<p>One of my closest girlfriends is thinking about a move to Atlanta. She is not on cc, but I told her I’d start a thread for some info. for her.</p>
<p>She and her H work from home, so they could live anywhere. I asked her why Atlanta, and this is what she said:</p>
<p>1) Warm weather, but mild winters and still four seasons, even if Fall & Winter are mild…
2) Her children could move there too after college and find jobs there
3) Housing is reasonable
4) Bigger city (we live in a very small town in NE)
5) They have basements unlike Florida</p>
<p>I agree with what she says…I’m only concerned that it’s not near a “coast” and more land locked…but she doesn’t seem to mind that…</p>
<p>Anyone have experience with living there that could tell us the pros and cons? Thank you!</p>
<p>We considered Atlanta as a potential relocation option. Like the other cities under consideration, we visited for a few days and had a realtor show us around the housing market. In the end we dropped it off our list. We did really like the housing, very reasonable prices compared to other cities on our list. But we were surprised by how hilly it was; lots of properties had steep slopes which we didn’t want.</p>
<p>Why we dropped Atlanta: One of our criteria was warm weather and having driven through Atlanta in the winter in a snowstorm, there are no guarantees. Like you, cookie, I also felt it was somewhat isolated - long drives to anywhere else. (I don’t consider 5 to 7 hours to be “near” a beach; can’t do a day trip or realistically even an overnight with that much driving.) There were no other major population areas within easy reach. So you have to rely on Atlanta to provide everything in terms of dining, entertainment, recreation, etc. We decided we weren’t looking for the kind of lifestyle that Atlanta would provide. (And yes, traffic was bad.)</p>
<p>The other cities on our short list were Portland, Oregon, and San Diego. San Diego won and someday we will make it there, even though it’s expensive housing without basements.</p>
<p>Lived in Atlanta growning up and in young adulthood. Like most major cities it has so much to offer but I can’t wrap my head around why anyone who has choice where to live would pick a state that has a state income tax.</p>
<p>If the weather is her big pull she would be better of in TN or TX (No state income tax) and Texas is not land-locked, but hotter in temp than Atlanta (but more larger cities to choice from) TN weather would more closely mirror Georgia.</p>
<p>Great info. so far, thank you! My main purpose is to try to play “devils advocate” with her, and to make sure she has thought of all pros and cons.</p>
<p>Didn’t realize the Atlanta airport was the largest. Good point about no other cities nearby…I did hear something about it being pretty hilly. Yes, that could be a con when looking at properties…</p>
<p>Any other suggestion I could give her as to alternatives? I don’t think she has made up her mind, but seems to be leaning in that direction…</p>
<p>She and I both happen to be Jewish, and I do know that that is a consideration for her…that’s why I had suggested Florida for her, but she seems to be against it because of all the cement and strip malls and palm trees…really wanted “regular” trees if I’m describing it correctly…</p>
<p>Yeah, living in New England, we are used to being less than one hour from the beaches!</p>
<p>Collegeshopping: Good info about state income tax. I’ll have to find out if that’s an issue for them or not.</p>
<p>PS: Marilyn: Not sure she even thinks it snows there!! :)</p>
<p>I live in a Northern suburb … just OTP ( outside the perimeter) Lots of great communities in and around Atl. Decatur, Dunwoody, Roswell to name just a few. We have happily raised our 2 girls here- fantastic neighbors who are like family. We had the chances to relocate a few times with h’s job, but having already moved across the pond I couldn’t face relocating again.</p>
<p>Off the top of my head:
Atl in the spring / fall is beautiful. I love the fact we have 4 distinct seasons.
Ga mountains and great lakes nearby
renown hospitals- Emory, Northside, St Joseph on your doorstep
Atl Braves!
UGA football
Theaters, top restaurants
SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY</p>
<p>downside
traffic- though if they work from home…
smog
pollen in spring
seasonal allergies- both my d’s have seasonal asthma
I drive almost everywhere</p>
<p>Do they still have k-12 aged kids? The Hope scholarshp is very compelling for Ga residents.</p>
<p>It rarely snows- every couple of years and the city shuts down. My fav days are snow days. Every one is home, the kids go nuts in an inch of snow and my neighbors and I drink wine at lunch!</p>
<p>Your friend is right on every point. I was born and raised in Atlanta and have lived there twice since getting married, although we currently live in NJ. Not only is the housing reasonable in price, the property taxes are but a fraction of what we pay up here. It was very difficult for us to give up our Atlanta house when we were transferred to NJ because we couldn’t come close to replacing it for even 3 times the cost. </p>
<p>I never felt landlocked in any way. It’s very common for Atlantans to have second homes or vacations at various beaches. Many flock to the Florida Panhandle or the SC/GA coasts. We preferred the lake and there are many great choices within 1-3 hours. It’s also very easy to get to the mountains of N. Georgia and western NC. And of course the Atlanta airport is a major hub so transportation isn’t an issue at all. In fact, I find that the flight choices and prices out of Atlanta are quite often much better than what I have out of Newark.</p>
<p>The biggest negative in my experience is traffic. Atlanta traffic is terrible! Working from home would take out the commuting factor, but traffic will still be an issue. </p>
<p>The climate is great - definitely four seasons. It doesn’t snow often, but when it does the city will come to a halt for one inch.</p>
<p>Large corporate transient population so always nice houses for sale at decent prices.
