Atlanta, GA vs Dallas, TX (Alpharetta, Kennesaw: rentals, crime rate, home)

[spalam01]

I have an option to relocate (due to my job transfer) to Atlanta, GA or Dallas, TX with following criteria in that order

a. Warmer tolerable weather year round
b. Cost of living/cost of home or rentals
c. Sr level career opportunities (IT/Corporate/R&D)
d. Affordable quality education for kids through public schools
e. Tolerable traffic during peak hours/availability of public transportation
f. Scenic beauty/easy access to recreation
g. Social life
h. Peaceful / reasonably less crime rate

What would be a better city to relocate? Atlanta, GA or Dallas, TX

[spalam01]

By reasonable/tolerable weather mean that being born and brought up in warmer place, I can tolerate the warmer weather but find it difficult to handle harsh snow/cold winters

I Wish the commute time being less than 15 times but can tolerate within 30 to 40 minutes.

I prefer to buy SFH and probably rent a 2 BHK Apt to start with
I am not that outgoing either… probably availability of parks and tennis courts would be great

By "social life." I mean friendly neighbors and people/culture

[spalam01]

A little background:
I am currently residing in San Francisco Bay Area. Though I am an IT consultant/contractor, I intend to make the place where I settle as a base with the hope that I can find a perm/FTE position and if that does not work, can travel to other parts of US for work on a need basis by taking up IT consulting assignments.

Currently my wife is a research scholar/scientist working in North Carolina and we hope that she can move with me by finding a position in an University where I settle down and if that does not work probably do some research work with agencies/professors by working from home.

We have no kids yet.

I am currently in Bay area for last 3 months and I feel that Bay Area is real chilly and windy considering late spring/summer time frame. Not sure how chilly it will be during Winter. Moreover, the salary is very competitive here for IT folks which I think mostly due to supply-demand curve... Also I keep hearing that the Bay area public schools are not that great and that more and more folks rely on Private schools, which is again very costly.

[tonygeorgia]

Topic has been posted several times do a search

[DreamKeeper]

I've lived in Atlanta for 6 years now but have never lived in Dallas. However, I have recently visited Dallas several times on business trips and in my opinion in the scenic beauty category Atlanta wins hands down. Dallas is very flat and has a sparse tree population, whereas Atlanta has one of the most beautiful tree canvases in the country and has a varied terrain including a lot of very hilly areas. In some parts of Dallas I found it to be kind of grubby, but it could have just been the areas I was in because I did see some nicer looking areas as well.

I did ask my work colleagues in Dallas about outdoor recreation and according to them there is not much in the way of easy access to recreation. They told me that there are a couple of lakes nearby but to get to really decent outdoor recreation you have to drive quite a ways to other areas of Texas or even other states such as Arkansas. I'm an outdoor enthusiast and I find plenty of things to do around Atlanta. In less than an hour you can be in the North Georgia mountains which are gorgeous with ample places to hike, mountain bike, camp, boat etc. You're only a couple of hours from the Smoky Mountains National Park, which if you haven't been there is absolutely gorgeous. Right in Atlanta itself you have the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area which by itself offers a plethora of recreational opportunities. Then of course you have the Georgia coast which just recently got voted as having some of the best beaches in the country.

As far as traffic comparisons, etc I can't really compare those because I was kind of chauffeured around when I was there and don't have enough knowledge about the Dallas neighborhoods etc. I will say that in Atlanta the traffic you experience will greatly depend on where you live and work and what routes you take. I don't have a lot of problems with traffic in Atlanta myself but I also tend to take side streets/back roads instead of hopping on the highway.

I would suggest if possible to visit each place if you already haven't.

[goozer]

I agree with dreamkeeper that Atlanta has way better outdoor recreation opportunities, for all the reasons cited. Usually, when you ask someone about quality outdoor activities in Dallas (or Houston), they will cite the many nice golf courses. If that is your thing, great. But if you are not a golfer I think you will find the outdoor options limited.

[lookup138]

Spend a week or so in both cities to make a comparison. It all depends on your own impression of each city. I have been to Dallas many times (once this year) and its ok. I didn't get to see much on my last trip there because I was there for 2 days on business.We are about 45 mins north of Atlanta and I love it here. You just have to visit each and see for yourself.

[Chalie Brown]

Originally Posted by goozer

I agree with dreamkeeper that Atlanta has way better outdoor recreation opportunities, for all the reasons cited. Usually, when you ask someone about quality outdoor activities in Dallas (or Houston), they will cite the many nice golf courses. If that is your thing, great. But if you are not a golfer I think you will find the outdoor options limited.

Not sure who you talked to, but I've never heard that. Golf isn't even that big a deal in Texas. I agree that Atl easily has better outdoor recreation, but Dallas is not completely lacking in that department. There are plenty of parks, trails, lakes, etc. in the vicinity for the outdoorsman to enjoy. True the land is flatter and the trees are much smaller and not as plentiful, but that wouldn't bother a true nature lover.

