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Are you considering making the move to Atlanta? Maybe you are curious to know what it’s really like living in Atlanta.
I was in a similar situation 15 years ago when I was confronted with a workplace relocation. Really, I had no idea what to expect as I never traveled further south than North Carolina.
To make matters even worse, my family was only provided with a weekend to make the move or no move decision.
The decision to move to Atlanta is really is a big decision.
Whether you choose to live in one of the many great Atlanta neighborhoods in town, or one of the surrounding suburbs of Atlanta; you are never too far away to experience all the great things this city has to offer. Living in Atlanta has great appeal and there so much to see and do, like visiting the many Atlanta landmarks.
However, living in Atlanta is not a perfect, by any means. There are a few negatives and a couple things to get used to.
Let’s review the pro’s and con’s of living in Atlanta.
Pro’s and Con’s of Living in Atlanta
The challenge with writing a pro’s and con’s of living in Atlanta is one really needs to consider where you are coming from.
For instance, some people will say the traffic is horrible in Atlanta. Yes, compared to most of rural America it is very bad. However, compared to LA, New York or DC, it’s probably not that bad.
Just keep in mind where you are coming from and what you love about your current location and contrast to this list.
This is my honest opinion of what I love about living in metro Atlanta for 15 years and what could be found better elsewhere. I’ll do my best to provide examples so you get the idea.
Pro’s of Living in Atlanta
Southern Hospitality
People are generally more friendly in Atlanta compared to where I am originally from. Southern hospitality is real and still very apparent. To give you an idea of what I mean, here are a few things I noticed when I moved to Atlanta, that was completely different:
- Neighbors delivered homemade baked goods when we moved in, both times when we moved around Atlanta. They wanted to introduce themselves and make friends.
- Even if there is terrible traffic, people will stop and wave you on. I still remember the first time I was trying to make a left turn and someone actually stopped to let me out. At first, I didn’t know what they were doing, but behind tinted glass I found a friendly stranger waving me on. What a difference to the solitary finger I was used to getting in my old location.
- The grocery store took longer, because everyone would want chat. The baker routinely hands out free cookies to my kids.
- Kids still say Sir and Maam. I don’t think I was ever called Sir before, other than at some fine dining restaurants in my previous location. In Atlanta it is extremely common.
Jobs
There are no shortage of Fortune 500 companies either with headquarters in Atlanta or with offices somewhere around the city.
Some examples of the fortune 500 companies with headquarters in Atlanta include:
- Home Depot
- UPS
- Delta
- Coca Cola
- Aflac
- Newell Brands
- The Southern Company
- Genuine Parts
- Westrock
- NCR
If you work in technology, Alpharetta is the technology city of the South.
Hatsfield Jackson Airport
One of the primary attractions for me living in Atlanta, was the airport. I know it sounds really strange, but when I moved here, I traveled for work, a lot. In fact, every week for six straight years I was in the airport.
Even though the airport is busy, it is usually very efficient at moving poeple through the queues.
The best part about it, you can find direct flights to almost every airport around the US. Usually flight times are less then two hours, except for cities on the west coast.
Pro Sports
Most of the major pro sports are covered in Atlanta. The Braves, recently won the World Series. The new Atlanta Braves stadium is such a fun stadium to watch a game and enjoy the surrounding Battery Atlanta.
Atlanta United home games and Falcons games are a blast at Mercedes Benz Stadium. The stadium alone is worth a visit. It’s really one of the nicest stadiums I’ve been too.
The Atlanta Hawks home games are rebuilding as of late, but they are getting better and the games are electrifying.
If you love the PGA Tour, every year East Lake Golf Course hosts the Fedex Cup and occasionally Atlanta hosts the PGA Championship.
Excellent Restaurants
Atlanta is a foodie destination with many fine restaurants covering all cuisines. We absolutely love Atlanta restaurants and are enjoying our journey to discover the very best restaurants.
You can literally spend years sampling food in Atlanta and never return to the same restaurant.
When we moved to one of the northern Atlanta suburbs, we quickly became infatuated with the many Southern cuisine restaurants.
In fact, we were mentioned as a local Atlanta, GA expert on the Redfin blog! Check out the article we were featured in: Locals Reveal 11 Insider Tips for Moving to Atlanta, GA.
In this post, we made some specific restaurant recommendations for Southern cuisine in our favorite neighborhoods in metro Atlanta.