Not much there there. But it’s OK enough. I lived just inside perimeter in Nancy Creek area. 2 miles to office near Perimeter Mall so traffic not a problem most of time. Older neighborhoods nicer but more $$$.</p>
<p>We live near Atlanta and go there often when I need an urban fix of shopping and good restaurants. We’ll probably move there when we retire - I’m looking at the Roswell/East Cobb area.</p>
<p>There is a large Jewish population in Atlanta with a great Jewish film festival each year (among other amenities). </p>
<p>I like the hilly nature of the city although I would probably try to avoid a steep driveway if I was buying a place there. </p>
<p>The airport doesn’t bother me (although I used to live in Chicago and I didn’t mind O’Hare either!) I like being able to fly direct almost everywhere.</p>
<p>I like the climate - it gets a bit hot in the summer but it’s not nearly as humid as Florida or the GA/SC coast. It rarely snows (maybe once or twice a year and it usually melts by noon.) </p>
<p>The major negative, as others have stated, is the traffic. It’s bad. But not any worse than other major cities.</p>
<p>Thanks again for all the info. I will print it out to share with her.</p>
<p>I can give a bit more details:</p>
<p>She has three children, two girls and one boy. the oldest D is just out of college, the other two are in college, but as far as I can see, they have all had a family discussion and it seems as if the kids will not have problems relocating to be closer to their parents, if they end up in Atlanta.
So no one in k-12.</p>
<p>She has mentioned the East Cobb/Roswell area too! I have also heard the towns of Dunwoody and Marietta mentioned. Don’t know if they are near each other or how far they are from downtown Atlanta.</p>
<p>I can also tell you that she and her H have had numerous finanical strains due to aging parents and who have subsequently died. So I suppose she thinks to get a decent sized home @3,000 square feet with a finished basement (!) that is in a “warmer” area, she’s thinking Atlanta would be her best choice…</p>
<p>thanks for the positives mentioned too! I’m sure it would help cement in her mind that they will be making a good choice in a few years…</p>
<p>My sister lives there…well, Marietta. She’s been there most of her adult life She loves Atlanta. She is a avid golfer…lots of nice courses there. Her job took her to Orlando for a year. She disliked FL so much and begged to tranfer back to ATL (which she did).</p>
<p>A few years ago, she bought a vacation condo at St. Simon’s Island,GA. It’s a five hour ride but once you’re there it’s sooo nice.</p>
<p>Having gone to grad school at Emory, and really enjoyed living there at the time, I would not consider a relocation to Atlanta for myself. There are many other places that I think I would prefer. I think the lower cost of living is a plus. The weather is better than the NE, but it does get cold sometimes in winter, and when I was there the annual (yes, for me it was each year) snow and ice storm usually closed everything for two days. Since people don’t usually drive in snow, the driving is much worse if you happen to be out when it hits. I had to park my car and walk a couple of miles home from Emory (and I know a few other people who did this too.) Safer than continuing to drive. Although one friend got some frostbite on her foot (bad shoes and a longer walk.) I guess this would not be a problem for your friends. Summers were very hot.</p>
<p>I liked in town neighborhoods, many of which had really good restaurants. I had a chance to visit quite a bit for a number of years after I left, and the city just got bigger and bigger. </p>
<p>However, personally, I would want a different type of place if I could live anywhere - beach or mountains, or close to beach or mountains. Somewhere without a lot of traffic too.</p>
<p>Where else would you prefer? She seems to want a large city area with lots of amenities. Traffic could be a problem…don’t know. I do know that finances are an issue.</p>
<p>Any other suggestions I could mention to them to see if they have thought about other locales? Being that she & I are close friends, perhaps my H & I would think about doing similar research for us too! Not sure that we want to stay in NE forever either! Who knows, if they re-locate, maybe we would consider it too…my children are a bit younger, but I suppose it could be a consideration for us down the road too!</p>
<p>The job market here is still iffy, so there is no guarantee that their recent graduates will land jobs.</p>
<p>I agree with others about investigating state taxes – the closer you get to retirement, the more attractive “no income tax” states may be. TX, and TN don’t have state taxes.</p>
<p>The weather here is milder than the NE, but it can be cold and for more than a day or two at a time. We usually have some snow every year, generally just flurries though. Every few years we have more than that and sometimes we have snow events that shut the area down for days. (Very rare, once every ten years or so, I would guess.)</p>
<p>Given that her children are grown, she can pretty much live in any part of the town. She must be careful not to overpay for housing because the market is pretty soft here and I am not convinced it will bounce back anytime soon. </p>
<p>I always recommend renting first in Atlanta. It is a large metro area with lots of different towns/cities/unincorporated areas and within all those lots of neighborhoods. Renting first will allow them to get to know the city and a feel for which areas make the most sense. If they buy and discover they don’t like it here, they could find it difficult to sell their home. The real estate market here is still very, very soft.</p>
<p>I agree that renting first for a very long visit is a good strategy for them to see if it is as wonderful as they believe it is. When I was a tourist in Atlanta, I walked the wrong direction and was the ONLY person walking in the area (near very nice restaurants and the convention center was a homeless shelter). It did not seem safe to walk around centennial park at night (or at least I didn’t see anyone else doing so when I was attending a conference). Have only visited Atlanta and never lived there. Was sad that it doesn’t seem many people walk around the restaurant/hotel area at night; several of the other cities I have visited have a lot more people walking about at night.</p>
I have also heard the towns of Dunwoody and Marietta mentioned. Don’t know if they are near each other or how far they are from downtown Atlanta.</p>