Considering moving to Atlanta area - but completely lost (Toccoa: sales, apartments)

[Koneho]

This is my first post! I was reading through some responses and feel lucky to have found a place where everyone is so knowledgeable

I am contemplating moving to Georgia from Michigan, but I am unsure of where.
My needs are simple :
1. A town near or in the Appalachian mountains with decent employment and apartments/houses (maybe a college town?)
2. If at all possible, within 45 minutes of Atlanta

I also have some questions about Georgia that google just can't seem to answer.
1. Sales tax - what is it?
2. Employment, how easy is it finding a job? I'm going to be moving after I graduate college, and I will have two degrees; one in French Language Studies and the other in Global International Studies with a Japan focus and a Japanese minor. Suggestions for another city besides Atlanta?

Can any of you folks help me out?
Much obliged!

[DTL3000]

Originally Posted by Koneho

This is my first post! I was reading through some responses and feel lucky to have found a place where everyone is so knowledgeable

I am contemplating moving to Georgia from Michigan, but I am unsure of where.
My needs are simple :
1. A town near or in the Appalachian mountains with decent employment and apartments/houses (maybe a college town?)
2. If at all possible, within 45 minutes of Atlanta

I also have some questions about Georgia that google just can't seem to answer.
1. Sales tax - what is it?
2. Employment, how easy is it finding a job? I'm going to be moving after I graduate college, and I will have two degrees; one in French Language Studies and the other in Global International Studies with a Japan focus and a Japanese minor. Suggestions for another city besides Atlanta?

Can any of you folks help me out?
Much obliged!

Hmmm, I don't know. Maybe Osaka? Nice?

[Koneho]

Osaka sucks!
Besides, my goal is to do translating work, and Japan is waaaaaaaay to expensive.

[cwkimbro]

What size town do you want to move to? What type of job?

The state sales tax is 4%, but local governments can tax 1-3% more. 6-7% is typical including state+local. The highest will be Fulton County @ 8%, which has a MARTA tax @ 1% and a special 1% tax to fix the water system for a limited time.

To be within 45 minutes of Atlanta (proper) you really need to be looking in Atlanta's northern suburbs. If you want to be 45 minutes from Atlanta's suburbs, but in the mountains there are -small towns with limited opportunities- (Jasper, Dahlonega, Dawsonville, Cleveland, Toccoa)

If you are more interested in being closer to the mountains, but less interested in Atlanta... you might want to consider being near Chattanooga, Knoxville, or Asheville. That will get you closer to the mountains, but they are still large cities with opportunities even if not near as large as Atlanta.

[tomno00]

california? lot more japaneese people out there.

[Koneho]

Unfortunately, for personal reasons, it has to be Georgia, even if that means shooting myself in the foot with the job hunt.
Atlanta seems like a better choice that the northern small towns, thanks for the imput!

[mike7586]

Employment here really depends on what you do, your prior experience, and if you have a strong resume/cover letter. Networking also helps. You are more likely to get a call back/interview if you have a local address, but it's a catch 22 as it's also not the best idea to move somewhere without a job. It's a risk, but it might be worth taking if it's where you want to be. I would suggest, before risking it, looking online to see if there are a decent amount of job postings for what you want to do.

Atlanta is a diverse metro area and close to the mountains. Athens might also be a good fit for you, but I'm not sure how the job situation is there as it's pretty much a college town about an hour from Atlanta.

[roxyrn]

I would think that with degrees in areas as specialized as those, you would realize that most of the employment, especially in this economy, would be in large international cities. Your best bets would be LA or New York in this country or with American companies abroad. My husband works for a foreign company in Atlanta, but they do not need translators as they are all completely fluent in English. My daughter works for a French company in New York and same thing.

Have you considered teaching?

[BobKovacs]

45 minutes will not put you into the mountains- to truly get into the mountains, you need to be in a place like Ellijay or Blue Ridge, which is the better part of two hours from Atlanta. Job opportunities in those towns for someone with your degrees would include positions such as Waffle House waitress and Walmart greeter. Being a Walmart greeter might allow you to practice your Japanese with an occasional tourist, at least....