Great Culture and Food, but bad Traffic - 2/19/2024

Lots of traffic near the airport at all times. Adds about 1.5 hrs to a 30 min commute. Great food and culture in downtown ATL area.

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Totally Underrated, great city for young people - 2/14/2024

Honestly the greater Atlanta area is the best place I've ever lived. There is so much diversity, delicious food, shopping, etc. The traffic really isn't that bad if you don't commute the same direction as everyone else. The only downside is the quality of schools. Unless you live in Decatur or an affluent suburb, you will probably have to invest in private schools. If you like to go out to restaurants, clubs, brewery, beltline, etc. you will love Atlanta.

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It's really not that bad - 2/1/2023

I've lived just outside of Atlanta for 22 years and have spent a year deep within the hustle and bustle of the city. It's really NOT that bad. The crime really isn't that bad. If you stay out of trouble, you have nothing to worry about. The craziness you hear on the news is mostly localized to obviously sketchy parts of town. Plenty of people are nice here. Plenty are miserable bums. Just like most places. The traffic also isn't that bad. It's largely localized. Certain areas are always congested. Always. Meaning, if you live here, you know these areas in particular are going to be congested. Heading through downtown at dinner time on a Saturday? So is everyone else. It's busy. People live here. Rent sucks, it's a major city. I feel as if it should be expected. There are plenty of parks, places to ride your bike, fun areas to walk around in shop in. Glenwood and Reynolds Town are 2 of the nicest areas in Atlanta. Filled with fantastic restaurants and you can hop on The Beltline from there - which just leads to even more good eats. Directly east of Glenwood lies East Atlanta Village. Another fantastic place if you're looking for good food and hangout spots. The culture on the east side is pretty friendly and notably younger. I consider these areas a bit of gem. They're so close to Downtown but lack the same noise and chaos of the city. If you can afford it, you will love it over here. Atlanta also has a fantastic music scene. Many will think Rap music, but it's got a thriving Alternative, Metal, and DIY scene. The Masquerade feels very homely and safe. East Atlanta Village has a brewery called Sabbath Brewing that hosts tons of local and up and coming metal and punk acts. It's a great place to live if you're into more alternative music genres.

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Growing American City with a Bright Future - 8/17/2022

I have spent my life between Chicago and Atlanta and in the end I chose the Atlanta metro area for affordability. People may complain about rising rent prices, but if you are looking to own property- there is still amazing opportunity in the metro area. I really wanted to buy in Chicago- but I couldn't justify paying 2-3x the amount in taxes to get a smaller place with worse weather. This is really a comparative answer, but I like Atlanta. I enjoy very easy access to hiking and outdoor recreation, rich civil rights history, Fortune 500 companies calling ATL home, events in Piedmont Park, nice restaurants in Buckhead and Midtown, downtown Decatur, the ingenuity of the new Beltline as well as the young, educated and diverse population. There is a lot of work that needs to happen to improve public transportation which I believe would be Atlanta's greatest investment opportunity. The improvement of MARTA could in turn cause many neighborhoods that were previously undesirable to increase home price and amenities, which again is great opportunity for potential homeowners. I also look forward to the liberalization of the city, which is due to people moving here from across the country. It is about time Georgia becomes a progressive state, which would really put the city on the radar. All in all, Atlanta is a city of opportunity, you have to open your eyes and invest your time.

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Atlanta is a no no - 11/6/2021

I've been in Atlanta my whole life!!! The traffic here is so bad, the people here are awful, more and more people are moving here, violence is everywhere, the rent prices are ridiculous. I'm tired of Atlanta!!!

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Losing it’s quality - 9/15/2021

Been in Atlanta my whole life, gotta say it’s going downhill pretty fast. I honestly wish people would quit moving here. I don’t even believe the official statistics, it’s way off. It is becoming way too overcrowded. Nobody seems like they can keep up, and anybody who says they can is probably lying. Day by day life is becoming a real challenge! It is a real war in order to get by these days…..Everybody knows this population growth is real unpleasant and unnecessary…Basically, I’m going to pack my bags and head out to the countryside. Sorry to all you people that are stuck here forever.

