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Old 11-11-2014, 12:49 PM
 
78 posts, read 131,009 times
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I currently have two job offers one from Los Angeles, CA and the other from Atlanta, GA. We are a young couple working in the Technology sector. Trying to decide between these cities turned out to be more challenging than I thought. Both the cities have their advantages and disadvantages. Trying to get a discussion going to see what other people have to say.

Atlanta

Pros:

1. Growing City: I think Atlanta along with Dallas and Houston will be growth engines for the next two to three decades. With the growth comes more potential for new jobs, possibility of real estate appreciation etc. In general I like the vibe that comes with a rapidly expanding city with a lot of new comers, new construction projects etc..We went to this one recent project called Avalon in North Atlanta and it looked really neat.

2. Cost of Living: The offer in LA pays me 20 to 30% more but while factoring in the taxes and cost of living I think it still comes out to less than what I can get in Atlanta. A decent 4 bed/4 bath home would run close to 400k in a nice Suburb of Atlanta like Alpharetta or Cumming where as a 3 bd/3ba will cost 800K+ in any nice LA suburbs like Irvine.

3. Transportation: Atlanta is well connected to the rest of the US being a transportation hub and with the world's busiest airport at it's door step.

4. Suburbs: Suburbs like Johns Creek/Alpharetta/Cumming(Forsyth) are consistently ranked as the best to live in the United States. Johns Creek is rated 10 among the best places to live in United States

America’s 50 Best Cities to Live - 24/7 Wall St.

Alpharetta was ranked number 1 reloville by Forbes magazine

In Depth: America's 25 Best Places To Move - Forbes

The adjoining Forsyth county is one of the richest counties in US

America's 25 Richest Counties - Forbes


5. Access to recreational activities: Atlanta has one of the best rated nightlife in the country. Beaches in Florida though not so close are still a few hours drive away and the smoky mountains are a short drive away. Orlando is not too far either.

Cons:

1. Suburban sprawl and Traffic: Rush hour commute can kill you here. Need to stay close to your work place or you are stuck 2 hours a day on road.

2. Weather: LA has better weather compared to Atlanta but I like to have seasons and I like the fall time in Atlanta. Some places in LA can get pretty hot around summer.

3. No easy access to beaches or mountains compared to LA


Los Angeles:

Pros:

1. Large city with stable population growth- The population boom has already happened here and any growth from here on will not be as rapid.

2. Weather: LA weather is really nice with sun year around but summers can get pretty hot

3. Access to beaches mountains and deserts. No city in US can match LA in this aspect for me. The beaches are the best.

4. Nightlife is really good if not better than Atlanta

5. LA has some really nice suburbs like Irvine that consistently rank the best in forbes list but you pay a premium for living here.


Cons:

1. Cost of living: As I mentioned above a smaller house will cost double in LA. The taxes are really high. Most of the income will be spend on mortgage curtailing life style.

2. Suburban Sprawl: Tie with Atlanta. Commute can kill you unless you are living close to work.

3. More than half of LA looks like a third world country and are dangerous places to live in. Atlanta has it's share of bad places but some how I feel that LA has a lot more of these places.

4. Gentrification: I found more places in Atlanta where different races live together. In buckhead and the northern suburbs I saw whites, blacks, Asians and all other races. but in LA it's usually once race that dominates the area. Irvine for example I found is mostly Asian. Even the brochures of the new subdivisions have Asian couples printed on them. Some areas are mostly hispanic and some areas are mostly white. Atlanta also may have such areas but I feel like LA is worst in this aspect.
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Old 11-11-2014, 01:06 PM
 
Location: Silicon Valley
18,813 posts, read 32,278,927 times
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I just want to say that the taxes in CA are not as bad as the world tends to think. Federal taxes are the same. State taxes aren't that bad. Sales taxes vary by city and state. You should compare sales tax for Atlanta and LA. They're probably similar.

Property taxes (real estate) in CA are stable and can only go up something like 1% as long as you own it. Thanks to Prop 13 from the 1970's. Nobody can reassess it to a higher amount based on a new appraised value. So, this is probably better than Atlanta.

Also, groceries, utilities, are probably cheaper than Atlanta. You rarely need to use heat or A/C. Check on the difference in price for gas. It's probably not that significant a difference.

That said, looking at your list, you prefer Atlanta.

I'd say the biggest reason to move to LA would be the proximity to Silicon Valley. It would be easy for you to interview for jobs in the SF Bay Area, and to relocate there. The cost of housing in the SF Bay Area is very high. Everthing else is not, in my opinion.

So, is there any possibility you'd want to take the opportunity to possibly relocate to the SF Bay Area/Silicon Valley? I mean after initially moving to the job in LA?

Be ready for humidity and icy winters in Atlanta. Out here in CA we're sick of the blazing sun right now lol!

As far as which city I would personally rather live in - I'd pick Atlanta over LA. I lived in Nashville for 5 years and visited friends in Atlanta. I think it's a nicer city and prettier area than LA. I find people in LA to be rude. I'm a northern CA girl, and I don't like LA. I do like the SF Bay Area, though. And if you asked me if I'd choose the SF Bay Area over Atlanta, I'd say SF Bay Area hands down.

Congrats on having a couple of options. Good for you!
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Old 11-11-2014, 01:09 PM
 
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Atlanta! welcome to atlanta.
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Old 11-11-2014, 01:30 PM
 
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Both are decent, if it were me, I would probably pick LA, but finances are the most important thing. I'd rather have a big house in ATL than a small one in LA.
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Old 11-11-2014, 01:40 PM
 
78 posts, read 131,009 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe View Post
I just want to say that the taxes in CA are not as bad as the world tends to think. Federal taxes are the same. State taxes aren't that bad. Sales taxes vary by city and state. You should compare sales tax for Atlanta and LA. They're probably similar.

