[BornInFL]

Racists in S FL? I'm sure places like Davie. On the other hand, racists dont have to be white. I am sure there are tons of racists (perhaps just as many as Atlanta) with all the Cubans, Haitains, etc... Some cubans may not like white people, some Haitains may not like the Blacks, etc...

[jsimms3]

Wow, racists in Atl? I moved from Mia to Jax to Atl where I live now in midtown and I am not looking back to anywhere in FL. Atlanta might have bad traffic but I have only spent my driving years between here and Jax (where traffic is minimal) and I am not even that terribly frustrated. Atlanta is a business town. People here are not out to live in debt trying to outby themselves and live a fake flashy lifestyle like much of Florida (especially S Fl where I have no qualms about leaving). People here are actually out to make money and be successful and as a natural result are able to live well. The new richest area in the US is now north Atl from Buckhead to Sandy Springs/Dunwoody/Roswell (have an uncle that just moved down from Chicago to the area, lots of transplants and very Jewish). There are I think 13 or 26 zip codes from what I remember in the report with a median zip code of $113,000. You have to try really hard to find an income like that anywhere in FL. Yes Miami Beach or Palm Beach or Ponte Vedra are nice to retire, or to live in if you simply have enough money, but that lifestyle gets tiring even though it is a slothy sitting around lifestyle.

The Atl metro area is at least growing (and very rapidly), even with the economy down people are still prospering in Atl. And yes there are tons of things to do here. There is the High Museum, an art museum better than anything you will find in FL. There are attractions here for tourists (coke, aquarium, panda at the zoo, etc). There is an airport that can take you more places than any other airport in the world (and as a result Atl is fast becoming a more international city than even Miami), and you can take a marta train directly there. IMHO Marta is lightyears ahead of the metro in Miami, and now they are considering expanding it. Also, Atlanta is a pretty city with trees and hills, even the highways are pretty with old stone walls and such. The drive up Peachtree from downtown through Buckhead is way nicer and prettier than almost any drive in FL with the exception of US 1 to which it might just tie. There is also good nightlife here, and I know I am going to here it from Miami people about how much Atl "sucks" etc in this department, but I have been able to see the same DJs here that come to Miami. There are some nice club areas, the famous Tongue and Groove just reopened and I hear Vision is coming back. The sister club of Pure in Las Vegas is opening up in the lobby of the new Palomar hotel across the street from where I live (and there are two other multilevel clubs on my block...one of which is Halo, a trendy but casual lounge/club that visitors should check out for hassle/stress free clubbing). There are 4 W hotels in the city of Atlanta, all within a few miles of eachother up the Peachtree corridor.

While Atlanta is more affordable than metro areas in FL, there are many housing choices, and eaach house comes with a lot more land than houses in FL. The Buckhead neighborhood all the way from Peachtree battle to Mt. Vernon road has more buying power than the trihills area of LA (Beverly hills, holmby hills, malibu) and some houses there are so big and have so much of a yard to make anyone living in Indian Creek golf course in Sobe or Palm Beach cry. After all, those fortune 500 execs need places to live, too. You can live very cheaply in the vast ghetto that is south Atlanta or choose from one of 50 floors in Robert Stern's new Mansion in Buckhead with places starting at $2mil and going to $20mil. Decatur is also very urban, old, and nice. It is a destination in and of itself. The Virginia Highlands/Little 5 area are two neighborhoods you certainly cannot find in FL. They are more similar to the Washington Square Park in NYC, with hippies and bohemian types etc. Also, food in Atlanta competes with Miami, many NYC chefs have a second restaurant in Atl. Seafood here, obviously, is generally not as good, but some lof the nice places have the stuff flown in (Oceanaire, Chops Lobster house, McCormick/Schmick's, Legal Seafoods, etc).

There are some things FL does do better, though. For instance, the beach (obviously!). Also, there really is no water in Atl period, the Chatahoochee River does not count, and neither does Lake[bed] Lanier to the northeast. Also, FL does Palm trees better. Some residents here try. FL also does havng no climate seasons better. Here you will have to put up with a shorter summer and an actual Fall and Winter, complete with snowfalls of up to a whopping 2-3inches LoL. There is no spring here except for the 3 days or so that cover your car in pollen and make you want to croak.

