dalton area...what's it like? (Atlanta, Blue Ridge: health insurance, to buy, luxury)

[ladybug927]

As a transplanted Daltonian (I was born and raised in Northwestern Alabama), I must say that I really enjoy living in Dalton, Georgia. My husband and two children moved here from Huntsville, Alabama in 2002 to escape all of the problems of a larger city, and were welcomed to Dalton with open arms.

Everyone is friendly; I've made more friends in the checkout line at Kroger than I can count. There is a diverse population in the area, which some might take as a negative, but I think it's great - my children are learning to speak another language from their peers, and learning it in their youth, it is sure to stick with them for a lifetime.

The cost of living here is so much more inexpensive than other places I have lived. The city is growing in every direction, and there are enough "Big city" amenities, but that small town charm is still here.

Of course, if you're someone who needs the big city, Chattanooga, TN is only 30 minutes north, and Atlanta is 1.5 hours to the south (on a good traffic day).

I was not born and raised here, but I feel like Dalton is my home. One really good website that has been publicized recently here is a new "web portal" at Greater Dalton - Call it Home - this site has many links to other sites about Dalton (schools, churches, etc.)

Hamilton Medical Center is a top-notch facility. I gave birth to our third child there, and received better care here than I did with my two other pregnancies. The Maternity Ward was undergoing a renovation at the time of my daughter's birth, as they were installing many security and safety devices to help protect both mother and child, along with adding state of the art equipment to their LDR rooms.

As for schools, 2 of my 3 children are in the Whitfield County School system, and are receiving far better attention from their teachers and staff of the school than they were in the Huntsville, AL city school system.

If you're thinking about Dalton, come visit and see for yourself. I think you'll be very pleased.

[Truth Speaker]

I was born and raised here in Dalton. I read the comments on this board and felt compelled to write and tell you what is really going on here. I had to question their comments as this doesn't sound anything like the Dalton I know. Years ago, you couldn't have asked for a better town. Nowadays, all I can think about is getting out of this horror town aka "Little Mexico". Our hospital sucks (to put it lightly) with sometimes over 24 hour waits in the ER with patients literally dying in the waiting room. Our doctor's offices cater to the Medicaid/Peachcare patients and could care less about a paying patient needing an appt. Some of our city schools are now 95% hispanic and county schools as much as 65%, which makes us pretty low on the totem pole as far as education is concerned. Our city and county law enforcers turn a blind eye to illegal activity as they are bought and paid off by big business, namely, Shaw Industries, Mohawk Industries and Beaulieu of America, all, illegally hiring illegals to supress wages. All city/county administrators are as corrupt as they come. Don't believe me? Read this link:

U.S. Border Town, 1,200 Miles From The Border - washingtonpost.com

In fact, there is a RICO case against Mohawk expected to go to trial soon.
On Memorial Day we lost a 16 yo black football player to gangs which we have as many as 21 differant ones. We have drive-by's, drugs and other crimes that go along with it. The citizens of this town are afraid to get out at night because you can get your purse snatched IN BROAD DAYLIGHT just by simply going to WalMart around here. There are houses on every street corner belonging to born and raised Daltonians that are scrambling to get out of "santuary city". Please, do yourself a favor, stay where you are as you will be miserable here and wish you had not made that move.

Tunnel Hill or Rocky Face might be a better choice. They are slowly being taken over but not near as bad as here and their local law enforcement is at least trying to keep that way.

[NW GA Adventurist]

Here's the skinny:

I was born and raised here. As I grew up, I was like every other small town kid saying I would leave town and never come back. Since then, I've lived in big cities, college towns, and other small towns and I can honestly say that this town is a great place to call home.
I'm a mortgage broker, real estate investor, and outdoor guy and I enjoy all of those things here. You are close enough to Atlanta and Chattanooga to go out and enjoy entertaining evenings, yet you still live in a town that gives you the warm and fuzzy feeling and very little traffic. It's not Mayberry, but you can walk in the local restaurant or grocery store and always see people you know.
There are mountain bike and hiking trails everywhere, sidewalks galore, parks, and a local recreation facility that caters to adults and children. The mountains that surround this place are beautiful and present many fun outings.
I could go further, but you get the idea. Could this place be better? Absolutely, and I will donate my time and money to make this place even better than it is today; having said that, I can't think of anywhere else that I'd like to call home.

[Truth Speaker]

I had to read with great amazement at the last post and concluded yet another insider official from the City of Dalton using his last ditch efforts to try to influence the newcomer to his most "lawless city in Georgia". Not only is the latter true, but we are also the "Carpet Capital of the World", the "Divorce Capital of the World" and have more millionaires per capita than anyone else in the US, oh, and did I mention we have now been labeled a "Sanctuary City". The pandering continues on a daily basis to the "illegal" population which can clearly be seen through Dalton State College. Not only do they allow "in state" tuition to illegals while denying this luxury to American Citizens who have been in Dalton less than one year, Moderator cut: Removed

All of this and more is going on behind the scenes of this town.

