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I really appreciate you taking so much time for a well thought out reply. Sounds like you've been around ;- I'll dig deeper into allergens for the area, as I forgot that after it rains in Austin, the molds peek out.
Yep... And keep in mind that it rains much more in Atlanta and the Southeast than it does in a South-Central/Southwestern city like Austin.
While Austin averages just over 34 inches of precipitation each year, much of the Atlanta metro area averages about 50 inches of precipitation each year (an amount of precipitation that is almost completely identical to what a Gulf Coast Texas city like Houston averages each year).
Some parts of the northern Atlanta exurbs (in the tree-carpeted foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains north of the city) average upwards of 55-60 inches of precipitation per year, while some parts of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Georgia, Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee average upwards of 80 inches of precipitation each year, with those high average totals easily being exceeded during wetter years which are not necessarily infrequent in these parts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GolfnWine
Marietta sounds great! I'll plug that in and see what it looks like!
Yes! Marietta is an excellent community that is very close-knit (yet very inclusive), very in touch with its history and provides great access to some great outdoor amenities like Kennesaw Mountain National Park, Lake Allatoona and the extremely popular and beloved foothills and ranges of the Blue Ridge and Southern Appalachian mountains of North Georgia, Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee.
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Originally Posted by GolfnWine
Yes, have read about the traffic, same as Austin, crappy.
Yes, traffic in Atlanta is a problem that is probably not just the same as in Austin but maybe even a little worse than in Austin because of the extreme amount of truck traffic in the area and because of the exceptional amount of vacation, holiday and getaway traffic that often moves through the area (especially on Interstate 75, which just happens to run directly through the Marietta area in question) around holidays, vacation periods and on weekends.
(Atlanta is a massive logistics and shipping hub for the entire Southeastern U.S. that sits at a major crossroads of 3 major transcontinental Interstates (I-75, I-85 and I-20), while I-75 is a major north-south route in the Eastern U.S. that handles much traffic that is generated by its connection to the major population centers and major vacation/getaway spots in Florida and the 4th-largest seaport in North America at the Port of Savannah.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GolfnWine
I was at the super bowl last year and remember MARTA but of course no clue if it will do me any good but the best part is working from home so might just have to watch the times I drive.
Unfortunately, MARTA would do you little, if any good, unless you live inside of the exceedingly busy I-285 Perimeter (the loop highway with some similarities to Houston's I-610 (610 Loop), Dallas I-635/I-20/Loop 12 and Fort Worth I-820 (Loop 820) urban loop highways in Texas) that encircles a Central Atlanta environment that may offer some urban/inner-city/Intown neighborhoods that you might like but very little-to-none of the golf community infrastructure that you seem to desire.
Atlanta has terrible pollen each Spring. Allergy sufferers hate March and April.
The Southeast, as a whole, has terrible seasonal allergy problems. Atlanta and the Carolinas are known for grey, drab winters due to the "Appalachian Wedge". Plus the humidity in this region is much worse than what you receive in Austin, and the temps are comparable.
I don't believe this area will be a good fit for you, based on the info you provided.
Asheville. Very charming, artsy, liberal and quaint. Now, be cognizant that anywhere in the southeast is going to have pollen / allergy season. You simply cannot get away from it.
back2atl - Hi there...my first "reply" hoping I chose the correct one, "post quick reply." I'll def look into Boise ;- I visited Asheville 30 years ago. I will add that to the list and look into the area neighborhoods. Thank you for the feedback.
Unless you will take advantage of something that Atlanta offers that you can't get in smaller cities, then there are too many negatives in Atlanta to make it worth your while and I think smaller cities in more evolved states will suit you better. North Carolina is just that.
South Carolina is not all that related to NC beyond the name, a shared border, and the Piedmont topography.
Otherwise, the two states are vastly different in terms of state agencies, stewardship of the state's amenities and protections of the citizens including consumer protections and preparedness for natural disasters like hurricanes.
