Moving to GA, what do I need to know?

[TheATLMac]

What do you need to know about GA? Here's some information that I hope will be helpful.

Georgia is essentially two states. There's metro Atlanta and then there's the rest of the state. Metro Atlanta is just about like any other city. If you've been to Boston, Orlando, Dallas, Kansas City, Denver or Phoenix, you've got a pretty good idea about Atlanta. The traffic is bad and getting worse. The closer in to the city you get the more unresponsive the government, the worse the crime, the worse the schools and the higher the cost of living. The closer in you are to the city, the better the nightlife, restaurants and shows. Plenty of malls wherever you might be. The mass transit system is not that great. It is a combination of rail and bus. The rail has only a north south and east west line. If you've done the subway in NY, you probably won't be impressed. Housing is cheaper than in most cities and plentiful. Politics is also about like most cities. The closer in to the city, the more Democratic, the further out you get, the more Republican. The state as a whole is Republican. There are a lot of big counties in metro Atlanta. DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett encompass both the city and the suburbs.

Outside of Atlanta it's small town and rural for the most part. The people are nice. The traffic is light, prices and the cost of living are low but jobs are more limited than in the Atlanta area.

There are a couple of smaller cities. Columbus, Augusta, Macon, Rome, Savannah and Valdosta come to mind. I've been to Columbus, it's a pleasant surprise.

Geographically, Georgia can be roughly divided into three sections. North Georgia is Appalachian foothills. It's mountainous to very hilly. There are few people. The population is a combination of old timers and people who have moved to the country to escape the city. Central Georgia is hilly. A combination of hardwood and pine. Generally less populous than the north and much more rural. South Georgia is very flat and sandy. It's rural and sparsely populated. The road nets north and south are very good. The roads east and west not so good.

The main interstate corridors are 75, 85 and 20. 75 runs northwest to south. 85 runs northeast to southwest. 20 runs east west. They're generally good roads. Less traveled than interstates in the mid Atlantic and northeast, except around Atlanta where the roads are very crowded and traffic is slow. There tends to be a lot of truck traffic on the main roads. There are fewer tolls than in Florida or the northeast.

Hope that helps.

[masonbauknight]

Originally Posted by TheATLMac

There are a couple of smaller cities. Columbus, Augusta, Macon, Rome, Savannah and Valdosta come to mind. I've been to Columbus, it's a pleasant surprise.


Hope that helps.

If all you've seen is Columbus, no -- that doesn't help. To put Savannah and Augusta in the same category ("smaller cities") with Rome and Valdosta made me laugh like mad. The first two cities are urban areas. Rome and Valdosta are country towns.

[FSU2016]

Originally Posted by mattswife

From Mass originaly ( a year ago) came to far south to Florida to be near family. DH and I don't like it, hurricanes...
THanks though! Any thing else you can tell me is great!

oh, come on... we hardly ever get hurricanes! I'm ready to go to coastal carolinas just to get a good storm!! (I'm a central-east coast Floridian...)

[gam]

Scorpion where do you live? I need to stay away from that area.