Is Atlanta as cliquey as people say? (house, high school)

[Beretta]

Swipe right to be in the Atlanta Clique

[arjay57]

Welcome south, brother!

That's one of our main slogans.

[malasiaj]

@ATLJan I am a portrait and commercial photographer. Commercially my main focus would be advertising for brands. But yes, that’s what my friend was talking about. Thanks for your response! This gave me some good insight. I was wondering if you could answer one more question for my mom actually because she would be moving here with her business. She is a business consultant for small business owners who want to grow their company. She provides training for employees and other business tools to help them work more efficiently and she coaches business owners to help them navigate their business better. Do you think she would have a hard time gaining clients? Or would she be able to get “in” of course with the same hard work applied?

Also, anyone that’s reading this feel free to chime in! I appreciate everyone’s response.

[malasiaj]

@citykid3785 that’s good to hear! I’m not sure how the rumor got started when everyone on here has been consistent in their thoughts lol

[CMMom]

As far as the South goes, I think that smaller cities such as Charleston and Savannah or towns like Hilton Head, SC would be much harder for newcomers. People who are native to such cities seem to all know each other, have gone to school together, and grew up together, so it's harder to "break into" their society. I had friends who lived in Hilton Head for a year or two and they were miserable because it was so cliquey.

[AnsleyPark]

Not cliquey at all. In my 30 years in Atlanta, I felt very welcomed by all groups of folks - gay, straight, black, white, Asian, Hispanic, rich, poor. As long as you stay open minded and are yourself accepting, you'll fit right in.

[ATLUTD]

Originally Posted by Iconographer

Cliquey? How is that possible in a high-growth metro where most residents are from somewhere else?
You want cliquey, look to low-growth cities like Cincinnati, Pittsburgh or St. Louis..."Where did you go to high school?"LOL.

2 of those cities are high growth that millennials are moving to in droves so they can afford houses and families and the 3rd is about to join them pretty soon I feel like. Also I wouldn't consider Fayetteville or Peachtree City "cliquey"...I think most people there just make friends by meeting other parents at their children's soccer games.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by ATLUTD

2 of those cities are high growth that millennials are moving to in droves so they can afford houses and families and the 3rd is about to join them pretty soon I feel like. Also I wouldn't consider Fayetteville or Peachtree City "cliquey"...I think most people there just make friends by meeting other parents at their children's soccer games.

What do you consider "high growth"?

The population rate of change of Pittsburgh Metro Area (PA) was -0.29% in 2017.

The population rate of change of Cincinnati Metro Area (OH-KY-IN) was 0.48% in 2017.

The population rate of change of St. Louis Metro Area (MO-IL) was 0.06% in 2017.

The population rate of change of Atlanta Metro Area (GA) was 1.57% in 2017.

"Moving to in droves" sounds a tad hyperbolic. Hipster buzz isn't really translating to real numbers thus far.

[KingKanye]

I have heard white friends say that if you're not from the South or didn't go to a Southern school they found it hard to find a new job here.

One friend originally transferred here from a New York based company that opened an office in Atlanta. After two years they closed the Atlanta branch and kept open the office in New York. The entire Atlanta office was laid off.

He first applied for jobs here in Atlanta to avoid having to sell his condo and move. He got nowhere. At the job he really wanted here, they had 3 open positions, with 4 applicants. Of the 3 only he didn't get the position. He's from Philadelphia, got his BS and MBA at Georgetown University. Good looking white guy, great smile, very friendly. He learned that the other applicants were UGA, Ole Miss and Auburn grads and very unimpressive to look at.

He ended up moving to New York and quickly found a job at a private equity firm. Yet he went on six or seven interviews in Atlanta and landed nothing. He's fairly certain it's because he wasn't from the South and didn't go to a university in the South.

Do a quick online glance at the private equity firms in Atlanta. Visit the "our team" profiles and look at their education background. Almost exclusively all Southern schools. So yes Atlanta is regionally very cliquey.

[M3Guy]

Yes, I find Atlanta is very cliquey. I actually live in the city of Atlanta, and I see that the neighborhoods can be very judgmental as well.

Examples: If you live in Midtown, you are automatically considered gay.
If you aren't white, but you live in gentrified O4W, you don't belong there or you got lost.
If you are walking through L5P, you're just a tourist or homeless person.
If you live in EAV, people will assume you are a bartender or server.
If you live in Candler Park, people assume you have a family.
etc....

So yes, it is cliquey.