Atlanta vs South East Florida (Alpharetta, Decatur: condos, mortgage, townhomes)

[Newyorker2]

[quote=DeaconJ;5942478]You'll be disappointed if you think you can get a lot more house in Atlanta for much less money than in Florida. If you want to live in a semi-popular area of town that isn't in a far exurb, you'll probably end up paying more than you think.

That might be true but the comparison was also about the pay scale in FL vs that of ATL.

Also, and I can't say this for sure not knowing what kind of business your husband is in, but Atlanta isn't "just Atlanta" so there are just as many or more opportunities as there are in South Florida. If Miami is Palm Beach, Broward, and Dade then Atlanta is Fulton, Dekalb, Gwinnett, Cobb, Douglas, Fayette, Henry, Paulding, and a few others.

Crime and traffic - not enough difference between Atlanta and Miami to be deciding factors in your decision. Both cities are around 5,000,000 people so crime and traffic are very similar.

I wouldnt touch Miami with a 10 ft pole and crime is everywhere.

I guess character is in the eye of the beholder...having lived in both Miami and Atlanta I see WAY more character in Atlanta...it's an older city with a more extensive history than Miami. If you only have seen suburban neighborhoods built within the last decade then I can see why you think Atlanta has no character, but that isn't representative of Atlanta. And if you have mostly stayed in Rockdale or other suburbs, then I can understand why you were bored. It sounds like you know a lot more about South Florida, so if you truly want to make an informed decision you should explore Atlanta a little and find out what it has to offer.

This is a true statement which brought up my question about what to expect. We are taking a road trip at the end of the year to explore both places. can you give me an example of some neighborhoods to visit in ATL?

[BornInFL]

You would probably "fit in" better in S FL, being from NY.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by BornInFL

You would probably "fit in" better in S FL, being from NY.

The largest number of transplants in GA come from FL; second largest, NY.
If the OP hails from Westchester County, the following Atlanta neighborhoods should feel rather familiar:
Druid Hills
Decatur
Morningside
Virginia-Highland
Buckhead
Inman Park

[trelane]

I'm a NYer who moved to the Fort Lauderdale area and after 11 years took a promotion to move to Atlanta. I've been here two years. Let me answer your pros and cons directly.

Originally Posted by Newyorker2

Pros for Atlanta:
Lower cost of living,MUCH more house for your money,4 seasons (which i really love), looks more like the north ( we are currently living in westchester county, ny), larger black educated population, more job prospects for me, A closer drive if my family wants to visit, Lower cost of living would make it possible for my family to join me if they wanted to move.

Depending on where you buy, potentially bigger, older homes in Atlanta. However, the building codes in SoFla are better thanks to Andrew, a home built after 1994 is more solid than one built the same year in ATL. There are more job prospects in my field (software), you're surrounded by many interesting communities and cities, and within three hours of NoCa, SoCa, Ala, and Tenn. Definitely lower cost of living than NY, not necessarily true compared to Florida.

Cons of Atlanta
no family there, just a few friends, Not so great schools depending on where you live, TRAFFIC ( my husbands business puts him on the road 100% of the time, and i would also have to work inside the perimeter as well), Less opportunity for my husbands business ( this is in comparison to FL, in FL he can service businesses in Palm beach, Broward and Dade county, in ATL theres just ..ATL), Weather ( Atl has a lot of smog and was named the asthma capital of the world... I have asthma), Crime - of course that is everywhere. Not much character, seems like a lot of large homes but nothing else. The BLING factor.... housewives of ATL.. need I say more??? LANDLOCKED ( a big issue for us as we love the beach)

I also have no family here, no friends when we moved. Some schools are better than the best of Broward county (I lived in Weston). Traffic sucks, you learn to stagger your work hours or telecommute. Weather is definitely better in SoFla. I have asthma; it's only slightly worse in ATL. Lots of character in ATL, and LOTS more history. SoFla history begins with Flagler and the railroad. There's nothing of historical interest before 100 years ago. Forget the Bling factor, that's TV. Yes, this is the first time I"ve been landlocked. It takes some getting used to.

Pros of FL:
We have an increasing number of family that lives there, lifestyle ( the beaches, the parks, the attractions, cruises, boating fishing year round. Traveling up to Disney for the weekend or down to Miami for a girls night out. traveling inside of Fl), No state income tax, more business for my husband, winter weather. More physically active lifestyle. tropical fruits year round.

Outdoor activities year round. No state income tax.

Cons of FL
Lack of job opportunities for me,house prices: taxes and insurance premiums off the roof, If there is another hurricane there is no saying how high insurance prices may go, also that might affect family joining me if they want to join us, constant heat, hurricanes, sucky schools, alligators, I hear that most everyone who lives in FL owns a gun ( MY BIGGEST CONCERN), bad/rude drivers, I hear the complaint about rude people but havent expereienced it, transient state, also the snowbirds during the winter months which makes the place more crowded, NO BASEMENTS. You can drive 6hrs and STILL be in FL. and if you are paying less than 500K, you can only afford an ugly home with zero lot size.

