ATLANTA and LOS ANGELES (How are they simular and different)Smog, traffic, weather, nightlife, celebrities,etc.. (Sandy Springs: rental, houses) - Georgia (GA) - City-Data Forum

obanks · 07-16-2009, 12:40 PM

I have heard several people that have moved to Atlanta from Los Angeles compare the two cities... The different things i have heard was smog, suburban sprawl, mountian views of the city from the suburbs,multi skylines, traffic, the love of the automobile, celebrities, etc... The list goes on and on... The biggest differences i have heard was no beaches or palm trees...O, the biggest one, COST OF LIVING....

Cobb · 07-16-2009, 10:30 PM

Looks as though you might be interested in moving here from So CAL. I live in Riverside and work in downtown LA, I now live in a suburb of ATL.
Traffic: LA, horrifying, awful, worst than NYC
ATL, bad but not nearly the level of So CAL
Cost of living: It can be somewhat expensive depending on your life style. Housing in ATL
area is much less expensive than LA. My home cost $135k, in LA area it would cost, even in this bad market say minimum $300 to 500k
Smog: Atlantan's dont really know smog until they go to LA. What they call smog here is a clear day in So CAL. I have to laugh when they say there is a smog alert here.

beaches: 3-4 hours away, but then again in CA it took me that long from Riverside to Santa Monica to go 70 miles or Orange county to the beach and that's during weekdays.
Overall, to me it's beautiful and green and fresh compared to So CA and it's not as "intense" here. Jobs: They are here but dont pay nearly as much but you can make if you want to here. Rental costs can be high closer to ATL but you can also rent an all brick 3/2 house in the burbs with a yard for say $800-1,000.00 more or less. Try that in CA !!!! Rent would start at $1,500 - 2,000.00.
Vehicles: Here they are not worshipped and people dont judge you by what you drive.
Public Transit: You need a car to get to certain places. Where I live there is no transportation at all and I'm only 25 miles from downtown ATL.
Weather: Cold in winter compared to LA. Very cold in LA would be 45, here that's a very warm winter day.

Shagbark Hickory · 07-17-2009, 07:23 AM

You left out celebrities.
I would name them all but what's the point.
It's not like you're ever going to see them.

As for the sprawl, This is a major problem here, IMO. There is adequate supply of affordable housing closer in but people continue moving outwards anyway to get bigger and bigger houses and employers seem to be following the workforce and moving outwards too.

There are some other major, major, major big differences. In Atlanta, you're never more than a half mile away from a Baptist chuch, usually several. People are ultra religious here and use greetings like "Have a blessed day", and other God-speak, something that leaves people like me that aren't religious feeling a little awkward and not knowing how to reply. You will get invited to churches constantly even before people know what religion (or not) you follow.

Politically, it's the polar opposite. A complete 180. With the exception of a few in-town urban neighborhoods, metro atlanta is extremely conservative and mostly republican. I say mostly republican because even the democrats are often very conservative on social issues. Even if you are not into politics, you will notice a big difference in this area.

Atlanta is not an exciting city. Don't get me wrong, I like it here but I've lived in Miami and I know what excitement is... Car chases, riots, celebrity shootings, Elian Gonzalez, other neat things like that.... nothing ever happens here. I get a chuckle out of the local news when in a city of 5 million people, they're doing some special interest story at some elementary school.. Zzzzzz. But that may be what you're looking for.

Iconographer · 07-17-2009, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by obanks

I have heard several people that have moved to Atlanta from Los Angeles compare the two cities... The different things i have heard was smog, suburban sprawl, mountian views of the city from the suburbs,multi skylines, traffic, the love of the automobile, celebrities, etc... The list goes on and on... The biggest differences i have heard was no beaches or palm trees...O, the biggest one, COST OF LIVING....

Atlanta actually does have palm trees. More and more are popping up in the landscape all the time.

sweettea1 · 07-17-2009, 07:53 AM

Atlanta is like LA in one way...SPRAWL.
Not much else to compare...no beach, no mountains. Some call it the "Black LA" in terms of it being a major mecca for R&B artists which I would say is true. Very cool spot to be if you want to get into the industry. Celebs come here, some have homes here but you won't be celeb spotting on a daily basis.
Quality of living totally different, cost of living is like night and day.
You can live like a king in Atlanta compared to the hovel you'll get in LA. But ain't nothing like LA if you want to be in entertainment!

bayarea-girl · 07-17-2009, 12:58 PM

I LOVE both places. ATL traffic is NOTHING when you compare it to the beast of LA traffic. There is no SMOG in ATL when you compare it to LA.

You better have a job in ATL. Depending on your profession you can make the same type of money. But just like LA, ATL is very clickish and you need to know people to get you access to many things and mainly jobs.

ATL is the place to be if you have money or a little job. The night clubs are great, wonderful activities for the family, and the hospitality,fashion, and homes can compete easily with LA. ATL is not as fast but it can be as slow and as fast as you want it to be. Family life is much better in ATL than LA.

lilmusket · 07-17-2009, 12:59 PM

Talk about comparing apples and oranges! Bad Traffic and sprawl is about the only things I would say the two have in common.

JoeP · 07-17-2009, 01:04 PM

LA is a very large city of 4 million in a massive metro of 16-18 million people. Atlanta is a city of a half million in a metro of 5 million.

Sandy Springs Rep. · 07-18-2009, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Atlanta actually does have palm trees. More and more are popping up in the landscape all the time.

The hell? Since when?

Every once in a while, someone plants one after they build a McMansion or they plant one next to a tropical restaruant, but if you expect to see palm trees, you will find yourself looking for quite a while, and when you find one, it will look bizarrely out of place.

StPaulEastSider · 07-18-2009, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sandy Springs Rep.

The hell? Since when?

Every once in a while, someone plants one after they build a McMansion or they plant one next to a tropical restaruant, but if you expect to see palm trees, you will find yourself looking for quite a while, and when you find one, it will look bizarrely out of place.

Do they last more than a season or two? Really?