Move to Atlanta
 

Hello all!!! I am new to GC. I am interested in moving to Atlanta. I was wondering if there are any GC'ers that recently live/have lived in Atlanta. I'm not really worried about employment so much as I am worried about other social aspects. I've heard that the man to woman ratio is too crappy for words. I've heard that crime is nuts. I would like to hear a first hand account. What is the dating scene like? How about crime? How is the school system? Is there a decent area or suburb to raise a child? How about Emory's, John Marshal's or GSU's Law schools? I would appreciate any information that you may have. Thanks. GC is great.

I'm also interested in moving to ATL, but the situation for me is finding a good job before moving there. I've heard that ATL is another San Francisco....where as there are alot of men on the DL down there.

I live in Atlanta currently, I moved for graduate school. I don't know where you lived before, but I came from Minneapolis, and I want to move back. Atlanta is....interesting...

Yes, there are a lot of gay men, and the straight ones seem to want to act the fool just because they know they are outnumbered. I met a lot of wannabe rappers when I first moved here.

As for crime, I live in a very low crime area (Cobb County). Most of the time when you hear about murders and things on the news its South Fulton, Clayton, or DeKalb counties.

I've heard great things about Emory's law school. My chapter soror currently attends Georgia State's law school.

If you make the move, I would suggest having a job already lined up, and coming down a couple times to go housing shopping...I didn't, and ended up in an apartment I HATED because of it!!

Overall, its a cool place to live, but it depends on what you are looking for. I came down for school, and I think after that I will be leaving because this isn't the place that I would like to live for the rest of my life. But I know other folks that came down and have settled for good. So it all depends on the person.

I love ya, Soror, but why do you have to call out South Fulton county??? I'm a product of South Fulton county, and it really isn't as bad as some people make it out to be. Honestly, I don't want to leave South Fulton as long as I'm in Atlanta. Lots of people move to Cobb, Dekalb, and Gwinnett counties, but those areas are too crowded for me. I don't see how some of those areas deal with traffic on Saturday afternoon. :eek: Just like in all metro areas, some sides of town are nicer than others - although "nicer" is relative. I love living near the MARTA train station in a quiet section of town, but you would really have to look for something nice.

I agree that you may want to take some time to visit and seriously look for a house. Houses are being thrown up every day, but you would want to find quality.

Dating is...interesting. I haven't encountered anyone on the DL (that I know of :rolleyes: ), but I haven't found the one either. At least there's always something to do on any given weekend or even during the week.

On that job situation...... Do a really serious search before you get here. Folks are getting laid off left and right, so the job market is about to get really tight here. A lot of it is about who you know. Thank God for Greek connections, or I might not be teaching. ;)

Like Soror Jubilance said, it really depends on the person. I know people that will not leave Atlanta for anything, but I know some that had to high-tail it out of here after 6 months because they couldn't keep up with the pace...or the fact that they had a job to go to after partying every night. I could talk on this forever from the native Atlantan POV...but I won't. PM me if you want more details. Good Luck!

It's been years since I lived in Atlanta. I recently visited my brother in law last year. He's single. And he probably doesn't have to look that much for the dating... He's relatively hard-working, but he likes chasing women because he can do that. So he's not ready to settle down anytime soon...

I attended college in Atlanta. As for graduate schools, they are pretty good from what I understand. It is what fits best for your persona.

When I lived in Atlanta, it wasn't that much of a city as it is today. Then when I visited recently, the traffic is worse, but the attitudes still have not changed that much. Atlanta, Georgia is still a southern town in the South. To me, a SoCal transplant to DFW to PacNW, helps me keep that concept in perspective. My bias is still what it is today, I wasn't impressed 16 years ago, and I am still not impressed with Atlanta now.

But, if you want your hair done whenever you desire, and you want good food, then by all means, move to Atlanta.

And if you want some of the best African American men available in the world, and can deal with the ups and downs of their, ah, personalities and preferences, then hey, move to Atlanta...

