Atlanta, GA vs. San Diego, CA. What area offers the most for active families and organic choices? (San Francisco: transplants, rent)

[Baycliff]

I'm looking for advice as to what place has the best outdoor life, great schools, cleaner air, health conscience people, and a fun active culture.

I'm married with a 10 yr old child. We currently live in Surprise, AZ, NW of Phoenix, and want to live where the local day to day is interesting and the weather doesn't keep us indoors during the summer.

We own a mortgage free 968 sq ft townhouse in Carlsbad, CA, (20 minutes north of San Diego), and vacation there often. We're set to move into it this summer, but we haven't been able to get work there.

My wife works for the AZ school district teaching 4th grade and it's been difficult to find teaching jobs in North San Diego County, even though she has a CA cleared credential. We thought of selling our townhouse while the market is up and just move to GA, but if I do that, I'll probably never afford to live in the San Diego area again.

At least in GA we can afford a sizable house in a good area! Are there many tornadoes in Cobb and Fulton County? How are the schools? Is it difficult to stay active outdoors year round, having high humidity, bugs, and lots of rain or seasonal tornatoes?

I know the Atlanta area has a lot to offer, but we've never lived in a southern culture and wonder how friendly people are. We're conservatives and feel politically aligned in GA. There seems to be more teaching jobs available too. Cobb County School District is having a job fare next month, so we're looking into that and might fly out there to tour the area. My research says the following areas are best for families; East Cobb, Alpharetta, and John's Creek. Those areas have great schools, close to shopping, famers markets, parks, hiking trails, and fishing.

What cities would you suggest are better? Does Johns Creek have the better schools and lower crime?

What are your thoughts and advise?

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

[eastcoastbias]

Originally Posted by Baycliff

I'm looking for advice as to what place has the best outdoor life, great schools, cleaner air, health conscience people, and a fun active culture. I'm married with a 10 yr old child. We currently live in Surprise, AZ, NW of Phoenix, and want to live where the local day to day is interesting and the weather doesn't keep us indoors during the summer. We own a mortgage free 968 sq ft townhouse is Carlsbad, CA, (20 minutes north of San Diego), and vacation there often. We're set to move into it this summer, but we haven't been able to get work there. My wife works for the AZ school district teaching 4th grade and it's been difficult to find teaching jobs in North San Diego County, even though she has a CA cleared credential. We thought of selling our townhouse while the market is up and just move to GA, but if I do that, I'll probably never afford to live in the San Diego area again. At least in GA we can afford a sizable house in a good area! Are there many tornadoes in Cobb and Fulton County? How are the schools? Is it difficult to stay active outdoors year round, having high humidity, bugs, and lots of rain or seasonal tornatoes? I know the Atlanta area has a lot to offer, but we've never lived in a southern culture and wonder how friendly people are. We're conservatives and feel politically aligned in GA. There seems to be more teaching jobs available too. Cobb County School District is having a job fare next month, so we're looking into that and might fly out there to tour the area. My research says the following areas are best for families; East Cobb, Alpharetta, and John's Creek. Those areas have great schools, close to shopping, famers markets, parks, hiking trails, and fishing. What cities would you suggest are better? Does Johns Creek have the better schools and lower crime?
OK, so in the event we get work in CA before GA, what are your thoughts and advise? Remember we have a mortgage free townhouse in CA and don't mind living small. We have family in Northern CA and VA, so both areas we'd be alone starting out, but family is only a 5-7 hour drive.

"My wife works for the AZ school district teaching 4th grade and it's been difficult to find teaching jobs in North San Diego County, even though she has a CA cleared credential."


Have you tried San Diego Unified and other School districts in SD Co.? edjoin.com. A few years back the market was tighter, I've heard it has gotten better.

I can't speak on Georgia, never lived there, could be a tough questions to ask some folks in here that post on a regular basis considering this is a SD forum.

[moved]

www.sandi.net is getting ready for budget cuts, so a job with them will probably not be possible. Has your wife checked on www.edjoin.org for jobs in other districts? If you do decide to move, she may have to sub in several districts to get her foot in the door.

[aslowdodge]

Hi, I moved to the Atlanta area last year. I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area all my life prior to that.
First thing-summer is hot and humid here. Carlsbad probably has nicer weather by a lot.
That being said people are outdoors here a lot- I guess they get used to it. Even in the summer I see lots of people out walking, jogging, biking, playing sports etc. So maybe you just get used to it.

The areas you picked East Cobb, Alpharetta, and John's Creek are all upper middle class to affluent. Schools are excellent, I think the high schools are all rated 9 or 10. I do a lot of daily walking in various neighborhoods and see lots of families going on walks and conversing with neighbors. Surprisingly east cobb voted blue in the election. My cul de sac is amazingly liberal although I am more conservative. Neighbors are very friendly and still invite me over for bbq or ice tea. The areas you picked have a lot of transplants so you should meet all kinds of different people.
Traffic here is pretty bad. Before you buy a home find where you will be working and try to locate close to your job.
My rent is $1650 for an early 90's 3/2/2 home with walk out basement in a quiet wooded cul de sac. A comparable sized home and hood where I was from is about $3500 to $4,000.

