Anyone sick of Georgia? (Atlanta, Decatur: house, find a job, private schools)

[jjordan]

I despise this pathetic state. The situation is made worse because Georgia (and Atlanta) think they're hot sh*t! Ugh. I am so glad that I'm only here a couple months of the year, and once I graduate and find a job (and don't have a reason to come home on breaks) I'll have my parents visit me. If I never have to set foot in this state again it'll be too soon.

[ambersmom722]

i would love to pack it up and leave TONIGHT!!! i was born in albany and at age 11 moved to jacksonville w/my parents (dad got a promotion) and then back to ga at age 13 (metro atl) it was my PLAN NOT to come back here after i graduated from college, but i allowed my dad to guilt trip me with his and my mom's health issues.

its been 12 yrs and im still miserable. there is NOTHING and i mean NOTHING that i like about living here..especially metro atl. im looking for a coastal city for 2010 (give me time to save up money and find a teaching job) and im outta here!

[cdw1084]

Originally Posted by jjordan

I despise this pathetic state. The situation is made worse because Georgia (and Atlanta) think they're hot sh*t! Ugh. I am so glad that I'm only here a couple months of the year, and once I graduate and find a job (and don't have a reason to come home on breaks) I'll have my parents visit me. If I never have to set foot in this state again it'll be too soon.

What's so pathetic about it? Atlanta and Georgia think they're the sh"t huh, who told you that? Where are you from?

[southern no more]

As you can see from my name I am really ready for a change! I have lived in North Georgia for 35 years (almost my whole life) and my husband has been here his whole life. I grew up in the metro Atl area and now live in a more rural north ga area. We are so tired of the same old same old but specifically the narrow minded southern way. I dont want to live anywhere in the south! The bible belt is definitly not for us. I am so sick of people asking me what church I go to and see the horror on their face when I say nowhere. Southerners tend to be very nosy and think they always know best and I am over that school of thought. I am a teacher and I am also tired of being associated with this screwed up state for education. I feel my county is doing well but overall it is embarrassing. I want my child to grow up somewhere where there are people with open minds are intellegent and not prejudice and she can grow to be a strong happy individual. This is going to be very hard to accomplish in the south. We are not sure where we want to live but hopefully will be able to make a change in the near future.

[saharaga]

Southern no more,

I can commiserate. Except for the children and teaching part, I could have written your post. When we moved to Covington, we moved into a neighborhood with great people. We couldn't ask for better neighbors. One of the ladies across the street came over to introduce herself shortly after we moved in and in the next sentence after she told me her name, she invited us to her church. Although I told her that I was raised a Seventh Day Adventist and if I were to go to church, it would likely be an SDA church, that didn't seem to matter. She has extended several invitations since then. As friendly as she is, when I talk to her I always hold my breath waiting for her to bring it up again. They really don't seem to care, or maybe aren't aware, that their prying makes you uncomfortable.

Another time I was in Oconee county at a craft show and this older lady whom I had never met or seen before in my life walked up to me and asked me if I go to church. I told her no expecting that to be the end of it. It wasn't. She said she would pray for me and I smiled politely and said OK thinking she meant in church on Sunday. NO! She grabbed my hand and started praying right there in the middle of the craft fair. I was horrified. Who do these people think they are, honestly? My salvation is my concern. Not anyone else's.

..and that's just one of my issues with Georgia. I could go on but I'm getting upset already.

[southern no more]

Unfortunately, some people think it is their job Saharaga is to "save" people with their religion and this is a very common thought in the Southern Baptist church. It does get old and when you think about it, it is very offensive because they are basically saying that you are not doing the right thing. It is a big issue with me and I worry about how my child will be effected by it. This is a big reason for my distaste for this area. Since I have lived here most of my life I really dont have knowledge of a better area for my family to live in. I have done some research and have yet to find what I am looking for. I would love to live in FL but the economy is pretty bad there in particular especially for teachers and I dont know that the religion issue is that much better. They do seem to be more open minded down there though as a whole. What do you think?

[saharaga]

Exactly. I've given this religion thing a lot of thought. Most of my family is religious. My uncle has a theology degree and is a minister for pete's sake. I was raised in the church and know the Bible and I still feel as though I've arrived at the right decision. I respect their decision to be religious and I don't lecture anyone about it. Why is it so difficult for them to accept my decision and respect my wish not to discuss it? We've lived here for 13 years and I honestly think it has gotten worse.

My husband agrees with a lot of my complaints about living here and I don't think he's completely against moving. His major resistance is that he doesn't want to live anywhere cold and another reason that I won't even repeat because it's pretty silly. Well, his weather requirement eliminates most of the country. We have thought of Florida but after doing some research and visiting a few cities, the only city in Florida we'd consider moving to at this point is Tampa. Tampa had the best "feel" of the cities we visited. What has stopped us with Florida is the cost of living in some areas of Florida is rather high and if you live in a hurricane area, homeowner's insurance is pretty unaffordable. Like you said before, the job market isn't that great either. My heart is set on moving to the Pacific Northwest but in an effort to compromise with my husband we are also considering Austin, TX, Nashville, or Raleigh-Durham, NC.

I sometimes feel as though my husband is humoring me though. He is very Southern in that he is set in his ways about a lot of things and he resists change. His family is also the typical-from my experience- Southern family...very clannish in some ways...and he doesn't want to be too far away from them. I keep telling him there's a reason we have planes, trains, and automobiles. It's not as though he'll never see them again. If we ever decide to move, I know it won't be any time soon. I don't want him to feel forced into moving and we get there and he's miserable. So, hopefully we can come to an agreement about this.

[southern no more]

That does make it hard if he isnt into the idea. My husband wants to move as much as I do but with the economy this way, it really isnt a good time. I dont think we would get squat for our house. We were both raised in the church and it has taken us a long time to come to our realization that it just isnt right. Once you have been basically brainwashed your entire life it is hard to change. We are trying very hard to raise our daughter to think before she chooses a religion or doesnt choose one. If she goes into life with strong morals for herself and an open mind I think she will be able to determine what is real and what is brainwashing mind controlling junk. I too have a family that tries to push religion on us. It makes things uncomfortable and I dont want my daughter to be told we are wrong in our beliefs by the ones she loves. It is very hard and I do feel some distance (they all live within 2 hours of me, parents down the street) we could provide more of the home we want for our family. Ive looked at Reno NV too but again the economy... houses expensive cost of living high, pay low.

[Airchauffeur]

Originally Posted by MorelandWalker

Getting very, very sick of Atlanta, but I'm shipping off to the Coast Guard in a few weeks and I'm Tybee Island bound

That's not shipping off, thats a 4 hr. drive LOl

[Airchauffeur]

Why Jordan, I do believe you are a little bitter.