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I put my plan of escape into action - 8/2/2021

I moved to Atl in 2016, stayed 3 1/2 yrs. I hated it. I was born in Los Angeles, I'm a Cali Girl. Grew up accustomed to seeing all races, think nothing of it. Cali people tend to accept everyone. I'm Chinese and really look Chinese, but from LA, I'm as American as can be. I first "felt" racism in Atlanta. Didn't know what I was feeling. I was in an all Black Walmart. Who are they looking at? I looked behind me. Are they looking at ME?! What's going on? The feeling I felt was like a movie where a white person walks into a black nightclub and the music stops, everybody looks, that's what it felt like. I saw confederate flags. :0 I saw the Governor's Commercials with him holding a shot gun and saying he'd take all the Mexicans back in his bus, I thought it was a skit from Saturday Night Live! At my job, a coworker called me "ching ling" to others (I haven't heard that since elementary school) OK, now everything else. The traffic is horrible and the way they drive, a car went all the way across the lanes from the fast lane to get to the exit ramp, another car stopped on the fwy for no reason, crazy. The weather is unpredictable. I found out that it rains more in Atlanta than in Seattle, why does Seattle get such a bad rap for it's rain! In Atl, you better carry an umbrella in a holster like a gun in the western days. It can rain at any moment and the weather forecasts are always wrong, it's a waste to pay the news weather people. It will be sunny one minute and raining the next. Georgia is not conservation minded. There aren't any recycling places. No one uses fabric bags for shopping. Georgians complained when the State instated the "hands free" law no cell phones while driving. In general, Georgia isn't very proactive and progressive. Ethic restaurants: mexican, asian foods, going to find a lot of "generic" ethic eateries. It's my openion that Georgians wouldn't eat something that's "foreign" so businesses don't sell it. (a million Taco Bells) Lots of segregation areas. If you want to find Korean, go to Duluth. Mexican, go to Norcross. Soul food, go to Stone Mountain and other areas. The only good thing is their gas prices. And people LOOK angry. Everyone looks so unhappy. Customer service sucks everywhere. I had to set my plan in action to escape. I'll gladly pay the higher gas price for the sunshine, the many different people and the "vibe" of California.

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No reason to be here any longer - 5/25/2021

The Atlanta metro has a few redeeming qualities: the job market is relatively strong and has good scope/range of opportunities and industries, housing is relatively affordable for a major metro (although we’ll see how long that lasts; it’s just recently gone up substantially w/ covid), you can find pretty decent public schools provided you can afford to live in the district, there are a lot of mature areas with lots of old tall trees and greenery, etc. But it’s clear to anyone who’s lived here more than a few years that this place is basically atrophying and falling apart. Traffic improved for a bit during covid, but it’s pretty much back to the slow motion train wreck it was before covid, especially on regular roads/off the highways, which is more bothersome than highway traffic imo. The weather is really only good in late winter/spring and late fall. Otherwise it’s either way too hot and humid or just cold enough for it to be uncomfortable and for the roads to periodically freeze over but not cold enough for snow (which the kids like), though this is true of most cities in the eastern US. Crime was always bad in parts of Atlanta and some of the southern and eastern suburbs, but it seems that there are weird criminal and vagrant elements percolating into virtually all the suburbs now. Strange people begging on the streets everywhere, Jerry Springer type druggie families infesting all the rental homes in the previously nice neighborhoods, etc. Also the presence of Hartsfield Jackson makes Atlanta like one of the hotspots for human trafficking in the US. Recently theres been a rash of bizarre attempted kidnappings in broad daylight in Walmart parking lots going on in affluent, “safe” areas. Overall, you get the impression that things are falling apart in slow motion here. I’m sure it’s that way in many other cities too, but Atlanta seems particularly bad. Given that, there really isn’t any reason for anyone with a family or planning on starting one (or even just trying to live a decent peaceful life) to stay or move here, particularly given that many jobs can be accomplished remotely now. I’m planning on leaving as soon as possible and relocating to somewhere a bit smaller and more manageable. Perhaps the Research Triangle or Charlotte areas of North Carolina, although I imagine in 15 years or so those places will be like Atlanta is now

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Don't do it. - 2/27/2021

Don't move here. Just don't. I've lived here nearly 40 years, and it is nothing like what it used to be. Traffic and sprawl is insane. Crime is bad. Cost of living is ridiculous, particularly for rent. The "ritzy" part of the city has been taken over by gangs and crime. Atlanta is business, business, business, and nothing else. Planning to get the H out of here and head to the mountains.

