Possible Move London UK to Atlanta (Decatur, Boston: to buy, quality of life, living)

[cittic10]

Originally Posted by simensays

But again, if you must come to America, pick a place that has a high level of immigrants. New York or Chicago are your best bet. People have already been in your shoes so don't reinvent the wheel. There's Little Italy, Chinatown, Koreatown, etc in those cities for a reason.

Atlanta does have a lot of immigrants. If you aren't finding them you should venture outside of cherokee county every once in a while.

Where do you think all these rednecks came from? They are immigrants from western europe. The didn't just grow in a cabbage patch. I know a lady who has the strongest southern belle accent you've ever heard. She moved here from the UK when she was a young girl.

I don't see what this has to do with anything. There are lots of people that moved here from the UK and like it better. I don't understand why but they try to explain it to me.

San Francisco isn't for everyone I guess.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by cittic10

Atlanta does have a lot of immigrants.

Atlanta does have a huge amount of immigrants, especially in the suburbs. In Alpharetta, for instance, 70% of the residents were born in another state or abroad.

That's probably pretty typical.

[chalvey]

My parents moved us here 16 years ago from London. Perosnally, I think you are better of in London. We go back every year for a couple of months, so we know what the two are like. We are also planning on moving back in several years. Parts of Atlanta are beautiful (lots of trees and some older house); however, on a whole it is quite bland.

One thing to consider is the birth of your first child. Even with insurance it can cost quite a bit. My uncles first child had a complication and had to be delievered via c-section. It costed him $12,000 with insurance. He fought for over a year and got it reduced down to $500, but that is a unnecessary hassle. Also, the costs can skyrocket if their is a complication after birth. The NHS is brilliant. Don't forget the house checkups after birth! Most importantly, if your child is born in the U.S he/she can be eligible for British Citizenship, but their children cannot be.

Immigration can also be a nightmare. It took us 13 years to get citizenship and costed us over $10,000. USCIS is filled with the most incompetent people I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. Just before we got our Green Card, we recieved a letter from USCIS stating that our application had been approved, we just needed to send every offical document they sent to us back to them, so that they could double check their files .

London had better: transportation, food, drivers, culture, shopping, healthcare (NHS), nightlife (I know that it is not important with a child on its way, but London is amazing at night!), police (don't feel scared of them in London), and lastly a more competent government heading the country.

If you are still interested in moving to Atlanta, I would look into the Dunwoody/ Sandy Springs area. It should be a reverse commute to Cobb Galleria and depending on the time of the day you can take the train down to the airport. We choose this area because it reminds us of Datchet.

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by chalvey

My parents moved us here 16 years ago from London. Perosnally, I think you are better of in London. We go back every year for a couple of months, so we know what the two are like. We are also planning on moving back in several years. Parts of Atlanta are beautiful (lots of trees and some older house); however, on a whole it is quite bland.

One thing to consider is the birth of your first child. Even with insurance it can cost quite a bit. My uncles first child had a complication and had to be delievered via c-section. It costed him $12,000 with insurance. He fought for over a year and got it reduced down to $500, but that is a unnecessary hassle. Also, the costs can skyrocket if their is a complication after birth. The NHS is brilliant. Don't forget the house checkups after birth! Most importantly, if your child is born in the U.S he/she can be eligible for British Citizenship, but their children cannot be.

Immigration can also be a nightmare. It took us 13 years to get citizenship and costed us over $10,000. USCIS is filled with the most incompetent people I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. Just before we got our Green Card, we recieved a letter from USCIS stating that our application had been approved, we just needed to send every offical document they sent to us back to them, so that they could double check their files .

London had better: transportation, food, drivers, culture, shopping, healthcare (NHS), nightlife (I know that it is not important with a child on its way, but London is amazing at night!), police (don't feel scared of them in London), and lastly a more competent government heading the country.

If you are still interested in moving to Atlanta, I would look into the Dunwoody/ Sandy Springs area. It should be a reverse commute to Cobb Galleria and depending on the time of the day you can take the train down to the airport. We choose this area because it reminds us of Datchet.

I guess opinions are formed based on past experiences (what one is used to)...for me, being used to Atlanta, living in London was very similar to the way you described Atlanta (NHS was horrible, the food was awful, culture was very bland, shopping was difficult at best, nightlife was boring and spotty, government competence???, lower quality of life, etc).

