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Old 02-24-2010, 10:53 AM
 
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
11,334 posts, read 25,998,406 times
Reputation: 3990

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Quote:
Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay View Post
So "good" = tax cheat? I'm really having trouble getting my head around this aspect of American culture. It seems y'all think it's righteous to break the law in this area.
This is one of the big differences I've noticed between the upper midwest and the south, or at least the Atlanta metro.

Lots of people here seem to think it's cool to game the system.

I don't get it.
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Old 02-24-2010, 11:40 AM
 
238 posts, read 553,842 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay View Post
So "good" = tax cheat? I'm really having trouble getting my head around this aspect of American culture. It seems y'all think it's righteous to break the law in this area.
Don't know about the rest of the world, but it's seems to be the American way to get away with as much as you can. Just turn on the tv and see for yourself. I don't think it used to be this way though, certainly not in my memory.

To OP: I lived for 11 years in Dallas and just completed year 14 in N. Atlanta. Pretty much all the responses here are accurate and well-stated. One thing that Dallas does seem to have that Atl doesn't is a cohesive identity among its residents... it seems almost to be embedded in its soil. Even transfers in seem to assimilate (eg wearing cowboy boots). When I first got there I was astounded to see the state flag of Texas flown at nearly every other establishment. I had lived 4 years in Illinois and didn't even know what the state flag looked like! Ditto now in GA (well I know what it looks like but I don't see it much). In Fort Worth the cow culture is very pervasive. In those days in Dallas it was the oil culture, big flashy living, Tex-Mex food (which, despite my having grown up in the Eastern hemisphere and loving all Asian food, gets my vote for best cuisine on the planet), etc.

Although this sounds hokey all these things add up to an identity, which Atlanta seems to be weak in. BTW I won't even eat Mexican food here (yes, I did try it). GA does have MUCH nicer natural environment - trees, rolling and hilly terrain, etc. Somewhat cooler summers but offset by humidity. A bit more snowfall in Dallas than Atl. One year I visited Houston and it was snowed under! Being on the Eastern side helps with travel to points east, which includes all of Europe and of course the entire Northeastern USA. The ATL airport is huge and well-connected, but I found DFW easier to use on a personal level, and better-situated for the northern 'burbs which you will probably end up in in either city.

All that said if I were to make the choice today I'd find it hard to do. The proximity of recreation to Atlanta as mentioned above would probably be the tipping point in its favor. Keep in mind though that I haven't been back to TX for 14 years, so not really aware of all its changes since then. I suspect Texas may be slightly cheaper overall in cost of living but that would only be a guess.

Good luck and take away the knowledge that in the end neither choice is 'wrong'.

Last edited by whynot1986; 02-24-2010 at 12:15 PM..
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Old 02-25-2010, 10:16 AM
 
Location: ITP
2,138 posts, read 6,302,665 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by whynot1986 View Post
Don't know about the rest of the world, but it's seems to be the American way to get away with as much as you can. Just turn on the tv and see for yourself. I don't think it used to be this way though, certainly not in my memory.

To OP: I lived for 11 years in Dallas and just completed year 14 in N. Atlanta. Pretty much all the responses here are accurate and well-stated. One thing that Dallas does seem to have that Atl doesn't is a cohesive identity among its residents... it seems almost to be embedded in its soil. Even transfers in seem to assimilate (eg wearing cowboy boots). When I first got there I was astounded to see the state flag of Texas flown at nearly every other establishment. I had lived 4 years in Illinois and didn't even know what the state flag looked like! Ditto now in GA (well I know what it looks like but I don't see it much). In Fort Worth the cow culture is very pervasive. In those days in Dallas it was the oil culture, big flashy living, Tex-Mex food (which, despite my having grown up in the Eastern hemisphere and loving all Asian food, gets my vote for best cuisine on the planet), etc.

Although this sounds hokey all these things add up to an identity, which Atlanta seems to be weak in. BTW I won't even eat Mexican food here (yes, I did try it). GA does have MUCH nicer natural environment - trees, rolling and hilly terrain, etc. Somewhat cooler summers but offset by humidity. A bit more snowfall in Dallas than Atl. One year I visited Houston and it was snowed under! Being on the Eastern side helps with travel to points east, which includes all of Europe and of course the entire Northeastern USA. The ATL airport is huge and well-connected, but I found DFW easier to use on a personal level, and better-situated for the northern 'burbs which you will probably end up in in either city.

All that said if I were to make the choice today I'd find it hard to do. The proximity of recreation to Atlanta as mentioned above would probably be the tipping point in its favor. Keep in mind though that I haven't been back to TX for 14 years, so not really aware of all its changes since then. I suspect Texas may be slightly cheaper overall in cost of living but that would only be a guess.

