dalton area...what's it like? (Atlanta, Cartersville: fit in, sales, job market)

[Truth Speaker]

Any given day you can open up the Dalton Daily Citizen News and see an arrest such as this in the Police Blotter:

Luis Enrique Torres, 23, 3906 Tom Manis Road, Dalton, was charged Friday by the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office with reckless driving; possession of a sawed-off shotgun, machine gun, silencer, etc.; improper tag; running a stop sign; obstruction of an officer; speeding; and illegal operation of vehicles registered in other states.

And I would bet money he's back on the streets as I type.

Yes, and a very good friend of mine on the Sheriff's dept. told me "if you knew what goes on in this town at night, you would never go out after dark". Name is protected in order to protect his position.

Oh, and as far as traffic, we have a high rate of hit and runs, uninsured/unlicensed drivers, DUI's, drive-bys, and four new cameras at major intersections so that big brother can watch you as you run that redlight!

I suppose if you live behind the guard shack at "The Farm", you will feel very safe out with your children.

[jm621]

Its just like Mexico in your own Backyard!

[tiramisu123]

Unfortunately, I have to agree with some of the others, especially Truth Speaker, who said it VERY well.

I am from Dalton, and used to be very proud to call it home. I now live 30 mins. away, and would never go back. I hate to even go there for business or to the Dr. Although where I live is fast becoming like Dalton. Very, very sad.

We are becoming outcasts in our own town now, by people from another country, most of whom are illegal, by no choice of our own. And this is OUR town. It is being slowly taken over. The Mexican population have more rights than we do.

Go to the ER very sick or fairly badly hurt? Wait in line behind strings of hispanics with a sprained ankle or sore throat for hours, while they have a party in the waiting areas. They use the ER as a Drs. office. They pull out Medicaid cards and are ushered right in. But you are questioned by the Gestapo about the legitimacy of your health insurance.

Thats just a small piece of the pie.

[NW GA Adventurist]

Originally Posted by Truth Speaker

I had to read with great amazement at the last post and concluded yet another insider official from the City of Dalton using his last ditch efforts to try to influence the newcomer to his most "lawless city in Georgia". Not only is the latter true, but we are also the "Carpet Capital of the World", the "Divorce Capital of the World" and have more millionaires per capita than anyone else in the US, oh, and did I mention we have now been labeled a "Sanctuary City". The pandering continues on a daily basis to the "illegal" population which can clearly be seen through Dalton State College. Not only do they allow "in state" tuition to illegals while denying this luxury to American Citizens who have been in Dalton less than one year, Moderator cut: Removed

All of this and more is going on behind the scenes of this town.

This city, my friend, is not where you want to be especially if you have children and plan to continue their education at DSC.

This beautiful mall that others have spoke about was built in the 80's. The stores are so old that you can actually smell urine in the dressing rooms. The gangs and crime have gotten so bad there that they had to pass an ordinance that noone under the age of 18 can enter on Friday and Saturday nights without an adult. Now, they are passing an ordinance that you must be over the age of 18 in order to buy spray paint in the stores here because the five gang members had just been "huffing" before they took the life of the 16 yo football player on Memorial Day and our businesses are covered in spray painted graffiti gang symbols. Please, please, I beg you to do your homework on this city and our "needs improvement" schools before coming here to this "great city of Dalton" so many people write about. Besides, what good is a glorious bike trail or beautiful downtown shops if you can't ride or walk them without fear?

My rebuttal to the person called Truthspeaker:
"Insider official from Dalton"--I'm not in any way affliliated with the city of Dalton, other than being a citizen. I walk and ride these streets and trails that I speak of with no fear. I've lived in downtown Atlanta and experienced real crime there. "Lawless city in Georgia"--our officers are not the best, but you can hardly call this the most lawless city. I don't know where you get your stats, but since when is it bad to have "more millionaires per capita"?
"Pandering to illegals"? The examples you use are not local decisions for Dalton State College. The Board of Regents along with several other governing bodies decide how "in-state" tuition is granted and almost all schools have a minimum time period of living in the state before you are granted an "in-state" status. This "education problem" you speak of--I grew up here, attended kindergarten through high school here and then graduated from one of the most prestigious universities in the country. You can't tell me that the problem here is different than any other place. It's more up to the parents and the children themselves to decide the quality of education. There are plenty of places here to get a quality education. If you are considering a move here, please visit the town yourself and spend a few days here; you'll find your own answers and I'm confident you'll like what you find!

[Truth Speaker]

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[knightsarmour]

If you have a horse you should like it. Small town feel. It's like any town really. You can find trouble anywhere! They have a great lake close by, Carters Lake!
Great Walleye fishing. It's about 1/2 way between Chattanooga and Atlanta.
Want a free map of the area? Check out the links to all the info you want.
Where 2 Go Maps

[knightsarmour]

I was there staying with a girlfriend a couple of days. Doesn't sound good!

[Truth Speaker]

Welcome to GALEO :: Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials

U.S. Border Town, 1,200 Miles From The Border - washingtonpost.com

[daltonguy281]

Originally Posted by daltoncat71

if you want the truth from a dalton native - here it is: Dalton is a fantastic place to live, work & play. yes, we do have a large hispanic population, and we also have a large white population. the dalton difference is that we have learned to adapt to change, and we live, work, and play together. We are also a town of strong faith, and of many faiths. for a town it's size, Dalton has a great local economy, good infrastructure, low cost of living, unparalleled healthcare, great quality of life resources, great schools, and oh, did i mention football? we have both kinds. and we are masters of both (and we're pretty good at baseball, too). catamount high school football is one of the best programs in the state.

in response to the comment about crime statistics and friends on the police force: where are your actual statistics and sources? and i know many officers in dalton who tell me the opposite about crime in the area. I am white/caucasian, have kids as young as two years old, and have no problem taking them anywhere in Dalton.

It is evident we do have a few (very few) racists who live in outlying areas and don't get to town much, but even they are ok people most of the time.

Oh, and --- we have very few traffic issues like the larger metropolitan areas.

Simple; The crime statistics are on this very site. Our crime here in Dalton is fully 1/2 the level of Detroits per capita and it is about 33% higher than the national average. In a city of less than 30K!!!!

As for our schools; they are trailer parks. Literaly; Our schools all have a bunch of trailers set up around them for "extra temporary" classrooms. Some of these have been there for 7-10 years!!! Our infrastructure is not keeping up with the population and traffic is a total headache. There is no beautiful scenery in Dalton. Blue Ridge has beautiful scenery, not Dalton. Most of the city is a slum. We have a county jail that looks more like a State prison and it is overflowing. Look at the picks of Dalton on this site. See the big ominous looking building? That is our county jail. Meth is a severe problem here along with gangs too. You cant drive down the street without seeing MS-13 along with obscenities painted on the walls of businesses. I have lived here all of my life and I have hoped for many years that it would get better eventually but I have given up and I am making plans to leave here for good.

[DisgustaTruth]

You speak Spanish?.. because you might need to learn it if you move to Dalton.