I'm not sure why you would recommend a suburban area to possible new residents when there are much better and more urban areas inside the city.

London is a great city to visit, but daily life there is obviously very different from Atlanta and the U.S. in general.

[london-tawn]

Some great replies here thank you very much, and this helps me gel some ideas of whether SFO or ATL are real options:

To cover some of the questions/areas raised in the responses.

A) I will be working from home, so only my wife needs to commute

B) We are Indian (Punjabi) by ethnicity - though born and raised in the UK - we are pretty liberal and open minded!
I have been travelling to and all over Canada and the US for the last 4 years - 2 to 3 weeks per trip about 5 ot 6 times per year.

C) London is great, though to be fair i've been though the whole clubbing/party thing and as long as i can find a pub that shows British Premier League Soccer at the weekend i am happy!

D) Yes the baby delivery and insurance coverage is a concern, i've done a fair amount of research and HIPPA rules state that previous coverage (which we have in the UK) would mean we should be okay for full coverage. But need to cover all that with the broker and make the appropriatte call.

[chalvey]

Originally Posted by JoeTarheel

I guess opinions are formed based on past experiences (what one is used to)...for me, being used to Atlanta, living in London was very similar to the way you described Atlanta (NHS was horrible, the food was awful, culture was very bland, shopping was difficult at best, nightlife was boring and spotty, government competence???, lower quality of life, etc).

I'm not sure why you would recommend a suburban area to possible new residents when there are much better and more urban areas inside the city.

London is a great city to visit, but daily life there is obviously very different from Atlanta and the U.S. in general.

Fair enough, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But I still have to disagree on nightlife and government. Congress is a disaster at the moment.

[chalvey]

Originally Posted by london-tawn

Some great replies here thank you very much, and this helps me gel some ideas of whether SFO or ATL are real options:

To cover some of the questions/areas raised in the responses.

A) I will be working from home, so only my wife needs to commute

B) We are Indian (Punjabi) by ethnicity - though born and raised in the UK - we are pretty liberal and open minded!
I have been travelling to and all over Canada and the US for the last 4 years - 2 to 3 weeks per trip about 5 ot 6 times per year.

C) London is great, though to be fair i've been though the whole clubbing/party thing and as long as i can find a pub that shows British Premier League Soccer at the weekend i am happy!

D) Yes the baby delivery and insurance coverage is a concern, i've done a fair amount of research and HIPPA rules state that previous coverage (which we have in the UK) would mean we should be okay for full coverage. But need to cover all that with the broker and make the appropriatte call.

Hey! We are Punjabi as well. I was born in Britain and dad in Kenya. Do you want an area with other Indians? Unfortunately, there are not many Punjabi's in Atlanta. More South Indians, Marathi's, and Uttarpradeshi's. If only your wife will be commuting look into Vinings . Can't chime in about pubs, since I am not over 21. If you have any questions you can always PM me!

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by chalvey

Fair enough, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But I still have to disagree on nightlife

So do I. Central London on a Friday or Saturday night is over the top.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by Forrest Of Deen

As an ex-pat from London, I would strongly recommend your moving to San Francisco instead of Atlanta (I read your other post in that forum). Atlanta truly is a horrid place to be with poor public transport and high crime. The state of Georgia is run by ultra right-wing politicians. Race relations are to blame for much of its shortcomings.

San Francisco is a dense, walkable and truly cosmopolitan city. The climate is temperate and you're close to the ocean and mountains. Neighbourhoods have character and most of them are virtually crime-free and quite safe. Public transport is much more extensive, and isn't seen as a mode of transport for the poor, as is the case in Atlanta.

I travel throughout the States frequently and have been to all its major and most of the lesser cities. I never experienced culture shock as intensely as I did in Atlanta.

Oh my...but SF is VERY expensive. And while Atlanta has future water concerns, we're fine for now. But water is very precious in SF. I believe they wait a while before flushing and use deodorants to cover the smell. And politically, SF is further left than Georgia is right. In fact, no place is further left than SF. SF is a great place to visit but living there is best for the rich.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by chalvey

London had better: transportation, food, drivers, culture, shopping, healthcare (NHS), nightlife (I know that it is not important with a child on its way, but London is amazing at night!), police (don't feel scared of them in London), and lastly a more competent government heading the country.

As far as the cities are concerned, London's peer is New York. It's not fair to compare Atlanta to London.