NC is a top-tier state, in the ranks of TX, NY, and FL. It holds itself to a much higher standard than the rest of the Southeast.
Atlanta offers a lot that can't be duplicated elsewhere in the Southeast. It is the main mecca for Black Americans, and it has a large gay population as well.
I live in Atlanta to be accepted normally, and Atlanta has been home to a large gay population for over 50 years. No other Southern city even comes close to the normalcy provided here. Austin is known to offer a similar atmosphere, so you're used to it.
But the trade-offs of living here are significant, and Georgia as a state is one of the most primitive in its functioning, stewardship of the land, infrastructure, and checks and balances to limit corruption of public officials.
The City of Atlanta and Dekalb County government are some of the most corruption-plagued that exist, and Atlanta taxpayers get almost nothing back for the higher-than-average amounts they pay.
Our city streets are crumbling from not being resurfaced in several decades, and on average we see one road repaved every 5 years or so, despite city coffers overflowing in record amounts.
Go visit Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Wilmington, NC which the ocean breeze might tame the pollen,
Wherever you land, start eating local honey which will teach your body not to react to the local pollens.
Unless you will take advantage of something that Atlanta offers that you can't get in smaller cities, then there are too many negatives in Atlanta to make it worth your while and I think smaller cities in more evolved states will suit you better. North Carolina is just that.
South Carolina is not all that related to NC beyond the name, a shared border, and the Piedmont topography.
Otherwise, the two states are vastly different in terms of state agencies, stewardship of the state's amenities and protections of the citizens including consumer protections and preparedness for natural disasters like hurricanes.
NC is a top-tier state, in the ranks of TX, NY, and FL. It holds itself to a much higher standard than the rest of the Southeast.
Atlanta offers a lot that can't be duplicated elsewhere in the Southeast. It is the main mecca for Black Americans, and it has a large gay population as well.
I live in Atlanta to be accepted normally, and Atlanta has been home to a large gay population for over 50 years. No other Southern city even comes close to the normalcy provided here. Austin is known to offer a similar atmosphere, so you're used to it.
But the trade-offs of living here are significant, and Georgia as a state is one of the most primitive in its functioning, stewardship of the land, infrastructure, and checks and balances to limit corruption of public officials.
The City of Atlanta and Dekalb County government are some of the most corruption-plagued that exist, and Atlanta taxpayers get almost nothing back for the higher-than-average amounts they pay.
Our city streets are crumbling from not being resurfaced in several decades, and on average we see one road repaved every 5 years or so, despite city coffers overflowing in record amounts.
Go visit Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Wilmington, NC which the ocean breeze might tame the pollen,
Wherever you land, start eating local honey which will teach your body not to react to the local pollens.
I love North Carolina, I truly do. But to call it more evolved than Georgia or Texas? Umm...does the bathroom bill ring a bell?
Unless you will take advantage of something that Atlanta offers that you can't get in smaller cities, then there are too many negatives in Atlanta to make it worth your while and I think smaller cities in more evolved states will suit you better. North Carolina is just that.
South Carolina is not all that related to NC beyond the name, a shared border, and the Piedmont topography.
Otherwise, the two states are vastly different in terms of state agencies, stewardship of the state's amenities and protections of the citizens including consumer protections and preparedness for natural disasters like hurricanes.
NC is a top-tier state, in the ranks of TX, NY, and FL. It holds itself to a much higher standard than the rest of the Southeast.
Atlanta offers a lot that can't be duplicated elsewhere in the Southeast. It is the main mecca for Black Americans, and it has a large gay population as well.
I live in Atlanta to be accepted normally, and Atlanta has been home to a large gay population for over 50 years. No other Southern city even comes close to the normalcy provided here. Austin is known to offer a similar atmosphere, so you're used to it.
But the trade-offs of living here are significant, and Georgia as a state is one of the most primitive in its functioning, stewardship of the land, infrastructure, and checks and balances to limit corruption of public officials.