Here's my big one: the spanish population has a large contingent that is uninterested in interacting with english-speaking Americans. Before I get attacked, let me add my mom's colombian, I've lived there, and I speak Spanish. My wife, however, doesn't. Small lots, no basements, little interior storage, HOAs everywhere. Hurricanes aren't a real problem, you know when they're coming. Folks in SoFla don't own guns as often, drivers are very aggressive. Thanks for calling my former home ugly!

Ok so to wrap this up, we would look into moving to the Palm Beach Gardens/Jupiter area but I am concerned about not being able to afford the home that i want or enjoy the lifestyle for financial reasons. We invested in real estate in NY and now everything has taken a dive and we just want to stop the stress and go somewhere where we can be happy. i would HATE to have to move again...I LOVE ATL homes but i have expereienced nothing but boredom in ATL, if we picked ATL we would initially live in Rockdale county where our only friends are.

So the question is for those who have experienced both, or just live now in either place, please give us an idea of what to expect and which city would fit best into what we want. Let me know what you do for fun, and the life that you have expereienced in both places both good and bad. Fell free to point out some additional pros and cons.

If you have read this looong thread in its entirety... I THANK YOU.

You haven't stated which part of Westchester you're in, that will help us compare. Palm Beach county is nice, I have friends in Wellington who are very happy.

My bottom line: My home in ATL is 2 1/2 times larger than my SoFla home, my income is higher but so are my taxes. I miss the weather and my friends terribly, but the real estate market and overall financial condition are very shaky in SoFla (Of course, that will help you pick up real estate bargains). We made a logical decision to leave SoFla, but our hearts are still there.

Good luck!

[BornInFL]

Yes, Try Wellington. You will love it !!!

[Marlin331]

Originally Posted by gumboula

I grew up in South Florida (Palm Beach County) and am now raising my kids in Atlanta. I don't see one as being superior to the other. The one thing that the other posters have not hit on is the difference between the sprawl you find in South Florida versus that in Atlanta. South Florida is a megalopolis all along the east coast. So from Jupiter you wouldn't have to drive all the way to Miami for a great girls night out. You would find nodes of high quality nightlife in Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton. Ditto for other ammenities like the beach, activities for children (zoo, museums), etc. While in Atlanta everything is spreads out from the city-proper. So while you can find many nice places to live in the further suburbs, true city ammenities are in the city itself (of course there are some exceptions with the the Cobb Energy Center, etc.). So while Jupiter (for example) is about the same distance from Miami as Rockdale County is from Atlanta hotspots (midtown, downtown, Buckhead), the difference between Rockdale and Atlanta in terms of cultural ammenities is far larger than the difference between Jupiter and Miami. This also accounts for the other posters' points about cost of living. Cost of living calculators online can REALLY be deceptive for Atlanta. The COL of the metropolitan area is quite low, but that is because the diversity of communities in the metropolitan area is so great. You will have very high COL places closer to the city, and very low COL places in the distant suburban counties. Versus South Florida, where the counties that comprise the various metropolitan areas are far more similar socioeconomically. Look for an online COL calculator that compares counties versus metropolitan areas and compare Fulton or Dekalb counties to Broward and Palm Beach counties and you will see what I am talking about.

To close a overly long post, I wouldn't move from Atlanta to South Florida BUT if I was living in South Florida I wouldn't move to Atlanta. IMO they are equivalent, but different, places. But I did want to give you some information so you were making fair comparisons.

This is a very good post. I grew up in South Florida too, and have lived in Madrid, Boston, and New York. South Florida is much more dense than Atlanta. Many people like the sylvan (forest-like) feeling of Atlanta, even in neighborhoods less than a mile from Midtown or Downtown. I personally prefer a more urban setting and much desner suburbs. Though Midtown is fairly urban and you could stretch to call Buckhead urban, you go a block or two from "the main drag" in those neighborhoods and it feels like you're out in the suburbs. Though Inman Park, Druid Hills, Virginia/Highland, Decatur, and other "in-town" areas are denser than the suburbs and you can walk to some amenities living in them, they are far from urban. My point is that if you like to spend a lot of time in an urban area for dining and nightlife, Atlanta may be a let down for you. If you like to spend 90% of your time in a spread out place that feels like you are in the middle of a green forest, you might really like Atlanta. Many people really do like it because they say it feels "less crowded" than South Florida, Southern California, or metro New York. I personally LIKE what many others describe as "crowded."

