Tampa or Atlanta?

[Fireblade3]

We moved to ATL from Columbus,GA 'wanting' all the things that a 'real city' has to offer and boy what a mistake it was
Sure you must be thinking that Columbus,GA and ATL are completely different and one would have a culture shock with the move, but having lived in Chicago (when I was single and no kids) I was fairly aware of what I was getting into ( Boy was I wrong). Traffic,Traffic,Traffic ....thats all I can say....it puts me off so much that we just go out to do the bare essentials...and forget about going to a game, or doing anything outdoors (Maybe I am lazy or maybe I am aging )
So we have been looking at Tampa and Jacksonville closely and have some interviews lined up.
I am not sure how bad Tampa traffic is...but I dont expect it to be as bad as ATL.
And money goes a long way in Florida as compared to ATL imho.

[Betsey Lane]

Originally Posted by planedition

DUNN:

I don't look down on people who live in the suburbs.

I look down on people who live in the suburbs AND THEN COMPLAIN ABOUT THEIR COMMUTES.

If you live in a suburb and work in a suburb, excellent!

But if you live in a suburb and work in the city, please stop complaining about traffic.

I like to eat ice cream. If I get diabetes, I am not going to complain I got diabetes. Because it's my own damn fault I got diabetes since I eat ice cream every night.

If you move to the suburbs and get stuck in gridlock every day, why'd you move there?

(thanks everyone for all the reps)

Eating too much sugar does not cause diabetes. Though the cure for diabetes is not known, eating too much candy (in your case, ice cream) as a child is not the cause of anyone's diabetes. There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes occurs when insulin-producing cells in your pancreas are destroyed. This is not from eating too much sugar. Type 2 diabetes begins when your body cannot respond to insulin. Type 2 diabetes is often genetic, not dietetic. Just saying....

Sorry, it's the nurse in me. I'm done.

[kdoeo2]

Atlanta destroys Tampa as a city and area. However, the beaches around west Florida are very nice. Most everything else though, not so much.

[ApolloBeachRetiree]

Originally Posted by kdoeo2

Atlanta destroys Tampa as a city and area. However, the beaches around west Florida are very nice. Most everything else though, not so much.

All depends on your personal tastes and criteria. We are moving from the ATL area to Apollo Beach.

[bbface21]

> I really hate traffic, crowded places, cold weather.

I would still take Atlanta. The traffic in Tampa is among the worst I've experienced (and I've lived in Washington, DC), and if something goes wrong with the job Atlanta has opportunities. I know many well-educated professionals who can't find any work in Tampa.

[StreetSmarts]

Originally Posted by TXRyan23

Your personal opinion aside, it's a freedom that's been taken away from Florida's smokers.

Good, I'm thankful

[tinytrump]

Originally Posted by overit2

It's freedom taken from the BUSINESS OWNER as well..you have government dictating what they CAN and CANNOT do in their OWN PERSONAL place of business.

Even most smart/freedom seeking NON smoker has said that. It was a HUGE downward spiral towards intrusion.

That should have NEVER EVER passed.

Smoking is deadly and should be out of all indoor areas including bars and restaurants. period. people should not have to work with smoke in their face damaging their lungs!

[The Villages Guy]

Originally Posted by bbface21

> I really hate traffic, crowded places, cold weather.

I would still take Atlanta. The traffic in Tampa is among the worst I've experienced (and I've lived in Washington, DC), and if something goes wrong with the job Atlanta has opportunities. I know many well-educated professionals who can't find any work in Tampa.

Take a stroll through the Atlanta forum and you will find all kinds of complaints about traffic and the poor job situation. People complain, no matter what.

[mquintana]

No comparison.
Atlanta is probably the size of 5 Tampa's.
This is a sleepy little city. Atlanta has more going on.
Two different states, both cities offer different things.
Atlanta is mainland, Tampa is on the coast.
We have traffic, but not as bad as Atlanta...

BUT-what makes Fl soooo much better than Georgia? NO STATE TAX! Maybe cost of living can be cheaper in Georgia but it really isn't. We get to see more of our income coming to us rather than go to the state as well as federal.

[Jayjayok]

I know this is an older thread and I'm sure the poster has made his decision by now... But a little thought about these kinds of posts in general. I read forums and people always post these vague and surface criteria about what they are looking for. Usually reactionary because where they are at hasn't lived up to their utopic fantasies. This poster said he was 40 and single, but didn't say anything about what he was looking for in regards to the biggies in life. And I'm sorry folks, but unless you are of retirement age or have some medical condition that requires you to live in a certain climate weather really shouldn't be at the top of the list (clearly for this poster bc he is coming from Chicago!). What about issues like job market? You can move to Tampa or ATL for the same job but in which city will you be able to find comparable paying jobs or higher paying positions in your industry more easily? And what about cost of living? Which city gives you more bang for your buck? Crime? And what is it that this poster enjoys doing? What type of lifestyle does he desire to live? It just amazes me that people put stock in criteria that don't highlight what's important in the grand scheme of things. Then they get mad because they move to a sunny warm climate with less traffic and find out that the job market sucks, housing options are more expensive, and the overall environment doesn't suit their needs. It's called priorities people. No place is going to be perfect and every option will have tradeoffs.