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I've never been to Atlanta (other than changing planes at the airport long ago)
-- does the area get bright autumn colors, or is it too far south for that?
DC has Shenandoah National Park nearby and while the North Georgia mountains are very nice, nothing around Atlanta compares to that level of beauty.
It likely depends what type of scenery you more prefer, as to whether you'll like the surrounding areas of DC or Atlanta better. To me I'd rather live near mountains moreso than near water, so I'd go with Atlanta. And I always liked Chattanooga a lot, myself. Plus the Chattahoochie(sp?) River offers a lot of rowing opportunities, as do other rivers in north Georgia.
That said, I would LOVE one day to check out some of the small Chesapeake islands south and east of DC, i.e. Smith Island in Maryland, and also Tangier Island in Virginia. And I always was a big fan of the town of Harpers Ferry, WV. I'm sure there's other hidden gem places in Delmarva Peninsula and also southeast Maryland and northeast Virginia, that don't get discussed very often.
A two-hour drive from DC encompasses everything from Richmond and Front Royal VA, to Chambersburg and York PA, to Milford DE, to Cambridge and Lexington Park MD. It includes Shenandoah National Park, Gettysburg, and the upper Chesapeake Bay.
A two-hour drive from Atlanta stretches from almost Anderson SC through the hills to almost Chattanooga TN (but not quite), then southwest to Anniston AL, before swinging to encompass Auburn AL, Columbus GA, and Macon GA.
Based on those boundaries: yes, the North Georgia hills are nice, but not nicer than the Blue Ridge, and nothing in central Georgia compares to coastal Delmarva -- or even VA/MD horse country, or PA Amish country.
That said, I've noticed that my friends in Atlanta seem to go hiking more often than my friends in DC. Maybe it's because they're more outdoorsy, maybe the summer weather's better (it is indeed less humid), maybe my friends here prefer city/beach weekends to the mountains.
I voted DC. Proximity to salt water and beaches, in addition to the foothills and trees.
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