This city, my friend, is not where you want to be especially if you have children and plan to continue their education at DSC.

This beautiful mall that others have spoke about was built in the 80's. The stores are so old that you can actually smell urine in the dressing rooms. The gangs and crime have gotten so bad there that they had to pass an ordinance that noone under the age of 18 can enter on Friday and Saturday nights without an adult. Now, they are passing an ordinance that you must be over the age of 18 in order to buy spray paint in the stores here because the five gang members had just been "huffing" before they took the life of the 16 yo football player on Memorial Day and our businesses are covered in spray painted graffiti gang symbols. Please, please, I beg you to do your homework on this city and our "needs improvement" schools before coming here to this "great city of Dalton" so many people write about. Besides, what good is a glorious bike trail or beautiful downtown shops if you can't ride or walk them without fear?

[irvm]

Originally Posted by Truth Speaker

I had to read with great amazement at the last post and concluded yet another insider official from the City of Dalton using his last ditch efforts to try to influence the newcomer to his most "lawless city in Georgia".

I think you may be right. From my point of view, long before there were illegal immigrants in Dalton, it would have been dead last on my list of nice places in Ga.

It's on I-75 - the nation's #1 drug corridor. There's obvious corruption in gov't. Plus it's hot and non-scenic. A few elegant old houses don't make up for the lack of anything else interesting to do or see.

I wouldn't stop there for a night, much less live there.

Just my opinion.

[Truth Speaker]

Read the comments and you will hear it from someone other than me:

Do you think we should provide schools and some healthcare for the children of illegal workers? | WDEF News 12 | News, Weather and Sports for Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley

[virginiatransplant]

I honestly can't believe some of the things I'm reading -- they just don't sound like the town where I live; the town I love! My dad lives in Atlanta -- he went to the Dalton Kroger with me where at least a dozen folks said hello. My dad was stunned; "I don't see that many people in a year who know me in the grocery store!" he said. I love the fact that when my son needed a tuxedo for a dance -- all I had to do is call the men's store and tell them and they've got it ordered, because they've still got his sizes on file from his last tux rental. I love the fact that I can go to the Oakwood Cafe with my daughter for lunch and they know how we both take our tea. I love the fact that my commute to work is exactly seven minutes. I love that the local gift shops all have "my cards" on file; when I need to order a wedding present, all I do is call and tell them how much I want to spend. They select the gift, wrap and deliver it. I love to sit in my friend's garden on summer evenings with all my other girlfriends as we sip wine, chat, laugh and knit. I love Garcias and Los Pablos and Planet of the Grapes and lifelong learning classes at the College and the Avenue of Flags and the Veterans Day Parade and Flag Day in Varnell and all the wonderful, wonderful things I learned about when I moved here from Virginia. At first I was too much of a snob to open my eyes to the possibilities of Dalton, Georgia but I was so wrong. There was, and IS, so much this town has to offer! This town is rich because of all the interesting people who have come here because of our opportunities. It IS a great place to live and a wonderful place to raise children!

[Truth Speaker]

Medical needs of Hispanics targeted - Chattanooga Times Free Press - Breaking News in Chattanooga, TN. Classifieds and Top Stories

[Yankee Transplant]

After having lived in 8 states and one commonwealth, I can truthfully say that this area would be my area of choice when you consider all factors that go into quality of life. Public schools range from decent to very good. There are sufficient health care facilities. Property tax are very low. The cost of housing is acceptable. There are activities ranging from sports to the arts and finally the people are very friendly.
On the down side, as with any other urban community, you have your areas that you have to be aware of. Also, depending on where you are relocating from, you may have to plan to do things rather than having them at your immediate disposal.
In a nutshell, there are people who badmouth the area but even the most negative person's ideas are worth reading.

[daltoncat71]

if you want the truth from a dalton native - here it is: Dalton is a fantastic place to live, work & play. yes, we do have a large hispanic population, and we also have a large white population. the dalton difference is that we have learned to adapt to change, and we live, work, and play together. We are also a town of strong faith, and of many faiths. for a town it's size, Dalton has a great local economy, good infrastructure, low cost of living, unparalleled healthcare, great quality of life resources, great schools, and oh, did i mention football? we have both kinds. and we are masters of both (and we're pretty good at baseball, too). catamount high school football is one of the best programs in the state.

in response to the comment about crime statistics and friends on the police force: where are your actual statistics and sources? and i know many officers in dalton who tell me the opposite about crime in the area. I am white/caucasian, have kids as young as two years old, and have no problem taking them anywhere in Dalton.

It is evident we do have a few (very few) racists who live in outlying areas and don't get to town much, but even they are ok people most of the time.

Oh, and --- we have very few traffic issues like the larger metropolitan areas.