The Katy Trail is rather popular, White Rock Lake/Dallas Arboretum in East Dallas, and there's also the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano, and Cedar Hill State Park in southern Dallas. The Ouachita Mountains are also around 2-3 hours NE of dallas. Not quite the Smoky Mountains, but still a refreshing break from the simpler terrain of DFW.

If someone couldn't find outdoor activities in Dallas area, they likely didn't even bother looking.

[R1070]

Originally Posted by spalam01

I have an option to relocate (due to my job transfer) to Atlanta, GA or Dallas, TX with following criteria in that order

a. Warmer tolerable weather year round Atlanta has a more moderate climate compared to Dallas, the winters are shorter in Dallas though and the summers are longer. Fall and Spring in Atlanta are longer than in Dallas. Both get snow and ice in the winter. Some people say Dallas has worst winters but that is actually not true. I would say they are comparable just with Dallas having a shorter season with more days in the 70s and 80s in the winter months on average.
b. Cost of living/cost of home or rentals Comparable pricing
c. Sr level career opportunities (IT/Corporate/R&D) Dallas
d. Affordable quality education for kids through public schools Dallas area schools have better educational opportunities than Georgia schools
e. Tolerable traffic during peak hours/availability of public transportation Dallas traffic is bad but not as messy as Atlanta since the city is laid out in a more organized fashion. Rail is more established in Atlanta being around since the early 70s so it's easier to access the main areas of Atlanta by rail than it is to get around Dallas on rail.
f. Scenic beauty/easy access to recreation Atlanta has the whole tree and hill thing going for sure. Dallas has a different type of scenery with live oaks, mesquite and prairie land. People have different tastes. I think the trees in Atlanta hide the grit more which gives a prettier facade. As for recreational opportunities. I actually feel like Dallas has a more extensive and widely used urban trail system and has a recreational lake right in the city. There are many smaller parks rather than one large central park like Piedmont Park in Atlanta (which I love). You have to drive pretty far out of Atlanta to do any water recreational activities. Lake Lanier and such are 45 miles away. Stone Mountain and Kennesaw Mountain do give some great hiking advantages in the Atlanta area though.
g. Social life They both have nice nightlife options and dining options. I don't think one is superior to the other. Each catering to their own area cultures. I do have to say I prefer the smoking ban in Dallas bars and I like that the clubs don't close so early and that there are clustered bar districts all around the central city so you dont have to drive from bar to bar. There are quite a bit of distinct areas around central Dallas like the Crescent Ave area in Midtown Atlanta.
h. Peaceful / reasonably less crime rate I have to give this one to Dallas. I know Atlanta is working on this.

What would be a better city to relocate? Atlanta, GA or Dallas, TX
Just depends on which one steals your heart. I've lived in both and I've enjoyed both.

Response is above in bold

[bgNCATL]

Originally Posted by DreamKeeper

I've lived in Atlanta for 6 years now but have never lived in Dallas. However, I have recently visited Dallas several times on business trips and in my opinion in the scenic beauty category Atlanta wins hands down. Dallas is very flat and has a sparse tree population, whereas Atlanta has one of the most beautiful tree canvases in the country and has a varied terrain including a lot of very hilly areas. In some parts of Dallas I found it to be kind of grubby, but it could have just been the areas I was in because I did see some nicer looking areas as well.

I did ask my work colleagues in Dallas about outdoor recreation and according to them there is not much in the way of easy access to recreation. They told me that there are a couple of lakes nearby but to get to really decent outdoor recreation you have to drive quite a ways to other areas of Texas or even other states such as Arkansas. I'm an outdoor enthusiast and I find plenty of things to do around Atlanta. In less than an hour you can be in the North Georgia mountains which are gorgeous with ample places to hike, mountain bike, camp, boat etc. You're only a couple of hours from the Smoky Mountains National Park, which if you haven't been there is absolutely gorgeous. Right in Atlanta itself you have the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area which by itself offers a plethora of recreational opportunities. Then of course you have the Georgia coast which just recently got voted as having some of the best beaches in the country.

As far as traffic comparisons, etc I can't really compare those because I was kind of chauffeured around when I was there and don't have enough knowledge about the Dallas neighborhoods etc. I will say that in Atlanta the traffic you experience will greatly depend on where you live and work and what routes you take. I don't have a lot of problems with traffic in Atlanta myself but I also tend to take side streets/back roads instead of hopping on the highway.

I would suggest if possible to visit each place if you already haven't.

Really? I have lived in Atlanta for the past 10 years and have visited Dallas quite a bit. I plan on moving there soon. There are definitely more Grubby areas in Atlanta than in Dallas. Dallas just seems to be cleaner with less hoods. You must have been in south Dallas. I like Atlanta, but it seems like there is always a hood within a block of you; even in the nice neighborhoods. Alpharetta, Johns Creek, etc. would be the exception. Don't get me wrong, Dallas has hoods; but definitely less than Atlanta and it seems to be a bit more consistant.

This is not the reason I'm moving. I just found it funny that you think Dallas is Grubby compared to here. Both cities are actually pretty similar with the exception of terrain, number of trees.