Growing Craft Beer Scene
When I first arrived in Atlanta, there were many archaic laws regulating the craft beer industry. Since then, most neighborhoods and suburbs have changed their laws. This has directly resulted in a robust and still very much growing craft brew scene. I haven’t visited all them yet, but there are over 50 craft breweries and brew pubs in metro Atlanta.
While Atlanta hasn’t reached the scale of Portland or Denver, there are plenty of locations to sample really good brews around Atlanta.
Amazing Attractions
Atlanta has some really great attractions to keep locals and visitors busy. If you are an animal lover, the Georgia Aquarium has the largest tank in the US and has multiple whale sharks and Zoo Atlanta has a new African Savannah and amazing Pandas. There are countless amazing museums and many live music venues will keep you busy.
There are even great kids attractions all around Atlanta.
Plus there are great events like Music Midtown, Dragon Con and if you are a runner, the Peachtree Road Race.
Abundant Outdoors and Green spaces
Compared to some cities, in town Atlanta is lacking in outdoor activities. But, if you are willing to take a small drive, there are plenty of wonderful places to go hiking near Atlanta. If you enjoy single track mountain biking, there are plenty of trails to go mountain biking in Atlanta.
Parks around Atlanta are abundant. Whether you are taking the kids to sporting events, looking for a great walking trail or want to take the pups to an Atlanta dog friendly park, there is never a park very far away.
Proximity to Wonderful Beaches
Unfortunately, Atlanta is not by the sea. However, within a 5 hours drive you can access world class beaches and charming southern coastal towns. To give you an idea, Atlanta is not far from:
- Hilton Head
- Destin
- Saint Simon’s Island
- Jekyll Island
- Charleston Beaches (Folley, Kiawah, Isle of Palms etc.)
- 30A beaches (Seaside, Rosemary Beach etc.)
- Gulf Shores
- St. George Island
- Amelia Island
You have your choice of reasonably quick beach vacations.
Lake Life
For a weekend getaway, there is nothing better to beat the summer heat than visit on the best lakes near Atlanta.
Some of the lakes include:
- Lanier
- Allatoona
- Burton
- Blue Ridge Lake
- Hartwell
And many more…
Very Little Snow and Never Shovel Again
When I moved from a cold location, after the first snow we received while living in Atlanta, I was eager to start shoveling. We only received an inch or two that year. But when it came, I was the only one in the neighborhood who shoveled.
It does snow in Atlanta, but little did I know, it usually melts by noon.
In fifteen years, there was only one stretch of bad weather and it pretty much crippled the city. Other than that, winters are mild.
The great thing about living in Atlanta, is you can still visit the snow. Hatsfield Jackson Airport has direct flights to most ski destinations. There are also many ski resorts near Atlanta, just a few hours drive away.
Con’s of Living in Atlanta
Major Suburban Sprawl
Unless you live, work and play in Midtown Atlanta or some other trendy neighborhood, most folks are car dependent. It’s not that Atlanta is lacking in public transportation, it’s just really hard to get everywhere you want on public transportation alone.
Along the perimeter and even some of the norther suburbs are attracting major corporations and subdivisions continue to develop around them. If you are considering living in the suburbs, a car is an absolute must have. Even the Atlanta Braves moved out of the city center and found a location along the perimeter in the northwest.
Traffic, Traffic and more Traffic
With all of the suburban sprawl, expect traffic.
When I first moved to Atlanta, I found a job in downtown Atlanta, but lived north of downtown. I found my 20 mile commute to reach over an hour. Sometimes it pushed 2 hours each way.
In my humble opinion, Atlanta needs more highways, not just additional lanes like they are currently building everywhere. A second beltway could possibly help, but that will probably never happen.
Long, Hot Summers
Summer starts in April and ends in October. If you don’t like full sunshine and near 100% humidity, you probably want to look somewhere else. There are usually over 35 days per year that are over 90 degrees. If its not 90, its in the high 80’s for most of the summer season. Add the humidity and it is hot, with no breaks.
With the humidity, you will sweat. A lot.
It took me 2 years to get used to the heat. Nowadays, I enjoy it and would probably move this as a pro of living in Atlanta. Fair warning though, it wasn’t always like that and I struggled with the heat.
Are you considering moving to Atlanta? What else would you like to know? If you already live in Atlanta, what do you like the most about it?