NJ vs. atlanta?? please help (homes, buy, income) - New Jersey - City-Data Forum

NJgirl1 · 07-19-2007, 04:40 PM

hello there,
i would just appreciate any input from anyone who could help me compare living in south jersey/philly vs. atlanta, ga. i was born in jersey but only lived there one and half. i'm asian and married now with no kids. we are planning to move at the end of the yr, but are having hard time deciding where to go. my husband thinks atlanta is a better choice since its growing in every aspects and that jersey is already developed..i'm not too sure. any input will be appreciated. thank you

INeedAChange · 07-19-2007, 04:55 PM

I would stay away from New Jersey. It's very expensive, dirty, overcrowded and the weather is cold. The only thing it has going for it is that it's next to two major cities--in other states! It could never stand on its own.

softnluvn · 07-19-2007, 04:58 PM

I would recommend Charlotte, NC. Large Asian population and not as racist or hate filled as Atlanta. Growing rapidly too, but not overcome by that yet. I lived in Atlanta for 7 years. Have lived all over the US, love everywhere I lived until I had been in ATL for 2 years. I am a professional and you could not pay enough to move back there.

NJgirl1 · 07-19-2007, 05:06 PM

where in atlanta have u lived? we don;t have any family or friends in carolinas...i have my cousin and uncle living in atlanta, which would be closer to my sis and parents (who lives in TN), but then rest of my family is in jersey...don;t know wht to do??? me and my husband are both professional as well..so i don;t how the pay will be in south?

NJgirl1 · 07-19-2007, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by softnluvn

I would recommend Charlotte, NC. Large Asian population and not as racist or hate filled as Atlanta. Growing rapidly too, but not overcome by that yet. I lived in Atlanta for 7 years. Have lived all over the US, love everywhere I lived until I had been in ATL for 2 years. I am a professional and you could not pay enough to move back there.

where in atlanta have u lived? we don;t have any family or friends in carolinas...i have my cousin and uncle living in atlanta, which would be closer to my sis and parents (who lives in TN), but then rest of my family is in jersey...don;t know wht to do??? me and my husband are both professional as well..so i don;t how the pay will be in south?

BobKovacs · 07-20-2007, 08:03 AM

A lot depends on what you're looking to get out of the area you live in. I grew up in NJ, spent the late 90s in Las Vegas, moved back to NJ in 99, and we're now moving to Canton, GA (around 30 miles NW of downtown Atlanta) next week.

NJ and GA are definitely different places- GA is much more laid back, and from what I've seen, you can do just as well financially there as you can here, but live much better due to the affordability of housing. Of course, you've got to go down there with skills that are marketable to the industries there, but that's the case anywhere.

Traffic is a disaster in the Atlanta area, so one recommendation I'd make is to get a job prior to purchasing a home, and buy in an area that will not result in an insane commute. If you buy on one side of town and end up working on the other, you could be facing a 2 hour commute to go 40 miles.

People always throw out the "racism" card when they talk about the South, and especially Atlanta. I know people there of all income levels and skin colors, and they all manage to exist just fine- I've never heard of any racist issues (that doesn't mean that they don't happen, but they aren't as commonplace as some folks make them sound). Atlanta still seems to have some areas that self-segregate, so if you're not into the latest buzzword of "diversity", you can find an area where you are in the majority. If you are interested in a diverse area, they're available too.

Let me know if you've got any questions- I'll help wherever I can.

Bob

kort677 · 07-20-2007, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

A lot depends on what you're looking to get out of the area you live in. I grew up in NJ, spent the late 90s in Las Vegas, moved back to NJ in 99, and we're now moving to Canton, GA (around 30 miles NW of downtown Atlanta) next week.

NJ and GA are definitely different places- GA is much more laid back, and from what I've seen, you can do just as well financially there as you can here, but live much better due to the affordability of housing. Of course, you've got to go down there with skills that are marketable to the industries there, but that's the case anywhere.

Traffic is a disaster in the Atlanta area, so one recommendation I'd make is to get a job prior to purchasing a home, and buy in an area that will not result in an insane commute. If you buy on one side of town and end up working on the other, you could be facing a 2 hour commute to go 40 miles.

People always throw out the "racism" card when they talk about the South, and especially Atlanta. I know people there of all income levels and skin colors, and they all manage to exist just fine- I've never heard of any racist issues (that doesn't mean that they don't happen, but they aren't as commonplace as some folks make them sound). Atlanta still seems to have some areas that self-segregate, so if you're not into the latest buzzword of "diversity", you can find an area where you are in the majority. If you are interested in a diverse area, they're available too.

Let me know if you've got any questions- I'll help wherever I can.

Bob

the north is much more racist than the south, in the south people seem to coexist better, yes you have some real kooky people in the south but they are a very small minority. In the north there is more institutionalized segregation.

lammius · 07-20-2007, 10:50 AM

I've been to Atlanta a few times and there's hardly a thing I like about it. The place feels like some sort of temporary colony to me. 60 storey office buildings surrounded by surface parking lots and single family homes? It's a bizarre mix of land uses that I've never seen anywhere else. The traffic is horrendous and transit isn't great.

BUT, the place is growing, and the economy there is pretty good. It's not a place I'd be interested in moving to, but evidently a lot of people like it. I say try to visit both areas and get a sense for what your lives would be like in each, decide what best meets your needs and values.

NJgirl1 · 07-20-2007, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lammius

I've been to Atlanta a few times and there's hardly a thing I like about it. The place feels like some sort of temporary colony to me. 60 storey office buildings surrounded by surface parking lots and single family homes? It's a bizarre mix of land uses that I've never seen anywhere else. The traffic is horrendous and transit isn't great.

BUT, the place is growing, and the economy there is pretty good. It's not a place I'd be interested in moving to, but evidently a lot of people like it. I say try to visit both areas and get a sense for what your lives would be like in each, decide what best meets your needs and values.

thank a lot for ur input. actually we have been to both the places recently, and i think i personally would go for NJ/philly, but my husband happens to like the south. we saw few places near atlanta like duluth, marietta, alpharetta (and liked them too) but i guess when i think of south, all i think is ppl are laid back, no fun, nothing to do...i mean i could be totally wrong too...oh boy am still as confused as i was, if not more.

webuser · 07-20-2007, 02:40 PM

OK guys, When it comes to making money in IT field, What would you suggest [NJersey/NY] OR [Atlanta, GA].

My situation here is, we both employed in core IT(java) field and looking to move for better billing rates in NJ/NY area? But we have second option as Atlanta? What do you suggest?

Any light on this?