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Have you people completely lost your minds?? - 12/12/2020

This place has become so dangerous over the past decade. There is just nothing here that is necessary or right anymore. I don’t believe official statistics on this website, it seems like bull. This place is insane and sick and not well and no realizes it. The culture is degenerating. It’s degenerating fast. Nobody wants to know each other or help. Traffic is as bad as everybody says it is- just ride around. The growth is very much a problem also. There is just nothing that is organized: everything is completely atrocious and there is no direction. The people cslling the shots here have no understanding of organization. It’s a one big ball of disorder. Atlanta is degenerating.

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I sold all of my things and moved out. - 12/6/2020

It was time for me to leave Atlanta. I’ve been here since 1995 and it has never been so bad like today. I am starting to believe that it no longer has hope. I predict that people will start leaving in droves. Just like I did. I’m settling down in Chattanooga, a few miles North of where I was born, Chickamauga. (I will continue this review and add more content in the future.)

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Too many people, overpopulated, worst traffic ever - 8/14/2020

Christ, this place has so much explosive population growth it should be illegal. I've actually never seen a city explode so fast and so much in population before. Not in history to my recollection. Phoenix, Arizona is right up in second. Atlanta is becoming New York City, Jr. with all of the people around the world visiting it, and all of the traffic. About 50-60 million people visit Atlanta a year, that's one of the highest and even more people than Seattle. (can you imagine how many people will be visiting this city by 2050? that is insane.) Atlanta is so overpopulated and so complex and fast-paced, it is basically a place of torture and stress. With the way things are going now, I would not wish this city on the worst enemy. It's extremely unpleasant and unnecessary. I have a feeling it will keep exploding until about the year 2050, where it will be about the size that Dallas/Fort Worth is about now here in 2020. (if not much larger) My idea for now, is that businesses should think about probably moving elsewhere in this state. Perhaps to Augusta or Savannah to help cut down Atlanta's population problem. So people will move there instead. Maybe that will help out a lot. (Disclaimer: I have no idea what I am talking about.) You'd kind of wonder how much mileage people are going to push this city for. There's no way that Atlanta can support this many people.

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Hot, rude, ordinary, inconvenient - 6/26/2020

Rude people, boring, hot, unhealthy, no culture, soulless. There's just nothing to write home about, except that at least you can shop in "exclusive" stores more than other places in the South. Traffic is as bad as they say it is. Nothing to do except go to church or go out to bars. If you're in to outdoor activities or anything healthy, you have to drive outside the city a few hours and then there are pretty places. But while the city does have parks and greenspaces, it's very limited for "outdoors activities" and the weather is awful. Cold in the winter and sweltering in the summer. Food scene is decent actually for some things. Atlanta lacks a character of its own outside of typical Southern ordinary people. It aint Gone With the Wind except in the negative sense. Just gross. Leaving.

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Becoming more Antisocial - 6/17/2020

This city is becoming ruder and ruder and more deadly and deadlier by the day. It doesn't help that there are many transplants and immigrants coming in from all over as well. Southern hospitality doesn't exist in this city. It acts like an upstate city. The people are getting meaner and meaner and more and more impatient and angry. Traffic is horrible in this city and getting around anywhere is becoming a nightmare. People are more suspicious of each other and no one wants to get involved anymore. Atlanta is becoming too stressful and too antisocial.

