Thank you in advance for your comments.

Yes YOU should move to Atlanta and bring all your creative ideas with you.

What exactly is a "creative city" can you tell us more about them?

[jerusalemtulipooz]

Originally Posted by sjuraud

Oh yeah, one more neighborhood that's really nice called Oakhurst. I'm not sure if it's considered to actually be part of "City of Decatur" or not. I rented a house there for about 3 years.

Oakhurst, Georgia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That is good to know. We will make sure to look into that. We really liked the area in Decatur by the main strip with all the shops and restaurants. People seemed very friendly and the neighboring homes had a lot of character. It seemed like a very walkable and warm area where you would get to know your neighbors. We will look into Oakhurst too. Thanks for your input.

[jerusalemtulipooz]

Originally Posted by DreamKeeper

Atlanta is starting to become a big player in the movie, tv and video game industries. There are a lot of movies and tv shows starting to be filmed here now and I was just reading an article a few weeks ago that was talking about all these video game production companies relocating to Atlanta. One of the reasons is due to the tax credits they instituted here a year or so ago that makes Georgia have the lowest tax burden in the country for entertainment related companies. Plus, Georgia has a very low cost of living compared to other big entertainment areas and the movie/tv industry is realizing that Georgia is a pretty diverse state that allows them to film a variety of things.

That is very exciting to hear especially since the entertainment industry brings with it many new opportunities for jobs and great press for the city and state in general. Yes, the cost of living is a huge draw for us and the tax credits are great news for companies. Thanks for your input.

[jerusalemtulipooz]

Originally Posted by IntownHomes247

The Westside is certainly a nexus of creative fields in the city and it's an area that has seen a lot of residential growth in the past 5 years. The Westside has historically been very industrial -- railroads, warehouses, industrial/commercial businesses -- but in the past decade has seen the rise of very hip, sophisticated residential opportunities as well. It seems to have spread up from Castleberry Hill (which is the new visual arts nexus of the city with lots of galleries and artists lofts but is a very industrial area with no detached homes). If lofts/condos or cluster type homes are not appealing to you, there are several established residential neighborhoods very close to all this creative hipness as well. Loring Heights, Underwood Hills, and Berkeley Park are all in the area.

Now, the Westside is NOTHING like any of the neighborhoods you've already expressed interest in. Brookhaven, Peachtree/Garden Hills, and Sandy Springs have a very different look, feel and vibe. Decatur too (which is my personal favorite) is different from all these areas. Decatur feels like (and actually is) a small college town. For example, it has a courthouse square where they have concerts on the park. Decatur is a very pedestrian friendly neighborhood. The other neighborhoods are very much commuter neighborhoods with relatively little you can walk to (or would necessarily want to since all their businesses are generally located on extremely busy streets).

Aside from Decatur, I'd suggest all the intown Atlanta neighborhoods near Decatur, especially Candler Park and Lake Claire, perhaps Kirkwood as well, and certainly Inman Park, which is closer to Downtown Atlanta. There's a very similar (although slightly different) vibe through this entire part of town, and all of them tend to appeal to creative types.

Thanks so much for all this detailed info. We actually looked at the Westside and LOVED the fact that many artists and designers are opening shop there. We looked at the Huff Heights complex and read about the future development planned around that entire area. It seems like a very exciting and vibrant community. Our main concern was how industrial it still felt and how long it would be before it felt more walkable and safe. Especially since all the development seems to be at a standstill right now...everywhere. We will certainly check out some of these other areas you mentioned as well. I have read about many of these areas in Daily Candy but have not had an opportunity to visit them yet. I guess it's time to plan another trip soon. Your input is extremely helpful.

[jerusalemtulipooz]

Originally Posted by bizchick86

Hi jerusalem, Atlanta won't be a drastic change. While it's much smaller than those metropolises, you have enough here to keep you engaged, keep you networked, and keep up your craft, while affording to do it. I actually left NYC to pursue my performing arts career here because of the cost of living, and I am not disappointed in coming back at all. I know that I'll be going out to a larger market eventually, but I am sure even then I'll be in Atlanta quite a bit for business.

The industry is steadily growing down here, and I can say with confidence the film industry in particular has grown RAPIDLY. Not sure what field you're in, but big news in film today is that Screen Gems is developing a 36 acre sound stage in Atlanta where the next Fast and Furious will be filming. This all creates a domino effect, because if film continues to grow at the pace it is, and with the music industry already big down here, rest assured other creative industries will find Atlanta its home.

