What's in Atlanta, ga?

einatshaul

Just got a surprise job offer for 4 years in Atlanta ga, I've only been to the airport before. Could someone give me any advice and help me make up my mind? (:

GC31608

Well for starters it's the home for Coca-Cola headquarters, lol. Honestly there are a lot of things Atlanta has going for it. I'm originally from NYC, born and raised and lived there for about 15 years. I've now been in Atlanta for about 16 years and don't plan on leaving it any time soon either. You will realize that most of the people you meet here are out of towners, hard to meet someone that is actually from Atlanta.

Atlanta basically offer something for everyone. If you're into the music scene then there are tons of small venues as well as large ones to catch great bands not to mention that Athens, home of R.E.M., isn't too far away either. If you're into the outdoors you can head about 40 minutes north of the city and you've got some wonderful lakes to go boating and tanning. There are also plenty of clubs and bars in the city that provide an entertaining night life. Bottom line, you won't get bored here. Feel free to ask if you have any other questions.

dcfaithful

My girlfriend is from Decatur, GA...basically a suburb of Atlanta...I moved there in 2007 for a little bit with her until we both moved back to Utah.

My experience there was troublesome at first...nothing about the area, I just moved there when I was young and inexperienced so I had trouble finding a decent job, something you've already got settled.

I fell in love with the area though, and the south in general. I'm not from there, but I have a special place in my heart reserved for the south. The downtown area of Atlanta has a lot of great stuff to see. Plus, if you're a sports fan you've got all four American major leagues to go see games, not to mention UGA. Coca-Cola world, The Georgia Aquarium, CNN Center, etc...

The country in Georgia is awesome, I think...those po-dunk towns are great to drive through. If you do decide to move there and get a chance, go to a town called Helen...there is some great camping and hiking in that area. Also, make a trip to the Tallulah Gorge (sp?).

Some very nice people down there, at least through my encounters. I lived in Norcross, and then in Suwanee before we moved back. I met some great people down there. I moved there in the summer though and had never experienced heat like that in my live being from Utah. The humidity hit me like a brick wall. Alos, be prepared for some really heavy souther thunderstorms...but I find them to be soothing and beautiful. :?

The fall in Georgia is one of the most wonderful things I've ever seen...truly a great time of the year there. The colors are magnificent, and the temperatures are just perfect.

My one and only complaint about livign there was the population...there are a lot of people, but that's to be expected. Atlanta is one of the biggest metro areas in the Eastern side of the country. But that's just my own thing, some people like living in densely populated areas. I tolerated it...but I'm used to the Wasatch Valley in Utah, which isn't nearly as full of people as the Greate Atlanta area.

Good luck, and if you go remember this: You can leave the South, but the South will never leave you.

chadwick

all i know is that it's hot as hell and a large place.

dcfaithful

GC31608 wrote:

Atlanta basically offer something for everyone. If you're into the music scene then there are tons of small venues as well as large ones to catch great bands not to mention that Athens, home of R.E.M., isn't too far away either. If you're into the outdoors you can head about 40 minutes north of the city and you've got some wonderful lakes to go boating and tanning. There are also plenty of clubs and bars in the city that provide an entertaining night life. Bottom line, you won't get bored here. Feel free to ask if you have any other questions.

Yes! Athens, Georgia kicks ass. Go eat at The Grit....so delicious.

pandora

Yes Georgia is a beautiful state. We've been in the Atl area since 91. Great weather here which that and a better business economy brought us. Although I agree its a melting pot for those who relocate our employees have mostly been southern born and raised. Proud, opinionated, hard working, family and church orientated people.
We have gorgeous falls and springs, mild winters, not as much severe weather as other southern states, and you can depend on the summers to be warm which I like.
You have within a few hours drive the mountains and the ocean, nice for a weekend getaway.Go to Helen the little Alpine village town, see a good band at the Troll Tavern, tube down the river and eat german food, fun.
I think you will like Atlanta. If you can come stay a little. We did our research before choosing and have not been disappointed.
For me though the cultural shock was pretty hard, being a midwest girl with a tavern on every corner full of jovial yankees, something I so miss to this day, my WI people. I don't really fit in with the bible belt thing but I've gotten accustomed to being odd one out with a strong tooooast accent
Good luck oh and beware of the traffic!

dcfaithful

pandora wrote:

Good luck oh and beware of the traffic!