And childrean seem to get a very good healthy dose of support and self-esteem there, too.

You hit the nail on the head with that one. I've encountered many a man that has given me the "I'm a catch because I'm a (fill in the blank) man".

Well...don't believe the hype
 

Atlanta is my second home. I spent every summer and some winter and spring vacations of my childhood there. I grew up there as the city was growing. It was once (and still really is) a Southern town.

I am surprised at people who have never been to Atlanta and think of this city as some "great" place with no crime, no ghettos, etc. When I tell them of driving through one housing project after another and the crime there they don't believe me. Atlanta is just like every other major city with a large concentration of black people. You have your good and you have your bad.:rolleyes:

I would say do extensive research regarding which part you would live in because it is a really diverse and large urban sprawl of a city. There are some really great areas to live in and raise a family but, you still have the roads and the traffic and the people.

The people are very, very diverse. There are people there now from all over and then there are many people who have never traveled outside of the state and still give the city that "small southern town flavor". At a family reunion few years ago, I remember walking through the neighborhood we "grew" up in and everyone on their fronts waving "hey". It was very refreshing and made me smile and wave "hey" back at them. It's not like that all over. The area where my hotel was reminded me of Miami!!! Then again, it depends on the neighborhood and the part of the city you are in.

:(

Hi Teena. What part of Florida do you live in? I currently live in Dallas, but I've also lived in Tampa and Atlanta. Here's my take.

I didn't like Florida. Period. If you're the same way, you may like Atlanta. Florida and ATL are 2 different worlds.

I lived in Atlanta for a year. I was transferred there for my job. I already knew some people there and thru them I met others. ATL was ok. But thats it.....ok. I wouldn't discourage someone from moving there, but I wouldn't really encourage someone either. The shopping is great. I agree with the previous posters about the men.....plenty of eye-candy but so many of them are gay or taken. What you've heard about the lop-sided male to female ratio is very true. The traffic is terrible - I recommend working and living in the same area. The Marietta and Alpharetta areas are nice places to live.

Dallas and ATL are comparable in size and things to do. I can't figure out why, but I like Dallas much much more. We have traffic here, but it isn't a parking lot like GA 400 always seemed to be. And Dallas has more of a Southern feel to me than ATL.

I feel like I'm rambling. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Good Luck!!

Thanks everyone for your replies. They were extremely helpful. I am from Jacksonville Florida but currently live in Tallahassee. I'm sick of Florida and its access to nothing. When I get ready to make the transition to ATL I will take some time off and investigate the school systems as well as housing.

Hi! I just noticed this thread and wanted to chime in. :)

I'm a Georgia girl born and raised, and I currently live in a northeast part of metro Atlanta. I know that other Atlantans on GC may disagree with me but, IMO, Atlanta is not a Southern city by any means. It's very diverse, and I as a native Georgian find myself in the minority most of the time. For example, at a birthday party last Saturday, I was the only person -- out of 35 people -- who was originally from Georgia. Everyone else was from South Florida, New York or Ohio.

Like any city, Atlanta has its good parts and its bad parts. Some of the more rundown areas of intown Atlanta are undergoing "gentrification" right now and there are some really cool neighborhoods springing up there.

You asked about schools... Some county school systems are better than others, but I'm not really thrilled with any of the ones in our area. I have a 16 month old daughter and she'll probably attend private school unless our education system does a 180 in the next 4 years.

To me, the best part of Atlanta is the entertainment aspect. The new aquarium, the Braves/Falcons/Thrashers, several concert venues, the Fox Theater, Fernbank Museum, and the thousands of restaurants and night spots are just a few of the things that make Atlanta fun. If you're young and single, it's a great place to be because there's never a lack of things to do. However, unless you've got a really good income and can afford to live in one of the nicer areas (i.e., nicer school districts), then I wouldn't recommend it for families. Honestly, if my husband's job wasn't so specialized, we wouldn't still be here.