Also, one last thing I should mention, and I do not want to offend anyone with these remarks, but schools (universities) in Atl are better imho. I might be biased since I go to Georgia Tech, but I opine that Emory is a better school than Univ of Miami (which imho is a little overrated and does not really rank that high anyway). Also nearby is University of Georgia, their business school is in Buckhead, Georgia State has a unique campus with 30,000 students living and studying in downtown Atlanta, and it is a pretty impressive school and a much more urban campus than any in FL. High rise dorms and high rise classrooms. It also adds to the life and character of downtown, which is constantly improving. Also, there are several state schools and a smaller private university (an old one that is very beautiful I might add) called Ogelthorpe.

This is just my 20 cents.

[Georgia1113]

Thanks Jsimms for a very informative post. Atlanta does have a beautiful spring and fall with perfect weather. Also, Florida does not have the Varsity! Also lots of opportunity. Check out Cabbagetown and Grant Park which are very artsy with lofts, new apartments, remodeled older homes, and lots of young people. These neighborhoods have lots of personality. And our winters are very mild now, not much cold weather.

[jsimms3]

very true, although this November was definitely a lot colder than the two previous! I am not an artsy fartsy type person LoL. I like Little 5 and VAhighlands for the bars/restaurants, but I think the scenes there are rather hoaky with everyone driving around in little beaters with hate Bush stickers on the back and thrift store clothes are sold in those shops with Neiman Marcus prices lol. I love Ansley Park, Brookwood Hills, Buckead, Paces Ferry neighborhood, and Brookhaven, they have equal character with a cleaner appearance, too expensive for a college student though! I live in midtown and find the area very lively and fun.

Varsity? Really? I do like the Varsity, but I know better than to get their chili haha, I always bring tums with me and laugh at all the tourists running to the bathroom . You are right, though, FL has nothing like it!

[BornInFL]

"There are I think 13 or 26 zip codes from what I remember in the report with a median zip code of $113,000."

^^^Yup. I've read that too, pretty crazy huh?



"The drive up Peachtree from downtown through Buckhead is way nicer and prettier than almost any drive in FL with the exception of US 1 to which it might just tie."

^^^ I believe it. FL is so much concrete jungle now. Other than the beaches, I wouldnt consider much of FL that pretty with all the countless shopping centers, flat land, and traffic.

And one thing you didnt mention (I dont think) is that another positive up there over FL is that the people are nicer.

[johnatl]

jsimms3 - What a great post - thank you!

As someone who relocated from Orlando 22 years ago, I have never looked back. Any big city has it's problems, but this is overall a fantastic place to live.

hurricane - I am so sorry that you ended up where you did. I'm sure that living in Clayton has been very trying, to say the least. Maybe you should check out another part of town before you give up on Atlanta. Trust me, it will give you an entirely different point of view. Good luck!

[planetsurf]

Originally Posted by BornInFL

And on the other hand, Miami's crime is worse than Atlanta's so he is making the smart choice, and not choosing to move to Miami.

Not by any quantifiable measure:
http://os.cqpress.com/citycrime/City...8_Rank_Rev.pdf

Atlanta is consistently slightly worse than Miami in crime (neither is very good).

[BornInFL]

I dont know about those stats, but I bet a lot more people feel safer in Atlanta than Miami. Statistically, Orlando is now worse than Miami, but I would feel safer walking in Orlando.

[planetsurf]

Originally Posted by BornInFL

I dont know about those stats, but I bet a lot more people feel safer in Atlanta than Miami. Statistically, Orlando is now worse than Miami, but I would feel safer walking in Orlando.

Huh, funny that! I wonder why?
Actually, scratch that, I don't wonder why.

Those were FBI stats -- try Morgan Quitno:
http://www.statestats.com/cit07pop.htm

[BornInFL]

Now I'm confused.