God, yes...

bigeye21

Grew up in Marietta and couldn't wait to get out of there. I think I was just starving to travel and explore other areas at the time. Still have a ton of family and friends there and go back at least once a year. It's pleasant to visit now that I have almost 9 years and 2000 miles distance. In that time, Atlanta has gone through a bit of a renaissance and some of the downtown neighborhoods are seemingly pretty cool these days. Still don't think I could ever live there again by choice. I might move to the south again, but probably not Atlanta. Just too sprawling, too hot, too conservative, and not very interesting.

But work is work and if it's a good opportunity, then you might should consider it. You wouldn't have to stay there forever and there is something to be said for experiencing the south for yourself. I talk to so many people who think Atlanta is like the Dukes of Hazzard and have to tell them that it's actually pretty cosmopolitan and even bigger than Seattle. Plus, I know plenty of people who love it there and would never leave. Just my two cents...

dcfaithful

bigeye21 wrote:

Grew up in Marietta and couldn't wait to get out of there. I think I was just starving to travel and explore other areas at the time. Still have a ton of family and friends there and go back at least once a year. It's pleasant to visit now that I have almost 9 years and 2000 miles distance. In that time, Atlanta has gone through a bit of a renaissance and some of the downtown neighborhoods are seemingly pretty cool these days. Still don't think I could ever live there again by choice. I might move to the south again, but probably not Atlanta. Just too sprawling, too hot, too conservative, and not very interesting.

But work is work and if it's a good opportunity, then you might should consider it. You wouldn't have to stay there forever and there is something to be said for experiencing the south for yourself. I talk to so many people who think Atlanta is like the Dukes of Hazzard and have to tell them that it's actually pretty cosmopolitan and even bigger than Seattle. Plus, I know plenty of people who love it there and would never leave. Just my two cents...

I loved Atlanta, but if I lived in Seattle I probably wouldn't return either. :thumbup:

pandora

if I even visited Seattle I probably wouldn't return!

chadwick

dcfaithful wrote:

pandora wrote:

Good luck oh and beware of the traffic!

God, yes...

yeah i drove 18 wheelers through atlanta a lot and every single time it was a bullshit ordeal.
i have a rather large list of shit cities to drive a tractor/trailer through and Atlanta, Georgia is one of 'em.

dcfaithful

pandora wrote:

if I even visited Seattle I probably wouldn't return!

Yeah, we had a hard time going home when we visited last May. We want to move there very badly...there or Oregon.

Oregon is gorgeous.

chadwick

dcfaithful wrote:

pandora wrote:

if I even visited Seattle I probably wouldn't return!

Yeah, we had a hard time going home when we visited last May. We want to move there very badly...there or Oregon.

Oregon is gorgeous.

seattle traffic is bullshit.
quite terrible but not the worst.

dcfaithful

chadwick wrote:

dcfaithful wrote:

pandora wrote:

if I even visited Seattle I probably wouldn't return!

Yeah, we had a hard time going home when we visited last May. We want to move there very badly...there or Oregon.

Oregon is gorgeous.

seattle traffic is bullshit.
quite terrible but not the worst.

We went there in late May, over the Memorial Day weekend so traffic was very light as people had left town...so most likely I didn't even see the worst of it. :(

chadwick

dcfaithful wrote:

We went there in late May, over the Memorial Day weekend so traffic was very light as people had left town...so most likely I didn't even see the worst of it. :(

rain coming down = 80 mph bumper to bumper crash fest.
computer geeks do not know how to drive.

dcfaithful

chadwick wrote:

dcfaithful wrote:

We went there in late May, over the Memorial Day weekend so traffic was very light as people had left town...so most likely I didn't even see the worst of it. :(

rain coming down = 80 mph bumper to bumper crash fest.
computer geeks do not know how to drive.

I resent that. I'm an excellent driver! My girlfriend on the other hand... :?

intodeep

Well where do you live now and i can offer a comparison for you.

I happen to like Atlanta because my family is in the south and I don't want to be too far from them so Atlanta is the biggest city in the area that gets almost all the bands touring through, and lots of other things to do.

Since you will have a job when you get here you will want to make sure you live close to where you work because traffic SUCKS.

Lots of different resturants that are very good, all sports are good, concerts etc the city offers it all, but it is not a city like New York or Chicago where you rely on public transportation for everything because the Trains kind of suck and everythign is spread out.

I really like atlanta and I think it is cool. like everywhere it has its ups and downs.

einatshaul

Thanks for all the input it really helps me paint a picture in my mind's eye of what it's like living there. I did live in seattle for six months and fell deeply in love with everything about it. Sadly no opportunities arise from there... And I realize atl is an entirely different story. I will miss the ocean, that's for sure. Tell me more about the local music scene? Always a big draw for me..

