Intown Atlanta vs. Where You Came From— Differences? (Stone Mountain, Boston: transplants, real estate)

[bryantm3]

for the many of us that are from elsewhere (i am not), what do you find different about atlanta— the people, the built environment, traffic, climate, etc? do the differences match what you expected, or did you encounter something different entirely?

note that this is a compare and contrast of intown atlanta and the inner suburbs, so no "the accents are sweeter than the tea" or any of that nonsense— the outer suburbs are still much like the rest of georgia, and that's a whole different topic.

[OuiOui]

I've found that Atlanta seems to have a higher percentage of transplants versus, say, Chicago or Milwaukee. Of course there are a TON of transplants in Chicago, but I'm talking about the actual ratio of natives versus non-natives. It seems like there are more Chicago natives IN Chicago, same for Milwaukee, compared to Atlanta. I know very few city-of-Atlanta natives. But I suppose city of Atlanta has had a pretty small population in the past, compared to other major cities.

I also found that the city here has so many more trees than what I expected. I love the trees!

[Tryska]

So the biggest difference to me (coming from new York) is the social skills of people. Despite what people say about New Yorkers, there is a lot of socializing, flirting, chit chat that happens day to day as you walk down the street. I think with Atlanta, the culture is so car-centric, that there isn't really that kind of pedestrian socializing, so people aren't generally outgoing as much. They are very nice in a defined social situation - but stranger banter doesn't really happen here.

[residinghere2007]

When I first moved to Atlanta, I was surprised at the amount of hills all over the place lol! I am from NW Ohio and it is flat and so I was not used to the hills and it took some getting used to.

I also felt and still feel that summer in Atlanta feels literally like hell most years lol. I could never get used to the heat of summer.

One main difference was the pollen count and allergies. I broke out in hives for the entire first spring that I lived in Atlanta just by going outside. My college roommates thought I had the plague and I had to be on 24/7 benadryl. Luckily benadryl doesn't make me drowsy as it was the only one that worked on my hives from the pollen. I did get used to the pollen a little unlike the hellish summers lol.

I moved to Atlanta when I was 18 for college. So expectations I had was that it would be a "big city" experience. I never felt that sort of "big city" thing in Atlanta and I always thought of Atlanta (I lived there for 16 years) as a country/city if that makes sense. The lack of sidewalks in some areas was extremely surprising and the lack of action by the city in regards to blight was and still is just amazing to me. I went to the AU center and frequently walked around the neighborhoods surrounding the AUC and was pretty appalled by the condition of the neighborhoods. FWIW, they are MUCH better now, but it was shocking to me seeing how crappy certain parts of the city were.

The accents took some getting used to for me as well. It took me a year before I could understand lower income people who lived in Atlanta. I went to the AUC when University Homes was still there and as a part of my college experience, I had to volunteer a certain amount of hours and I worked with programs based out of University Homes and John O. Chiles highrise for seniors. I couldn't understand any of those people for a long time lol.

Another major thing that was shocking and something that I know people who are from the area I'm from who have visited Atlanta have also mentioned, is the lack of customer service skills in Atlanta. I did expect people to be nice and have "southern hospitality." Many service people and clerks and government workers were and are just flat out rude and uncaring and are always trying to send you away and not handle issues for you that they can handle. I worked as a customer service manager for many years in Atlanta BTW and I was always complimented by my clients and even by people on the phone who always said "you're not from around here are you?" because I always took the time to try to handle concerns so that customers wouldn't come or call me back lol. But the service thing was something I also never got used to in Atlanta and something that when I tell people now that I've moved back to Ohio that I recently moved from Atlanta, they go on and on about horrible customer service they experienced in Atlanta versus where we are from. So now I think that Midwestern hospitality is much more friendly than southern.

I actually knew a lot of native Atlantans due to my work in customer service and government contracting. But I agree there is a high degree of transients in Atlanta versus other places I have lived or been including Chicago.

Some nice surprises in Atlanta are that you can grow plants 12 months out of the year. I didn't expect that and when I got into gardening it was a huge plus. Also the trees like another poster mentioned are just gorgeous in autumn. The train system MARTA is great and was a wonderful surprise for me as I didn't know that Atlanta had a train system before moving there (young, dumb teenager back then). The convenience of the airport to MARTA was an added plus. The abundance of great restaurants was a surprise as well and one that it seems many who don't know about Atlanta overlook.

[Tryska]

Oh snap! I totally forgot about Allergies. Didn't have those up north.

[jero23]

Considering I lived in downtown Birmingham, i.e. Birmingham City Center then moved here, not much. The only noticeable differences is the higher population density and topography, but generally it is similar to my old stomping ground.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by residinghere2007

When I first moved to Atlanta, I was surprised at the amount of hills all over the place lol! I am from NW Ohio and it is flat and so I was not used to the hills and it took some getting used to.

I will never forget I flew to Toledo and took a shuttle down to Bowling Green. When I got to the hotel I did not have a car and realized I had forgotten something and it was late at night.

I asked the guy at the hotel desk if there was anything like a 24 hour Wal-Mart nearby. He told me about a Meijer. This was my first run in with Meijer, btw. He said it was outside to the right and just over the hill.

Well I went outside looked right... and saw nothing.... No Hill, no store, just darkness past some fast food places and a gas station. That place was just flat as could be. It was more flat than Florida... and that is saying something. I went back in for better directions and the guy was nice, but confused. It is just past the hill and there is just one hill... you can't miss is.

I go outside again and walk a tiny bit further. I still don't see a hill or a store to walk towards. Still the flattest place I have seen in my life.

