My husband and I are considering moving from San Francisco to Atlanta and would love to hear from anyone who has made this move or from anyone in Atlanta who can share pros/cons. We are in our late 20s, no kids (yet) and can transfer from our current jobs to our Atlanta offices.

Would love neighborhood suggestions, input on nightlife and anything else you can think of.

Thanks!

One more thing to add about my previous post - we love SF, but we want to buy a house, have a yard, dogs, eventually kids....but don't want to pay SF housing costs. This is our only reason for leaving the area (an important reason for us). Thanks!

Hi Beth, one of the resaons we moved from the NYC/Northern Jersey area, 9 years ago, to Atlanta, was because of the high cost of housing in NYC metro area. Atlanta was like Paradise for us...large beautiful homes in great neighborhoods, reasonably priced! LOT's of traffic, nice people, young people oriented, (not retirement town), great weather, Close to GA 400, exit 5 area of Roswell, is pretty decent or Brookhaven nearer the city is great too, ( bit pricier though). but great area.....lot's of trees there too! You need to fly here and take some serious notes. I would be happy to help. Judy

It's important to know where your office would be before recommending neighborhoods. Far too many people in Atlanta choose to live far from their work. And then they complain about the traffic. Go figure.

HELPFUL HINTS FOR VISITORS TO ATLANTA

“Atlanta” is pronounced “Lan-A”.

Atlanta is composed entirely of one way streets. The only way to get where you want to go is to turn around and start over when you reach Greenville, South Carolina.

All directions start with “Go down Peachtree…”

Peachtree Street has no beginning and no end.

Construction on Peachtree Street is a way of life and a permanent form of entertainment.

Construction crews aren’t doing their job properly unless they close down all lanes except one during rush hour.

It’s impossible to drive around a block and wind up on the street you started on. The Chamber of Commerce calls this a “scenic drive”.

The 8AM rush hour is from 5:45 to 9:30AM. The 5:00 PM rush hour is from 3:30 to 7PM. Friday’s rush hour starts on Thursday afternoon.

Atlanta’s drivers are the friendliest around. The commuters spend hours mingling with one another twice a day. In fact, you will often see people parked beside the road engaged in lively conversations.

Reversible lanes are not understood by anybody.

The falling of one rain drop causes all traffic to come to a screeching halt; so does daylight savings time, the girl applying eye shadow across the street or a flat tire three lanes over.

If snow is forecast anywhere south of Kentucky, Atlanta city schools close for three days.

Atlantans only know their way to work and their way home.

Georgia’s route 400 is the southern equivalent of the Autobahn. You rarely see a semi-trailer on GA 400 because the truck drivers are intimidated by the over-sized SUV wielding housewives racing home after a grueling day at the salon or the tennis match to meet their children at the bus stop.

Atlanta is home to Coca Cola. That’s all we drink here; don’t even think of asking for a Pepsi.

“Waffle House” is not pronounced “Awful” House; only its food is.

“Grits” is a singular noun. It is also wallpaper paste under an assumed name.

Gate one at the airport is 32 miles away from the main concourse. The international gates are halfway to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

“Sir” and “Ma’am” are used by the person speaking to you if there’s a remote possibility that you’re at least 20 minutes older than they are.

“Sugar” is a more common form of address than “Miss”. So is “Honey”.

Ponce de Leon Avenue can only be pronounced by a native Atlantan. Don’t try to attempt the Spanish pronunciation; people will simply tilt their heads and stare at you.


The Atlanta Constitution and Journal considers local news to consist of a full page department store ad; international news is limited to tornado strikes in Alabama trailer parks.

The ratio of attractive young women to men is fidee (that’s 50) to one. All attractive young Atlantan females are traceable to Vivien Leigh’s DNA.

On a broader scale, there is a town in Georgia named “Between”, because it is.
Between Atlanta and Athens, that is.

I must say that the previous poster has summarized Atlanta perfectly. Why in the world would you leave SF for Atlanta is beyond me. Traffic and suburban sprawl, nothing but Walmart's and track housing for miles. You will also lose your ability to walk since nothing in Atlanta or its suburbs is accesible by simply walking.

believe me, staying in SF would be ideal, but throwing thousands of dollars a month in rent out the window is not my idea of fun. Commute is a small issue since I have an hour plus commute already (going to silicon valley every day). Thanks for the input, though!

Have you thought about simply moving to San Jose?

Beth, do you need to work in Atlanta? I have a dear friend who moved from the SF bay area to Atlanta and the housing prices were a big motivator for her too. Now that she's there she's wishing they had bought a house in Athens, GA as opposed to Atlanta suburbs, mostly because the culture of Athens was more like SF.

moving to San Jose wouldn't solve much. Housing costs are extreme all over the Bay Area. Our goal is a nice house w/o having to continue working 60-80 hour weeks. We don't want to settle for a small house w/no yard in a less than desirable neighborhood.

Atlanta is not as bad as they are making it sound. Most people here enjoy living here. Traffic is hectic but show me another city with highways as wide and new as metro Atlanta. During non-rush hours you can cruise along at 90mph with traffic flow. The job market is one of the best and it is one of the fastest growing metros in the country. The airport is actually one of the best advantages of living here rather than a drawback. You can fly ANYWHERE direct from Atlanta and cheaper fares are much more prevalent.

Beth -

My husband and I moved to Atlanta from Minneapolis and lasted there a year. It sounds like you are looking for reasons why you should move, and so I'd say give it a try. My one suggestion would be to rent for a year or two before you buy a house. We bought a house right away and had to sell it for slightly less than we bought it for (it's a buyers market in Atl. right now), losing much $$$ in real estate commission.