NoCode416

i'm from atlanta... moved away for college, but i still head back every now and then to see high school friends.

like someone else said, every city has good things and bad things about it.

my opinion of atlanta is that there are several concentrated areas that are really cool. depending on where work is located, take your time in finding a place to live and be sure to get into one of these "cool" areas that is as close to work as possible (traffic).

really low cost of living in atlanta, which is nice.

dcfaithful

NoCode416 wrote:

really low cost of living in atlanta, which is nice.

True. I had a good sized one bedroom apt. for just a little over $500. Wasn't too bad of an apartment either. The management was piss poor though.

intodeep

The music scene in Atlanta is really cool. When you say local do you mean local acts or venues locally for acts to play.

As for local bands etc they have quite a budding amount of music with many great places for them to play. I think right now the metal scene is the best of all the genre’s, but you have a lot of good stuff for all of them.
Some good indie bands making music now are from here like Deerhunter and Black Lips both have international success already. Plus you have bands in Athens that always play Atlanta too like The Whigs, Drive By Truckers etc. There are many little known singer songwriters and up and coming groups playing all over town at places like the earl, the star bar, the warehouse and many other little dives that you can walk into and see a great show anytime.

My favorite part about Atlanta is the multiple music venues like the Tabernacle, Variety Playhouse, The Earl, The Star Bar, Center Stage, Smith’s Old Bar, Drunken Unicorn, the Fox Theatre, Cobb Energy Center, Verizon Amphitheatre, Philips Arena, and the many other places that always have good to great live music.

Most bands I want to see when they tour stop in Atlanta and I love that.

East Atlanta and Little 5 Points offer a very friendly area to hang out and catch great music and meet interesting people.

Oh and if you like metal between the Atlanta bands and the savannah bands the place is rockin!

Oh and the Howlies are my current favorite little band from Atlanta that no one seems to care about. Fun to drink beer and see live!

GC31608

einatshaul wrote:

Thanks for all the input it really helps me paint a picture in my mind's eye of what it's like living there. I did live in seattle for six months and fell deeply in love with everything about it. Sadly no opportunities arise from there... And I realize atl is an entirely different story. I will miss the ocean, that's for sure. Tell me more about the local music scene? Always a big draw for me..

The local music scene is really nothing to brag about right now, but it also depends on the type of music you like. For a while Atlanta was the home of some of the biggest hip hop acts such as Outkast, Goodie Mob and TLC to name a few. As I mentioned before Athens is a great place to catch bands, although it has quieted down significantly as well. The big advantage as intodeep mentioned is that Atlanta is a stopping point for all major bands and acts. I recently saw Alice in Chains at a small venue called The Tabernacle in Atlanta which holds about 3500. It's an old church which eventually became the House of Blues during the 96 Olympics and then renamed Tabernacle. There are lots of great venues here to watch bands, the three major outdoor theatres are Lakewood, Chastain and the recently opened Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. Philips Arena which is the home of the Hawks and the Thrashers has amazing acoustics (Mike Mills of R.E.M. assisted with this aspect of it) regardless of whether you're watching Metallica, Kiss or Billy Joel.

intodeep

dcfaithful wrote:

NoCode416 wrote:

really low cost of living in atlanta, which is nice.

True. I had a good sized one bedroom apt. for just a little over $500. Wasn't too bad of an apartment either. The management was piss poor though.

Okay this depends on what part of town you live in, but comparitvely to the NE and out West yes it is cheaper.

there are some nice mixed use areas being developed all over town.

pandora

I can point you in the direction of some very good biker bars with great local Southern rock, Blues rock and just rock rock. The people extra friendly, maybe a little to, if you know what I mean " show your tits"! kind of places but all in good fun. Its always a very good time, music starts early even in the afternoon or early evening. The drinking is good and cheap and there's great home cooked food and usually no cover just a tip jar. They do not care if you ride or not, we don't, they just like new friends

dimitrispearljam

pandora wrote:

I can point you in the direction of some very good biker bars with great local Southern rock, Blues rock and just rock rock. The people extra friendly, maybe a little to, if you know what I mean " show your tits"! kind of places but all in good fun. Its always a very good time, music starts early even in the afternoon or early evening. The drinking is good and cheap and there's great home cooked food and usually no cover just a tip jar. They do not care if you ride or not, we don't, they just like new friends

Pandora thanks for help my friend Einat

intodeep

Fat Matt's Rib Shack is here AND the Brick Store Pub which was rated the number 2 beer bar* in the world.

Close this puppy down you need no other incentive.

