This 'yankee' doesn't fit in--anyone else feel the same? (Atlanta: transplants, homes)

[JC84]

Hey all,

sorry, I couldn't find any existing threads on this topic.

I was born and raised in Boston and have lived in Georgia for about 5 years now; I still don't feel like I fit in. I'm looking to move closer to Atlanta (can't take living in Carrollton any more ) and I'm looking for any suggestions for affordable, hip locations for 20-somethings in and around Atlanta.

And does anyone else feel the same? I'm so lonely here.

Thanks in advance.

[neil0311]

Georgia isn't New England. Not sure if you visited and spent time here before moving, but I would certainly recommend it to anyone looking to relocate, and that applies to any area to which one considers moving. Don't know the reason you moved, but there is a definite culture difference that folks need to build into their plans.

As for feeling a bit homesick, my wife (a native New Englander...we moved from MA in 2007) is also a bit homesick sometimes. I think that's natural, especially if you left friends and family back in Boston, and have never lived anywhere else. I think particularly, folks in the hub tend to think that nowhere else is Boston, and living up to the comparison is hard.

I often miss the sports culture in Boston. The only thing remotely close here are the folks who follow the GA Bulldogs and college football, but it's not the same. Cities like Boston, NY, and Chicago just have a sports culture that's not easy to reproduce. I subscribe to sports packages and keep up with the Sox and Pats, and watch the Bruins when I can. I catch the Sox in places like Tampa, Seattle, and when I go back to MA. We bought tickets for the Pats and Falcons in 2 weeks at the GA Dome. You can make it work.

[midtown mile girl]

Midtown, Buckhead, Va Highlands, Iman Park might be better neighborhoods. You just need to find one that you're comfortable in. It sounds like you are more comfortable in the city rather than the burbs.

[JC84]

very true, I miss the rabid sports fans.

I moved here very involuntarily-- my dad worked for a major airline. We've lived in Tampa also, which I loved. I just can't get used to it here no matter how hard I try.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by JC84

very true, I miss the rabid sports fans.

I moved here very involuntarily-- my dad worked for a major airline. We've lived in Tampa also, which I loved. I just can't get used to it here no matter how hard I try.

Yeah, I can understand. I'm a little older now, but I was a college student when I first moved here almost 30 years ago from the northeast. I didn't have much choice either, but I learned to like Atlanta.

Almost 10 years into my first stay here, I was offered a chance for a new adventure in Massachusetts. I took a chance in my mid-20s and it paid off. Maybe you have a similar option to go to Tampa or Boston?

[FromGA]

To the OP:
If you are going to continue to live in Atlanta metro -- I am sure you will like living in Atlanta way better than living in Carrollton. Look at advice on this thread/forum about Atlanta areas for 20 year olds.

[Neemy]

Originally Posted by FromGA

To the OP:
If you are going to continue to live in Atlanta metro -- I am sure you will like living in Atlanta way better than living in Carrollton. Look at advice on this thread/forum about Atlanta areas for 20 year olds.

Yes, definitely. The closer into the city you can get, the more you'll see that this is a city full of transplants. The metro area, included.

I moved here at age 10 from NJ from a town where I was friends with everybody, when I left, the kids were hugging me, teachers were hugging me, tears were shed (okay, going for dramatics, here...). I moved to a very clique-ish area of metro-ATL, unincorporated East Cobb, with the clique-ish school triad of Murdock/Mabry/Lassiter. Still, I adjusted okay, but it was definitely a different world.

I have several close friends who moved here from as far away as Newfoundland, and they are comfortable in the metro area. But the farther you get outside the metro area, you'll run into more people that have probably been in GA for generations. My father's family lives out in Winder, they've been there forever, and I totally feel like a fish out of water, there.

[darkone]

I live intown so it doesn't feel too bad to me in any respect, as a transplanted yankee. Parts of Dekalb county (Decatur) and Ponce de Leon feel somewhat northeastern to me - it could have been much worse if I had relocated to Phoenix or Dallas.

I don't miss a Patriots game down here because I go to one of the sports bars when I need to, that caters to Pats fans.

Let's see - what else? If I really need to get out of town for a "day trip", I plan what I call "Saturday Escapes" - I book an early morning flight to an older big city full of charm such as Boston, Chicago, NYC or Philadelphia, spend the entire day there, getting around by train/bus and returning home to ATL at night. Since I'm single and have nothing holding me back I can do this every now and then and it prevents that feeling of being "stuck" and that I'm missing something during the usual grind here ...

[WriterDawg85]

Originally Posted by JC84

Hey all,

sorry, I couldn't find any existing threads on this topic.

I was born and raised in Boston and have lived in Georgia for about 5 years now; I still don't feel like I fit in. I'm looking to move closer to Atlanta (can't take living in Carrollton any more ) and I'm looking for any suggestions for affordable, hip locations for 20-somethings in and around Atlanta.

And does anyone else feel the same? I'm so lonely here.

Thanks in advance.

Dude, the problem is that you're living in Carrollton. Even I would be feel isolated and weird there, and I'm an Atlanta native. In fact, I can't conceive of circumstances in which I would even consider moving to Carrollton or any other town that far from a large city. That would be a dealbreaker for me for any job or romantic partner. If you're from Boston, you must feel like you're on Mars.

Midtown, Virginia-Highland, Poncey-Highland, even Buckhead...there are plenty of young transplants and urban Atlanta natives living in all of those areas. Cost of living is going to be higher than Carrollton but more affordable than Boston. In fact, I knew a Boston native in his 20s who lived in Midtown for quite a while and loved it there.

Every city will vary when compared to any other city, but you'll find a lot more of the types of people you're used to if you move into an in-town area.

[arjay57]

Carrollton is a long way out and many people who grew in Atlanta might feel like a fish out of water there, too.

Move into central Atlanta -- Buckhead, Midtown, Perimeter, Alpharetta, etc. and you'll find zillions of transplants. I don't follow sports but there are bound to be sport pubs where fans of the Red Sox/Patriots/Celtics and other New England teams gather.