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Alright guys I need some more help. My brother has found 2 jobs that are pretty much EXACTLY the same except for the location. One is in Atlanta and one is in Jacksonville, FL. He is stuck on making a decision. As I've said before he loves nightlife (mostly bars). He likes the fact that Jacksonville is close to the beach and has a HUGE river flowing through it. Then again, he likes the big city feel of Atlanta and all of it's amenities. He has also visited both cities a lot before in the past. He just can't decide! Please help!
I haven't been to Jacksonville, but have lived in Atlanta for about 15 years. If the jobs are basically the same, and I am guessing similar salaries in both cities when COA is factored in, I would probably choose Atlanta. But I have a hard time believing that the salaries would line up as equal. COA in the metro areas of both cities is probably going to be similar, but if your brother is wanting to live in the city limits, then Atlanta is probably going to cost more. People talk about Atlanta as being a cheap place to live, but that is really only in a few area of the burbs, and mostly the burbs south of the city. The burbs that surround the north Atlanta metro area are far from cheap, unless your brother plans to commute at least 25-30 miles from downtown. There are a lot of low income housing projects in downtown Atlanta that skew the numbers a bit, but any of the recently gentrified neighborhoods in midtown, such as Virginia Highland, Reynolds Town, or even Decatur (historic section off Ponce de Leon) are going to cost you big dollars for rent and/or a purchase, and you can forget about north end neighborhoods of Buckhead, Roswell, and Alpharetta.
Others can correct me here, but I would wager that neighborhoods around the city itself of Jacksonville are going to cost less and as you said you brother is closer to the beach, which seems to be a major selling point as something high on your brothers list as far quality of life goes. Either way commute times, better weather (at least year round), less crowded roads in general are all going to favor Jacksonville. But if your brother prefers a better mix of nightlife and more trendy neighborhoods, likely more diversified in general, Atlanta would come out ahead, maybe slightly.
If I were still young and starting out I would probably choose to live in one of the communities that is being supported by the belt line project here in Atlanta, because that is where the future of urban living is going to occur and where most of the future supported transit infrastructure is going, light rail, bike paths streetcars, etc. If Atlanta is appealing to your brother I would buy a house or condo along the belt line, do it now while rent/home prices are still on the low end (relatively speaking of course), because once this area becomes fully gentrified and restored you want be able to afford anything down the line.
I've lived in both. City of Atlanta is more expensive than the City of Jacksonville (comparable closer in area), but it comes in different ways.
Top tier private school in Atlanta will costs you ~$20-23K/yr tuition whereas in Jax it's "only" $18-20K/yr. That's the difference rich people are paying for stuff. Top of the market housing, though, is more expensive in Jax. Oceanfront Atlantic Beach or certainly Ponte Vedra Beach are 1.5-3x Buckhead prices, whereas riverfront Jax is comparable to Buckhead prices, so there's a larger amount of nationally desirable retirement homes in NE FL. Gas will be more expensive in the City of Atlanta, as will all the little things. But I live in SF. Both of those cities are on the same cheap playing ground as far as I'm concerned. LoL
Golf in Jax >>>> Atlanta (country clubs in Atlanta don't have their golf courses remotely attached to the clubhouses and are considerably more expensive by a factor of 2-4x depending, and the friggin PGA is HQ'd in NE FL!)
However, all that being said, I would prefer Atlanta. It's far larger and cosmopolitan for the south, and it shows. You can't beat an airport that can provide direct flights anywhere, either. If you are young and single, there is NO question. Atlanta pays better, and it offers FAR more for singles. Tons more college grads, etc. (In Jax you will be an outsider if you didn't go to UF or FSU, and those schools are "prestigious" for the area with far more people having not even gone to college at all). FL in general is more "top" and "bottom". I wouldn't want to be middle class anywhere in that state.
I'm no fan of Atlanta (lived there briefly in the mid-2000's and hated it), but Jacksonville is a pretty bleak city by comparison with very little to offer a young professional.
As I've said before he loves nightlife (mostly bars). He likes the fact that Jacksonville is close to the beach and has a HUGE river flowing through it. Then again, he likes the big city feel of Atlanta and all of it's amenities. He has also visited both cities a lot before in the past. He just can't decide! Please help!
It really depends on whats most important. Nightlife and big city feel suggests Atlanta by a longshot. Beach and river are obviously only in Jacksonville. If both items are equal then I'd think Jax wins because at least there is some nightlife that exists, vs no opportunity for ocean/river in ATL. FWIW, living the bar/social/bachelor life in Jax is so cheap. You can have a nice, trendy, urban apt for far less than comparable in ATL. But that life in ATL, while more expensive, is also far more available and diverse.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jsimms3
However, all that being said, I would prefer Atlanta. It's far larger and cosmopolitan for the south, and it shows. You can't beat an airport that can provide direct flights anywhere, either. If you are young and single, there is NO question. Atlanta pays better, and it offers FAR more for singles. Tons more college grads, etc. (In Jax you will be an outsider if you didn't go to UF or FSU, and those schools are "prestigious" for the area with far more people having not even gone to college at all). FL in general is more "top" and "bottom". I wouldn't want to be middle class anywhere in that state.
I think this sums it up very nicely. Jacksonville is improving and presents a lot of opportunity for young people who want to be a part of that progression, but it's obviously not for everyone. Many people want to just experience a city before moving on and not really get involved in the city, and from that perspective I think most young professionals would pick ATL without hesitation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 8to32characters
I'm no fan of Atlanta (lived there briefly in the mid-2000's and hated it), but Jacksonville is a pretty bleak city by comparison with very little to offer a young professional.
On this front, I think Jax has improved exponentially in the last few years. It's all relative...and relative to many major cities Jax is far behind. But relative to where it was ten years ago, Jax is completely different.
Jacksonville is not exactly what people would think of when people think of business opportunities, but I guess there's some. Both cities have some sort of nightlife, and obviously as you said there's the beach in Jacksonville, so I'd have to say JAX for more things to do. Both cities have pretty crappy areas and communities, but at the same time I think ATL has some better neighborhoods than JAX. If he's going for business, I'd say ATL, but there's probably more things to do in JAX. I guess ATL.
I'm guessing you're a white guy who experienced racism in Atlanta.
I'm a white chick, still experiencing it in Macon. Whites vs blacks all the time.
I grew up in Jax, and have now lived in this area for 15 years. I had no idea what racism was til I moved here.
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