Considering the move from Irvine, CA to Atlanta, GA (Alpharetta: attorney, house)

[diggums]

I've been lurking and thought I'd start my own thread to address my own concerns.

Wife and I are considering a move to Atlanta after living in Southern California for the last 11 years. We are pushing 38 and 34 with a 5 year old and a new infant. No more kids. One boy, one girl.

We moved to California from Charleston, SC. I went to University of Kentucky, where I met my wife, and have lived all over the south, even Atlanta back when I was 5 or so in the early 70s.

Anyway, we want a similar lifestyle to what we currently have. Beautiful, cared for neighborhoods, even gated if possible. Golf course community is greatly preferred. I am open to a price range on a house from between 450,000 to $750,000.

Good schools top the list.

It would be nice to live in an area with the finest grocery stores, plus a Trader Joe's (don't know if they are in Atlanta).

We are of a strong conservative mindset, but do not subscribe to any religions...which is one reason we ruled out Charlotte. We want to be around like minded people after such diversity out here and/or liberalism. Yes, Orange County is the conservative hub of Southern California, but overall, we are tired of extreme taxes, stringent gun laws, being far from family, etc.

Please tip me off on where we want to be looking for a home.

Also, I'm an attorney. In California, we have a publication called The Daily Journal which offers advertising for legal positions. We also use Craigslist a lot out here. Atlanta seems to have some legal job activity on Craigslist, but are there any other sources?

All advice is greatly appreciated.

[blondandfun]

there's trader joes in buckhead, midtown, and east cobb and sandy springs.

Check out the Peachtree Battle neighborhood and the Bobby Jones Golf course to see if you can find anything in your range, but I think it'll be on the high side of your range.

There are gated neighborhoods everywhere, but most people livin in $1mill plus got their own gates.

[blondandfun]

^--- wait I may be wrong on that for you though that's where I'D want to live LOL but yeah it's pretty liberal, in fact its right near midtown lol.

But nobody here cares really as long as you're not an A-hole.

There's no need to bring up political affiliation though in my opinion.

[OC_Marauder]

I moved out to Atlanta with my girlfriend from Huntington Beach, CA and we both miss California a lot. The things I personally miss the most are the ocean, weather and food, also I felt there were more things to do in Southern California. Your priorities are obviously 100% different than mine but those are the things I miss.

Also, if the diversity in Irvine is too much for you I would be careful about Atlanta. First off there are many black people here, the vast majority of which support the democrats in general and Obama in particular (although I did see one black guy with a McCain sticker). In fact overall I would say Atlanta is much more diverse than Irvine, you might need to go far from the city center to find what you are looking for.

[sweettea1]

Closest thing you'll find to Irvine are the gated communities and well manicured lawns, golf courses and swim tennis meccas in Alpharetta, Cherokee County, Sugarloaf, Gwinnett and beyond. Staying in town will give you smaller homes, more diversity and easier proximity to the city. You may want to contact a few recruiters for law firms. A scouting trip will give you a greater idea of the vastness of the metro area. Think concentric circles. The wider the circle, the bigger the property, more amenities, etc. But, like LA, proximity to work and schools are imperative. I'd hook up with a realtor for a scouting trip and try to get some informational interviews while you're here. There are way too many neighborhoods to list and to be honest, many are carbon copies of the others. You'll find what you're looking for at a fraction of what you're paying for in Irvine.

[diggums]

Don't get me wrong. I like diversity. However, there are some other factors that have played into our consideration of moving back east.

We went to enroll our kid into kindergarten at the neighborhood school. I own two properties valued at over $600,000 in this neighborhood, and have for five years. I've been paying property taxes on these homes, I'm led to believe that this money goes to fund the public schools.

So, when I went to enroll my kid, I find that my kid is in a lottery, because there are not enough seats and too many kids. Come to find that the influx of Asians into my neighborhood is very high, whether tenants or home buyers, because my district is Irvine's finest school district. So my kid may not have a seat because of the incoming kids whose parents are gaming the system. This really pisses me off because I've been paying property taxes on two properties for over 5 years. And someone who just moved here and has lived here one month has a kid that may get my kids seat. This is total BS and I'm not pleased about it.

Further discussions with the principal reveals that Asians moving from overseas, which there are a lot of right now, come straight to our neighborhood. I bought in this tract when it was newly built. This problem was not identifiable back then.

I love my Asian neighbors. I find them to be great neighbors and very nice people. But I'm still pissed that they are filling up our neighborhood at the rate they are and very likely are bumping my kid into an undesirable school district. She will be picked up at the "good" school and taken on a bus to a crap school.

Anyway, when I was a kid in the south, it was a given that you attended the school in your district and they made room for you. Further, while there was a mix of races in the school, which I am very happy with, I was not part of a very, very small minority. My kid will be if we stay in a good area out here.

I lived in Atlanta. I lived in Charleston, SC. And I've lived in Montgomery. Black people are fine. I do not have a hangup with race, at least, until I find that certain groups are gaming the system to my kid's disadvantage, and many in that group are fresh off the boat. Nothing makes me more angry. Many of the parents at the school tour could hardly speak English, yet their kids may prevent my kid from attending. Total bs.

Enough for the rant. So my wife and I are talking about moving back east where we can get rid of a problem such as this, and raise our kids where there are good southern / conservative values in an area where there is still diversity on all fronts, and my kid can attend the school in the district I am paying my property taxes in.

[sweettea1]

Sounds like you have some inner issues to address. Moving to Atlanta you'll find similar issues, different populations. I won't add my two liberal cents in here cuz it'll only stir up a flare of posts. Public schools everywhere are overcrowded and there are lots of concerns here too about who gets which spaces. So don't think coming here will solve all of that. You will pay less in property taxes than you do in CA so you may find this to be of help.
Glad you love your Asian neighbors and think 'black people are fine.' That's quite big of you to say. I'll leave it at that.

[diggums]

Originally Posted by sweettea1

Sounds like you have some inner issues to address. Moving to Atlanta you'll find similar issues, different populations. I won't add my two liberal cents in here cuz it'll only stir up a flare of posts. Public schools everywhere are overcrowded and there are lots of concerns here too about who gets which spaces. So don't think coming here will solve all of that. You will pay less in property taxes than you do in CA so you may find this to be of help.
Glad you love your Asian neighbors and think 'black people are fine.' That's quite big of you to say. I'll leave it at that.

Can't mention race without the snide comments. I've seen what goes on around here when race is mentioned. I have no dislikes of any race, so don't try to create something out of nothing.

[sweettea1]

then don't mention it.

[diggums]

Are you the moderator? That's what I thought.