Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm considering relocating to Atlanta for a 10-month stint with Americorps, working in ATL public schools. I'm freshly graduated from college (undergrad); basically, I'm a white, naive, starry-eyed young'n with no idea what I may be getting myself into. I grew up in CT and went to college in central/upstate NY, so I suppose you'd call me a "northerner." I also don't necessarily consider myself much of a city girl, but I figure at the worst, I would get to spend 10-months doing something productive and checking out a different part of the country!
I've heard a lot about the sprawl and traffic in ATL, and I'm not sure where I'd be living yet. Any general recommendations for a young white female? From what I've read, "Midtown" seems to be a good area for my profile. Really I just want to stay away from notoriously unsafe areas, and it would be nice to be somewhere that the sprawl isn't terrible.
Another concern/question -- and this may seem silly -- but I'm a very avid runner (average 10-15 miles per run) and generally just a big athlete and I'm wondering if it's possible with the sprawl and traffic etc. to still pursue my running? Will I just be on sidewalks all the time; will it be miserable? I prefer running outside, joining a gym and logging miles on the treadmill really isn't a viable option. Are there parks, or roads/areas where it is less congested and safe to run long distances? I've heard that it is not a very bike-friendly city, which leads me to believe that it may consequentially be a running-unfriendly city as well. Thoughts?
Lastly, my shallow question: am I going to be okay in Atlanta? I have a pretty thick skin and consider myself to be adaptable and easy to get along with, and I anticipate that I'll have my fair share of challenges working in the school system, but do you folks have any insight as to the racial tensions I might confront? I'm one of those clueless privileged white kids from the north... will I be able to fit in and find a place here and relate to my students? Any anecdotes or insight is appreciated.
It's hard to say how much of an issue (if any) you'll have with racial tension, etc.- it'll depend a lot of which school you end up in. The City of Atlanta school district has a wide array of demographics, ranging from very diverse groups with high incomes to schools that will be almost 100% black low income student populations- as you can imagine, your experience as a young, white female in the schools on one end of that range will be far different that on the other end of that range. I believe Americorps usually fills needs in some of the rougher areas of cities, so I wouldn't count on getting to teach in one of the "better" schools in the district.
With regard to "relating to" your students, you're likely to be able to have empathy for them, but it's doubtful that you'll be able to relate based on first-hand experiences that you have in common. Somehow "yeah, one time the clerk at Starbucks in Hartford gave me a mochalatte with cream when I specifically asked for NO CREAM" won't mean very much to many of the students in some of the schools....lol
LOL Sidewalks? What sidewalks? A running gripe with many immigrants to Atlanta is the lack thereof. It depends on the neighborhood, but many if not most neighborhoods, rich and poor alike, don't have sidewalks. Even new ones, no sidewalks. I don't get it, but there it is.
You'll be fine in Atlanta. Parts of it and some of its schools are "straight ghetto", but that is by no means the majority of Atlanta nor the majority of the predominantly black parts of Atlanta. It's not the Bronx for crying out loud. It's not Compton.
Your experience will depend on what school you're placed in. And you will be able to relate based on first-hand experiences with students of all races in most Atlanta Public Schools, despite some who would have you believe you're about to descend into a Sudanese hellhole. And guess what? There are plenty of suburban, white, Laura Ashley loving, Will and Grace watching teachers in Atlanta Public Schools who love their jobs and their students.
There is an urban path system in Atlanta (cleverly called "The PATH") that winds through some of the intown neighborhoods. You can check it out at PATH Foundation and find a map in case you want to target those areas when you're looking for accommodations.
I am grew up in an all-white Minnesota small town which now, twenty years later, has morphed into a suburb, but when I was growing up it was still a small town. I went to a Catholic High School in the suburbs of Minneapolis and not only was sheltered economically, I also knew only a handful of black folks while growing up and none were close friends. My highschool had all of four black students.
On the eve of my 21st Birthday I decided to up and follow a friend to Atlanta. It was a big change to move from the north to the south - huge change.
The biggest change to me was the polorization of the haves and the have nots in the south. The social safety nets which serve to prop up the poor in Minesota (moreso 20 years ago than today) do not exist in the south. Also, in Minnesota (probably not so much in CT) the very wealthy tend to not want to draw undo attention to themselves by living all that much higher than the upper middle class. Therefore, I had not previously seen the polarizations I was confronted with in Atlanta.
