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If money was no object I would probably pick LA but since it is, Atlanta is the winner. High taxes, high COL, reasons why companies are leaving California are all dealbreakers. As Atlanta is building up a lot of infill and urbanizing, it will be a lot more attractive. You already have many athletes and entertainers here because a lot of film/TV production has moved.
Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Manhattan Beach, Pacific Palisades, Newport Beach,...
I'll even throw in Toluca Lake, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Tarzana, Hancock Park, and Cheviot Hills. Los Angeles is a huge city and there are neighborhoods in a multitude of income brackets.
As for this, Atlanta. I've lived in both cities. While I like LA, the COL, the taxes, the issues with homelessness, and the high housing prices are deal breakers for me, personally. I'm no conservative, but some of California's laws have not been friendly for the middle, working, and lower classes... I loved the variety of the area, the great dining scene, the benign weather (near the coast), the landscapes, the diversity of people you run into, the recreational options are hard to beat.
Atlanta is "easier" in many ways...lower COL, although its heavily trafficked, it's not as much of a headache as Los Angeles...the weather is pretty decent compared to the Northeast and Midwest much of the year, and there's lots to do in the area. However, the increase in violent crime there has been very concerning, and the urban-rural battle of Georgia overall has stymied Atlanta quite a bit, and the income disparity is shocking and appalling - I'm black and understand the appeal of the ATL area, but too many people with no job skills move there on a wing and a prayer and often get stuck there or want what you've worked hard for and do what ever it takes to get it. Of course, that happens in lots of cities, but there is a seedy underbelly in Atlanta underneath the veneer and the perception that the place is the land of milk and honey. I live in a much more expensive NE metro at the moment and have considered relocating back to ATL at some point, but not at this point in my life. But yeah, I'd pick ATL over LA.
I'll even throw in Toluca Lake, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Tarzana, Hancock Park, and Cheviot Hills. Los Angeles is a huge city and there are neighborhoods in a multitude of income brackets.
As for this, Atlanta. I've lived in both cities. While I like LA, the COL, the taxes, the issues with homelessness, and the high housing prices are deal breakers for me, personally. I'm no conservative, but some of California's laws have not been friendly for the middle, working, and lower classes... I loved the variety of the area, the great dining scene, the benign weather (near the coast), the landscapes, the diversity of people you run into, the recreational options are hard to beat.
Atlanta is "easier" in many ways...lower COL, although its heavily trafficked, it's not as much of a headache as Los Angeles...the weather is pretty decent compared to the Northeast and Midwest much of the year, and there's lots to do in the area. However, the increase in violent crime there has been very concerning, and the urban-rural battle of Georgia overall has stymied Atlanta quite a bit, and the income disparity is shocking and appalling - I'm black and understand the appeal of the ATL area, but too many people with no job skills move there on a wing and a prayer and often get stuck there or want what you've worked hard for and do what ever it takes to get it. Of course, that happens in lots of cities, but there is a seedy underbelly in Atlanta underneath the veneer and the perception that the place is the land of milk and honey. I live in a much more expensive NE metro at the moment and have considered relocating back to ATL at some point, but not at this point in my life. But yeah, I'd pick ATL over LA.
I'm sure, but I know people that moved to Atlanta on a wing and a prayer, got decent jobs that would never lead to home ownership in LA, but were able to quickly buy decent homes. Almost everyone that I know that moved to Atlanta is doing better materially than they were before Atlanta and that's true whether they moved there from expensive places like Southern California and NYC or they moved from smaller, more stagnant cities in the south.
I'm sure, but I know people that moved to Atlanta on a wing and a prayer, got decent jobs that would never lead to home ownership in LA, but were able to quickly buy decent homes. Almost everyone that I know that moved to Atlanta is doing better materially than they were before Atlanta and that's true whether they moved there from expensive places like Southern California and NYC or they moved from smaller, more stagnant cities in the south.
But did those folks have job skills that made them desirable in the job market in Atlanta? Because if so, I wasn’t talking about that type of job seeker. And good for your friends because Atlanta is typically a challenging job market even in the best of times - more people flocking there than opportunities. I knew plenty of people who improved their lot in life moving there too by embracing entrepreneurship or finding jobs in their fields, but I knew too many people who tried to no avail and had to go elsewhere.
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