For both film and music (the entertainment industries I'm most familiar with), the area west of Midtown (known generally as West Midtown or the Westside) is home to every major record label in the city and a lot of film work (that's where Screen Gems is building their sound stage).

Although you mentioned communities that are more SFH oriented, I would suggest looking at loft/condo communities out there. One because there's a plethora of new developments and from over saturation have lowered their prices and two because that area would be great for networking. You can find all sorts of people just hanging out in nearby restaurants/bars/cafes because they're in the area all the time for work. There also might be some SFHs within your budget as well, so I'd definitely look into it.

Atlanta overall has grown in other creative arts, so the fine art community here is solid as well. And, just to note, I have a number of friends in creative fields who have traveled back and forth between L.A and the ATL and spend just as much time doing business here as they do in L.A.

Good luck with everything, and feel free to ask any additional questions as they come to you. I'd be glad to help!

So glad to hear that you are happy with your move. It is really good to know that you don't feel it was a drastic change coming from NYC. Your input is inspiring and exciting. All of the industries you mentioned are of interest to us and it is great to know that Atlanta is becoming more and more of a major player in these creative industries. Thanks for responding and I hope you continue to prosper there.

[jerusalemtulipooz]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

Note that while the project is behind schedule, you may wish to consider the new "Town Brookhaven" development that'll be going up in that area (I think Costco recently signed up as a tenant, too): TOWN | BROOKHAVEN . There will be a mix of retail, restaurants, and residential units there (condos, townhomes, etc).

Very interesting! Thank you for the link.

[bayarea-girl]

I'm from LA and have lived on and off in Atlanta (surrounding areas) for a couple of years now. I LOVE Atlanta. But if you and your husband do not have a job lined up and or REALLY good connections in Atlanta this is not the time to uproot your family. My husband and I made that mistake and ended up really paying for it (the main mistake was timing).

On the other hand it is one of the best places to raise a family. There are so many things I like about GA and can't fit it all in one post. The Southern Hospitality is there, you'll make friends there that you will have for life, and the night life is really nice. But if you move there don't compare it to CA just enjoy it for what it is. Good luck.

[jerusalemtulipooz]

Originally Posted by bayarea-girl

I'm from LA and have lived on and off in Atlanta (surrounding areas) for a couple of years now. I LOVE Atlanta. But if you and your husband do not have a job lined up and or REALLY good connections in Atlanta this is not the time to uproot your family. My husband and I made that mistake and ended up really paying for it (the main mistake was timing).

On the other hand it is one of the best places to raise a family. There are so many things I like about GA and can't fit it all in one post. The Southern Hospitality is there, you'll make friends there that you will have for life, and the night life is really nice. But if you move there don't compare it to CA just enjoy it for what it is. Good luck.

Thanks for your input. It is nice to hear from someone that moved from L.A. We have visited Atlanta several times and really like it, but visiting and living can be very different. Would you ever come back to L.A.? I have heard that once you get used to the lifestyle in Atlanta you will never want to come back. The friendly people, cost of living, and family values are some of the things that attracted us so I am glad to hear you mention these.

Can you tell me what things you are NOT happy with? How did you adjust to the weather (mainly the humidity and rain)?. How about diversity (I mean this in every sense of the word: people, culture, food, places to go, etc...)?. We really enjoy living in a melting pot and have heard that Atlanta is becoming more and more diverse.

[mceis]

Originally Posted by sjuraud

Yep, be careful what area of "Decatur" you're looking into though. There is the "City of Decatur" (nice but expensive) which is a different entity than what's commonly referred to as Decatur. A good bit of DeKalb county could be considered Decatur. You should also maybe check out Kirkwood, Inman Park, Candler Park and Little Five Points.

We have a bunch of people in the arts and entertainment (mostly production side) in Grant Park, too.

[netdragon]

Inman park, etc are great. If you are willing to be somewhat of a frontiersman, there is an artsy district starting to develop in Midtown West abutting Georgia Tech and Atlantic Station as well - Places like Howell Mill, Chattahoochee Avenue, Marietta Street and Blvd. Still not close to as established and artsy as Inman park but heading there and much more affordable. If the beltline gets completed, I think it will likely transform very quickly. This area is mostly lofts, but there are some single family homes around for reasonable prices.