I just looked it up looks like they dropped to number 6 in the world and number 2 in the US in the 2010 poll.

pandora

dimitrispearljam wrote:

pandora wrote:

I can point you in the direction of some very good biker bars with great local Southern rock, Blues rock and just rock rock. The people extra friendly, maybe a little to, if you know what I mean " show your tits"! kind of places but all in good fun. Its always a very good time, music starts early even in the afternoon or early evening. The drinking is good and cheap and there's great home cooked food and usually no cover just a tip jar. They do not care if you ride or not, we don't, they just like new friends

Pandora thanks for help my friend Einat

you're very welcome my hope, Dimitris, would be that you'll come see PJ here when they play the South soon and I'll show you around Atlanta :thumbup:

Brain of mJ

Chiming in a bit late here, but Atlanta seems to have a lot to offer no matter what you're into. You name it, it's here in some fashion or another. As was mentioned earlier, cost of living here can't be beat, especially compared to the Northeast or left coast. One thing that hasn't been mentioned much, but is a cool factor of Atlanta, are the amount of easy drivable road trips from here to other equally as cool places in the southeast. Savannah, Nashville, Asheville, FLA beaches, Charlotte all are an easy 4-5 hr drive from here.

AtlantaJammer

dcfaithful wrote:

NoCode416 wrote:

really low cost of living in atlanta, which is nice.

True. I had a good sized one bedroom apt. for just a little over $500. Wasn't too bad of an apartment either. The management was piss poor though.

Completely depends what part of Atlanta you live in. North of Atlanta is pretty pricy, IMO. Had a 1 bedroom apartment in Alpharetta and it cost me $1400 a month. Roswell, Suwanee, and Johns Creek are pricy too. All of which are suburbs of Atlanta (15 miles away). Some pricier places downtown as well.

dcfaithful

AtlantaJammer wrote:

dcfaithful wrote:

NoCode416 wrote:

really low cost of living in atlanta, which is nice.

True. I had a good sized one bedroom apt. for just a little over $500. Wasn't too bad of an apartment either. The management was piss poor though.

Completely depends what part of Atlanta you live in. North of Atlanta is pretty pricy, IMO. Had a 1 bedroom apartment in Alpharetta and it cost me $1400 a month. Roswell, Suwanee, and Johns Creek are pricy too. All of which are suburbs of Atlanta (15 miles away). Some pricier places downtown as well.

Yeah, I think it all depends on the area. That mentioned apartment was in Norcross...which wasn't exactly the most quaint little town.

ScottBravesFan

GC31608 wrote:

einatshaul wrote:

Thanks for all the input it really helps me paint a picture in my mind's eye of what it's like living there. I did live in seattle for six months and fell deeply in love with everything about it. Sadly no opportunities arise from there... And I realize atl is an entirely different story. I will miss the ocean, that's for sure. Tell me more about the local music scene? Always a big draw for me..

The local music scene is really nothing to brag about right now, but it also depends on the type of music you like. For a while Atlanta was the home of some of the biggest hip hop acts such as Outkast, Goodie Mob and TLC to name a few. As I mentioned before Athens is a great place to catch bands, although it has quieted down significantly as well. The big advantage as intodeep mentioned is that Atlanta is a stopping point for all major bands and acts. I recently saw Alice in Chains at a small venue called The Tabernacle in Atlanta which holds about 3500. It's an old church which eventually became the House of Blues during the 96 Olympics and then renamed Tabernacle. There are lots of great venues here to watch bands, the three major outdoor theatres are Lakewood, Chastain and the recently opened Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. Philips Arena which is the home of the Hawks and the Thrashers has amazing acoustics (Mike Mills of R.E.M. assisted with this aspect of it) regardless of whether you're watching Metallica, Kiss or Billy Joel.

The tabernacle is actually one of the biggest venue's that AIC played on that tour and it sold out so fast they added a second date which sold out again. Atlanta is a great music city in terms of music fans that attend the shows. Great crowds and venues. The local stuff is pretty cool but like you said not as good as it used to be, hopefully it will rebound.

Overall I like Atlanta, the traffic is awful so take MARTA when you can and there is a lot of crime especially in South Atlanta. The city itself is pretty liberal, it always votes blue and one of the main issues of last year's mayor race was if one of the candidates was actually a closet republican, since a republican has zero chance of being elected mayor in the city. The further out in the suburbs you get the more conservative you get pretty much like every other major city on the east coast. Overall I like Atlanta, it's got 6 sports teams, all 4 major sports leagues as well as 2 minor league teams out in the burbs. Great restaurants, good bars, etc. A lot of people are from somewhere else, which is kind of annoying because so many of them move to the suburbs and in turn makes traffic worse. But it's a pretty diverse city.