Pros & Cons of Living in Atlanta
Are you thinking of moving to Atlanta, Georgia? If so, check out some of the pros and cons of living in Atlanta to see what life is like in The Peach State!
Pros of living in Atlanta
The Weather in Atlanta:
If you love the changing of the seasons, but don’t love the snow, Atlanta is the perfect place to call home. It does snow in Atlanta once in a while, but it’s just a dusting. The fall and spring are beautiful,with temperatures around 60 to 80 degrees, and the winter is short. The weather is so nice, in fact, that you can get out and about all year round to enjoy the beautiful outdoors and sporting events. The summer months are hot, and some days are scorching, but if you like temperate weather, Atlanta is a great place to live.
Nature:
Atlanta is a big city plopped right in the middle of a lot of outdoor activities. If you love hiking, camping, fishing, biking, and even rock climbing, you’ll be able to do all of those very close to Atlanta. Just about the only outdoor activity you won’t find nearby is skiing. Though the summers are indeed hot, Georgia is an area with a lot of foliage and tree cover, so once you’re in the woods, you’ll be feeling much cooler.
Even though Atlanta itself isn’t a beach or mountain town, you can drive to all of that in a short time. The Blue Ridge Mountains and The Smoky Mountains are a nearby drive from Atlanta. Stone Mountain, Arabia Mountain, and the Tallulah River are popular destinations. Tennessee is only a two hour drive to the north, Alabama is just an hour and a half drive away as well, and the beach is about four hours to the east if you want to head to the coast.
Learn More: Living in Atlanta versus Living in Los Angeles
Atlanta’s Fun things to do:
So, what do you do with your time when you aren’t working or sleeping? Well, in Atlanta, you can do just about anything! If you don’t love getting out in nature, there’s plenty to do for the indoor lover as well. Atlanta has a thriving nightlife scene, so it’s perfect for young adults or anyone who loves to go out and socialize. If you are more family focused, Atlanta is a very family friendly city where you can find plenty of activities that cater to the whole family.
Because Atlanta is so spread out, you really can “choose your own adventure,” so to speak. If you want to live a walkable, city life in a densely populated area, you can. If you want the suburban ride-your-bike-to-school life, you can have that too. Do you want to live in the country with plenty of fresh air and maybe some chickens? That life can be yours as well. Whatever lifestyle you envision for yourself and your family, you can build it in Atlanta.
The Cost of living in Atlanta:
If you want to get the most for your money, Atlanta is going to give you a lot. The affordable cost of living is one of the main reasons Atlanta is growing all the time. For $150,000, you could find a home close to Downtown Atlanta that is move-in ready. If you want to spend around $350,000, you could be looking at a beautiful, big home in a very nice neighborhood.
A $500,000 home in Atlanta is equivalent to a million dollar home in many large cities around the country. In other big cities like Los Angeles or Portland, you can’t buy a one story, two bedroom home that needs renovations for much under a million dollars.
Endless Opportunity:
As Atlanta grows, the opportunity for personal growth is amplifying as well. The job market in Atlanta is full of career opportunity. At least 16 Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in Atlanta, including Delta, Home Depot, UPS, and many more. This makes Atlanta a great place to start a career, grow a current career, or even start fresh with a new career. This manageable city with so much promise allows residents to work with huge companies but live a more relaxed lifestyle.
There’s also a great deal of sector diversity in Atlanta when it comes to the job market. This isn’t an area like northern California, that is known for its tech jobs, or Detroit that is known for its automobile jobs. Atlanta caters to companies in the medical industry, shipping and freight, IT, and even film industries. With so much going on, you’re almost certain to find something to do in Atlanta no matter what your skill set is.
Cons of Living in Atlanta
Bugs:
Did you know the state bird of Georgia is the mosquito? Just kidding, not really. But there are a lot of them, and they do want to bite you. Some people seem to have a blood chemistry that is more attractive to mosquitos than others. If you’re one of those people, you’re going to be fighting off these little flying pests forever if you live in Georgia. Bug spray, citronella candles, and even getting your yard fogged are all ways to combat the persistent presence of mosquitos, but they will always be there.
Sharing our residence with our little exoskeletal friends is just a fact of life. But the south has a lot more bugs, and you will definitely see them. Cockroaches are the most common house insect in the south, but you’ll likely hear them called “Palmetto Bugs,” their colloquial moniker. Call them what you want; they are big, and kind of yucky, but they don’t mean your home is dirty, and they don’t mean you any harm.
Learn More: Five WORST things about Living in Atlanta, GA
Pollen/Allergies:
Atlanta holds more all-time high pollen records than Michael Phelps’ cabinet full of Olympic Medals. If you are a person who suffers from allergies due to pollen and plants, this in itself might make Georgia a hard no for you when it comes to happy living. Ragweed and pollen are some of the worst offenders, but almost everything green grows in Georgia. If you are allergic to it, it’s likely there.
Over the counter allergy medications or even prescriptions can help, but many people don’t want to live their whole lives medicating themselves for something that is only an environmental inconvenience.
Lacking food scene:
Almost every big city in America has at least one thing in common. No, not street pigeons; a great restaurant scene. Large cities are melting pots of culture and cuisine from around the world. Unfortunately, this isn’t necessarily the case in Atlanta. You can find good food and definitely fun places to eat, but there isn’t much diversity and there certainly isn’t much of a range when it comes to prices.
The problem with the dining scene in Atlanta is that there is far too much of the same thing and not enough of everything else. Restaurants have come in, bought trendy spaces, created a small and lackluster menu with expensive food that is only average, and hired staff who have no particular loyalty and don’t really care about the food they serve or the people they serve it to. This is obviously an opinion statement, but it’s an opinion shared by many Atlanta residents.
Traffic:
The traffic in Atlanta isn’t as bad as Los Angeles or D.C., but it’s pretty bad. Atlanta has a growing population, and the roads don’t necessarily accommodate so many people. To compound the issue, public transportation in Atlanta isn’t great, so almost everyone is in their own car. You can try to avoid certain parts of town, but at some point or another, you’re just going to sit in some traffic.
People travel very fast on the highways in Atlanta, and there is almost always an accident somewhere. Highways 285, or the Atlanta Bypass, happens to be one of the deadliest highways in the country. If you are sitting in traffic because you are backed up behind a wreck, just keep in mind that the people in those cars would likely give anything to be in your shoes, sitting behind the wreck instead of in the ambulance.
Sprawl/Lack of Density:
Atlanta is many things, but walkable is not one of them. The city is very spread out, so unlike many other densely populated big cities, you can’t just walk from one end of town to another. You almost have to have a car. There is a bus system and a railway, but they don’t cut it. You cannot get all over town using the public transit system. Because public transport is so poor, more people are in their cars, making the traffic worse.
Another con of the sprawling nature of Atlanta is its incompatibility to bike travel. Atlanta is not a bike friendly city. A few bike lanes have been built throughout town, but not many. The greatest danger for bikers for the most part is that motorists really aren’t aware of bikers. Atlanta isn’t a city designed for bikers to get around safely. It’s best to leave your biking to parks and the outdoors, not the highway.
Looking to call Atlanta home?
Are you ready to call Atlanta home? If so, reach out to me at Marc Brenner Realty, I would love to help you find your perfect home in the Atlanta area.