Do you regret relocating to Atlanta? (Dunwoody, Vinings: appointed, neighborhoods, construction)

[Mia_Mia23456]

Originally Posted by kasuga888

Everything that Atlanta_BD said.

I guess it depends on the person, I worked in IT and made good money but I never liked Atlanta.

I think you really need to try an visit the city, you will get that feeling of "this place is pretty cool" or "this place is sorta crappy". If you are moving from a bigger/international/near coast city, you may be disapointed unless your importance of COL is higher.

Most places in Atl felt geared towards some demographic i did not fit in or imagine living my life in. Either ghetto (run down), former frat/sority, tea party, hipsters, unhealthy (ie obese), the whole area feels like country side, spagetti roads, etc Apologies to offending anyone...

Maybe 50% of people I know have moved or also disliked ATL (all professionals 50-150k). I've since moved on to SoCal and love it here

Everyone has to find their niche. Congrats on finding yours.

However, I know several people who hate Socal (in particular Los Angeles). Droves of people relocate from Southern California each year, due to a host of reasons.

[glovenyc]

Originally Posted by Atlanta_BD

It really depends on what you are looking for. I know some people with great jobs who don't like it here and people who don't make a lot of money but love it.

Atlanta is it's own thing and either you will like what Atlanta is or you won't regardless of how much money you make. Speaking only about the people I know, those who love it the most are married couples/families who want the big "McMansions" or those who move from smaller, other southern cities or foreign countries. For them Atlanta is the big city, whereas people I know who moved here with great jobs and without from places like LA, NYC, DC and Chicago, Atlanta isn't city enough for them. They found it to not be all that and left Atlanta feeling unimpressed.

I don't have a great paying job and have not been able to find a good job since the recession but I've never been a big fan. People always told me how great Atlanta was and I thought after many years of being here I'd grow to love it. As much as I tried, it just hasn't happened. Even if I made a six-figure income in Atlanta, I wouldn't want to stay here. Atlanta just isn't exciting enough for me and doesn't offer enough of what I want in a city. Don't get me wrong, there are some things I love about Atlanta, but it's just not enough for me.

But don't take other people's experiences as the rule. Come here and visit for yourself and come to your own conclusions. Plenty people move to Atlanta and love it. You may love it. If you have a great job, don't not take it because you fear you won't like it here. At least you'll make enough money that you'd be able to travel to other places while you get your "sea legs" here.

Exactly!!! It depends on what people are looking for. I transferred here with a stable job, decent money (low six figs) and I love it here. As per my screen name, I moved here from NYC and will always love it but I realized that NYC stopped loving me back so I had to open myself up for a move. I also think I was over the "excitement" of NYC, and everyday QOL became a priority. NYC is such a grind. For those who are willing to giving it a chance, Atlanta is a great city. Before my move I had a few misconceptions about the place, but to my surprise I've found plenty of interesting things to do here you just have to be willing to venture out. They have started some great projects intown, that will definitely increase Atlanta's profile as a major city. So all-in-all its about who you are, and your approach to life that will determine your happiness anywhere you live.

[AtlJan]

I subscribe to a "you bring your happiness with you" philosophy...are you fairly happy where you are now? Then you'll be happy in Atlanta once you find your niche. There is something for everyone here. Unless you love surfing--sorry! We have hopping urban areas, safe pleasants suburbs. Liberal areas, conservative areas...it'll take a few months but a happy person usually figures out a good lifestyle here for him/herself.

[flamadiddle]

Atlanta is a middle of the road, mediocre city. Nothing exciting here. Food is blah, Museums are blah and the city in general is just one big blah to me. Weather is good though and as mentioned, taxes and home prices are favorable. Fwiw, I relocated from Chicago and make good money and as much as I hate the gloomy weather in Chitown, I'm seriously thinking of returning.

[Mia_Mia23456]

Originally Posted by glovenyc

Exactly!!! It depends on what people are looking for. I transferred here with a stable job, decent money (low six figs) and I love it here. As per my screen name, I moved here from NYC and will always love it but I realized that NYC stopped loving me back so I had to open myself up for a move. I also think I was over the "excitement" of NYC, and everyday QOL became a priority. NYC is such a grind. For those who are willing to giving it a chance, Atlanta is a great city. Before my move I had a few misconceptions about the place, but to my surprise I've found plenty of interesting things to do here you just have to be willing to venture out. They have started some great projects intown, that will definitely increase Atlanta's profile as a major city. So all-in-all its about who you are, and your approach to life that will determine your happiness anywhere you live.

I was in Vinings for a few days. It's a very nice area, but very quiet (not much action at all). Definitely a far cry from NYC life.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by Mia_Mia23456

I was in Vinings for a few days. It's a very nice area, but very quiet (not much action at all). Definitely a far cry from NYC life.

I live in Buckhead and it's also very quiet with the exception of the bars on weekends. There's lot of car traffic in the Lenox Mall area and daily rush hour traffic, but other than that, Buckhead is very quiet suburban-like. I like living here though. I liked living in Virginia-Highland much better but I find people are friendlier in Buckhead for some reason.

What kind of area would you prefer? If you are going to do suburban, I'd say do Vinings. It's close enough in where you have access to do things.

[Mia_Mia23456]

Originally Posted by Atlanta_BD

I live in Buckhead and it's also very quiet with the exception of the bars on weekends. There's lot of car traffic in the Lenox Mall area and daily rush traffic, but other than that, Buckhead is very quiet suburban-like. I like living here though. I liked living in Virginia-Highland much better but I find people are friendlier in Buckhead for some reason.

What kind of area would you prefer? If you are going to do suburban, I'd say do Vinings. It's close enough in where you have access to do things.

Do most people just prefer to stay in their homes? Midtown was surprisingly very quiet in many areas too. I expected to see more people walking around.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by Mia_Mia23456

Do most people just prefer to stay in their homes? Midtown was surprisingly very quiet in many areas too. I expected to see more people walking around.

I've wondered that myself. I've been in Midtown at times are there are like no people in the streets. Atlanta has a population of only 430k so it's not going to be dense like other major cities. Of metro Atlanta's nearly 6 million people, pretty much everyone lives in the suburbs.

It seems you only come across lots of people here when you go to restaurants and bars or special events, but people aren't just out and about all the time unless they are in their cars. There's more car traffic than foot traffic.

[LunaRabbit]

I don't mind it much. Like others have said, it's a very mediocre city. Shops and restaurants close down at 9-10pm for the most part and you can't do much if you don't have some spending money. I've lived just outside the perimeter on the east side. It was a little ghetto, with really cheap gross housing, but never had a problem with anyone. I lived in midtown which was quiet and pretty wonderful but extremely expensive. It's weird tho...you can be on a street with 500k houses, then the next street will have abandoned buildings with prostitutes and crack addicts walking around. Now I'm in Sandy Springs (north), right inside the perimeter, and love it. Traffic is lame, but the area is nice and moderately priced. Atlanta has a lot of really cool artsy things. Concerts, museums, theater, orchestra, ballet, classes for just about anything. And LOTS of bars if that's your thing. It's not a bad place, just learn where the ghetto areas are and avoid them like the plague.

[lorilove]

Originally Posted by Mia_Mia23456

I was in Vinings for a few days. It's a very nice area, but very quiet (not much action at all). Definitely a far cry from NYC life.

Vinings is considered the suburbs - I don't know anyone that would try to compare it to New York City