Would like comments from Dade/ Broward County transplants that have made ga their new home (Atlanta: job market)

[bru]

Hello- I'm in the process of purchasing a place up there. I'm very excited because I will be a homeowner. Something I'm unable to do in the place I've called home since I was little. Frankly, I'm also looking forward to change of seasons, hills etc. Your home is your home -it's what you make it. I'm fortunate because I don't have to move right away. I can wait for the right job to come along, so I can be selective. I was curious in hearing some feedback(Positive feedback too) from people who are from my hometown and how they adjusted. Yes - I know the traffic is bad and if you miss a exit the next one is ten miles away. Especially interested in the comments from those that are single. I'm a black/latina still calling (954) home. Thanks

[ready2move]

Hi,

Cooper City was my home since 1992 and Pembroke Pines since 1980. I am not single, but my husband and I moved here in January. Very different in most ways and for the better.

I guess it depends on where in GA you plan on moving to. We chose WOodstock and are happy here. People are very friendly (except on the road) There is no sense of rudeness (again, except for on the road) and the angriness that is prevalent in 305 & 954.

The weather has been fabuluous thus far, a little cold for me last winter, but the spring and summer have been great. I think this year is unusual from what people tell me, but the humidity and heat are very bearable.

The only thing lacking where I am living is the great restaurants that were available in Fla. Chains are abundant here.

If you have more of idea of where in GA you would like to call home, I am sure some of the other floridians can chime in.

Good luck!

[kelabu]

Well i'm not from Broward, but just left there. I am originally from Ga and missed it the whole time I was in Florida. I don't know where people are talking about 10 miles b/w exits...it's not that bad! If people come here to settle down and remember why they left Fl. I think they're happy. Some others seem helbent on complaining about how it's not like FL. (which was the point of moving right?) THings are definitely changing IMO. I know several people who moved to McDonough for the relatively cheap housing, but I don't know where they are working. It's a nice place to live, but too far from Atlanta if you planned on commuting. There used to be a much smaller Latin community (mostly Mexicans), but now there are so many Florida transplants there's someone from every country you can think of. There is a Cuban restaurant in Stockbridge and Haitian and Jamaican places going towards Fayetteville that were not here even last year when I visited. I don't know how the north side of town is in comparison. I wouldn't expect the level of nationalism you see in Miami and Ft. Laud. I don't see dozens of different flags and stickers. There was some kind of festival at Centennial Park when I got here and I expected it to be like the ones at Bayside. LOL, it definitely was more low key. Most people I know seem to like it that way though. You have people from everywhere, not just the carribbean and south america.
I wasn't honked at on the road for at least 2 months straight! Ahhh, that was so nice. People will let you in line (merge) in traffic still. And the best reason is of course the homes are alot more affordable. (Relatively again, what I call affordable after leaving FL is totally different than before I left)

[DoveDiva]

Originally Posted by bru

Hello- I'm in the process of purchasing a place up there. I'm very excited because I will be a homeowner. Something I'm unable to do in the place I've called home since I was little. Frankly, I'm also looking forward to change of seasons, hills etc. Your home is your home -it's what you make it. I'm fortunate because I don't have to move right away. I can wait for the right job to come along, so I can be selective. I was curious in hearing some feedback(Positive feedback too) from people who are from my hometown and how they adjusted. Yes - I know the traffic is bad and if you miss a exit the next one is ten miles away. Especially interested in the comments from those that are single. I'm a black/latina still calling (954) home. Thanks

I was born in Miami, raised in Miami, and lived in Pembroke Pines after graduation from college until I decided to move to Atlanta.

It took me a while to adjust because Atlanta, to me, is more fast paced than Miami. I missed (and still do at times) the laid back lifestyle. It also took me a bit to adjust to the weather up here--black ice, etc. I still don't know how to drive in black ice and I get a bit apprehensive whenever I have to drive in the winter in the early morning or late in the evening.

On a positive note, it is really a wonderful feeling to see people who look like me (I am a black woman) in successful positions on a regular basis. That wasn't the norm in South Florida. It was also a wonderful feeling to purchase my home--that definitely would not have happened on a teacher's salary in South Florida. (well, I wouldn't be living in a home and neighborhood as nice as the one I'm in now) I wouldn't move back unless I was a multi-millionaire.

At the end of the day, I still miss the idea that I could jump in my car, drive down Miramar Blvd until it turns into Hallandale Beach Blvd and sit at the beach and watch the sun rise. I miss Florida Publix stores (there's a difference btw the ones in GA and the ones in FL...I just can't quite figure out what it is) . At the end of the day, South Florida will always be a special place to me, and nothing compares to it.

Oh, and it seems like everyone moving here is from Florida. My next door neighbor is from Kendall, and my neighbor across the street is from Miami Gardens. We're all in our mid to late 20's and moved for the same reason: We graduated from college and realized that unless you are making tons of money, you can't live in S. Florida comfortably.

[compelled to reply]

I had the choice between moving to Gwinett County Vs. Broward county a few years ago. I picked Broward. Don't see what people see so great about Atlanta and so bad about Broward. Schools suck in both places with some good districts here and there, you can actually breathe the air in Broward County, you don't spend your entire life sitting in traffic in Broward, and it's actually quite multicultural and doesn't segregate itself like Atlanta does. And for the record, yes we have Whites here, and they are the largest racial group. I think Atlanta offers a bigger bang for your buck, but you would be kidding yourself to think the overall quality of life is higher, but that's just my opinion.

[kelabu]

Hey Dove Diva,

How long does it usually take you to get to downtown?

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by DoveDiva

It took me a while to adjust because Atlanta, to me, is more fast paced than Miami. I missed (and still do at times) the laid back lifestyle. It also took me a bit to adjust to the weather up here--black ice, etc. I still don't know how to drive in black ice and I get a bit apprehensive whenever I have to drive in the winter in the early morning or late in the evening.

I moved down here from Minnesota, but the following rule is still true: the best way to drive on ice is NOT to try, at least if we're talking about the aftermath of an ice storm.

Stay home, take the day off (or work from home if you can), and leave the roadways to those foolish enough to try skating on wheels.

Thankfully, such things are relatively rare.

Icing on bridges is more a common sense matter. Don't accelerate or turn unnecessarily -- the fact that bridges have wind blowing underneath the road surface as well as above *does* cause them to cool more quickly than the surrounding roadway, making them the most likely places for ice patches. Even in Georgia. :-)

[applejuice]

Well, I left Ft. Lauderdale about two years ago and moved to the Woodstock area and love it here! I have not missed much...except the food and beach. Overall, I am happy about the move.

I feel the quality of life is much better here for many reason, housing, job market, change of season, family oriented, family values, etc.

Everyone I have spoken with that has moved from South Florida here agree that the change was for the better.

Good Luck!

[DoveDiva]

Originally Posted by kelabu

Hey Dove Diva,

How long does it usually take you to get to downtown?

I don't venture into downtown during rush hour (I work OTP), but when we do go downtown (usually after rush hour or on the weekends) it takes us about...thirty minutes.

[michael near Athens]

I lived in Dade for the first 18 yrs of life and 52 yrs in Broward. Moved to Barrow county last March and it has been wonderful. Everyone waves and says hi. Their children are well behaved and say yes sir and yes mam. I am more in the country,15 min from Athens and I just love it. The deer poke their nose through my woods and it is very relaxing here.Of course I'm retired and do not have to drive into
Atlanta wich I am happy about. Should have come here years ago