Attn: Northerners Moving South (Atlanta, Savannah: crime rate, neighborhoods, elementary school)

[backfist]

Fooner~

I really am sorry to hear about the harassment your kids are having to endure. It'd be a lie to suggest that we're in a time when that kinda thing doesn't happen. It does, and there's no justification; no excuse. And there are plenty of Georgians--both Black and White--who still harbor ignorant prejudices and hatred.

One shouldn't have to live in a highly populated Jewish (or Asian or Black or Latino) community, just to be accepted and respected. Georgia still has some work to do--on the surface, and underneath.

Floormerich~

Thank you for mentioning that Savannah is more than just a run-down ghetto.

[fooner]

Well, the anti-Jewish harrasment has happened again - Now we are meeting with the school principal. I cannot believe what these parents are teaching their children. WELCOME TO FORSYTH COUNTY.

[Missbeingama$$hole]

Hey don't expect much from the school. I had complaints about the lack of diversity in the teaching pool and the strong christian promotion in my kids classes and you would have thought I was the wicked witch. I absolutely hate the south and it's culture.

[larryb]

Yankees that don't like the South, please move back up north. Weather is bad, the streets suck, your cars get rusty, people are rude, cost of living is outrageous.....if you think thats better...GO.

[GAisGreat]

Originally Posted by fooner

Well, the anti-Jewish harrasment has happened again - Now we are meeting with the school principal. I cannot believe what these parents are teaching their children. WELCOME TO FORSYTH COUNTY.

That won't help much...We've had more problems w/the school here in 1yr than we've had in the previous 6yrs combined at schools in different cities and states.

In general the staff, principle, and teachers are very adversarial here, so don't expect to get anywhere w/them. They are on the defensive the second you try to approach them about ANYTHING, and the more you try to get anywhere w/them the more they are against you. We've given up at this point, just hoping to make it through the school year until we can get out of this sh*thole.

You have to understand also, Forsyth loves to trump this 'schools of excellence' crap they've been awarded...Well you have to consider what state we're in, GA is consistently in the bottom 3 in the U.S. for education, so even the so-called 'best' are probably much worse than poor performing schools in many other states.

[leavin LV]

I'll probably be moving to the Atlanta area in the first quarter of 2007 due to my wife's job. We've been in Las Vegas a couple of years due to her work and are originally from New Hampshire. Can't wait to get out of Vegas for so many reasons! So, I guess I consider myself a "Northerner Moving South". Being from NH (one of the whitest states in the country) I never gave race much concern. I never had any problem with anybody of a different race that I met there. Vegas is so different on so many levels. Just so many big city problems. Gangs, murder, violence, corruption. Cost of living is very high. Any thoughts on where to live? We don't have school age children, or extensive housing needs. Homes in the $170-$210k range would suit us fine. The opportunities that big cities provide are great, but we really prefer the suburban, safer, slower lifestyle. Oh, she'll be working in the Alpharetta area.

[Lyric777]

Hi.
I'm currently looking to relocate to Georgia in the new year.

I saw some posts about Jewish people being discriminated in Georgia.
I'm jewish and trying to find out if that's what it's like in all of Georgia or just certain parts?
Are the any job discrimiation against the jewish people in Georgia?
Are there any good areas for Jewish people to live and work in Georgia?

Thanks.

[stvincent]

Originally Posted by Lyric777

Hi.
I'm currently looking to relocate to Georgia in the new year.

I saw some posts about Jewish people being discriminated in Georgia.
I'm jewish and trying to find out if that's what it's like in all of Georgia or just certain parts?
Are the any job discrimiation against the jewish people in Georgia?
Are there any good areas for Jewish people to live and work in Georgia?

Thanks.

I live in the ATlanta Metro Area. If you are referring to other areas of Georgia in your post then this wont help much but I'm going to tell you about how Jews are recieved in Metro ATlanta.

I am Black so I can not speak from experiece but I have alot of Jewish friends and I have never heard them complain of being disriminated against. Atlanta is a liberal bubble in the red, conservative, and sometimes close minded south. Most people who reside in this region embrace all people and won't treat you badly just because you are different from them. Atlanta has a HUGE Jewish population. The old traditional Jewish community is Toco Hills in close in DeKalb County. Homes here range from $250,000 to $400,000.

Many Jews have decided to congregate in Dunwoody and Sandy Springs though. These are adjacent suburbs in just north of Atlanta. Many temples and most of the Jewish private schools are also in these areas. Buying a home is more expensive though, as these areas are some of the most affluent areas in the Metro area. An older home that needs to be remolded will start at $300,000 and newer homes will start in the $700-800,000 range. There are plenty of subdivisions that start at one million dollars in these areas. If you decided to send your children to public school instead of a jewish private schools most schools in the metro area dont have incidents to arise over anti-semitism. Sure you have the few who might be stupid and will want to put someone down to make themselves feel better but I would think that such cases in Metro Atlanta would have to be rare. I am a young African American and I have lived in Metro Atlanta all my life. I have not yet experienced any racism here and I think it's because Atlanta is so so open to diversity unlike other parts of the south. I can't imagine why you wouldn't feel comfortable here.

[fooner]

Originally Posted by Lyric777

Hi.
I'm currently looking to relocate to Georgia in the new year.

I saw some posts about Jewish people being discriminated in Georgia.
I'm jewish and trying to find out if that's what it's like in all of Georgia or just certain parts?
Are the any job discrimiation against the jewish people in Georgia?
Are there any good areas for Jewish people to live and work in Georgia?

Thanks.

We have definately felt rudeness for being Jewish in Forsyth county. We are looking to move to a more mixed area, and I think Alpharetta would be good. We have met many other Jewish families since we have moved here and they have gone through similar experieces, as have their children. Their are more things going on in Alpharetta for Jewish families, as opposed to Forsyth Cty. We would have never chosen to move to this county if we had known about the old billboards, KKK marches, and Oprah's famous visit here in the 80's. Things MAY change here one day, but not soon enough for me and my children. I have met some very nice non-Jewish people here also, but I have never felt so out of place in Forsyth county than I ever have in my life.

[JenM]

It is so different down here, you would not imagine. Visiting for a week will not give you any real insight as to what it's really like. Don't get wide eyed looking at new homes that you could never afford in the north. There's a reason why the cost of living is more expensive in the north. It's just better to live up there. Yeah i've done the whole working two jobs just to get by in NY and I thought I was sick and tired of the rat race. But guess what? I'd do it all over again. And don't think for a minute that you will escape the rat race. You won't. You'll just be living in a bigger house in the middle of nowhere in the suburbs which are lifeless and you'll be wishing every single day that you could go back home.
The only thing better about Atlanta than the north is the weather (can't say the same about Florida). Even so, I still miss the snow. And to think that I used to complain about winters. Christmas is just not the same in the South.

I guess that would depend what you "intend the south to be like." Yes I am looking into moving to the south for the lower cost of living, but that's not the only reason. For me, at least, I want a "down-home" feel. I love farms and dirt roads (not that the south is covered with them, but there are probably more down south than up north) I want a slower pace of life. I want things to revolve more around the church and less around "material" things. I don't want my kids growing up thinking that life is all about "what they have or how they look." Of course moving to the south isn't like moving to outerspace; there are things that will still remain the same. I just need a change from this overpopulated, cold place that I live!!!