One of Atlanta's positive aspects is the fairly low cost of living. However, other forumers are right when they say that certain "in-town" neighborhoods are just as expensive (when speaking of detached, single family homes - condos are still comparatively cheap, even in Midtown) as desired areas of South Florida. With that said, it isn't true that you get a small home with a zero lot line in South Florida for $500,000. In many of South Florida's suburbs, you can get a VERY large home (2500-3000 square feet) in a gated community for under $500,000. Now that the real estate market has cooled off, you can find decent-sized 1500-2000 square feet homes in middle class suburban areas with decent schools for $300,000-$350,000. In communities such as this in South Florida, you will often have access to nightlife, dining, and cultural/recreation amenities within a 30 minute drive. In Atlanta, a $300,000 home in the suburbs (excepting Decatur) tends to be much larger, but you'll have to drive further for pretty much anything. Also, from what I have both seen and heard, traffic in Atlanta (especially on the expressways!) is worse than traffic in South Florida. It absolutely blew my mind one time when I was in Atlanta to be sitting in 10 lanes of traffic barely moving and looking to the side and seeing a thick, canopy of green trees. It literally felt like a traffic jam in the forest, and we were only about 7-8 miles from the central city!

Direct message me if you want to consider South Florida neighborhoods. I'm sure that people on the Atlanta forum can provide you with more detailed information about schools, traffic etc. for Atlanta neighborhoods. However, from the top of my head I would endorse the list that LovinDecatur has given below. Those neighborhoods aren't nearly as "sprawly" as the ones outside of the perimeter. Parts of Decatur are dense enough to feel like a Lower Westchester suburb!

[Marlin331]

Originally Posted by trelane

Here's my big one: the spanish population has a large contingent that is uninterested in interacting with english-speaking Americans. Before I get attacked, let me add my mom's colombian, I've lived there, and I speak Spanish. My wife, however, doesn't.

Don't take this as an "attack" - I'm just going to disagree. Choosing to speak Spanish with family members and friends doesn't readily equate to being "uninterested in interacting with English-speaking Americans." Most Hispanics - and virtually all Hispanic under the age of 30 - seem to be fairly assimilated to the mainstream culture. I grew up in South Florida and really saw no divide in the "Hispanic" population and "English-speaking American" population; in fact, if there was any divide at all, it was between these two groups and the black population. Lots of Anglo/Latin mixing but not a lot of these two groups mixing with the black population. This is different in Atlanta. Besides certain areas northeast of the city with good Latin American and Asian presence, Atlanta really doesn't have large areas of people who speak a language other than English. Atlanta is largely, and in the most traditional sense, a "black and white" city.

Originally Posted by trelane

My bottom line: My home in ATL is 2 1/2 times larger than my SoFla home

But do you really prefer living in such a huge home? Different strokes for different folks, but I would much rather be living in a 1500 square foot house in Coral Gables than a 3300 square foot house in Alpharetta. I don't really see getting a bigger house as a major positive factor; it's just more space to fill with furniture and to heat (generating higher energy bills). I think amenities matter more than size, so that's why I would much more readily fork over $400,000 for a 1500 square foot bungalow in Virginia/Highland than the same money for a 3300 square foot house somewhere 30 miles from downtown/midtown.

[BornInFL]

"Don't take this as an "attack" - I'm just going to disagree. Choosing to speak Spanish with family members and friends doesn't readily equate to bring "uninterested in interacting with English-speaking Americans." Most Hispanics - and virtually all Hispanic under the age of 30 - seem to be fairly assimilated to the mainstream culture. I grew up in South Florida and really saw no divide in the "Hispanic" population and "English-speaking American" population; in fact, if there was any divide at all, it was between these two groups and the black population. Lots of Anglo/Latin mixing but not a lot of these two groups mixing with the black population. This is different in Atlanta. Besides certain areas northeast of the city with good Latin American and Asian presence, Atlanta really doesn't have large areas of people who speak a language other than English. Atlanta is largely, and in the most traditional sense, a "black and white" city."


^^^ Not the case in Orlando. Glad to see some other areas of the Southeast arent having the same problems we are having in Orlando.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by BornInFL

"Don't take this as an "attack" - I'm just going to disagree. Choosing to speak Spanish with family members and friends doesn't readily equate to bring "uninterested in interacting with English-speaking Americans." Most Hispanics - and virtually all Hispanic under the age of 30 - seem to be fairly assimilated to the mainstream culture. I grew up in South Florida and really saw no divide in the "Hispanic" population and "English-speaking American" population; in fact, if there was any divide at all, it was between these two groups and the black population. Lots of Anglo/Latin mixing but not a lot of these two groups mixing with the black population. This is different in Atlanta. Besides certain areas northeast of the city with good Latin American and Asian presence, Atlanta really doesn't have large areas of people who speak a language other than English. Atlanta is largely, and in the most traditional sense, a "black and white" city."

^^^ Not the case in Orlando. Glad to see some other areas of the Southeast arent having the same problems we are having in Orlando.

Apparently you haven't been to the "Buford Corridor" of Atlanta lately.

[Marlin331]

Why did you take my statement out of context? I literally said as part of the same sentence that "Besides certain areas northeast of the city with good Latin American and Asian presence, Atlanta really doesn't have large areas of people who speak a language other than English." The Buford Highway area is northeast of the city and has a lot of Latin Americans and Asians, so I stand by my statement. I really know of no other such areas in and around Atlanta, so if they exist, please enlighten me.