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.
We are moving back to the USA (currently in Australia) and have chosen
Alpharetta GA and Melbourne FL as our two contenders. These are our reasons:
Alpharetta GA
Good points:
1. I work in insurance, data entry and there is plenty of jobs.
2. You get your four seasons and its very pretty there
3. Love the house styles…big two stories with big yards
4. Schools are highly rated and offer good sporting options and clubs
5. Lots of shopping especially with the new Avalon going in.
Bad points:
1. Ice storms
2. Houses are somewhat expensive to buy…cheaper if you go out to say Canton
or Woodstock but then you got the commute into the city which I have heard the
traffic is terrible.
Melbourne FL
Good points
1. Beach
2. You are by Port Canaveral for cruises
3. Houses seem cheap and a lot have pools
4. You are near Disneyland
Bad points
1. Not a lot of jobs for insurance/data entry
2. Humidity and heat for 6 months
3. Iffy areas and a lot of the homes seem old and run down
4. School ratings are low
Can anyone weigh in on either place….especially looking for people who have either recently
lived or visited either place and what did they think. Thank you :-)
It seems you have pin pointed a few of the area characteristics yourself. Alpharetta seems like a better choice imo. It's part of the Atlanta metro area, it's more affluent and maybe more amenities. Melbourne has a crime problem and looks like a place you pass through in order to visit the beaches or catch a cruise.
OP: Where in Australia are you is moving back from? From afar Australia seems like a paradise (to the exent that is possible). What has made you want to make the move (quality of life, job, etc)?
Hi Project, I live in Western Australia. The good things are: It is beautiful here and the beaches are very pretty. The minimum wage is like $15 an hour and everyone gets free medical. Those are the good bits. The bad bits are that the USA is trashed alot here.....if there is a shooting in the USA...Australia is all over it like they are a better country because they don't have guns. They are always up in our business in the USA if something happens there. Even though the wages are high the cost of living is even higher. A four bedroom two bath house here cost over $500,000 if you want to live in a nice neighborhood. An one bedroom apartment in the city is going to cost you $540,000. But nice neighborhoods don't really exist here because they put low income housing right next to the expensive ones. So you take care of your place but your neighbour keeps theirs trashed. There is alot of crime here. I know 3 people who have had their cars stolen. If you leave you door unlocked while you are in your house...people will just walk right into your kitchen (say if you are in your livingroom), take your keys and steal your car. We have had more things stolen from us here than ever in the states. I also had to call the police the other day because there were 12 teenage boys out from of my house (and I live in the GOOD part of town) beating up another kid. Just last week, someone got their car stolen on our block while they were away on vacation. Like I said we are suppose to be in the NICE part of town. There is no respect here for people or things. Violence and youth drinking and stealing people's things is a norm here. Drinking age is 18 here which is crazy. I don't feel safe in my home at all. I lock the front and back doors while in my house...I feel like I'm living in a prison here. The cost of living is very hi also. It costs $4 for a dozen of eggs, $3 for a head of lettuce, $3 for a green pepper....groceries will set you back ALOT here...and that's just buying normal stuff...nothing fancy. If you want to go out to eat at restaurant like Applebees...it will set you back over $100 for 3 people (one a kid's meal). Meals are usually $32-45 a plate (even just for a chicken breast and some fries). My son has gotten bullied in the two schools we have tried to put him in in the last 3 years....so now I'm homeschooling him. I guess I sound kinda miserable hey? It's just you WANT it to be a beautiful place, a great place to raise your kids...but you look under the surface and you find all the things they don't tell you on the vacation commercials about coming to Australia. Well, that's enough of my rant. I have to get to teaching my son now. Oh, and fuel is $6 a gallon here also.
IMO, Melbourne really leaves a lot to be desired, and there are far better alternatives in Florida.
If you're looking to avoid the major Florida cities while remaining coastal at the same time, then I would suggest Sarasota-Bradenton, Naples-Marco Island, or St. Augustine-Palm Coast instead. All three of those areas are a little pricier than Melbourne, but they're also safer and more upscale, too--you get what you pay for.
Also, the Gulf Coast of Florida in particular is much more laid back and easier-going than the Atlantic Coast--more Great Lakes, Interior Northeast, and West Coast transplants in addition to more Florida natives. OTOH, the Atlantic Coast of Florida is loaded with transplants from the Northeast, mostly from New York and New Jersey, who are difficult to live around--crude, aggressive, always scheming (i.e., ulterior motives), etc. I would know, too--I was born and raised in the I-95 corridor of the Northeast.
I would avoid Alpharetta if you're coming from Australia--it's cold and icy in the winter, the traffic is horrendous compared to most parts of Florida, the people are not that easy to live around (i.e., religious, nosy, pretentious, etc.), lots of racial strife, and so forth. Overall, Alpharetta is a much more conservative place than almost all small coastal cities in the southern half of Florida, save, perhaps, Ft. Pierce (which is an absolute dump). Needless to say, the Alpharetta would be much more of a culture shock than most parts of coastal southern Florida--save, perhaps, the Miami area--especially if you're coming from the Perth area, which is fairly liberal. As an aside, the Miami area would present an altogether different cultural shock than the Atlanta area in that it's more Latin American than North American in culture, vibe, and attitude.
