Anyone sick of Georgia? (Atlanta, Columbus: sale, public school, allergies)

[IG712]

What is so bad about Georgia? I live in North Carolina- talk about trashy red-neck people! The roads, lakes,creeks, everything is trashy! My husband and I are moving to Harris County Georgia in a few months. We visited before accepting the job and I thought Georgia was beautiful. Very clean! People are so friendly, especially compared to North Carolinians! Don't know where you live but I was impressed with Georgia. Things are economically bad everywhere. Unemployment where we live in NC is 19%. The area that we saw in Georgia is thriving compared to where we are in NC, factory after factory is closed, grass and trees growing through the parking lots and buildings......The grass is not always greener.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by smel

There is a lot to love about Georgia. It is one of the most beautiful states in the nation with all different types of topography. However, if your not happy there, why not move? Instead of griping about it just go somewhere else.

If you own a house, moving isn't easy unless you really like paying two mortgages.

[ss20ts]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

If you own a house, moving isn't easy unless you really like paying two mortgages.

Been there. Done that. Don't want the t-shirt! It was a VERY rough ride!

[AnnieA]

Originally Posted by cityrover

hope funding is down. lottery funds about 50% of it

tuition is up too which means hope can't pay for the education of every kid whose parents make over 500k. because thats who GETS hope. its a JOKE

Another topic but we are having the same problem here in Fla with the Bright Futures Scholarships. They were wonderful but they have cut way back. Of course, I doubt that the govt cut back on funding the state employees pension plans....

[AnnieA]

Originally Posted by smel

Visit the stately mansions of Madison, take a boat ride through the Okefenokee Swamp surrounded by giant alligators, view the Marshes of Glen and Christ Church on St. Simons, see the millionaire's homes of Jekyll Island, the red clay of central Georgia, the waterfalls of Rabun County, float on Lake Burton, enjoy the night life of Atlanta, research the history of Savannah, and then tell me you don't like Georgia. It is one of the most beautiful states in the nation full of history, hospitable people, and gorgeous scenery. I see the tendrils of Spanish moss hanging from the oaks of the Golden Isles in my dreams.

I wish I had said all of this because I feel the same way.

[Shooting Stars]

Originally Posted by Jillian2

gussie , the abuse of dogs in Georgia is no worse than in any other state. We love our dogs. Yes , there are some inhumane people , but you will find those kind everywhere. It is not just in Georgia. Also , we are no more biased against Catholics than anywhere else. You are obviously unhappy here. And will probably be unhappy elsewhere too. So find somewhere else to move . Then you can start your complaints against that state.

Get real , There is no utopia.

I beg to differ on one point. The South in general IS worse for pets. If you haven't been involved with animal rescue, then you may not know the facts.

There is a HUGE transport system of volunteers that takes dogs from shelters in the South, (especially Georgia) up to the Northeast to be adopted. But no dogs are transported from the Northeast to the South.

The reason?

In the northeast, most towns require owners to spay/neuter their dogs unless the owners are breeders. Therefore, there are very few unwanted dogs in the shelters there.

In the south, there are not only no laws requiring the owner to spay/neuter, there is also a much higher percentage of dog owners who don't bother or refuse to spay/neuter. There is an endless supply of stray dogs in shelters here, not to mention abandoned starving ones still roaming.

You can check it out for yourself by doing some internet research. There is a very large network of people transporting southern dogs up north.

I live in the GA mountains and I can tell you that many locals here don't spay/neuter and don't hesitate to dump an unwanted dog or a litter of puppies by the side of a highway. It was a real culture shock moving here. We've had dogs dumped on our property MANY times. One time it was a litter of puppies. And you see dogs and cats that are starving. You see abandoned dogs and even packs of bone-thin stray dogs that band together to hunt. Even so, most locals are fiercely independent and don't want anyone "telling them what to do."

Shelters up here are more underfunded than in cities. Many people are poor here and they resent money going to an animal rather than a human - and they'll tell you so.

Living here caused me to get involved with an animal rescue group because the heartbreak was overwhelming. But I also give to the food bank (for humans).

Is everyone this way? Of course not. And if you live in a larger city, you may see very little of this. The small towns are another story.

Statistically, animal rescue groups know the south is one of prime locations for unwanted pets because they have the figures to prove it. It's not just an opinion.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by Shooting Stars

In the northeast, most towns require owners to spay/neuter their dogs unless the owners are breeders. Therefore, there are very few unwanted dogs in the shelters there.

In the south, there are not only no laws requiring the owner to spay/neuter, there is also a much higher percentage of dog owners who don't bother or refuse to spay/neuter. There is an endless supply of stray dogs in shelters here, not to mention abandoned starving ones still roaming.

True to some extent, as well as strict licensing requirements in the northeast (where I lived) and less poverty and rural living. I think people in the northeast are more responsible along these lines and will spay and neuter voluntarily, and that costs money. Folks in the south may not.

[COUNTRYFRIED]

Originally Posted by neil0311

True to some extent, as well as strict licensing requirements in the northeast (where I lived) and less poverty and rural living. I think people in the northeast are more responsible along these lines and will spay and neuter voluntarily, and that costs money. Folks in the south may not.

Im from Georgia but I have relatives that live in different places up north and I've never heard of any ordinances making people having to spay or nueter their dogs. Theres just as many neighborhoods especially places like western New York that are completely Rural.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by COUNTRYFRIED

Im from Georgia but I have relatives that live in different places up north and I've never heard of any ordinances making people having to spay or nueter their dogs. Theres just as many neighborhoods especially places like western New York that are completely Rural.

I never said there were ordinances regarding spaying/neutering. Another poster did. I said there was tougher licensing in place, and there is, and that more people voluntarily spay/neuter, since it costs money.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by neil0311

I never said there were ordinances regarding spaying/neutering. Another poster did. I said there was tougher licensing in place, and there is, and that more people voluntarily spay/neuter, since it costs money.

Feral cats are almost nonexistent in Minnesota because of the cold weather in the wintertime, and I also think it's a lot more difficult for stray dogs to survive. Also, where I lived in the Twin Cities, neither dogs nor cats could be let outside without a leash, and more than two dogs in a household required special licensing.

Spaying/neutering was not required, but we did (and do) it anyway.