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extremely expensive and racist - 1/30/2020

Atlanta, GA is extremely expensive to live in due to the fact that they are trying to move African-Americans out of the city. they've made rental prices range from $1,500 to 1,800 just for a 500sq.ft. studio, but minimum wage is extremely low compared to housing cost. I don't know who they allow these false reports on the cost of living to even be published on the internet.. I've lived here since 2008 and have seen the price of everything from groceries to housing almost triple since I first arrived. I've watched the city allow Caucasians builders to create these outrageous pricing margin to move a certain race of people out of the city and yes it's about race, so don't be fooled into believing this city is cheap or accepting to people of color. they give the average mortgage price rather than the truthful cost of living for everyday people. its pathetic how this report is alerted to seem as if the cost of living is at its national average when it's well above the national average

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This place is for getting crazies - 1/19/2020

This place has more crime than ever. The highways and byways is raggedy. There is construction ongoing everywhere all the time. Money hungry court systems. Overpriced public transit. Auto wreckage every day. Restaurant food quality mainly sux.

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Atlanta getting worse - 7/7/2019

I have lived in Atlanta for 30 years and plan to leave soon. Atlanta was good when I first came here but has declined into an over-crowded, hyper-fast-paced, expensive, congested nightmare. People are rushing everywhere. They are stressed out, rushing to get somewhere fast. The frustration index in high, and people seem increasingly angry about the declining livability here. On the positive side, business is bustling, and the job market is very good. Lots of job opportunities for professionals and high tech. But it all comes with a price. Real estate prices have skyrocketed, and many people have to keep moving farther out to find affordable prices, so commutes are horrendous, and businesses do not know what telecommute means. I’ve had enough and am looking forward to getting out.

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It calls itself a city. - 4/27/2019

Hot, humid, with some of the heaviest traffic in the United States, cultural life meager, modest public transportation, parks in scarce supply, a great big suburb calling itself a city.

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Atlanta Great Place to Live - 1/6/2019

Atlanta is an incredibly exciting and very progressive city. Having lived all over the world myself, I believe it is among the best. You need not compare it to other metros because it is unique all to itself. It is where urban and nature combine best. Don't bother with the suburbs-- would you move to the Bronx or Newark? Intown Atlanta has it all. Forget about the southern or conservative distorted images/ news coverage. Those are about suburban places in Georgia, not the city. Atlanta has the largest and best arts community-- of every kind-- from D.C. to L.A. It has fantastic restaurants and some of the most beautiful neighborhoods, many having a high walk score. And, the city's burgeoning tech industry is expected to soon be the nation's 4th largest, according to Forbes.

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Population growth is destroying Atlanta metro - 12/27/2018

The Atlanta metro area is being ravaged by absurdly fast population growth. I don't even believe the official statistics at this point. I know this is a cliched thing to say, but it's undeniably true. The northern Atlanta suburbs used to be excellent places to live -- well forested, safe neighborhoods, modestly-priced housing, competitive public schools, a population composed almost exclusively of professionals and families, etc. Massive population growth coupled with the redistribution of undesirables from the inner city to the suburbs (as a result of gentrification) has slowly deteriorated all of the aforementioned desirable traits. You pretty much have to live 1.5+ hours north of Atlanta in Forsyth County to find public schools that aren't hopelessly overcrowded. It may not for whatever reason be reflected in the official statistics because of cover-ups, under-reporting and what have you, but petty crime and all the accompanying ugliness that comes with it has exploded in the northern suburban areas. Anyone who actually lives there will tell you this. 5 years ago it would have been unheard of for a bunch of detestable transient druggie beggars to loiter at shopping centers and street corners, but it happens literally all the time now. Somehow, despite increased economic opportunity, the meth problem seems to have gotten worse and is bleeding into the suburbs from the rural areas. All the high schools have hidden drug problems. And of course corrupt county-level law enforcement won't do anything about it other than token measures. Alpharetta, Roswell, Johns Creek, etc. are still relatively nice places to live compared to most other places, but in another 10-15 years they'll come resemble the ghettoized suburbs of Los Angeles. Mark my words. This has actually already happened to a few places in metro Atlanta such as Stone Mountain, Duluth, Lawrenceville, etc. Traffic has always been bad here, but in the past 5-7 years it's gotten utterly out of hand, as I'm sure it has in other high-growth places. Traffic used to be horrendous only during rush hour. Now, traffic is atrocious everywhere regardless of what day or time it is. I'm actually hoping the US experiences a recession so that the construction and service industries that attract all the transients shrink and slow growth in the area.

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