Is Alanta a great place to live?

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MM7

Generally speaking, I will say that it is. I moved to Atlanta about 3 years ago coming from a smaller city in GA. You may hear the "bad" about Atlanta; but because Atl is such a big city, crime is unavoidable (just like in every city) but, you are not compelled to stay in the heart of Atlanta. Atlanta has a lot of counties and surrounding cities. I, personally, stay about 20 min south of downtown Atl and my commutes are not all that bad. No, I'm not saying that you will never have to deal with traffic because that will be almost impossible unless you are a homebody. But, as someone else has mentioned, Atl has a lot to offer such as careers and they provide great entertainment. If you are looking for a big city to live in, then I say go for it!

Atlanta is not a bad place. It has a good job market, and the housing, property tax and car insurance are cheap. However I believe I have had my fill of it. I am from the country of Trinidad and Tobago, I have also lived in England and have been in Atlanta for 16 years. I am not really into the religious fervor that you'll find around here. There exist laws on the books that are based on morals rather than logic. (No alcohol on Sunday's). Lots of limits on the stores that can sell it, unlike out west.The spring usually brings on tornados and whether that can kill you, and the traffic is literally horrific. If you want to do anything at all and live in a suburban area be prepared to drive. Even if you think its close by... be prepared to drive. People are not very big on public transport here, I can count probably on one had the times I've taken a bus or train. If you live in a suburban area which is where the better priced houses are and cheaper property tax you usually have nothing to do unless you want to go into the city. Some suburban areas have things relatively close to do, but with Atlanta maybe it because of zoning, residential and cool things to do don't mix, possibly this might be a byproduct of religious fervor also.

Again the traffic is quite literally mindnumbing. Most roads in Atlanta follow no grid pattern and there are thousands of roads named Peachtree. Because of sprawl most people do not live very close to their jobs and a commute can take up to 2 hours. Mine is 45 minutes in the morning (leaving at 6am) and can last up to an hour and a half going home (leaving at 4pm).

If you are interested in counter-culture or anything alternative to the mainstream, you may want to stick to only inner city Atlanta, or limited parts of it. If you're into having say, conversations on certain aspects of Buddhism, head away from the suburbs.
In government schools they're still arguing over whether Harry Potter books should be banned for promoting withcraft, and just this year the GA assembly proposed a bill banning ALL abortion even if it endangers the mother. Also many religious zealots here still argue about the portrayal of evolution in textbooks to the point that it gets tied up in the courts, and many consider homosexuality to be a chosen "behavior".

The crime also is an issue as probably with any city in the South, because the south on average has more crime than other regions of the country. Maybe its the crippling summer heat and humidity.

There's not very much of an outside culture in the suburbs. Me and friends have been spoken to by police for simply being outside at the wrong time. Both times in public areas. (a university and a soccer field).

The good things about Atlanta? Job availability, great home prices, low property tax, low insurance rates. There's things to see around the inner city Atlanta area itself, until you get bored with it. If you like the Southern Baptist church and the religious dogma that goes with it and if you like being asked by random strangers to buy into their church or to pray with them its definately down here for you. Don't get me wrong, there are some pretty cool, friendly people here, others are pretty judgemental and ignorant. I generally get a more relaxed feeling being out in Southern California or Nevada.

starryeyed

Different areas suit different people, kind of like music and clothes. Better question: what kind of people are happiest there? Or, What are the most important values of the people who are happy there?

summit_of_human_intellect

I lived in Atlanta for 2 years and I hated it. I was so glad to move away from there. The good thing about Atlanta is there are lots of job opportunities and plenty of fun stuff to do.
The bad part of Atlanta is , like any big city, you have lots of crime, lots and I mean LOTS of traffic. I used to spend an hour sitting on the freeway every morning, inching my way towards work. If there was no traffic, I could be home in as little 15 minutes. It's terribly crowded. The urban sprawl from Atlanta is almost unbelievable.
I worked downtown and there was lots of crime. Buckhead used to be one of the more dazzling nightspots in Atlanta. The last couple of years it has degenerated into what is now known as "Buckhood". Lots of gangbangers and hoodlums there.
Underground Atlanta used to be an amazing place to visit, but it has fallen prey to the same influences as Buckhead.
There are some great museums and of course Six Flags and whitewater are awesome.
All in all, it's a fun place to visit, but not to live.

echc

I've lived in ATL most my whole life and I wouldn't live anywhere else. I visit a lot of friends and families and other states and im glad I don't live in those states. Atlanta grows on you. Yes it has a couple roads named Peachtree so you gotta figure out which one is which, but you get used to it, the one thing about ATL is you can't get lost because all the roads lead right back to each other some way or another. The prices in ATL are awesome, try going to new york and getting a loft or high rise and you would have to be rich to do so, a person making 40k a year can afford one in ATL. Also there is crime just like in any other big city but dont' move to those parts of the city, everyone around here knows which parts are safer then others, plus they are getting rid of a lot and I mean a lot of bad neighborhoods and building up condo's and stuff so a lot of the trash is being ran out. Atl is full of historical stuff and places to visit so that is always nice and of course six flags and white waters.

M!$$Y

YES! the dirty south is amazing!!!

sweetest sweetness around

yes it is

Lien

Yes. I don't go up to Atlanta very often, but from what I've seen It's a beautiful place. The buildings there are amazing.

depends were in atlanta, powder springs is a very nice place to live in atlanta

Laura

I live about 10 miles outside Atlanta and I would not want to live inside that city for anything!

VerticalHorizon

I live in Atlanta and I love it! There are great places to hang out, eat, dance, etc. Pretty much anything you want to do, you can find it in Atlanta.
One down side....TRAFFIC. Make sure you're in no hurry and always leave early.
Atlanta is like a mini New York with southern hospitality.

meow

Im in Atlanta , there's a lot to do if you have the money , traffic is a night mare...

britlass

I lived outside Atlanta for 7 years, and I was happy to leave. The city itself has no "heart" , meaning no vital center unlike places like London or Boston. The entire metro area is designed around the car; few places to walk, awful traffic even in the suburbs, strip-malls, fast-food (no-one cooks in Atlanta!) and endless sub-divisions. NO CHARACTER except in small pockets such as Stone Mountain village. People in the suburbs are often prejudiced and narrow-minded; my friends were all transplants!
One the plus side it is cheap with OK weather and lots of jobs. No wonder the Olympics were a dead loss!

RodneyRowland

It's a nice place to live if you like traffic and people of color.

evan b

where's alanta

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