I hope my little review of Atlanta doesn't come off as being too negative, and that I was able to give you some good info. :) Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

dzrose93

You know, I'm in South Florida right now and I am planning a move out to the DFW area within the next year or so. What do you think of the area? Seeing as how I know Tampa and we seem to have similar tastes. :rolleyes:

As far as Atlanta goes, I truly believe it's overrated. Besides Miami, ATL is another place that can have six-lane traffic at midnight. Ridiculous. All the WOMEN I know are moving out there for the industry, half the men I know are moving out there for the women, and the other half are moving out there for the men. I think there are much more prosperous places for Blacks other than Atlanta.

I can't find anything good about Atlanta other than the entertainment industry.. but I would love for someone to prove me wrong. :p

In Da 'A'
 

I reside in Atlanta, and I love it. I feel it is a great place for opportunity. Of course, just as any place else, you should always prepare for the move. Atlanta is broken up into so many areas. I looked for a job first. After I landed a job, I looked for a place to stay near my job. With Atlanta being so vast, you could find an apartment first and have a job that takes you an hour to get to. Traffic is hell here too. Luckily I go against the flow of traffic to and from work. There are a number of AKA chapters that you could become affiliated with. I reside in Dekalb county. The Tau Pi Omega chapter does a lot for Dekalb County schools and Dekalb county as a whole. You also have a lot of interesting things going on in Atlanta during the week of founders' day due to MLK Day. There is also the Atlanta AIDS walk in which AKAs participate in. Then of course all of the national community service done by all chapters. The crime rate is kinda high. Watching the news is depressing. Cobb County is one of the better counties. Overall, Atlanta is a great place. Crime really doesn't involve you unless you are in areas where it is commonly none such as clubs, bars, drug houses, etc. Birds of a feather flock together. I'm a homebody and love staying in my humble abode. Although the area I stay in is quite ghetto.

Another thing I am REALLY interested in is community activism. Where I am now, the AA community is not productive and is a bit sluggish.

Also, Are there any public schools (middle) that stand out above the rest so far as academics. I looked for information on the ACJ website. They sell a school guide for about $25.

I am currently seeking employment with one of the local colleges. Preferrably with GSU. I would like to continue my education with financial assistance.

Thanks for all the feedback GC'ers.

Middle Schools
 

Well, I have only been in Atlanta for a year and a month now. I'm not really into politics myself, so I couldn't really tell you anything about community activism in the area. Anytime there is a issue that affects a lot of people as a whole, people usually get together and do things about it. There was an incident where a lady went into a convenient store close by a school and noticed that they were selling weapons in a closed glass display case. She got together with parents in the area and they wrote letters to the proper officials to see if there was a law against such things. This is also in Dekalb County near Redan Road. I'm the type of person where if you ask me to sign a petition or help out with something, I will. If it doesn't affect me directly, I will not initiate it. Hope that doesn't come across wrong. Not really the leader type.

As far as schools go, you can check out this site: http://www.atlanta.k12.ga.us/. Hopefully it will give you some idea.

ATL is considered the gay mecca. There are a lot of openly gay men as well as DL men. Midtown is known for being a gay friendly area. There are restaurants where there are nothing but gay people working there. Piedmont Park is known to be the gay hang out spot on Sundays. Most people know this and still get upset when they take their families to the park.

My best advise is to find you a gay friend. Go out with him. Surround yourself with the knowledge of the gay language including verbal and body language. That way you have that general knowledge on how to suspect a gay man. DL or not. There are men that you would never suspect were gay that are DL. I'm talking hard thug men. Just gotta know what to look for.

Most straight men do not use the same language as gay men. Look for the obvious and don't be naive. Terms like girl, child, honey, messy. Men being overdramatic. Men talking about other people in great detail. "That girls hair is f*cked up" is fine. "Oh my God. Her roots are showing. She needs a retouch" is not okay. "That's a nice outfit" is ok. "Girl that get up is fierce" is not okay. Books have been written on the signs. Open up your eyes and don't be naive. 9 times out of 10, if you have to ask yourself more than once about something, then it probably is what you think it is.