Good luck and take away the knowledge that in the end neither choice is 'wrong'.
Very well said--especially in regards to Dallas's aesthetic of civic pride, which Atlanta often lacks among its different communities. I also find it strange that Dallas tends to get more snow (which has been proven to be true) although its winters are slightly warmer than Atlanta's on average.
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Old 02-25-2010, 02:24 PM
 
238 posts, read 553,842 times
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One other very special thing about N. Atlanta -- I don't know how I missed mentioning it -- is the year-round availability of the Chattahoochee River. This is one of the underappreciated gems of the area, and something that Dallas does not have even a shadow of (unless they rehabbed the Trinity!). As part of the National Parks system, the Roberts Road preserve is also quite special and it covers part of the river.

With our kids having grown up near the 'Hooch we have numerous priceless memories of enjoying the river for canoe rides, picnics and walks. Even the time we all tipped the canoe while leaning to avoid some branches and fell into cold water (but only four feet deep)!
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Old 02-26-2010, 12:53 PM
 
Location: I-35
1,806 posts, read 4,295,639 times
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Dallas - Fort Worth Metroplex of course.

Last edited by txstate; 02-26-2010 at 12:54 PM.. Reason: ?
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Old 02-26-2010, 02:26 PM
 
Location: America
5,092 posts, read 8,813,024 times
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just thought i'd clear up some of these MISCONCEPTIONS about dallas-fort worth before this thread goes any further

1. dallas is really not all that flat. the terrain actually varies from slightly rolling to rolling hills. and it actually gets pretty rugged around the southwest suburbs (cedar hill, duncanville)...you could also drive over into east texas towns like tyler and palestine, where you have the trees you'll find in atlanta and many of the hills as well

2. dallas is less than 5 hrs away from the ouachita mountains in arkansas. and they're just as stunning as much of the appalachians. there are also other weekend trip options: you have so many quaint, historic towns scattered throughout the rugged hill country and east texas with endless amounts of tourist sites and shops to visit. large cities within driving distance of dfw are shreveport, oklahoma city, austin, and houston. dallas also serves as a popular shopping and nightlife destination for memphisites, so those cities probably aren't that far apart. so you see, guys, dallas aint exactly in the middle of nowhere

3. dallas has every bit of an international presence among its residents as atlanta does. there's also the same political and racial diversity

...now that we've cleared that up, i believe we can move on with the thread
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Old 02-26-2010, 02:32 PM
 
722 posts, read 3,306,873 times
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I don't know, I still feel like Dallas is kind of in the middle of nowhere. Atlanta has the best proximity to many different types of climates and regions than maybe any other major city in the eastern US. Drive 4-5 hours south and you're in subtropical beaches, drive about 3 hours north and you're in very temperate mountain regions. Florida is only a day's drive and you're also closer to the Northeast than you are in Dallas. There are just many more travel options from Atlanta than there are from Dallas.
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Old 02-26-2010, 03:07 PM
 
Location: America
5,092 posts, read 8,813,024 times
Reputation: 1970
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tdiddy0027 View Post
I don't know, I still feel like Dallas is kind of in the middle of nowhere. Atlanta has the best proximity to many different types of climates and regions than maybe any other major city in the eastern US. Drive 4-5 hours south and you're in subtropical beaches, drive about 3 hours north and you're in very temperate mountain regions. Florida is only a day's drive and you're also closer to the Northeast than you are in Dallas. There are just many more travel options from Atlanta than there are from Dallas.
well no one's arguing that. but just because atlanta has a few more options still doesn't mean dallas sits in the middle of nowhere. it's surrounded by many unique, and culturally diverse cities and regions. its also surrounded by many different geographic regions. everything from deserts and plains to mountains and forests
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Old 02-26-2010, 05:38 PM
 
Location: St Simons Island, GA
23,367 posts, read 43,832,144 times
Reputation: 16583
Quote:
Originally Posted by rcsteiner View Post
This is one of the big differences I've noticed between the upper midwest and the south, or at least the Atlanta metro.

Lots of people here seem to think it's cool to game the system.

I don't get it.
Are you actually trying to lay this behavior at the feet of Southerners? I'm sure this is a fairly universal behavior...to say otherwise is downright insulting.
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Old 02-26-2010, 07:14 PM
 
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
11,334 posts, read 25,998,406 times
Reputation: 3990
Quote:
Originally Posted by LovinDecatur View Post
Are you actually trying to lay this behavior at the feet of Southerners? I'm sure this is a fairly universal behavior...to say otherwise is downright insulting.
No, but I am saying that some what I've seen here ... in the Atlanta suburbs ... is new to me as a Twin Cities suburbanite. Don't believe me? Spend some time up there. Heck, just compare general crime rates. Some of the crap I've seen down here in five short years really has me shaking my head...

Universal behavior? Maybe in your world....? I'm glad it isn't found everywhere.

Maybe Georgia and other similar places just have a history of crappy government and hating the man? Maybe the difference is the current economy (though some of the things I can think of occurred 4-5 years ago)? Who knows...

Last edited by rcsteiner; 02-26-2010 at 07:27 PM..
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