Good things about Atlanta - spring is wonderful (everything explodes into bloom and the weather is lovely), the city is full of old trees, you can get a nice house in the 'burbs with a lawn for a reasonable price ($200-$500k, depending on how far you're willing to drive).

Bad things about Atlanta - we found it incredibly boring (less culture than Minneapolis even though it's a much bigger town). Traffic is horrendous and drivers are incredibly incompetent. Pedestrians are fair game, in or out of a crosswalk. There is no such thing as pedestrian right-of-way. People do not know what to do at a four-way stop sign. Expect to drive everywhere you go - walking is really not an option. Summers are really, really horrible with 98% humidity pretty much steadily from May to September. We went from air-conditioned house, to air-conditioned car, to air-conditioned office. I think I spent about 15 minutes total outside all of last summer, which I found horribly depressing.

If you don't mind the suburban, car-centric, strip-mall lifestyle, you'll probably like Atlanta. There are also nice neighborhoods in the city, but houses there are small and extremely expensive. We might've had a better experience if we'd not caved in to the temptation of 1000 more square feet for $50k less in the 'burbs and lived in a nieghborhood that we actually liked (we are not suburban people). Renting for a year or two will let you see what neighborhoods you like and also, if you do have kids soon, explore school options - Atlanta schools are notoriously bad.

Good luck with your decision - Atlanta wasn't for us, but I worked with plenty of people who love it there.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution publishes a good guide to the city, which also is published in different versions for the metro counties. Go to www.ajc.com, click on "special products" under "AJC Info Store," then "Atlanta guides." Also, check out the AJC site, and start reading it on a semi-regular basis so you can get a better feel for the area. IMHO, ATL has been a good city; great airport access, ability to get to mountains or ocean in a reasonable drive, good mix of restaurants, shopping, and cultural events. As the posts above note, traffic is the number one gripe. I've only visited SF on business, so not quite sure of what it's like as a residence. There's cultural diversity in ATL proper, but not as much in the burbs- although that is changing as more people move out further to get larger house, yard, etc. Moving is tough, so hope you can make the decision that meets your needs. Good luck.

Please, the last thing we need is another idiot moving here saying "Commute is a small issue since I have an hour plus commute already."

Sorry if I sound rude, but we're choking on your car emissions.

Have you considered another city with an attitude more similar to San Francisco such as Portland, OR or Seattle? I think you may find Atlanta to be a culture shock in the worst way.

I moved to Atlanta in 1997 and I only lasted 9 months.

Pros: the springtime and the mild winters, the inexpensive rent, great international airport

Cons: the summer (too hot for words), the lack of sidewalks (it is almost as if they are forcing people to drive everywhere), the traffic, the racism and anti-semitism, the conservativism, the religious freaks, strip malls, strip malls and more strip malls, poor public transportation, a nightlife which consists of fraternity boys in kakis getting drunk in Buckhead (no chic nightlife), suburban sprawl with no city planning, a dead downtown (no one goes downtown on the weekends unless something is happening at Olympic Park), very few cultural opportunities.

In other words, very, very average. For a city of its size, you would imagine a cultural/social scene similar to that of Boston or DC, that cannot be further from the truth.

This is not SF on a budget, it is a wasteland of strip malls and parking lots.

Dawn, what about the idea of moving to Athens, GA instead of Atlanta? Did you visit Athens while you lived in Atlanta and did you notice the culture being different? I know it is a college town and lots of great music has come from there. I'm assuming it is a more tolerant community than the Atlanta you describe. Don't know about the availability of jobs, though.

We moved from San Francisco to New Orleans eleven years ago for the same reasons articulated by Beth. We were able to buy TWO houses (one residence, one rental) for the price of our SF rental and our overall quality of life (and enjoyment level) is so much higher now. So, there is life after San Francisco! Granted, it's a great city but there are other good places out there, too. As for Atlanta, I'll leave that to the experts!

Beth, the best suggestion/advice I've seen here is to figure out where your jobs will be, and then relocate accordingly.

The commute times in Atlanta are HORRIBLE, and the only reasons to live out in the 'burbs are if you have children and are concerned about schools.

But seeing as how you're in your 20's, no kids, and want some nightlife, there are definitely some hip/interesting neighborhoods you should check out.

Depending on what your 'scene' is, I would be happy to suggest some different areas.

Virginia Highlands - Good bars, but pricey houses.

Little Five Points/Candler Park - Much more eclectic neighborhood. Good bars, shops, restaurants and tattoo parlors.

Grant Park/Ormewood Park/East Atlanta Village - Probably the most affordable neighborhoods in Atlanta, but the tradeoff is the "rough around the edges" element. Don't leave anything valuable in your car, if you catch my drift. Very good, young bar scene in East Atlanta Village (my hood of choice).

There's also the city of Decatur, not 15 minutes from downtown Atlanta, where another happening bar/restaurant scene exists.

Feel free to email me with any more questions.

After 18 years in San Diego, my husband and I moved here from San Diego 2-1/2 yrs ago--we were anxious to leave San Diego, unfortunately Atlanta is not what we thought it would be. Please remember that owning a home should not be the most important thing in your life-what is important is the quality of life and does the city and surrounding areas offer what you want. I can tell you first hand that Atlanta is an extremely racist city and the black/white conflicts are continually perpetuated by the local governments and the mentality of the people (blacks and whites) that have never left this area. Pay is low, traffic is terrible and what public transportation there is would be described as limited. The public school system is rated 2nd to last within the US. I would be glad to write you directly if you want.

I lived in Atlanta for 10 years, and would endorse what Todd has said. The in-town neighborhoods are great, and you can get a nice house and yard for what would be, by SF standards, a reasonable price. Forget the suburbs, though---that's where you'll find the negatives the others cite. If you live and work in town, you'll find an easy commute, plenty of night life and at least decent cultural diversions, and people who are fun to know.