Moving to Atlanta

[aeh]

Originally Posted by gemini678

I'm not trying to be a smart mouth or nothin here but I have a question for both of you. As you read previously, I am trying to relocate to Atlanta soon. It's not my first choice but Katrina wiped the place I called home for 27years out. I appreciate the honesty but is there anything good about Atlanta?? I mean I've been here in MS for almost a year and I am leaving!! I don't need to settle here for five years to decide this is not the place I want to be. My question is where are ya'll going to next, where did you move from in the first place??
I wish I had a sense of what Atlanta would really be like for me before I moved there. I must admit, I am beginning to second guess my decision but I don't know where else to live. I thought Atlanta would be the place for someone like me to find stable employment and a safe neighborhood. I can understand that there are some 'bad' areas but I had no idea it was basically the entire city, as a few have basically stated.
I wish both of you the best and I hope you're able to find the place you want to call home. It's got to be annoying to have to keep packing up everything and moving like that.
But for real, can you find anything good about Atlanta?? Anything to give me to look forward to?? I haven't moved yet but my plans are still to do so. I just hope I'm not making the biggest mistake of my life.



Feedback is welcomed

gemini678

I must say that from most of what I read about Atlanta, it sounds like hell. I grew up in Dallas, and always wanted to move to Atlanta for some reason. I guess b/c I heard it was very much like Dallas but with trees. We have lived out of the country for awhile now and there is the possibility that we will move to Atlanta. A dream come true, right? I am now extremely leery of Atlanta. One post I read mentioned 3 shootings in Norcross in 1 week? We would be looking at Alpharetta primarily. The city where I now live with a population of over 1MIL has had 17 murders total in one year! I can't believe how bad the crime sounds!!! I hope I find some more positive news....

[Miles_]

Originally Posted by tassmith

I don't want to discourage you. You will never know what Atlanta has to offer until you see for yourself. Whether or not you like Atlanta will be based on what you are looking for. I would just hate for you to come here and wish you never came. I am a 26 year old black female from Columbus/Cincinnati, OH. I got caught up in the hype of wanting to move to Atlanta so I moved. At first everything was cool only because I was caught up in the partying (which Atlanta has plenty of). After a year or two of that, I got bored. The things that I yearn for I can't seem to find here. For instance, I am engaged and one day I would love to have children but I would die before I allow my children to get caught up in the Metro Atlanta school system. I work for one of our county's Juvenile Court's so we deal with the schools on a regular bases and if people only knew what goes on in those schools. Let's just say there's not alot of learning. I personally feel that there is no diversity here. Sure there are many different races but diversity is more than just different races. It's about people, culture, foods, the arts, etc. These people have no clue. And what's so bad is, it's not the people from Atlanta, it's everyone that moved here. It's like they came here, drank the water and turned stupid. As for me, I plan on moving to Chicago next year and I pray to God in the future it doesn't turn into another Atlanta as far as many people migrating there. You may not like a place like that because you are from the south and it may be hard for you to adjust to the weather. Since I'm from Ohio, I will be fine. I hate the hot weather. The air quality sucks so bad here. I stay in the hospital because I'm always sick with either, sinus infections, bronchitiis (spelled wrong) or some other respitory infection(which I never had until I moved here). So the north or the west would be better for me. All I can say is that many people like Atlanta. I think it's only because they choose to ignore what's really going. This place is crowded and it can barely hold the people that live here. As far as real estate goes. It's a buyers market but the affordable homes are crappy. They built them in 2 weeks! I do real estate investing on the side based on the hell that I got through sometimes I wonder if it's worth it. I 'm scared to buy anything because eventhough it's easy to buy here, it's hard as hell to sell.

good post, thanks

[netdragon]

Cobb county is pretty safe. Most of the shootings you hear about in metro ATL are in small pockets in higher poverty areas. I would concern yourself more about car thefts and burglaries than shootings.

[kwr]

Originally Posted by aeh

I must say that from most of what I read about Atlanta, it sounds like hell. I grew up in Dallas, and always wanted to move to Atlanta for some reason. I guess b/c I heard it was very much like Dallas but with trees. We have lived out of the country for awhile now and there is the possibility that we will move to Atlanta. A dream come true, right? I am now extremely leery of Atlanta. One post I read mentioned 3 shootings in Norcross in 1 week? We would be looking at Alpharetta primarily. The city where I now live with a population of over 1MIL has had 17 murders total in one year! I can't believe how bad the crime sounds!!! I hope I find some more positive news....

You have to take some of the stuff you read on city-data with a grain of salt. Most posts will lead you to believe that the world is coming to an end.

[anilyn]

Originally Posted by kwr

You have to take some of the stuff you read on city-data with a grain of salt. Most posts will lead you to believe that the world is coming to an end.

I'm definitely finding this to be true.

[maddy1980]

Originally Posted by gemini678

Okay, now I'm getting a little worried about moving to Atlanta.

*Off subject*
Anybody know why this thread was moved??



gemini678

Same with me as well lol! I lived in atlanta for a short time in 2001 and it seemed like a really nice area but from talk on this board it appears that the atl has been highjacked by thugs.

[south-to-west]

Your experience in Atlanta can be whatever you want it to be. Apparently some people on this thread have become completely disillusioned by their experiences here in Atlanta and I can understand that.

The first thing that people need to realize about Atlanta is that the glory days of the 80s and 90s when you could move down, get a job easily, by a large house for cheap, and have short commutes are over. A lot of the areas that were brand spanking new in the 80s and 90s are run down as a lot of them were buit in an unsustainable manner and people either moved further out or moved into the city.

Also, another pattern that I notice is that a lot of younger people who voice their disillusionment with Atlanta are the ones who chose to move directly to the burbs. I'm sorry, but the suburbs are really boring if you're young and looking for things to do outside of going out. You just won't find it out there. Just like if I were to move to Chicago at this point in my life, there's no way in hell that I would live in Naperville or Schaumburg--I would find a place in the city where there are a lot of activities, establishments, and attractions within walking distance, a short car ride, or a couple of transit stops away. Atlanta is no Chicago, but you can enjoy many of the same qualities here in the city of Atlanta that a major city like Chicago has.

Also, it's way easier to meet people and find a sense of community within the city than it is out in the suburbs for the most part. You will come across people from so many backgrounds, professionally and culturally. Don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing the suburbs. But for a young person to not even consider moving into the city and moving straight to the burbs is insane. There's so much character and culture within the city that I think a large chunk of the 5 million Metro Atlanta residents miss out on.

[turtleman]

I agree with south-to-west. I lived in Atlanta from 1991 thru 2006 and moved to Dallas,Tx because I was offered a job with the company that layed me off in Atlanta after 14 years. I now want to move back to Atlanta. I believe the key to living a quality life in Atlanta is basically to live close to your job. I plan to buy a condo in Dunwoody (cash) and try to get a job within the perimeter. That is how my wife and I lived when we were there. We did not have to deal with the commute or traffic there. Yes, there is crime there,just like in Dallas,Chicago,or any other major city. The weather in Atlanta is much better than in Texas.. But to be fair, I can understand how difficult it must be for someone who is struggling just to make ends meet and dealing with the traffic there..

[Single in Atlanta]

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We organize up to 30 hosted activities a month. Our activities consist of sporting events, picnics, bowling, movies, happy hours, wine tastings, hiking, and many many others. It is a great way for single professionals to meet other single professionals in a safe and fun environment.

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