Can't decide whether to move to Atlanta or Houston (Dunwoody: apartment complex, houses)

[TJfromATL]

I live here in Dunwoody and want to move to Houston a.s.a.p. Atlanta is very very cliquish, pretentious and segregated. Sad 2 say Im apart of a clique that I really want to remove myself from. I feel that Houston is accepting enough to make me feel like Im not in a segregated area. Im 28 and have lived here since 9 grade.I used to love Atlanta til it started to become a place that was feeled with people who came here looking for something and was met with reality. Alot of people in my circle and people at my jobs and people that I know hate it here with a passion because it not the place that they heard about fore they moved here. Now look at what that stage have put us. We are in a bad economy and is trynna rebuild ourselves from the recession. Atlanta will never be the place I used to love.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by HtownLove

Don't listen to the ones who talk about which neighborhoods look better, they might have much different tastes from yours.

Sorry, but even my Houston cousins concede Atlanta's superiority in this area. Atlanta's topography has a hilly verdant lushness that Houston decidedly lacks.

[lookup138]

Oh boy here we go LOL!

[lorilove]

TJfromATL - if you are in a cliquish environment in Atlanta that is something that you did to yourself - even if it was not intentional. You can change that without having to move away from the city. Find new activities, find new friends - it can be done.

[kdb05f]

Originally Posted by DTL3000

I really haven't heard all that many positives about Houston and I'm certainly not an Atlanta booster. I have a friend who recently moved to Houston after living in Atlanta and I don't think he is very fond of it.

I haven't spent time in Atlanta but I used to live in Houston. Before I went there I hadn't heard anything but negatives about it. But I was offered a job there so I went and loved it.

[Bizurko]

Through experience it seems like the people in Atlanta are more "real" than the people in houston. I don't know how else to explain that, just I would strongly suggest Atlanta.

[tonygeorgia]

Both cities are more of the same than different. I recommend moving to Brazil

[AlGreen]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Sorry, but even my Houston cousins concede Atlanta's superiority in this area. Atlanta's topography has a hilly verdant lushness that Houston decidedly lacks.

I don't think he was trying to say that y'all were wrong, just that the OP might have different tastes. Personally, I prefer Atlanta's aesthetics as well, but the OP might find that they would prefer the Gulf Coast/slight New Orleans look of brick homes on a flat street grid with a lush backdrop of Chinese tallows, palmettos, pines, and huge century old live oak trees that form canopies over the streets. You can't get that in Atlanta.

[HtownLove]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Sorry, but even my Houston cousins concede Atlanta's superiority in this area. Atlanta's topography has a hilly verdant lushness that Houston decidedly lacks.

Like I said it is a matter of tastes and everyone does not share your cousins version of superior.

Originally Posted by kdb05f

I haven't spent time in Atlanta but I used to live in Houston. Before I went there I hadn't heard anything but negatives about it. But I was offered a job there so I went and loved it.

Yep, no city is for everyone. Some will love it some won't. Using Cousin Rare Rae as respected authority on the matter isn't gonna get anyone anywhere.

Originally Posted by tonygeorgia

Both cities are more of the same than different. I recommend moving to Brazil

I second that recommendation, just as long as the OP saves me a spare room

[Caleb Longstreet]

Originally Posted by Move11

Hi Everyone!

We are very excited to move out to either of these places. I would love for anyone to give us input on which place is a better one to move to and why they think so. In Atlanta we were looking at East Cobb because of the schools and in Houston we were thinking of the Sweetwater area. Any help would be highly appreciated. My husband travels all the time as these two have pretty good airports. We have two small kids ages 7 and 9 and obviously having a good school district is important too.

Thanks for all your help!!

I have lived in both (Atlanta twice) and can tell you that OVERALL, Atlanta probably gets a slight nod. No offense to Houston, I have 3 siblings living there but, it's bit flat, definitely over-air-conditioned by need (the most air-conditioned city on the planet I believe, look it up).

Houston:

Pro's: Larger therefore a few more jobs. Relatively inexepensive housing by comparison. No state income tax. Better night life. 2 airports and either are much easier to deal with than Hartsfield. People are friendly. More state roads to get around through in the off hours. Definitely warmer winters.

Con's: Zoning is a joke. Oil rules. You can literally go down a street, see an apartment complex and literally right next door is an 8 story building with a house on the other side. Never seen anything like it. More humid, hands down. You leave your air-conditioned car to go to your air-conditioned building to leave in your air-conditioned car to your air-conditioned home....tomorrow, repeat.....not that much different here mind you but here, you can go outside in the evenings. In Houston you will feel the stick and slime...kind of reminds you of burnt, moist wood....roads heave and buckle as the water table in Houston is 3-5 feet below ground....road flooding is common and is more prone to Hurricanes. Beaches are so so unless you like stepping on tar balls that float in from the Gulf after every storm.....homes are near zero or zero lot lines in a lot of places like Florida....nothing like hearing your neighbor farting or snoring to put you off....

Atlanta

Pro: Prettier landscape. More undulating terrain. Friendly culture overall. 3 great lakes. Weather is temperate overall. Not too hot, not too cold. Centrally located for the Southeast. North Georgia Mountains are beautiful year round. Coastal beaches are better and you have both the Gulf of Mexico at your disposal as well as BP's and the Atlantic....and then there is always Florida if you so desire.

Cons: Traffic but, then again, Houston ain't nooooo picnic either. Never was. Some racial tension. Housing is slightly higher. State income tax. Night life is not that great. One airport and unless you live on the South side, it can be a "journey" to get there unless you are on the Highway heading there by 6:00 AM or coming home after 8:00 PM. Growing but, still has a lot of old, run down structures in the downtown area....urban sprawl...believe it's one of the top 10 in the country for sprawl which leads to long commutes each way, each day. The kind of city where putting 20K miles on your car is steadily becomming the norm. Wait until you see/shop used cars here. They believe it's "normal" to have 60K-70K miles on a car in 2 or 3 years.....and want all the money for it....University system throughout the state is not as developed as Texas for whatever that is worth.....here, it's the big two (Georgia Tech and UGA) both quite excellent schools but, contrast that to: Rice, Baylor, SMU, UTEP, University of Houston, Texas A&M, University of Texas, TCU, Texas Tech, and so on and so on.....you get the idea....State income tax...6%....

And yet, despite all of that, I would rather live here than there. It just seems a bit more....."relaxing" than there....depends on your tastes. East Cobb and North Cobb (Kennesaw) offer excellent schools. Most suburban communities along the Northern Belt offer similar results with schools. Can't go wrong in that regard.