3 reasons why atlanta is better than most cities (Peachtree City, Cleveland: real estate, renting)

[Febtober]

Originally Posted by tonygeorgia

I'm just used to direct flights. If I have to change flights i will not go

Seriously? Its not that big of a deal, you get off of one flight and onto another. Different airports have different layouts that can make it easier or harder for connections.

About 80% of passengers at Hartsfield are just connecting through, only around 20% actually have Atlanta as their origin/destination.

Originally Posted by usamathman

I am originally from south and move to New York about a year ago. The first 3 reasons that the OP listed are more than enough to make a person want to move to ATL.

New York City is an amazing place to live and work, but the high cost of living and quick pace of life can weigh a person down. I absolutely love it here but just can't see myself settling down and having a family. I make close to $80K a year and can tell you that I have a good life but in no way am I balling. I have a small studio apartment, a nice car, and I go out maybe two or three weekends per month. Buying a house anywhere near the city is out of the question. Property taxes, city, and state taxes, and car insurance are unbelievable.

Where do you live? You should be able to easily get a 1 bedroom in most parts around here on 80k. I've heard car insurance in the outer boroughs is crazy, but for some reason in Manhattan it isn't so bad. I pay $115 a month for full coverage on a top of the line Accord.

[DTL3000]

Originally Posted by tonygeorgia

I'm just used to direct flights. If I have to change flights i will not go

Overdramatic much?

[samiwas1]

For me, the direct-flight thing was important when I moved here. Anyone who travels enough will understand that. Anyone who doesn't travel often might not. I absolutely hate connecting flights.

Another big thing for me is something my wife repeats often. She says this all the time. Even if you don't love the city of Atlanta, within a few hours' drive you can be on the beach (either the Atlantic or the Gulf), at Lake Lanier (or many others), white water rafting or chilling in a cabin in the North Georgia mountains, skiing in North Carolina, hiking in various mountainous regions, and do all this from your city life.

Almost all cities have some combintion of the above, but few have all of that available within 6 hours' drive, and much within just a couple of hours.

And the general cost of living is great. For housing, it was great if you got in at the right time, or if you don't mind living out there. I unfortunately got in at the wrong time and am way underwater on my house. I've been doing some home searches recently as we're wanting to move, and haven't been able to find anything even remotely close to my $250k budget in an area that I actually want to live (or that isn't very old) that isn't a townhouse. But, if you're more flexible about where you live, then absolutely!

[RedJacket]

Stars Flock to Atlanta, Reshaping a Center of Black Culture

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/us...l?pagewanted=1

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

Glad to see so many mention higher education, but specifically the University System of Georgia which does not get nearly enough credit for what it contributes to this state. With 35 institutions, 311,000 students and a $2.5 billion endowment, it's the 4th-largest university system in the nation after Ohio State, SUNY and Cal State. Created in the 1930s, it's one of the few things that Georgia did right at a time when most of the rest of the South was regressing. Since the advent of the HOPE Scholarship it has only grown bigger and more vital to the overall quality if life and economy in Georgia, with billions of dollars in new investment that has literally transformed and expanded EVERY campus in every corner of the state. If you don't understand the huge value and efficiency of our state university system, just spend time in neighboring states with competing public systems (North Carolina) or go to Alabama, which has NO higher education system at all, but instead two dozen independent campuses that all compete against each other for students, programs, funding. We're very fortunate.

That's debatable. The University System of Georgia is not all that well coordinated and many schools are experiencing "mission creep". The recent proposal for consolidation of campuses suggests that the University System has inefficiencies. Georgia schools do compete with each other for students, programs, and funding with Kennesaw State of late being the most vocal. Granted that they have to do all that through the BOR, but the BOR seemingly doesn't like to say no very often.

We probably have too many schools and schools were at times located for political reasons. As for the endowment, GT and UGA account for most of that. No other school's endowment even come close to GT and UGA. And North Carolina has a good university system with UNC Chapel Hill being better than even UGA. And GT had better watch its back as NC State is really gearing up to be a major research center. Alabama does alright but they probably have too many engineering schools when it should have concentrated on a few or just one. Georgia recently is expanding the number of schools that offer engineering. There are plenty of other good state supported southern universities.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by aries4118

Here is some for you. Take what you want from them:

The City in the forest- Atlanta

Travel Blog: Atlanta, United States - The City in the forest- Atlanta - here or there (http://www.hereorthere.com/members/martinnobel/experience/3182 - broken link)

Atlanta, Georgia -- National Geographic's Ultimate City Guides

– “Atlanta, a City Built in a Forest” - | Georgia Council for International Visitors

City in the Forest: Atlanta 2108

Planning Firm's Vision for Atlanta in 2108: A City in the Forest : TreeHugger

Atlanta - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Atlanta - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Urban forest - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Urban forest - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

AECOM - Design + Planning - Stories - Atlanta 2108

I looked at a lot of it but I didn't feel like going through all of it. But I couldn't find anything there that authoritatively shows that Atlanta is the most treed city anywhere and of all time. Most of it seems subjective to me.

[tonygeorgia]

Originally Posted by samiwas1

For me, the direct-flight thing was important when I moved here. Anyone who travels enough will understand that. Anyone who doesn't travel often might not. I absolutely hate connecting flights.

Another big thing for me is something my wife repeats often. She says this all the time. Even if you don't love the city of Atlanta, within a few hours' drive you can be on the beach (either the Atlantic or the Gulf), at Lake Lanier (or many others), white water rafting or chilling in a cabin in the North Georgia mountains, skiing in North Carolina, hiking in various mountainous regions, and do all this from your city life.

Almost all cities have some combintion of the above, but few have all of that available within 6 hours' drive, and much within just a couple of hours.

And the general cost of living is great. For housing, it was great if you got in at the right time, or if you don't mind living out there. I unfortunately got in at the wrong time and am way underwater on my house. I've been doing some home searches recently as we're wanting to move, and haven't been able to find anything even remotely close to my $250k budget in an area that I actually want to live (or that isn't very old) that isn't a townhouse. But, if you're more flexible about where you live, then absolutely!

I think people who arent used to direct flights just don't understand.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

I looked at a lot of it but I didn't feel like going through all of it. But I couldn't find anything there that authoritatively shows that Atlanta is the most treed city anywhere and of all time. Most of it seems subjective to me.

Does it have to be "the most treed city anywhere and of all time" to use it as a legitimate selling point? The City of Atlanta has 36% tree cover, which is a higher percentage than any other large city in the US.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta#Tree_canopy

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by tonygeorgia

I think people who arent used to direct flights just don't understand.

When I lived in the Twin Cities (one of the main two hubs for Northwest Airlines), the local airline (NW) was dragged over the coals for higher prices, but most folks didn't seem to care that having a large airline based there presented advantages. Like lots of direct flights from MSP.

I suspect they are slowly learning what they've lost as DL phases routes out. MSP is still a hub, but ATL is the home hub.

I didn't mind MSP-ATL-MSP with a brief layover in MKE when I used to fly Midwest, but that's mainly because the other bennies they provided (large leather seats, warm cookies) outweighed the layover. But direct flights ARE nice.

It's nice to see people appreciating their local airline...

[RainyRainyDay]

Cost is a big factor for many people traveling on their own dollar.

Ironically, I'm typing this in a large airport... have been on en route from the west coast of Canada for 9 hours already, and am now awaiting arrival of the delayed inbound flight from Chicago in order to finally get away on the last leg of my long journey.

Oh well, the airport WiFi is free.....