Orlando, Fortlauderdale or Atlanta? (Jacksonville, Weston: job, houses, diverse)

[compelled to reply]

In Atlanta I would look into Decatur but DECATUR PROPER. Maybe Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, or N. Druid Hills. I'm not 100% familiar (I was only there for a month lol) but I think you basically want somewhere intown.

Don't look any further than Winter Park in Orlando. And IN Winter Park, as in the city limits. Maitland has some nice spots too. The places I suggested down here are actually very suburban in character but with the layout down here you are never far from anything.

[nitokenshi]

Originally Posted by fauve

Have you ever checked out Celebration near Disney? I would have loved to have had the opportunity to raise my kids here - it's just so "down-home" looking, the people here are really friendly, and it sure would be nice for the kids to have Disney as their playground

I second this but personally I would go for Atlanta because they have seasons, closer to snow. But if you do not care about that stuff then celebration would be good.

[fauve]

Baldwin Park, a Celebration-like development in Winter Park might be something to look at. Although, I can't even imagine what must be going on in real estate there now, as the final phase finished in late 2006.

[Newyorker2]

Originally Posted by amhn

Hi NewYorker2,
My husband also prefers Florida, but I am also thinking that there are more employment opportunities in Atlanta.

HI I am faced with the same issue. Husband loves south florida and we both have a lot of family there. I on the other hand though i wouldnt necessarily say i love ATL, but i like the thought of having the 4 seasons with a milder winter since I am coming from NY. Finding employment is a big concern as well, my husband owns his own business but I am and executive assistant and not sure if Florida has an abundance of these jobs and at what salary range.

[Newyorker2]

[ I think Atlanta has Ft. Lauderdale beat on activities for both kids and adults. ]

Compelled can you please elaborate on this? How can this be? How can ATL have more to do than FT Lauderdale when you take out any type of water activities, or boat rides, or a trip to Disney in 2hrs, or Busch Gardens or the space center (can do as a day trip as opposed to a 6hr drive from ATL) when they are stuck in the house for 2months of winter and only has one airport which makes traveling a bit harder than FL ( lets not forget Fls proximity to the islands) or Las Olas Blvd, or a venue similar to Cityplace? My interest in SoFL has to do with of course the weather, I would LOVE to only buy clothing for one season, that can save a heck of a lot of money for a family of 4, the outdoor activities for the kids, the fact that i have a lot of family there, the 3 airports etc.. etc.. however the crime reports coupled with the weak job market and economy is making me rethink this.
We live a decent life in NY, own some properties that if the market turns we might liquidate before we move, but considering the lack of work in FL , and so sign of a change in the economy there to provide better jobs, I dont see how we can maintain the life that we have here ( or even do better) if we cannot locate great jobs.

Atl to me just seems like the safer bet, and its becoming more and more popular so i am thinking it may be THE place to be someday. I only went to ATL twice and dont think i have seen enough to really pass judgement on the place. The friend I stayed with has a nice big McMansion but I remember having the feeling of "so?? what else is there to ATL than the big house". I would love for someone to elaborate for me on the things to do in ATl that would be interesting for both adults and kids.

i went to a Funeral in Montreal last oct and my cousins were talking about posibly moving to ATL out there so I am thinking boy, am i missing the boat?

[compelled to reply]

Honestly winter in Atlanta is not that bad. You can go out during the winter there, you won't freeze lol. They get ice storms but the sun does come out. What I am saying is that Atlanta has indie movie theaters, a fairly well developed club scene, their shopping is high quality, there are festivals and free events, midtown is kind of nice, although honestly you are right there is more to do here per-capita lol. Entertainment there can be very mundane, although it is more of a "city". Then again if you don't like water recreation or the beach, it can get mundane down here too, although some of the cities here host so many outdoor events for families with children, probably more than I have seen anywhere actually. Weston, Coral Springs, Parkland, Cooper City are great for that. Like sports, activities, family concerts, talent shows, all kinds of little stuff to take the kids to. Downtown Hollywood is also trying to draw families down there by holding a monthly art festival, "Global Groove" concert. You do have to look but if you do look there is a lot going on here for families.

The crime is much worse in Atlanta and anyone who told you otherwise is delusional. If you think our news is bad, read their news. At least here most of the crime is concentrated in Dade County or certain neighborhoods that you can stay away from. There are also very few neighborhoods here that I could go as far as calling scary in broad daylight. Sleazy? Sure. But not scary. Atlanta has a lot of those. In Atlanta it's armed robbery here, home invasion there, burglary everywhere! Here it's armed robbery in Pompano Beach, home invasion in east Miramar, and burglary in Hollywood. Of course burglaries occur wherever there are homosapiens and so do armed robberies for that matter but generally speaking you have defined lines here that are easy to learn and per capita there is less crime. There are cities here that rank among the safest in the country. Atlanta doesn't really have anything like that.

But, the opportunities are better there...

[casualobserver]

Another source of info would be the Atlanta forum of this very same City-Data website.

I was considering two jobs in Atlanta for several months and was parked in that forum for the same length of time.

Admittedly, all these city forums tend to have 4 negative points threads to every 1 positive, but after you learn to sort of adjust for that you can ferret out some decent info.

[fauve]

Compelled wrote a really nice post for you there that sums it up quite right. Only thing I would add is that my husband grew up on Miami Beach, moved to Atlanta as a 20 something and came back here 5 years later due to the cold weather! As a New Yorker, I laughed at that, but now that I have been down here 20 years, I don't see how I could ever live north of the jet stream again! You really do become acclimated and it really is nice not to have to wait for a nice day to do something. I often mumble "another lousy day in paradise..."

[Newyorker2]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

Honestly winter in Atlanta is not that bad. You can go out during the winter there, you won't freeze lol. They get ice storms but the sun does come out. What I am saying is that Atlanta has indie movie theaters, a fairly well developed club scene, their shopping is high quality, there are festivals and free events, midtown is kind of nice, although honestly you are right there is more to do here per-capita lol. Entertainment there can be very mundane, although it is more of a "city". Then again if you don't like water recreation or the beach, it can get mundane down here too, although some of the cities here host so many outdoor events for families with children, probably more than I have seen anywhere actually. Weston, Coral Springs, Parkland, Cooper City are great for that. Like sports, activities, family concerts, talent shows, all kinds of little stuff to take the kids to. Downtown Hollywood is also trying to draw families down there by holding a monthly art festival, "Global Groove" concert. You do have to look but if you do look there is a lot going on here for families.


But, the opportunities are better there...

Compelled I always look forward to your posts, they are always so informative. Stupid question but what are Indie movie theaters? I went to ATL, even the city (peachtree street etc.., the lenox mall and phipps) and to me it really reminded me of Wetshester county except it was more.... southern! The Traffic alone made me feel like running home and I am also not sure about the school system. The reports ( who knows how credible they are) rate GA schools very low ( like 41st out of 50 states) but again who knows how credible that is.

i am going to start a thread about FL salaries and see what i come up with.

[Newyorker2]

Originally Posted by casualobserver

Another source of info would be the Atlanta forum of this very same City-Data website.

I was considering two jobs in Atlanta for several months and was parked in that forum for the same length of time.

Admittedly, all these city forums tend to have 4 negative points threads to every 1 positive, but after you learn to sort of adjust for that you can ferret out some decent info.

I go on the GA forum as well, since i am not familiar with any of the areas that they are talking about and have no family to lean on to find out more, I find their forum quite boring.