So finally I ask someone as I passed a gas station and all became clear.....

There was no real hill. The DOT had built a small dirt mound to support a road bridge over the interstate. That was the 'hill.' It just so happens from my angle of view the overpass perfectly his the Meijer.

There are 4 things I will never forget about Northwest Ohio and it was winter at the time: The Miejer, A Big Boy (first time I had seen either of those places), The 'hill', and just how windy it was! Brutal wind!

[AnsleyPark]

I came to Atlanta from a rural South Georgia farm via a five year stint in Boston. Atlanta is my home and I love the place very much. Won't retire in any city, Atlanta included. Will certainly miss it, I'm sure. It has been a wonderful place to raise my whacky family and to grow in my profession. Personally I think it is a special place.

[residinghere2007]

Originally Posted by cwkimbro

I will never forget I flew to Toledo and took a shuttle down to Bowling Green. When I got to the hotel I did not have a car and realized I had forgotten something and it was late at night.

I asked the guy at the hotel desk if there was anything like a 24 hour Wal-Mart nearby. He told me about a Meijer. This was my first run in with Meijer, btw. He said it was outside to the right and just over the hill.

Well I went outside looked right... and saw nothing.... No Hill, no store, just darkness past some fast food places and a gas station. That place was just flat as could be. It was more flat than Florida... and that is saying something. I went back in for better directions and the guy was nice, but confused. It is just past the hill and there is just one hill... you can't miss is.

I go outside again and walk a tiny bit further. I still don't see a hill or a store to walk towards. Still the flattest place I have seen in my life.

So finally I ask someone as I passed a gas station and all became clear.....

There was no real hill. The DOT had built a small dirt mound to support a road bridge over the interstate. That was the 'hill.' It just so happens from my angle of view the overpass perfectly his the Meijer.

There are 4 things I will never forget about Northwest Ohio and it was winter at the time: The Miejer, A Big Boy (first time I had seen either of those places), The 'hill', and just how windy it was! Brutal wind!

LOL!

I actually know what Meijer you are talking about. That is a big difference between there and Atlanta too - no Meijer stores. I love Meijer as their food quality is better than Walmart. But in Ohio we don't have Publix and I LOVE Publix!

And Big Boy is overplayed. When I was in high school people used to cut off the heads of Big Boy at various restaurants in Toledo and there would be media campaigns to get them back lol. One I believe was never returned. Their food is not good to me but they are a local mainstay in that part of Ohio and SE Michigan.

But yeah, the hills are brutal in Atlanta. I did get used to them and as I would make them a challenge, especially when I worked downtown as I walked all over the place in downtown Atlanta. I had to go to various appointments with state and local agencies and didn't feel like driving a few blocks and having to go through the reimbursement process for parking, so I'd just walk. I got some strong legs lol.

One of my older nephews came to visit me in Atlanta when he was around 11 and we went to all the touristy stuff near Centennial Park and then up to Peachtree Street to go to one of my favorite restaurants and he almost started cursing about the hill from the park up Baker St (or whatever they changed the name to) to get to Peachtree lol. He went on and on how he doesn't know how anyone is fat in Atlanta with how hot it was and how many hills people have to walk!

[ElleKaye]

I am originally from the Gulf Coast in Alabama and had spent the majority of my home life between there and s New Orleans prior to moving to Atlanta. You could say I'm about deep south as it gets , but I did get to travel a lot when I was growing up so I'm familiar with other regions of at least this country.

Now, my parents really liked Atlanta so even if we went to California for summer vacation, somehow we ended up staying in Atlanta for a few days before returning home. In short, it's not like I was unfamiliar with the area, but a trip staying in a hotel is far from the same as living in a place.

These are the things that came as surprises/not expected to me:

1. Topography: I had mostly only visited in summer so I was a bit impressed with how pretty Atlanta was in Autumn.. My dad has used "as tall as a Georgia Pine" for as long as can remember, but that does not being to describe the lushness and sheer quanity of the types of trees or the colors they take on in fall.
2. Hilliness: It's not like I did not know that Atlanta or maybe more specifically there was Stone Mountain, but I guess since I was not the driver, it seemed different. When I first moved here, I got my first stick shift and it's a wonder I still have a license. I was struggling to not roll back just in most parking lots since I was accustomed to more flat land,.
3. Big Ticket Cars: Atlantans love their cars. I have not seen so many high end vehicles even in Manhattan. I had never been around people who would pay more to lease a car than buy a home. It's weird.
4. Food: Considering that I am from the south, I expected the food to be similar. It's a little on the bland side. On the up side, there are many more cuisines than I had ever been exposed to and I really like many of them. However, for a basic type of food that could be connected to Atlanta like say Creole or Cajun would be to New Orleans, there really isn't one. Side note: I pretty much HATE Waffle House.
5. Night Life: I loved Buckhead when it had a nightlife and was less of a retail district. I did not expect to have that French Quarter feeling, but I did.
6. Real Estate: You could get a lot of house for your money. It was impressive and landed me in Cobb County. I couldn't handle the commute (2 hrs each way with traffic) so I opted for something smaller and more in-town. I rue the day I did not opt to pay a few more dollars for something in-town before it became a seller's market.
7. Transplants: I had lived here about six months before I even met anyone who was actually from Atlanta. I know more of them now, but I doubt I could name 20 out of 1,000 or so people.
8. Weather: I was expected four distinct seasons and less heat. I am relieved to not have to worry about tropical stomrs though.

I am not unhappy here. My original intent was to move to Seattle, but I got a job offer here first so here I am. The things I listed above (positive or negative) that I did not expect are clearly not dealbreakers or I'd have left already