Property taxes (real estate) in CA are stable and can only go up something like 1% as long as you own it. Thanks to Prop 13 from the 1970's. Nobody can reassess it to a higher amount based on a new appraised value. So, this is probably better than Atlanta.

Also, groceries, utilities, are probably cheaper than Atlanta. You rarely need to use heat or A/C. Check on the difference in price for gas. It's probably not that significant a difference.

That said, looking at your list, you prefer Atlanta.

I'd say the biggest reason to move to LA would be the proximity to Silicon Valley. It would be easy for you to interview for jobs in the SF Bay Area, and to relocate there. The cost of housing in the SF Bay Area is very high. Everthing else is not, in my opinion.

So, is there any possibility you'd want to take the opportunity to possibly relocate to the SF Bay Area/Silicon Valley? I mean after initially moving to the job in LA?

Be ready for humidity and icy winters in Atlanta. Out here in CA we're sick of the blazing sun right now lol!

As far as which city I would personally rather live in - I'd pick Atlanta over LA. I lived in Nashville for 5 years and visited friends in Atlanta. I think it's a nicer city and prettier area than LA. I find people in LA to be rude. I'm a northern CA girl, and I don't like LA. I do like the SF Bay Area, though. And if you asked me if I'd choose the SF Bay Area over Atlanta, I'd say SF Bay Area hands down.

Congrats on having a couple of options. Good for you!
Thank you for the input.

Working in the technology sector- SF/Bay Area is like my Mecca. But for the time being since I don't have any offers from the area, I have excluded it from the discussion but if I move to LA, I would definitely not rule out moving to SF/Bay area if I get a better offer down the line.

I might have sounded as if I favored Atlanta in my post but trust time it's 50/50 right now. As I mentioned the offer in LA pays me a bit more so that's definitely a draw. I spent the whole of last week in LA after interviewing there and it's a very nice area. The weather is really good around this time of the year compared to East Coast or ATL.

Coming to taxes I too think that the taxes are not that high compared to Atlanta but it's the home prices that really scare me.
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Old 11-11-2014, 01:50 PM
 
Location: Silicon Valley
18,813 posts, read 32,278,927 times
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Yeah, I get it about the home prices. On the SF/Oakland forum there are often posts by people considering moving for a job offer in SF area, and have a really hard time wrapping their heads around not be able to have the same big house on a big lot for the same price.

Where I differ with the post above, is I'd rather have a small house in CA than a big house anywhere with bad weather. One reason is that you can spend most of your off-time outside here. Your yard is part of your living space here.

When I lived in TN I had cabin fever most of the year. It's either oppressively hot and humid (especially the humidity factor) or icy (wet freezing weather), with a tiny window in the spring and fall when you are actually comfortable outside. I felt trapped inside where I needed heat or a/c most of the year.

So, if you are stuck inside all the time, a bigger indoor space becomes way more important. IMO.
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Old 11-11-2014, 01:58 PM
 
78 posts, read 131,009 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rek99 View Post
Atlanta! welcome to atlanta.
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Old 11-11-2014, 02:01 PM
 
78 posts, read 131,009 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mandalorian View Post
Both are decent, if it were me, I would probably pick LA, but finances are the most important thing. I'd rather have a big house in ATL than a small one in LA.
Agreed both are really decent cities and Yes housing is definitely the big draw!
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Old 11-11-2014, 02:10 PM
 
78 posts, read 131,009 times
Reputation: 87
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe View Post
Yeah, I get it about the home prices. On the SF/Oakland forum there are often posts by people considering moving for a job offer in SF area, and have a really hard time wrapping their heads around not be able to have the same big house on a big lot for the same price.

Where I differ with the post above, is I'd rather have a small house in CA than a big house anywhere with bad weather. One reason is that you can spend most of your off-time outside here. Your yard is part of your living space here.

When I lived in TN I had cabin fever most of the year. It's either oppressively hot and humid (especially the humidity factor) or icy (wet freezing weather), with a tiny window in the spring and fall when you are actually comfortable outside. I felt trapped inside where I needed heat or a/c most of the year.

So, if you are stuck inside all the time, a bigger indoor space becomes way more important. IMO.
Agree with your point. There is no point owning a big house when all you can do is stay in it.

LA definitely is the better of the two when it comes to weather. But from my visits Atlanta wasn't that bad. I was there a few times last year and the summers were hot but the evenings were enjoyable for an outdoor barbecue.. The fall time was beautiful with all the tree cover in the city.. I heard about the freak ice storms last year but hopefully they are an anomaly than a pattern..
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Old 11-11-2014, 02:22 PM
 
31 posts, read 44,980 times
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I'm sorry, I don't know Atlanta well at all, so I can't help with the comparison. But, I have lived in LA and LA suburbs. Where are the potential jobs located? It might not be realistic (or much fun...) to commute to and from Irvine or other parts of Orange County. Personally, I don't really think of Irvine as being within commuting distance to much of LA, but it all depends on where you're both working.

But there are plenty of livable areas in and near LA, depending on your criteria. Would you be ok with a condo instead of a house, for instance?

My hunch is also that Atlanta will come out ahead for you, mainly due to the cost of housing.

On your con #3 for LA, I wouldn't be so concerned. You can just avoid areas where you don't want to be/live. LA is so spread out. As you get to know the area, your comfort zone is also likely to expand.

Your comments on gentrification ring true to me to some extent. However, I think a lot depends on you and how you end up meeting people and making new friends. My social circle was very ethnically diverse in LA, but not diverse really at all in terms of educational background and socioeconomics. I mostly met people through work, church, and my kids' preschool.
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