Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Small family (w/ a baby) Contemplating a move from Queens to Atlanta.
We're are looking for an insider view on the differences (culture shocks) between the 2 cities.
We already know the obvious stuff about ATL, like the lack of a good subway system, Horrendous Traffic, & cheaper real estate.
I'm Really looking to get a sense for how you may have reacted to:
-the crazy NYC diversity vs. much less so in ATL
-constant hustle & bustle of NYC vs. Slower paced ATL
-having to foot-it everywhere in NYC vs. Driving everywhere in ATL
Any other observations....
....
Atlanta thinks they are diverse, but basically, everyone is segregated from everyone else. Hispanics live here, Asians live over there, white people live other in that other place etc etc. That is one reason I do not like it here.
trust me...nyc is the same. hispanics live there, asians live there, white lives there, blacks live there.
one thing to keep in mind. yes housing are cheaper in the south....so are the standard of living. dont expect the same salary in ur field in nyc as the same in the south. whateva u r currently making in nyc, subtract it by another 10%-15%.
trust me...nyc is the same. hispanics live there, asians live there, white lives there, blacks live there.
The NYC "diversity" thing is greatly overrated.
Poor blacks congregate in certain neighborhoods, poor hispanics in other neighborhoods, poor Asians in other neighborhoods, rich whites in Manhattan, and poor Muslims in cabs and bodegas.
Wait a minute Ace Rock- I think Queens is crazy diversified which is cool- esp. where I'm from -central queens. Even our family is mixed, (Ma is chinese)
So, yeah- I would miss that I guess in ATL. Definitely a big trade off.
Thanks for ALL the posts so far, the diff opinions are great no matter what.
Wait a minute Ace Rock- I think Queens is crazy diversified which is cool- esp. where I'm from -central queens. Even our family is mixed, (Ma is chinese)
So, yeah- I would miss that I guess in ATL. Definitely a big trade off.
Thanks for ALL the posts so far, the diff opinions are great no matter what.
G&A
not really, u have asians in flushing, white in rego park/forest hill, hispanics in east elmhurst and corona etc.
Small family (w/ a baby) Contemplating a move from Queens to Atlanta.
We're are looking for an insider view on the differences (culture shocks) between the 2 cities.
We already know the obvious stuff about ATL, like the lack of a good subway system, Horrendous Traffic, & cheaper real estate.
I'm Really looking to get a sense for how you may have reacted to:
-the crazy NYC diversity vs. much less so in ATL
-constant hustle & bustle of NYC vs. Slower paced ATL
-having to foot-it everywhere in NYC vs. Driving everywhere in ATL
Any other observations....
Thanks
G&A
I lived in Atlanta from 1998 until 2001 and visit quite frequently, although my last visit was late 2005. In reference to the diversity, Atlanta has some. I never noticed a "lack of diversity"--I just think due to Atlanta being so smaller than NYC, there just aren't as many different types of people. One thing about Atlanta news and pervading societal "thing" is a big racial divide persists between the "white thing" and the "black thing." It's really noticeable and people talk about it a lot.
Atlanta is slower-paced, as-is most everywhere in the US outside of NYC. I wouldn't worry about that too much unless you live in the suburbs. In the city it's not terribly bad.
Driving in Atlanta is getting worse and worse and impacts everyone's lives and level of stress. Try to minimize as much as you can dependency on the automobile in Atlanta. Hard, but it will make life easier.
I lived in the Atlanta area for close to 15 years, but left in 1999, so my info isn't up to date. One major difference you'll notice is that there are few (if any) confederate flags flying here in NYC. Puerto Rican flags? Yes. Dominican flags? Yes.
But no confederate flags.
And no jacked-up pick-up trucks with tires big enough to fit on a jumbo jet .....
I went to high school in Atlanta, currently live in Brooklyn, and am otherwise of northeastern pedigree.
People moving from northeastern urban environs to the Atlanta area generally either love it or hate it; there is very little in-between. Atlanta is actually a very cultured and vibrant city but only in very small pockets in the center city. There are few "things" you'd have in NYC that you wouldn't have in Atlanta, meaning, if you want to go to a movie, a play, a concert, a decent restaurant in any price range, a museum, etc etc., you'll find something satisfactory in Atlanta, though obviously without the range of choices available in New York.
The biggest question is really whether you think the lifestyle would suit you. There is no way around the culture of driving; even people who live in the most urban neighborhoods in the city would be considered radical by many for walking 10-15 minutes to the store. It seems this may be changing somewhat because a lot of high-density residential infill development has taken place since I left the area, and the city has some intriguing, though far-off, transit plans. Ultimately though, the most urban lifestyle you can lead in Atlanta is probably equivalent to the lifestyle of an outer neighborhood in an outer borough... it's more Bayside than LIC, more Bensonhurst than Brooklyn Heights, etc. This suits some people just fine, and if you're so-inclined, you may find you like it.
There are some beautiful Victorian homes and streets in the neighborhoods right around downtown, too, which developed as streetcar suburbs in the early 1900s. Lots of people move to the area and get steered towards any of the perfectly interchangeable subdivision suburbs, and, to me, those areas are (and were, for several years of my life) basically hell on earth. Do yourself a favor and at least check out the city itself.
Location: Techified Blue (Collar)-Rooted Bastion-by-the-Sea
663 posts, read 1,863,777 times
Reputation: 599
I live in the ATL. I've been to NYC several times. Yes, the ATL doesn't have a real city feel compared to NYC. You will get bored here. However, Atlanta has a major-league airport, a very diverse and broad range of good restaurants and milder winter weather with very little snow or ice. Of course affordability here is a foregone conclusion.
I dunno a couple of distant family members were like trying to sell my sis and I on Atlanta a few months back. Mind you they are the types that like to move every 5 or so years. I wasn't completely sold on the place. Seems like a lot of people are moving there. But at some point its gonna be too many people. Also its the south. I've been down South a few times, and it's just not my thing, personally. I'm bi-coastal but not into the South.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