The public hospital in Minnesota, other than the clientel/patients, it was not that much different than the private hospitals. By contrast, the public hospital in Atlanta felt and looked like stepping back 30 years in time. It was shocking.
Well, I was not afraid of anything, I ended up meeting some friends almost immediately and they turned out to be friends for life... I moved from my friend' apartment in Dunwoody to a warehouse loft dwtn Atlanta. I met my husband, a black guy, six weeks after arriving in Atlanta - he was friends with the friends I'd made almost upon arriving in town. I'd never dated inter-racially previously, but I was also not thinking I'd get married until I was nearly 30, so it wasn't that big of a deal, initially, in my mind, to be in an IR. Needless to say, I wasn't expecting to fall so hard I'd end up getting married a year later - LOL! [We are still married, 18+ yeards, & we have 4 children ages 9-16.]
These days I work, both professionally and in a ministry capacity, with the urban poor... it's a far cry from my upbringing but I like it a lot - obviously. I learned by trial and error in the early days, but looking people in the eye, REALLY listening to them, and not making any judgments about their dreams, values and goals and not bulldozing in and treating people in a patronizing manner, you will do fine - and grow a lot.
Even if you ended up working in a suburban well-to-do community as a teacher after leaving the Americorp and getting a "real" job, you will very likely still encounter the culture of generational poverty, because these days it's getting to be everywhere now that low-income housing projects are being dismantled nationwide. So, unless you plan to always teach in exclusionary private schools, you will encounter impoverished students wherever you end upteaching. Your year of working in a Title 1 school in Atlanta may very well prove to be experience you draw upon for many years ahead.
With the Americorp program you will have a built-in network of fellow Americorp workers - I believe ever other Friday you will get together with other Americorp Volunteers for training and such... there are a lot of books and training materials for educators to help you understand the economic and racial differences you will be encountering. Ruby Payne's "A Framework for Understanding Poverty" is one such resource. You need to have an open mind and be willing to learn the differences - and the many ways people are simply people - as you embark upon this adventure.
Midtown will probably be a good place for you to live, assuming you have financial support beyond your Americorp stipend to draw upon. From what I understand, as long as you work in a City of Atlanta school, the commute should't be that big of a deal... as for your running, join a meetup.com group and you'll no doubt find running buddies.
The Atlanta Americorp staff will interview and place you in school which will work well for you. Some Title 1 schools are racially integrated and still have a significant middle class population. Even if your school is all black and all low income, you'll be working with professional educators and will be able to relate with the staff on a profession level... no one is going to set out to make your experience miserable. You're presence will relieve their overall workload, and in schools with little to no parental involvement, as is often the case in low-income schools, any volunteer help is always GREATLY appreciated.
Good luck to you!
Last edited by StPaulEastSider; 07-23-2009 at 02:47 PM..
True in the burbs, but they are pretty common in the city.
[quote=Windu;9911410]LOL Sidewalks? What sidewalks? A running gripe with many immigrants to Atlanta is the lack thereof. It depends on the neighborhood, but many if not most neighborhoods, rich and poor alike, don't have sidewalks. QUOTE]
Location: The Greatest city on Earth: City of Atlanta Proper
8,468 posts, read 14,910,133 times
Reputation: 7263
Dang, y'all beat me too it
I'm not sure Windu is going on about, but I'm not aware of any neighborhood (with the exception parts of the mansion district of Buckhead and Collier Heights) that doesn't have sidewalks in the City of Atlanta. There are a few areas in Midtown and downtown that doesn't have a discernible sidewalk, but that's due to them being alleyways or old 19th century streets that are too narrow to add sidewalks, let alone cars.
Anyway, to the OP about your running question.
For the most part you will probably run on the sidewalk. I do about 5 to 6 miles a day up and down Peachtree and only really have a problem at very large intersections on the four lane roads. You'll just have to keep an eye out for people not watching for pedestrians as they are yapping on their phone and doing a right turn at 35 mph in those areas.
If you end up in Midtown, Piedmont Park is a great place to go running with lots of winding paved trails (just like Central Park in New York). One thing I would advise though is that to run during day light hours if you do not have a partner with you, but that's just a transition you'd have to get used to in any big city.
