Anyone here lived in Atlanta?

Is it a horrible place to live or is it decent? My gf has a job offer there and we are considering it. Pros? Cons?

ed? ed?

It is great if you live close to your office.

Which begs the question, where is the office?

A lot of the responses are going to depend upon where, exactly, you're thinking of moving. The Atlanta metro area is enormous, so it's hard to give any detailed input without a more specific location.

For what it's worth, I currently live just far enough from Atlanta to not be part of the metro area, I lived there for a couple of years in the 90s, and I have a lot of family/friends in the Atlanta area. That being the case, I know the city relatively well. I would happily move back, but, if I did, I'd really want to be inside the Perimeter (or at least very close to the Perimeter). There are a lot of great things to do in the city, but the suburbs/exurbs, while nice in the right areas, tend to be pretty generically suburban. The real character to Atlanta is ITP.

We'd be near the aquarium, if that helps at all.

Lots of rappers live there.

Originally Posted by MrG

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A lot of the responses are going to depend upon where, exactly, you're thinking of moving. The Atlanta metro area is enormous, so it's hard to give any detailed input without a more specific location. For what it's worth, I currently live just far enough from Atlanta to not be part of the metro area, I lived there for a couple of years in the 90s, and I have a lot of family/friends in the Atlanta area. That being the case, I know the city relatively well. I would happily move back, but, if I did, I'd really want to be inside the Perimeter (or at least very close to the Perimeter). There are a lot of great things to do in the city, but the suburbs/exurbs, while nice in the right areas, tend to be pretty generically suburban. The real character to Atlanta is ITP.
It's true that all the best restaurants, sports venues, entertainment, etc are all found inside I-285 (mainly Buckhead and the 'in-town' areas). It's also true that these areas can be pretty ridiculously priced, even if you're just looking for an apartment or condo. The Metro Atlanta area is enormous, spanning something like 12-15 counties and coming up on six million people, but the actual city proper (the area encircled by I-285) is rather small. In my opinion you'd be limiting yourself by only considering ITP - the 'real' atlanta is rapidly becoming much more than whats inside the perimeter, and more about the cultural impact of the metropolitan area as a whole. Or something.

^^^^^^^^^

Some good points here, but ridiculously priced? Atlanta has some of the lowest-priced and lowest-taxed real estate of any major metro area in the US. Does it cost more to live here than say, Kansas City? Sure it does. But compared to Chicago, Philly, DC, Boston and any west coast metropolis, Atlanta is a cost-of-lving bargain.

To the OP, if you are going to be near the aquarium there are all kinds of new condo developments in the surrounding area. Also very close by is Castleberry Hill, a historic district with loads of authentic lofts and a late-night party scene if that's what you are looking for.

Can't give you any more advice without knowing buy/rent, budget, etc. Good luck and welcome to Atlanta.

Originally Posted by mrhills0146

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Some good points here, but ridiculously priced? Atlanta has some of the lowest-priced and lowest-taxed real estate of any major metro area in the US. Does it cost more to live here than say, Kansas City? Sure it does. But compared to Chicago, Philly, DC, Boston and any west coast metropolis, Atlanta is a cost-of-lving bargain.

This. Compared to the northeast and west, Atlanta is very affordable. I would think the condo market is so oversupplied right now, from downtown to Buckhead (I'd highly recommend checking this area out, and considering taking MARTA (rail system) downtown, as opposed to living downtown), that one could get some terrific deals, and rents would likely be competitive also. Atlanta is a great place, tons to do, great weather (except July/August) and relatively cosmopolitan. Cons? Horrible traffic almost any time of the day, crime in some parts can be pretty god-awful, and the summers can be pretty hot and sticky.

It is called Hot-lanta for a reason - but I grew up in the South, so it's all fine by me . I lived in the Alpharetta/Roswell area in 2005 and it is a nice area. It is probably a younger more vibrant city than a lot of others. The downside - you have to travel through the Atlanta airport, and I don't like it! A royal pain. Regardz(Tm), CC

Your perception will depend on from where you are moving. From where are you moving?

Atlanta is a great place to live (more so if you're single). I used to live in Midtown a few years ago and loved being able to walk to Piedmont park, hit up some bars and restaurants and not have to drive. Commute time was probably the single worst part about living in Atlanta. Since you'd be living in the city your commute to work probably wouldn't be too bad.

Originally Posted by TintoTerra

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Is it a horrible place to live or is it decent? My gf has a job offer there and we are considering it. Pros? Cons?

Being a massive metro area, it depends heavily on where you are. For a job near the Aquarium, I'd recommend Midtown (for condos and apartments look to the Peachtree Street corridor, for homes look a bit east of there, and around Piedmont Park), and Buckhead (condos and apartments again on the Peachtree Street corridor, homes a bit farther off of it). Those should be OK for what passes as mass transit in this city (MARTA), provided you're decently close to one of the train stations. For areas where you don't mind driving a bit more, then maybe Brookhaven, Collier Hills, Vinings, Westside/DeFoors area, Perimeter/Pill Hill, and there are some others.

I lived in Midtown and Atlantic Station for about 4 years, the last year in Atlantic Station. I would not recommend living in Atlantic Station unless you can't find anywhere else to live. Nor would I recommend Decatur. For an intown area and city, it's a pain ********** to get to and from. The Wife and I currently live in Embry Hills, as both of our jobs are out in the 'burbs, but prior to that lived in Brookhaven, and enjoyed it quite a lot.

With the amount of highways here and the busiest airport in the world, you can get pretty much anywhere in a reasonable amount of time, but it's so sprawled out that it can take you a long time to go anywhere. A lot of the people that live here are transplants, and you can tell during football season especially. Then there's the water supply issue, which will be coming to a head over the next year or so, to keep your eyes on.

Really, it depends on what's important to you both.

Originally Posted by Dewi

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Being a massive metro area, it depends heavily on where you are. For a job near the Aquarium, I'd recommend Midtown (for condos and apartments look to the Peachtree Street corridor, for homes look a bit east of there, and around Piedmont Park), and Buckhead (condos and apartments again on the Peachtree Street corridor, homes a bit farther off of it). Those should be OK for what passes as mass transit in this city (MARTA), provided you're decently close to one of the train stations. For areas where you don't mind driving a bit more, then maybe Brookhaven, Collier Hills, Vinings, Westside/DeFoors area, Perimeter/Pill Hill, and there are some others. I lived in Midtown and Atlantic Station for about 4 years, the last year in Atlantic Station. I would not recommend living in Atlantic Station unless you can't find anywhere else to live. Nor would I recommend Decatur. For an intown area and city, it's a pain ********** to get to and from. The Wife and I currently live in Embry Hills, as both of our jobs are out in the 'burbs, but prior to that lived in Brookhaven, and enjoyed it quite a lot. With the amount of highways here and the busiest airport in the world, you can get pretty much anywhere in a reasonable amount of time, but it's so sprawled out that it can take you a long time to go anywhere. A lot of the people that live here are transplants, and you can tell during football season especially. Then there's the water supply issue, which will be coming to a head over the next year or so, to keep your eyes on. Really, it depends on what's important to you both.
Pretty much. I'd also recommend checking out Little 5 Points, specifically the apartments across from the Variety Playhouse. I know it's a very specific recommendation, but the area has some of the coolest/funkiest restaurants and entertainment options around, aside from being kind of a counter-cultural hub of the metro area. If youre into that sort of thing.

Great advice here so I will only add that I previously lived in ATL for several years and still consider it a second home (and travel there often). It has its pros and cons like any other place but overall I recommend it and imagine I will at some point settle down there again.