Atlanta - Closest to DC, Dallas, or LA (Roswell, Marietta: real estate, neighborhoods)

[ECD9973]

Thanks all. Some great info. Please keep it up.

As for the poster asking about me and my husband...LOL. I am the husband... (My wife is a better typer)...

But we are looking for a house around $350k
I know many are saying in the city - Are there good family areas with good schools as well?

I'll be honest - I was worried it was more like Dallas, and it is seeming that way. This really is a "Should I move?" Thread. The job is good, the salary is good, but it's not where I have to. I don't mind staying where I am (Which is now where I am leaning).

[ECD9973]

Originally Posted by kagmypts

It also does not cool down much at night (i.e. you will be more than warm enough in shorts and short sleeves), but it will be in the high 60s or low 70s. That said we do have a wonderful fall season (my favorite Atlanta months by far) and a nice spring (if you do not suffer from allergies... unfortunately my kids go nuts in the spring after we are outside for about 5 minutes).

No allergies. For the summer - It does cool down, right? That was my pain in Dallas. I don't mind the heat and hummidity (DC had that as well), but in Dallas, it would stay in the 90's at night. There was no break.

Also -How far from Atlanta to snow in the winter? We like in the winter being able to drive 45 mins and have the kids play in the snow.

[jessiesma]

Dallas it is green, tons to do only thing is the beach is 6-8 hours away and the closest skiing is in NC not very good compared to the Western Mts. but it is a great place and has seasons. it does get hot in summer but not that 100+ semi-desert that Dallas is and whlie it does get some cold and snow the winds don't "come howlin' down the plain" Oh that's Okalhoma but they make it to Dallas unimpeded. The mountains buffer Atl.
Teh population is so diverse that while you will encounterthe types you mention in Big D, you will also be able to find others fo your ilk depending on where you choose to live.

Originally Posted by ECD9973

Ok. I know there are a few threads already about moving to Atlanta. But they all seem to be about their own unique example. So I figure I would add.

I have lived in DC, Annapolis MD, Dallas Texas, and now a place called Rancho Cucamonga (Outside of LA). We liked DC, LOVED Annapolis, HATED Dallas, and enjoy Rancho.

We are a family in our mid 30's with 2 little kids. We make a decent Salary for CA, which as far as I can tell from Cost of Living comparisons and home prices would be a GREAT salary in Atlanta. Have been offered a job that actually even pays a little higher, and is located in Atlanta. We are considering it. BUT we are nervous of living in a place like Dallas again.... Which we hated (Did I mention that?).

So we loved DC and Annapolis for the following reasons -
Historic
Plenty to do
4 seasons
Small town feel but close to big city (Annapolis),
Very Green (Tress and grass)
Left leaning - (Political speaking)
Educated (Not trying to sound like a snob. I hardly graduated HS and got through college after 5 years. But there was a high level of College Grads in the DC area. Just had more in common with them to make friends.)

Love Rancho Cucamonga
Lots to do
Minor league baseball team
TONS of parks
Great place for families and lots of family events
Liberal leaning
Great weather
Only 1 hour to the beach, 45 mins to ski resorts

And we hated Dallas based on the following
Weather sucked (Cold in Winter, and 100+ for weeks on end in summer... even at night)
Nothing to do (Only so many times you can look at a X in the middle of the road)
No history
Flat
Brown (Tress and grass were dean 9 months of the year)
Very Right politically
Very Religious people
Low college graduated rank
Policies that made no sense (Many towns were "Dry", but only parts of the town)

So - While the job seems great, and Atlanta seems good. I'm very worried about ending up in another "Dallas". Is Atlanta closer to Dallas, DC/Annapolis, or Rancho Cucamogna?

[plessthanpointohfive]

Oops! Again... The whole mobile issue.

For 350K you can get into a good schhol/family area...if you don't need a huvge house.

Come back to this thread tomorrow...I can better point you to neighborhoods on a regular keyboard..LOLH

Others will come to your aid this evening....

[mslashondapjohnson]

And we hated Dallas based on the following
Weather sucked (Cold in Winter, and 100+ for weeks on end in summer... even at night)
Nothing to do (Only so many times you can look at a X in the middle of the road)
No history
Flat
Brown (Tress and grass were dean 9 months of the year)
Very Right politically
Very Religious people
Low college graduated rank
Policies that made no sense (Many towns were "Dry", but only parts of the town)


I am from Dallas and I hate Dallas and have visited Atlanta a couple of times you can go to atlanta.net 50 fun things to Do and although that may not be nothing to someone from Atl but I loved some of the landmarks such as the Martin Luther King Jr center, the church he preached in , the Jimmy Carter place, Coca Cola , Fernbank Museum and not to mention Alonzo Herndon , who became the largest black property owner in Atlanta by 1900.
Herndon Home--Atlanta: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary

That's just a few to mention as far as things to do I know I forgot a hundred things but anyway I am so out of here as long as God says the same so I totally disagree with comparing ATL to Dallas... I haven't been to the other towns you listed .

[ECD9973]

Originally Posted by plessthanpointohfive

Oops! Again... The whole mobile issue.

For 350K you can get into a good schhol/family area...if you don't need a huvge house.

Come back to this thread tomorrow...I can better point you to neighborhoods on a regular keyboard..LOLH

Others will come to your aid this evening....