Atlanta-Alpharetta has a much better economy than just about anywhere in Florida, but if you can work from home, then move to Florida where you won't pay a state income tax and your kids will receive extremely discounted in-state tuition rates should they attend an in-state public university. That's another thing, too--Florida has a greater number of better, more recognizable public universities overall than Georgia due to its much larger population, so more options. Also, if you're kids are intelligent and/or perform well in school, then they'll qualify for Florida Bright Futures, although I think Georgia may have a similar scholarship program in place.
FWIW, I lived in South Florida for years and Alpharetta for six months before I hightailed it back to Florida. Best of luck in your decision and relocation.
IMO, Melbourne really leaves a lot to be desired, and there are far better alternatives in Florida.
If you're looking to avoid the major Florida cities while remaining coastal at the same time, then I would suggest Sarasota-Bradenton, Naples-Marco Island, or St. Augustine-Palm Coast instead. All three of those areas are a little pricier than Melbourne, but they're also safer and more upscale, too--you get what you pay for.
Also, the Gulf Coast of Florida in particular is much more laid back and easier-going than the Atlantic Coast--more Great Lakes, Interior Northeast, and West Coast transplants in addition to more Florida natives. OTOH, the Atlantic Coast of Florida is loaded with transplants from the Northeast, mostly from New York and New Jersey, who are difficult to live around--crude, aggressive, always scheming (i.e., ulterior motives), etc. I would know, too--I was born and raised in the I-95 corridor of the Northeast.
I would avoid Alpharetta if you're coming from Australia--it's cold and icy in the winter, the traffic is horrendous compared to most parts of Florida, the people are not that easy to live around (i.e., religious, nosy, pretentious, etc.), lots of racial strife, and so forth. Overall, Alpharetta is a much more conservative place than almost all small coastal cities in the southern half of Florida, save, perhaps, Ft. Pierce (which is an absolute dump). Needless to say, the Alpharetta would be much more of a culture shock than most parts of coastal southern Florida--save, perhaps, the Miami area--especially if you're coming from the Perth area, which is fairly liberal. As an aside, the Miami area would present an altogether different cultural shock than the Atlanta area in that it's more Latin American than North American in culture, vibe, and attitude.
Atlanta-Alpharetta has a much better economy than just about anywhere in Florida, but if you can work from home, then move to Florida where you won't pay a state income tax and your kids will receive extremely discounted in-state tuition rates should they attend an in-state public university. That's another thing, too--Florida has a greater number of better, more recognizable public universities overall than Georgia due to its much larger population, so more options. Also, if you're kids are intelligent and/or perform well in school, then they'll qualify for Florida Bright Futures, although I think Georgia may have a similar scholarship program in place.
FWIW, I lived in South Florida for years and Alpharetta for six months before I hightailed it back to Florida. Best of luck in your decision and relocation.
A few amendments to this. Icy cold winters? This is Atlanta, not Vladivostok. There is the occasional winter event here, but today the temp hovers around 60 and sunny. Near 70 tomorrow.
Alpharetta is a lovely community with good neighborhoods and schools. You have access to the amenities that a city of almost 6 million residents may offer. Melbourne, on the other hand, may well be one of my least favorite communities in Florida. Having lived in FL for many (too many, really) years, that's JMO.
A few amendments to this. Icy cold winters? This is Atlanta, not Vladivostok. There is the occasional winter event here, but today the temp hovers around 60 and sunny. Near 70 tomorrow.
Alpharetta is a lovely community with good neighborhoods and schools. You have access to the amenities that a city of almost 6 million residents may offer. Melbourne, on the other hand, may well be one of my least favorite communities in Florida. Having lived in FL for many (too many, really) years, that's JMO.
He's pretty anti-South(except Florida obviously) so he'll twist anything to make Atlanta seem bad.
Thanks for all the input.... :-) Re the cold in Alpharetta, I'm originally from Kansas and have lived in Wisconsin also so know about those winters....and now that I'm 47....not really wishing to get into winter again unless it is a few months of the year like Alpharetta. I like that Alpharetta has the jobs, the malls, the nice two story homes but yeah I have heard the traffic is terrible there. I'm not religious at all so that might be a problem...LOL. :-) I think what attracted us to Melbourne was the "small town feel", it being not far from Disney, its by the cruise lines, and the cost of a pool home is so cheap there. Both my husband and son are avid swimmers. I will be studying medical coding so will probably be working from home in a year or two and my husband's job is away in Australia 9 months of the year so I'm not too worried about the job outlook. I know it is hard to find the perfect place to live but if I can find something close that would be terrific. I've only ever lived in Kansas, Texas, Illinois, Wisconsin and Australia. I have never ever visited the coastal part of the USA. I know that CA would be less humid but the property prices are pretty steep there I have heard. Maine would be too cold I think. My husband has a metal plate in his knee so we are trying to find somewhere it is mostly warm temps. It's a costly venture moving to the USA between getting a car, renting a place, furniture ect...just want to make sure we get it right. I think the other thing that made Melbourne a winner over Alpharetta is that the international airport is in the city...so no commute to Atlanta. Now that I'm getting older....I really don't like commuting too far and prefer to have places closer to home. Give me my 20s back and I wouldn't care! :-)
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.
