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Old 07-20-2010, 07:58 AM
 
Location: Melbourne oz
112 posts, read 363,375 times
Reputation: 129

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Hi (G'day),

I am thinking about moving to america and I really like the sound of Atlanta. However I have a lot of questions about living there. here are a few but Im sure over time more will come.

Where are the upper middle class suburbs in Atlanta (near the city) I would like a suburb that is family friendly (a good mix), low crime rate (nil crime rate does not exist even here is oz)
Is public transport in general good? (For example I have found out through research that if you live in L A then it is prefered to have a car).
Im Catholic so a good Catholic church and a catholic school for my daughter (she will be about 7 years old when we move)
Could someone please explain to me the school system and what are the ages of each stage (I only know about school systems through tv shows like beverly hills 90210 etc) and movies (like mean girls etc) sad isnt?
Who is the rental authority in Atlanta (governing body that helps tenants)
If I have more question I will add another thread. For those who will respond thankyou in advance and please ask me any questions.
cheers!
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Old 07-20-2010, 08:05 AM
 
3,972 posts, read 12,656,056 times
Reputation: 1470
I am thinking that you can't just move to Atlanta from overseas, you will need legal immigration status. What is your plan to obtain that? Are you coming here to work? Is there a company sponsoring your visa?
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Old 07-20-2010, 08:10 AM
 
9,124 posts, read 36,369,826 times
Reputation: 3631
Public transportation in Atlanta is marginal at best unless you live (and work) near stations. Given that there are only two lines in the system- a North/South and an East/West line, you're somewhat limited as to what you can get to from MARTA. There are buses that go into Atlanta from some of the suburbs that may be an alternative, but again, their service areas are limited. In general, unless you're working in Atlanta proper (downtown, midtown, or Buckhead) public transportation isn't very useful.

At 7 years old, your daughter will likely be in 2nd grade, but her placement may depend on what she's completed to date in Australia.

Regarding the "governing body that helps tenants", there isn't one, unless you're looking for the welfare-type system to help those who can't afford housing. If you're coming here ready, willing and able to pay for housing, you're basically on your own.
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Old 07-20-2010, 08:21 AM
 
8,862 posts, read 17,477,939 times
Reputation: 2280
It is best to find housing with a reasonable commute to your place of employment.

We could list the names of suburbs but if there are 2 places of employment then you need to find a centrally located area.

There are many Catholic churches and schools.

Efforts are being made/have been made to keep the focus in schools on academics. Fingers crossed that the sort of 'freedom' portrayed in films is not the 'norm'. Pre K--4yr, Kindergarten-5--Elementary 1-5, Middle School 6-8, High School--9-12. There are many variations available--the metro area is comprised of 6-8 counties and cities--each area has options.

It is better to have a car in metro Atlanta --with kids I don't know how you would manage w/o a car.

Public transportation/MARTA--includes buses and trains. The train stations are located N-S and E-W and more effectively serve the commercial areas, imo.

As for a governing body that helps tenants--that might require a lengthy explanation but in general to my knowledge that doesn't exist. If you sign a lease with a property management company for an apartment--you should read it carefully, consult an attorney prior to signing--as with any legal agreement and then if problems arise you/your attorney and the property management company must resolve the issues.
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Old 07-20-2010, 08:24 AM
 
Location: Melbourne oz
112 posts, read 363,375 times
Reputation: 129
Just to clarify my position I will have a Master degree with experience in my field. Hoping to either transfer or find a sponser over there and get the EB2 visa. I am in the early stages of wanting to move and just want to put my feelers out there (hence the many questions) and yes I will be legal (lol)
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Old 07-20-2010, 09:02 AM
 
Location: MMU->ABE->ATL->ASH
9,317 posts, read 20,993,806 times
Reputation: 10443
There was a related post few months ago:
//www.city-data.com/forum/atlan...e-atlanta.html
A family moving from france to atlanta, you might wanted to read thru it.
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Old 07-26-2010, 08:50 AM
 
Location: Nashville, TN
225 posts, read 585,867 times
Reputation: 96
Quote:
Originally Posted by coming2america View Post
Hi (G'day),
Where are the upper middle class suburbs in Atlanta (near the city) I would like a suburb that is family friendly (a good mix), low crime rate (nil crime rate does not exist even here is oz)

Is public transport in general good? (For example I have found out through research that if you live in L A then it is prefered to have a car).

Im Catholic so a good Catholic church and a catholic school for my daughter (she will be about 7 years old when we move)

Could someone please explain to me the school system and what are the ages of each stage (I only know about school systems through tv shows like beverly hills 90210 etc) and movies (like mean girls etc) sad isnt?

Who is the rental authority in Atlanta (governing body that helps tenants)
If I have more question I will add another thread. For those who will respond thankyou in advance and please ask me any questions.
cheers!
Where abouts in Australia are you coming from?

Atlanta is like LA when it comes to public transport - you need a car.

Catholic church and schools - you won't have any problems finding those in Atlanta, tho' they are more prevalent in the Northeastern part of America. But again, we have them all over Atlanta.

School system: I would "google" school systems or visit each county website. Our school system is quite different from the UK system if that helps at all. (Sorry, I am not really familiar with the Australian school system).

I hope this helps!
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Old 07-26-2010, 02:49 PM
 
Location: Atlanta
3,573 posts, read 5,307,141 times
Reputation: 2396
As far as governing bodies over housing, the closest agency I can come up with locally is the Atlanta Housing Authority. At the federal level you can also contact the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. I have pasted links to both them below for your convenience.

I don't know what the current policy is on helping immigrants from other countries, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask. G'day to you, mate!


AHA

HUD/U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Quote:
Originally Posted by coming2america View Post
Hi (G'day),

I am thinking about moving to america and I really like the sound of Atlanta. However I have a lot of questions about living there. here are a few but Im sure over time more will come.

Where are the upper middle class suburbs in Atlanta (near the city) I would like a suburb that is family friendly (a good mix), low crime rate (nil crime rate does not exist even here is oz)
Is public transport in general good? (For example I have found out through research that if you live in L A then it is prefered to have a car).
Im Catholic so a good Catholic church and a catholic school for my daughter (she will be about 7 years old when we move)
Could someone please explain to me the school system and what are the ages of each stage (I only know about school systems through tv shows like beverly hills 90210 etc) and movies (like mean girls etc) sad isnt?
Who is the rental authority in Atlanta (governing body that helps tenants)
If I have more question I will add another thread. For those who will respond thankyou in advance and please ask me any questions.
cheers!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
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