For me it was very little culture shock and outside of the weather I took to it as if I never moved. All the amenities I need are close by. I met a family that lived close to me in Ca that now live in Cumming and before that Johns Creek. They just rave about the schools and the cost of living. They said they would never move back to Ca and are encouraging friends and family to move there. Other areas to consider are Cumming and Suwanee

People are more polite here in general. The difference in how workers' attitudes in menial jobs like Mcdonalds is amazing. I went to the same taco bell and mcdonalds nearly every day in Ca and saw the same workers. None of them ever acknowledged me or said hi. Here they recognize me, greet me by my name and have conversations with me.

Don't get me wrong, I loved living and growing up in Ca. But it is changing and the money I save living here and quality of life (except weather) I get for the money has me thinking I will probably never move back to Ca.

[nmguy]

San Diego Unified School District is reducing, not hiring staff.Your wife may want to try other districts.

[supercad55]

San Diego hands down! Atlanta has above average weather for the most oart but it's humid in the summer. Many outdoor activities but nothing compared to San Diego. Also living in SD close proximity to LA Palm Springs inland empire Laguna Beach. Crime in San Diego is one of the lowest in America for big citiea if not the safest. Atlanta always has been a tough city and no matter where you live you rich or poor area the risk of your door being kicked in is always there. Those brazen crimes rarely happen in SD but almost daily in Atlanta. More affordable yes but weather crime and culture is different. Bigger racial divide even though Atlanta has a majority black population and many wealthy blacks it's atill the south. Atlanta is turning into a smaller NYC so it's definitely a booming city with a good economy but SD better.

[someguy10]

Why not move from Surprise to Atlanta (or another lower-cost area -- perhaps further north) and keep the Carlsbad townhome for summer getaways from ATL? You should be able to get direct ATL-SAN flights on Delta.

Originally Posted by Baycliff

I'm looking for advice as to what place has the best outdoor life, great schools, cleaner air, health conscience people, and a fun active culture.

I'm married with a 10 yr old child. We currently live in Surprise, AZ, NW of Phoenix, and want to live where the local day to day is interesting and the weather doesn't keep us indoors during the summer.

We own a mortgage free 968 sq ft townhouse in Carlsbad, CA, (20 minutes north of San Diego), and vacation there often. We're set to move into it this summer, but we haven't been able to get work there.

My wife works for the AZ school district teaching 4th grade and it's been difficult to find teaching jobs in North San Diego County, even though she has a CA cleared credential. We thought of selling our townhouse while the market is up and just move to GA, but if I do that, I'll probably never afford to live in the San Diego area again.

At least in GA we can afford a sizable house in a good area! Are there many tornadoes in Cobb and Fulton County? How are the schools? Is it difficult to stay active outdoors year round, having high humidity, bugs, and lots of rain or seasonal tornatoes?

What are your thoughts and advise?

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

[Ilovepahrump]

Spent 12 years in East Cobb, 3 years in San Diego.

Are there many tornadoes in Cobb and Fulton County? For an area that gets tornado activity, it's not that bad. Alabama, Tennessee, and Northwest Georgia (Rome area) seem to get more of the severe tornado activity. You'll have tornado watches and warnings several times a year, but you probably won't ever see a tornado.

How are the schools? East Cobb schools are very good.

Is it difficult to stay active outdoors year round, having high humidity, bugs, and lots of rain or seasonal tornadoes? No. You just have to adapt what you do year round to fit the weather. I hike a lot, and I don't hike in the summer in Georgia or San Diego -- I'm not an early riser to beat the heat, and it's just too humid in GA and too hot in the inland areas of SD for hiking to me. So water activities are a good thing to turn to- GA has lakes, rivers, and fairly short drive (compared to many parts of the country) to the beaches along the GA coast, FL, or SC. I will say it's not as large of a part of the culture to be "outdoorsy" in GA as it is in SD. People are more active here in SD, and it's not necessarily because of the weather.

I know the Atlanta area has a lot to offer, but we've never lived in a southern culture and wonder how friendly people are. We're conservatives and feel politically aligned in GA. Friendly people. "Southern culture" is not really hugely noticeable in metro Atlanta. There are a lot of transplants as Atlanta has boomed economically, and the area is basically just typical suburbia. It is not as conservative as one might think these days. It's changing, fairly rapidly. Cobb County - what once was thought of as a conservative stronghold - went for Hillary Clinton in this election.

[eastcoastbias]

Originally Posted by nmguy

San Diego Unified School District is reducing, not hiring staff.Your wife may want to try other districts.

Interesting it was posted on here maybe a year ago that the teaching profession was taking off here.

My point to the OP is don't limit yourself - hard to say that you can't find a job when you aren't looking at all the districts.

[moved]

Originally Posted by nmguy

San Diego Unified School District is reducing, not hiring staff.Your wife may want to try other districts.

They're always reducing, and the other districts probably are, too.