relocating to Atlanta, GA

May 4, 2004 1:30 PM

RelocationFilter: Atlanta GA area?

I may be moving to the Atlanta GA area. Was wondering if anyone could offer any advice on the city and the outlying areas and suburbs. Info on apartments, finding a house/neighborhood, etc. is appreciated. City guide websites don't always help answer the "Where should I live?" question. I haven't seen Atlanta in over 10 years, and know nothing about the 'burbs.

Any personal views or experiences is welcomed.

Thanks!

posted by jca to travel & transportation (13 comments total)

They're basically all the same.
posted by Stan Chin at 1:36 PM on May 4, 2004

That's like saying "live on or near Peachtree St".
posted by jca at 1:50 PM on May 4, 2004

Atlanta is really big. Where will you be working? Why are you moving? As Stan said the 'burbs are pretty much the same, but the intown neighborhoods are nice if you can afford it. What do you have in mind?
posted by monkeyman at 4:11 PM on May 4, 2004

Might be moving back for several factors that I can't get into. It's not for a job - I will most likely be working at home, not necessarily commuting to/from Atlanta for work. That's why I was wondering about the suburbs and cities outside the freeway "perimeter". Was hoping for something not too expensive, although moving from LA, the cheaper cost of living will help. :)
posted by jca at 6:12 PM on May 4, 2004

What are your interests then? Monthly residence budget? Give us something with which to work. ;-)
posted by mischief at 8:04 PM on May 4, 2004

I can't really speak to the suburbs, but I lived in the heart of downtown Atlanta for four years. If you're interested in anything intown, feel free to drop me an e-mail.

What sort of living do you like? Suburban apartment-house living? Detached houses? Apartments with a more urban feel? Semi-urban houses? In metro Atlanta's sprawl, you can find just about any situation you like.
posted by Vidiot at 10:51 PM on May 4, 2004

Other useful information: Liberal, conservative; straight, gay; married, single; black, white; upper, middle, lower... Atlanta has many neighborhoods that 'cater' to particular lifestyles.
posted by mischief at 8:15 AM on May 5, 2004

Three suggestions: Intown, Intown, Intown...

Unless you like cookie-cutter developments and intolerant peckerheads, that is...

Intown neighborhoods are real neighborhoods; sidewalks, friendly people, great lifestyle choices, liberal, hip, a sense of place... all the things that I think add to the quality of life stuff.

In the exurbs? You could be in any major sprawly city in the US.
posted by jpburns at 9:11 AM on May 5, 2004

Appreciate the advice so far. To answer your questions: Looking for a house, but a city style loft (a real loft - not a condo development or apartment building being called "lofts". Looking to buy, not rent) isn't out of the question. As far as demographics, liberal and single professional comes to mind. Although the idea that living in the burbs = "intolerant peckerheads" hasn't been my experience.
posted by jca at 10:30 AM on May 5, 2004

Okay. Let me leap in here and defend the northern 'burbs a bit. I've lived in-town and I've lived in Atlantan suburbia. Both have their merits and demerits. If you have questions about either, don't hesitate to shoot me an email.

Someone actually sent me some similar questions in an email two months ago, asking me how life was in North Atlanta. Here, with the specifics edited, is what I said:

Okay. Let's talk about North Fulton County and Cobb County. Though neighbored side-by-side, they are vastly different in make-up and attitude. North Atlanta knows that it is the lucky side of the city, being far more prosperous and promising than the suburbs directly to the South. Why this is so has probably alot to do with social history and favored demographics, but such speculation isn't going to help you with your moving decision in the short-run. So you have Cobb County, centered around Marietta-Kennesaw, and North Fulton, centered around Roswell-Alpharetta. The benefit to living in either of these counties is that each has a major urban artery running through its heart. Cobb has I-75 and North Fulton has GA-400. Both will get you to downtown Atlanta in a reasonable amount of time and both can become absolutely evil during rush hour.

What North Fulton has over Cobb, is that North Fulton is covered (albeit by bus more than rail) by the MARTA system, while Cobb County stops MARTA at the county line. Instead, Cobb commuters use a proprietary county transit called CCT to get to downtown that is entirely bus-based and uses no rail at all. If you visualize that Atlanta is encircled by I-285 (called locally "The Perimeter"), crossed horizontally by I-20 and bisected vertically by GA-400 (with arms extending up and to the right and left by I-75 and I-85), then imagine the MARTA rail system running along that same crossed axis, ended to the south at the Airport and to the north at North Springs (about two miles outside I-285).

Confused yet? Don't be. Driving around here is only nightmarish to those that visit occasionally. My parents live in Chattanooga, right on the Georgia-Tennessee stateline. They hate it down here. But I've lived here for about nine years now and I can tell you that the frustration diminishes with experience. Just remember that sundown sunshine will affect traffic after 5pm,as will drizzling rain (especially after about a week of dryness), any kind of wreck that places cars in a rubber-neck observable position beside the road, and anytime a meteorologist whispers the word "snow" under his breath.

I've yet to come face to face with anything resembling intolerance in the high country, though I do see far more mini-vans in a week than most see in a year. All of the have little magnets on the back that tell me just what sports their youngsters are playing. The people at the grocery store are friendly enough, there are several restaurants of the cookie-cutter variety and even some that have measurable character.
posted by grabbingsand at 10:57 AM on May 5, 2004

I will vouch for the accuracy of grabbingsand's description, but I would add that if you are planning to buy, you may want to avoid Fulton County. The vast bulk of the sewer infrastructure is beyond repair and requires replacement. The cost of this project will reach into the US$100s of millions, if not a billion or two, given the ineptitude of both Atlanta's and Fulton County's bureaucracies.

You can find actual lofts downtown and in Midtown, some in the Fairlie-Poplar area are going for as little as $700 a month (though I suspect these are more like giant studios or mini-lofts).
posted by mischief at 4:16 PM on May 5, 2004

I lived in Fairlie-Poplar -- there are lots of "lofts" there, but most aren't of the classsic post-industrial type. Mine was in a converted bank building (The Metropolitan, at 20 Marietta St.), with 15-18 foot ceilings, but otherwise like a normal apartment.
posted by Vidiot at 9:14 PM on May 5, 2004

Although the idea that living in the burbs = "intolerant peckerheads" hasn't been my experience.

Let me 'fess up to being abrupt and overly simplistic when I made that comment. I just wasn't prepared to elaborate like grabbingsand was. His analysis is excellent.

But still, generally:

Intown= Liberal, Democratic, gay-tolerent, latté drinkers...

Suburbs= Neo-conservative, Republican, gun-totin' homophobes...

(Again... I'm oversimplifying...)
posted by jpburns at 11:06 AM on May 6, 2004