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Atlanta?

We're considering a relocation to Atlanta. Do any of us live nearby? Thoughts about the area?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Floor Pie on February 4, 2011 at 9:27am

I used to work in the Seattle branch of a company that's headquartered in Atlanta. Never been there myself, but some of my old co-workers ended up taking jobs there when our branch closed. Some of them loved it (better weather, friendlier people), some of them ran screaming back to Seattle at the earliest opportunity (cultural differences, politics). I've been to Athens and really enjoyed it.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

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Permalink Reply by Bigkrygowski on February 4, 2011 at 12:12pm

I work in Atlanta a couple times a year. Love the weather but hate the traffic.

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Permalink Reply by Floor Pie on February 4, 2011 at 1:39pm

Just saw this on TPM about Georgia schools:

Georgia State Sen. Suggests iPads Could Replace Textbooks In Schools

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Permalink Reply by Herasmus B. Dragon on February 4, 2011 at 5:38pm

Hubby was in the running for a professor position at a small college near Savannah. I would have loved if he'd gotten the offer because GA residents can go to college for free at a GA college, funded by the lottery. The girls would've been set.

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Permalink Reply by Kiwi on February 4, 2011 at 7:37pm

LOVE Atlanta. It is the only place in the South I'd dwell. Great cost of living, great weather, and the free college tuition isn't half bad either.

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Permalink Reply by YoYoWannaBe on February 4, 2011 at 7:42pm

Colleges funded by the lottery - wonderfully regressive. Smart people place funded by the stupid.

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Permalink Reply by mcglory13 on February 5, 2011 at 7:48am

Don't be a snob, colleges are open to everybody these days, smart and dumb alike. :P

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Permalink Reply by Mommy Monster on February 5, 2011 at 11:52am

We live in Atlanta. Well, we live in Roswell, which is about 10 miles north of Atlanta. We moved here from San Francisco and the culture shock took years to wear off.

Pros:

Four distinct seasons all of which have their good points (that's subjective, but for me it's a pro)

Really good area for for medical resources (Emory Hospital),

Vibrant cultural arts scene (both large and small), museums, music venues

Awesome outdoor activities (hiking, laking, canoeing, camping, biking, etc.)

Lots of great places/resources for raising kids

Cons

Incredibly conservative politically and socially. Something like 87% of Georgians attend church regularly, politicians are all Republicans, no alcohol sales on Sunday, very traditional gender-role expectations

Sports mania - if you are into football, this isn't a problem but we aren't and couldn't believe how everyone's life revolves around it here. People plan their weddings for weeks when their team has a by....to me, that's crazy

People are often friendly, but also often very superficial. Atlanta rivals LA for the amount of plastic surgery, eyeliner and hairspray consumed.

Traffic - sucks. Atlanta is very sprawling, much like LA. The public transit system is abysmal, and you can't really walk anywhere.

Some good restaurants, but not a foodie town like other major cities (NY, SF, New Orleans, etc.)

If you want to be in a more progressive environment, stay "ITP" (inside the perimeter, which is Highway 285). You might be surprised at the cost of housing ITP compared to OTP, but that's cause you're paying to live in a much more hip, awesome area.

The whole Hope Program (the lottery funded education thing) is very cool albeit regressive. My kids both attended Pre-K courtesy of Hope. There have been some unintended consequences though. Many, many students that might have gone to ivy league colleges are now staying in-state and the competition to get accepted at a state school is enormous. It's really tough to get in, and only getting more so. Also, funding is running out. They are already discussing eliminating the Pre-K portion of hope and some predict that they will have to significantly cut the college level benefits in the next 5-10 years.

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Permalink Reply by YoYoWannaBe on February 5, 2011 at 4:44pm

Thanks, MM. I will definitely share this post with my wife. If I do wind up down there, I hope we can have a meet up.

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Permalink Reply by YoYoWannaBe on February 5, 2011 at 4:47pm

Given what I've heard about who you've had to teach, I can't blame you for saying that.

mcglory13 said:

Don't be a snob, colleges are open to everybody these days, smart and dumb alike. :P

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Permalink Reply by Mommy Monster on February 6, 2011 at 6:33am

Absolutely! I love to turn imaginary friends into real life friends. :)

YoYoWannaBe said:

Thanks, MM. I will definitely share this post with my wife. If I do wind up down there, I hope we can have a meet up.