The City of Atlanta and Dekalb County government are some of the most corruption-plagued that exist, and Atlanta taxpayers get almost nothing back for the higher-than-average amounts they pay.
Our city streets are crumbling from not being resurfaced in several decades, and on average we see one road repaved every 5 years or so, despite city coffers overflowing in record amounts.
Go visit Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Wilmington, NC which the ocean breeze might tame the pollen,
Wherever you land, start eating local honey which will teach your body not to react to the local pollens.
This is rich. I grew up in NC and this is quite a rosy picture you paint of the state politics and culture of NC. Large swaths of Eastern NC, in particular, are just as poor and politically backwards as anywhere in GA. NC's cities are nice in general, but just don't offer what Atlanta does. I do recommend Asheville if a cooler climate is preferable.
TBH, Atlanta and Austin are similar in some ways. (although vastly different in others)
Both are capitals of their states and can get pretty political (although Austin seems to take the lead here)
Both have horrible infrastructure (although Atlanta has better transit and wider interstates)
Both have a youthful HIP vibe and catered toward nature, trails, and parks - (although Atlanta's nature scene is a bit better.)
Both have great education systems
Both are booming in IT
Both are rapidly gentrifying (Austin however is currently more gentrified, mostly all high end and no real bad neighborhoods, Atlanta however is rapidly changing)
and Both are becoming more expensive (although Austin is currently much more expensive than Atlanta's METRO, intown areas however are slowly becoming comparable)
Austin - contrary to popular belief and demand IMO is NOT very hospitable to retirees despite the ceaseless requests to relocate there to retire. Its property taxes are too high, property values are even higher, and there's no end in sight - basically unless you have a strong umbrella of income - Austin is more so catered toward young adults with high income streams. Austin's healthcare system also pales in comparison to Atlanta's so there is that too.
With that stated, if I were choosing a place to retire after a major loss and especially if there was nothing serious saved up, Atlanta would be more hospitable as its income base and market is not just derived only on 'IT'. Austin has no hope at changing this any time soon either as it would have to compete with DFW and Houston which are just light years ahead in terms of logistics and infrastructure to handle it.
Atlanta's weather is a bit more forgiving than Austin's as it doesn't get quite as hot during the summer and there's more rain, HOWEVER; Atlanta does get more muggy and humid than Austin. It's not Houston levels but its definitely noticeable.
Austin's cedar season vs Atlanta's pollen season... ...for allergies... both are nothing to 'sneeze' at...but Atlanta is a bit worse in this area, although Austin is no walk in the park either surprisingly.
Traffic, both can be awful but Atlanta is a bit worse, mainly because there is alot of interstate commerce traffic passing through the region at all angles of the metro (Austin only has to worry about this along I-35) where as the roads are barely planned enough to handle local traffic. Austin, while definitely having a traffic issue, is still much smaller than Atlanta and its still possible to escape traffic by using the toll roads. Atlanta has toll lanes but they're much more expensive than Austin's toll roads if you use them during peak hours.
There are other locations, Asheville NC, Raleigh Durham, Tampa, ect... you'll get a high quality of life for cheaper but be aware you may also be compromising on some services (especially healthcare when compared to Atlanta.)
Hope you find the right home.
Last edited by Need4Camaro; 03-10-2020 at 02:01 PM..
I'm terribly sorry to hear about your tragic losses.
I understand the need to start somewhere new, but I'd also like to gently suggest the importance of keeping access to whatever support network you have.
Is there anywhere you would like to move where you already have a friend or two? That might really help with the transition. Are you 100% positive moving away from where you live now is going to be the right thing to do?
Though, you'll probably be able to make new friends quite easily by finding the right golf game. I think the best thing to do is visit many of the places on your list on a nice road trip and just get a sense of the vibes they offer. Don't rush it. Take a few trips if you have to, rather than make a mistake.
You may look into some of the towns in the North Georgia mountains, which offer a break from Atlanta's hustle and bustle, but retain many of the amenities of the city, plus relatively easy access when you need a bigger metro.
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