Aussie girl moving with blk american to Atlanta! (Alpharetta, Dunwoody: to rent, home)

[missb2918]

Hi everyone!

New here - As the title says I am an white australian girl currently living with a black amercian in Sydney Australia. He is originally from Carollton Georgia and we have decided to move to the USA and most likely to Atlanta so we will can be close to his family but not too close!

I am a little worried about racism in this area and Carollton as well because we stand out very much as a couple as I am 5'9 and blonde and he is 6'5 and big and black! It has never been an issue here in Sydney but I dont know what to expect when I get there. Can anyone tell me what to expect? Are people going to treat me differently? Someone told me that black girls will want to hunt me down??
I am also interested in going to church there and wanted to know whether there are other white people that go or whether I'll stick out like a sore thumb!
Sorry if this sounds really stupid I have no idea except from opinions my sydney friends have told me!

If Atlanta is not a good area for us to move, which city would you suggest for a young couple not much into clubbing or partying, looking to rent with lots of job opportunities?

Please contribute your thoughts if you have anything to say

[atlantagreg30127]

I dunno - I just have a feeling this one is gonna get good.

(awaiting the posts from the throngs of black girls who regularly hunt down white Australian women and "hunt them down")...

http://bestsmileys.com/eating1/16.gif (broken link)

[stvincent]

Atlanta is very liberal so if you all move into an intown neighborhood or into one of the close in suburbs I don't think you'll feel out of place in the least.

You will stick out like a sore thumb if you go to a Black curch though. The church is the most segregated institution in the United States and both races like it and prefer it that way. It is extreemly rare to find a well integrated church. I am Black and haven't been to a White church so I can't tell you how they might react to a Black man in their church. Not familiar with their church culture. BUT, being Black I can tell you that the whole congregation is going to be sneaking looks at you wondering why you're in "their" church. No one would say anything to you directly (they have to keep up the Christian charade at church at least if no where else) but you would most certainly be the topic of conversation for that Sunday morning after church gossip. You can do whatever you want of course, this is America. Just painting a realistic view of what to expect.

As you move further out of the Metro Area you might face more problems because of your interracial dating. Atlanta is in Georgia but is not really all that Southern due to its unprecendented Northern and Western influx over the last two decades. The rest of Georgia (anything outside of Metro Atlanta) is very southern however. I don't think it would be the white people either who would give you so much slack. It would definately be the Black people, especially in a place like Carrolton. All I would say is be strong in your relationship and know that what other people say is not going to break the bond you have with your boyfriend.

[Atlantasfinest]

Gooday Mate!...

Like St. Vincent stated above, you should stick with intown Atlanta (Trendy/Upscale Inside Highway 285) neighborhoods such as Inman Park, Candler Park, City of Decatur, Midtown, Poncey Highlands, Virginia Highlands, Brookhaven, areas near Little Five Points, East Atlanta, East Lake, West Midtown, Atlantic Station and the nice suburbs such as Dunwoody, Alpharetta, Smryna, Vinings, Tucker. Stick with those areas and you will be fine.

I'm going to Australia this fall !

[Love Cobb]

OK you asked for it Greg so here is my two cents!!
Oh pleeze I don't believe any one in Atlanta will hunt you down. There are sooo many inter-racial couples in metro Atlanta that one more won't make much difference. Enjoy your new life in Atlanta and pleeeze get over yourself, it is just not that serious!!!

[plessthanpointohfive]

Let's not tell someone from ANOTHER COUNTRY who has never been to OUR COUNTRY to get over themselves. Why in the world would you think they would know what it's like here? Australia is a completely different country and they don't pay attention to the day to day life of America. They have their own TV and movie networks, their own newspapers that deal with THIER national and local news. America is the little tiny blip in the International section of their papers and web-based news sources.

I have a friend who married a man from GAbon (Africa) who she met in the peace corps. They got a dog as a pet recently. I asked her, "This is very ignorant questiong, and I realize that, but people in Gabon keep dogs as pets?"

Sounds weird coming from an American but there are countries where dogs are purely part of the workforce and the concept of keeping one as a pet (which is a luxury in poorer countries) would be bizarre to them.

So, let's be hosptable and let's NOT be self-center and arrogant and let's understandably reassure the new girl that the stories she's been told about America's south are probably a bit over-the-top...kind of like us getting our information about Australia from "Crocodile Dundee".

[vsmoove]

Hey welcome to the ATL... I've only been here a short while and although I find that Atlanta is one of the most segregated places that I've ever lived, I don't think that it will be much of an issue if you live intown where there is a bit more integration. By the way, I'm a big Black man so if you get tired of homeboy, holla at me...

[RainyRainyDay]

Good job, pless. About church, missb2918, if you're a church-goer one aspect of southern culture you'll appreciate is that religious participation is much more prominent here than in most western countries. People will be constantly inviting you to their churches.

So, an important question arises - is there a Christian denomination you're connected with? Are you a Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Roman Catholic, etc? Most of these well-known denominations probably have some essentially all-white, all-black and mixed congregations, depending on their location, history and so forth.

Also, southern culture is very conservative. You original post implies you and your man are not married. This would be a problem in some churches, for sure.

Now that I think of it, if you are not formally married, do you have a plan for getting a visa and status to stay in the US? Your man can move home to the US anytime he wants, of course, but you can't just choose to come along.

[RainyRainyDay]

Originally Posted by plessthanpointohfive

... let's understandably reassure the new girl that the stories she's been told about America's south are probably a bit over-the-top...kind of like us getting our information about Australia from "Crocodile Dundee".

When job-transferred from Canada (which is at least on the same continent) to Atlanta, I'll tell you, our images of the south were all civil rights violence, KKK, Deliverance (a movie I've never actually seen - not my taste - but I've heard about it) and Norma Rae. And to be honest, we still are a bit anxious about getting out of the car in rural communities where we're passing through. It's scarily foreign, to foreigners, and we often don't understand peoples' accents at McDonalds, gas stations, etc.

[grumm0x]

Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay

Now that I think of it, if you are not formally married, do you have a plan for getting a visa and status to stay in the US? Your man can move home to the US anytime he wants, of course, but you can't just choose to come along.

That's a very good point, RRD. It isn't as easy as just showing up, especially if
you plan to work here. Best check it out with the Embassy there in advance.
Real embarrassing to find yourself on a plane back home soon as you get here.

As for trouble - if your guy is good looking, you're going to get some criticism
from black girls. Jealousy is a pretty much equal-opportunity sort of thing.
Other than that, it isn't unusual, even out in the country, to see mixed couples.

Some people may disapprove. No matter what you do, there's somebody who will disapprove. Generally, though, southerners are courteous enough or smart enough not to make a scene. And most people won't care.