As for you working with Americorps, big props to you
Never mind what people say, I'm sure you have learned that as an educator your first priority is to make sure that your children learn. If you come with that mind set, and a open heart and mind, you will be successful no matter what neighborhood you land in.
Good luck to you and an advance welcome to the ATL!
I'm originally from Cheshire CT. Moved to Atlanta (Cobb County actually) during high school. Then went to college in DC and my job kept me there for 10 years. In 2007 my company transferred me to Atlanta. I thought with all the growth over the past decade things would have changed -- they have not. After 4 months I was out of there and back in DC.
If you're an anti-tax, suburban-loving, automobile-addicted Republican, then metro Atlanta is for you. You will find people calling you "Yankee" for being from Connecticut. People will judge you suspiciously if you're Catholic and not Baptist. Worse if you're atheist or agnostic.
The sense of community, the obligation that taxes contribute to a greater good (like transportation funding or the superb educational systems you find in Connecticut) does not exist in metro Atlanta. Since your field is education you will be appalled at how little Georgia contributes to its young.
The obesity rate in the South and Atlanta is sky-high. The crime rate is excessive and is not just limited to inner-city areas -- the criminals are everywhere. People will boast about having the busiest airport (neck and neck with Chicago, although Chicago has two) but resist building another because then that claim to fame will disappear.
There are no mountains or bodies of water in the immediate Atlanta area, giving the topography a very non-descript characteristic -- ah, but there are trees -- lots of trees, they'll remind you.
If you're fascinated by Coca-Cola (an American contribution to obesity and diabetes) as a cultural amenity, then Atlanta is the place for you. The unemployment rate and the local economy is worse than the national average. The "growth" in population is very lopsided -- the metro area disproportianately attracts people looking for section 8 housing. In a state that's anti-smart growth, anti-transportation infrastructure and run by Boss Hogg Perdue and his good ol' boys (who aren't supportive of a population increasingly made up of housing voucher candidates) the whole area is a recipe for an impending disaster.
But Delta (owned by fundamentalist Christian bigots) is ready when you are, the friendly locals will say.
Don't move any further south than DC, my fellow Nutmeg State friend -- good luck!
You're painting all of Atlanta with a very broad brush. If the OP moves to Midtown or Decatur (or Virginia-Highland or Inman Park or Kirkwood or Candler Park or lots of other areas) she is not going to find your description of Atlanta at all accurate. There are lots of areas in and around Atlanta that are very conservative (Cobb county being one) but there are also lots of areas that are very progressive.
Quote:
Originally Posted by back2dc
I'm originally from Cheshire CT. Moved to Atlanta (Cobb County actually) during high school. Then went to college in DC and my job kept me there for 10 years. In 2007 my company transferred me to Atlanta. I thought with all the growth over the past decade things would have changed -- they have not. After 4 months I was out of there and back in DC.
If you're an anti-tax, suburban-loving, automobile-addicted Republican, then metro Atlanta is for you. You will find people calling you "Yankee" for being from Connecticut. People will judge you suspiciously if you're Catholic and not Baptist. Worse if you're atheist or agnostic.
The sense of community, the obligation that taxes contribute to a greater good (like transportation funding or the superb educational systems you find in Connecticut) does not exist in metro Atlanta. Since your field is education you will be appalled at how little Georgia contributes to its young.
The obesity rate in the South and Atlanta is sky-high. The crime rate is excessive and is not just limited to inner-city areas -- the criminals are everywhere. People will boast about having the busiest airport (neck and neck with Chicago, although Chicago has two) but resist building another because then that claim to fame will disappear.
There are no mountains or bodies of water in the immediate Atlanta area, giving the topography a very non-descript characteristic -- ah, but there are trees -- lots of trees, they'll remind you.
If you're fascinated by Coca-Cola (an American contribution to obesity and diabetes) as a cultural amenity, then Atlanta is the place for you. The unemployment rate and the local economy is worse than the national average. The "growth" in population is very lopsided -- the metro area disproportianately attracts people looking for section 8 housing. In a state that's anti-smart growth, anti-transportation infrastructure and run by Boss Hogg Perdue and his good ol' boys (who aren't supportive of a population increasingly made up of housing voucher candidates) the whole area is a recipe for an impending disaster.
But Delta (owned by fundamentalist Christian bigots) is ready when you are, the friendly locals will say.
Don't move any further south than DC, my fellow Nutmeg State friend -- good luck!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
