Long Island to Alpharetta (Atlanta, Suwanee: home, to buy, middle school)

[teacher30004]

Hello everyone! I'm new to the forum and I've been reading many of the threads. My girlfriend and I moved to Alpharetta six months ago. We are teachers in South Forsyth County. Since we have been here, I guess I am still home sick because I am not diggin' the area so much. I am looking for things to do with people my age (early 30's).

Also, I want to buy a house. I want to begin building equity so when the market increases I will decide to head back to NY or not. I will look to buy in the South Forsyth County/North Fulton area.

Few questions?

1) Why is everyone into college football? NFL is much better!
2) Religion? It's a bit too much. There is more to life than the Church.
3) Why marry young and have kids so fast? Who wants that responsibility so young?
4) Northeners coming down? Really? Where are they and why hasn't a real pizzeria opened up yet? Too many corporate chains in the area. To hear people rave about Chic-fa-la and Zaxby's is sad.

These are just a few frustrations that I have so far with GA. Maybe someone can help me out a little.

[Vampgrrl]

1. College football is better, has more history than the NFL..many teams started playing in the 1890s
2. Cant help ya there, go inside 285 to get your secular life on...really. I never was too into the church thing myself
3. See the church
4. Check out Fellinis inside the perimeter for good pizza (IMHO).

I wouldn't live in Alpharetta personally but I definitely understand why, with your jobs n all. Atlanta isn't so much a southern city, especially outside the city proper as much as it is a conservative corporate chain enclave I think. It's clean, shiny and very boring. Great place to raise children though.

[atl1221]

fellinis or mellow mushroom pizza are both delicious.

[OhioNative]

Originally Posted by teacher30004

4) Northeners coming down? Really? Where are they and why hasn't a real pizzeria opened up yet? Too many corporate chains in the area. To hear people rave about Chic-fa-la and Zaxby's is sad.

In my subdivision which is the next zipcode over, I have yet to meet a single southerner - we are all northerners. Maybe south Forsyth is more southern, not sure, but Suwanee sure isn't southern. Regarding pizza, there really aren't many Italians moving down here, so therefore less pizza.

[Philagirl]

I live just east of Alpharetta, and have met exactly 1 Georgian since moving here in July. In fact, I'd say about a quarter of the people I know are from New York.

Can't help you with the pizzeria, but a New Yorker friend had recommended Grouchy's Deli and New York City Deli & Bagels (both in Alpharetta) for great sandwiches and bagels.

[10scoachrick]

Check out Ray's New York Pizza...get the whole pizza, not a slice or two.

[charolastra00]

I never got the college football thing either. I was amazed when people at my high school made college choices based on the SEC! People asked me what division my college football team played in and when I told them my Massachusetts college didn't have a football team but we had a heck of a women's rugby team, I got shocked looks (and it wasn't because of the women's rugby...).

The religion is a bit too much, and you have to be the "right" religion. There's not yet a synagogue in Forsyth County despite a growing Jewish community and there is only one Catholic church in the South end of the county despite at least 30 Southern Baptist, Methodist, or Church of God congregations within a 5 minute radius.

I don't get the marrying young bit. I graduate from South Forsyth High in 2006 and quite a few people in my class are either married, engaged, pregnant, or already have a baby. I simply can't imagine! However, in many of the old South families, this is normal. I remember telling a friend's mom about my college plans and she gave me an incredulous look and said "You're going that far to study teaching or nursing? Just go to North Georgia!" Apparently all a young woman of the South (at least in that area) is allowed to do is teach or be a nurse and then stay at home with the kids. Of course, as more people move in, a lot of that is going away but it's always a huge shock when you run into people like that! Thankfully there's a lot less of them now than when I was in middle school (or maybe many of their minds have been changed!).

I'm a Bostonian who was raised from age 2 in Cumming. :P My dad still has his Boston accent despite living in GA for 18 years! Most of my friends in GA are from all over NY and a few from Virginia. Even many of the Southerners there were from ITP, South GA, Alabama, or North Carolina. I don't like pizza so I can't help you there, but I've heard good things about a new bagel place on McFarland Road (off of exit 12 west... not sure if that's A or B). I can't eat gluten anymore so I can't test it out myself, but many people rave about it.

[teacher30004]

Originally Posted by 10scoachrick

Check out Ray's New York Pizza...get the whole pizza, not a slice or two.

BWAHAHAHAHA! That's funny! When I went there, I thought I had eaten a brick!

[teacher30004]

Originally Posted by charolastra00

I never got the college football thing either. I was amazed when people at my high school made college choices based on the SEC! People asked me what division my college football team played in and when I told them my Massachusetts college didn't have a football team but we had a heck of a women's rugby team, I got shocked looks (and it wasn't because of the women's rugby...).

The religion is a bit too much, and you have to be the "right" religion. There's not yet a synagogue in Forsyth County despite a growing Jewish community and there is only one Catholic church in the South end of the county despite at least 30 Southern Baptist, Methodist, or Church of God congregations within a 5 minute radius.

I don't get the marrying young bit. I graduate from South Forsyth High in 2006 and quite a few people in my class are either married, engaged, pregnant, or already have a baby. I simply can't imagine! However, in many of the old South families, this is normal. I remember telling a friend's mom about my college plans and she gave me an incredulous look and said "You're going that far to study teaching or nursing? Just go to North Georgia!" Apparently all a young woman of the South (at least in that area) is allowed to do is teach or be a nurse and then stay at home with the kids. Of course, as more people move in, a lot of that is going away but it's always a huge shock when you run into people like that! Thankfully there's a lot less of them now than when I was in middle school (or maybe many of their minds have been changed!).

I'm a Bostonian who was raised from age 2 in Cumming. :P My dad still has his Boston accent despite living in GA for 18 years! Most of my friends in GA are from all over NY and a few from Virginia. Even many of the Southerners there were from ITP, South GA, Alabama, or North Carolina. I don't like pizza so I can't help you there, but I've heard good things about a new bagel place on McFarland Road (off of exit 12 west... not sure if that's A or B). I can't eat gluten anymore so I can't test it out myself, but many people rave about it.

Thanks for your input. Out of curiosity, where in NY are your friends from? I agree, I haven't met any people that are actually from GA.

[OhioNative]

Originally Posted by teacher30004

BWAHAHAHAHA! That's funny! When I went there, I thought I had eaten a brick!

Wherever you move, it is a given that it is hard to find pizza that compares to what you were use to "back home," especially what you might have had as a kid. To me, I will never have a pizza better than Longo's pizza in Mentor Ohio where I am from originally. I have found some pizza places that I enjoy down here (Ohio and Michigan pizza is not as thin as NY; I really can't stand thin crust pizza) but it's never the same. Regarding the other issues, some northerners move down here and just find the culture too foreign and end up moving back. The people who enjoy it down here tend to be those that enjoy the swim/tennis lifestyle, are Protestants, and have young kids. Metro Atlanta is not for everyone.