Will do. Thanks!
As for huge house... LOL. In Rancho 350k gets me nothing. 400k gets me a 1200 Sq foot house in a good school district with no yard. From what I can tell, Atlanta beats that.

[jessiesma]

burbs are burbs, ya seen one, ya seen them all.
Any one who says there's no history is not looking. if you define "history" by ramshackle buildings that were built meanly and not to withstand the ages sure, but GA was one of the Original 13 and had a significant role in the Revolutionary War. The oldest Synagogue in the us is in Savannah and while northerners tend to ridicule it, the War Between the States was just a tad significant don't you think? Atlanta and surrounding towns are full of interesting places related to it. Then there is MLK,jr. Can He just be dismissed?

Originally Posted by plessthanpointohfive

Wait... not so fast. The city of Atlanta is nothing at all like Houston....though the burbs are. ITP, which is use to designate the city (even thouh it includes parts ofother cities), is much more like what you're looking for. I am like you and live in the city$ originally from New Orleans, and I like it here. Since you and you husband can afford to live where you do now you can probably afford to live in a nice house in a good neighborhood in the city.

So, where in Atlanta will your husband be working? And what's your budget for a home. I'm not being nosy - those criteria determine the recommended neighborhoods...

Oh, and it is no where near as hot here as Houston. I don't think it's EVER in the 100s at night. It's only near and at that temp during August and part of September...

[jessiesma]

I'm not big on conventional meds. but Singulair has been a lifesaver. I haven't found a natural alternative that manages the tree pollen and molds. It doesn't make me drowsy cause it isn't an antihisthamine. Talk to your doc.

Originally Posted by plessthanpointohfive

Oops about Dallas not Houston.....on my mobile and can't see other posts while entering text....hubby on computer and me mobile surfing while watching Daily Show..I'm such a city data geek!

But, I stand by my point...what you're looking for is hrre. And there's plenty of history...including from before the burning.

And coming from NOLA I think the heat/humidity not so bad... And I think both spring and fall are reallly really great here...but don't have mold or pollen allergies...

You should visit for a week and explore the neighborhoods that are close to the Midtown area.

[jjbradleynyc]

Originally Posted by ECD9973

Ok. I know there are a few threads already about moving to Atlanta. But they all seem to be about their own unique example. So I figure I would add.

I have lived in DC, Annapolis MD, Dallas Texas, and now a place called Rancho Cucamonga (Outside of LA). We liked DC, LOVED Annapolis, HATED Dallas, and enjoy Rancho.

We are a family in our mid 30's with 2 little kids. We make a decent Salary for CA, which as far as I can tell from Cost of Living comparisons and home prices would be a GREAT salary in Atlanta. Have been offered a job that actually even pays a little higher, and is located in Atlanta. We are considering it. BUT we are nervous of living in a place like Dallas again.... Which we hated (Did I mention that?).

So we loved DC and Annapolis for the following reasons -
Historic
Plenty to do
4 seasons
Small town feel but close to big city (Annapolis),
Very Green (Tress and grass)
Left leaning - (Political speaking)
Educated (Not trying to sound like a snob. I hardly graduated HS and got through college after 5 years. But there was a high level of College Grads in the DC area. Just had more in common with them to make friends.)

Love Rancho Cucamonga
Lots to do
Minor league baseball team
TONS of parks
Great place for families and lots of family events
Liberal leaning
Great weather
Only 1 hour to the beach, 45 mins to ski resorts

And we hated Dallas based on the following
Weather sucked (Cold in Winter, and 100+ for weeks on end in summer... even at night)
Nothing to do (Only so many times you can look at a X in the middle of the road)
No history
Flat
Brown (Tress and grass were dean 9 months of the year)
Very Right politically
Very Religious people
Low college graduated rank
Policies that made no sense (Many towns were "Dry", but only parts of the town)

So - While the job seems great, and Atlanta seems good. I'm very worried about ending up in another "Dallas". Is Atlanta closer to Dallas, DC/Annapolis, or Rancho Cucamogna?

Unfortunately Atlanta is closest to Dallas. Inside the city limits, Atlanta mirrors some northern cities for politics and liberalism, but the metro area in general is conservative and very red. The traffic is awful, history pales in comparison to other cities' you mentioned, and the weather is mild but super humid in the summer. I'd stay where you are if that's an option.

[jessiesma]

then you'll find some more a little ways north. Most of the time you'll have to get up into the mts. More like 1.5-2 hrs. away. ATL does get a little every winter now. When I was in college, in DC in the 60's, I had a classmate who was from ATL. She didn't even own a winter coat and had never seen snow. So much for Global Warming
ATL sits right on the Piedmont escarpment at about 1k ft. Alt. . To the South and East is the Coastal Plain and North in a crescent swinging from AL thru TN and North GA to NC are the Appalachians. Makes for a nice climate. I never found it unbearable in either extreme.

Originally Posted by ECD9973

No allergies. For the summer - It does cool down, right? That was my pain in Dallas. I don't mind the heat and hummidity (DC had that as well), but in Dallas, it would stay in the 90's at night. There was no break.

Also -How far from Atlanta to snow in the winter? We like in the winter being able to drive 45 mins and have the kids play in the snow.