4 ms·

Well, I'll give a plug for a different city: Atlanta. My wife and I moved from Atlanta to Seattle a few years back, and while we love the PNW we're definitely l

Well, I'll give a plug for a different city: Atlanta. My wife and I moved from Atlanta to Seattle a few years back, and while we love the PNW we're definitely looking forward to moving back this summer. Seattle is wonderful, but the traffic has gotten noticeably worse since we've been here, and housing just never worked for us. Atlanta has a lot of opportunity, including in the tech space. It's no Seattle or SF, obviously, but it's a bit of a job oasis on the south. I also personally feel like the city has about 5x the culture and character of either Seattle or SF (where my wife lived for awhile), but that's probably a preference on type of culture than absolute value of culture. I'll miss all the craft brews of the PNW, but can't wait to be back near the heartland of BBQ.

sf_rob 11y ago
As a fellow former Atlantan, I'm going to disagree. Atlanta has a lot of cool stuff going on, but I find the food, drink, scenery, and to a lesser extent the people better in Seattle/Portland/SF. Now Atlanta is a good city and the pay/cost of living is very good. There's a pretty solid tech scene, but not a great startup environment IMO.
- HelloMcFly 11y ago
  It's definitely not a startup environment, and I should have clarified that given the crowd. The west coast has more variety of beer, and that will be a big loss. However, for my taste buds I'll take many of the restaurants in Atlanta over SF or Seattle most days (though I'll miss the Sushi and Korean food greatly). Maybe that means I'm not a super healthy person. And I definitely disagree on the people. We found people in Atlanta to be much friendlier and more approachable than in Seattle (and my wife felt similarly for SF). I also feel there's more opportunity to form relationships with people of diverse backgrounds. I've found Seattle somewhat colder and much more uniform from a people personality perspective, though we've certainly made great friends here. The scenery is worse as PNW is world class, but the weather is way better. On balance it is a wash for me, but since I'm a biker and not a snow sports person I'm looking forward to a flatter environment in general. For what it's worth, I've never spent more than a weekend in Portland. Also for what it's worth, we're moving back for a job offer received, we're not fleeing this part of the country. But the housing prices would have pushed us out eventually (which is insane given our life situation, frankly).
  - sf_rob 11y ago
    I think that your reasoning is good, I don't have quite the same feelings. Full disclosure that I've only lived in Portland and SF, I only visit Seattle. People are quieter and more stand-off-ish in the PNW, but I find once I get talking to people I tend to get along. Then again, I'm a PNW stereotype (bearded, liberal, outdoorsy, tech-y) so it's a more congruent lifestyle for me here. I didn't get along with people in S.F. as much, and found people to be quite negative / not friendly. I will agree on diversity and understand why you would prefer Atlanta's weather, but I'm a snowboarder and hate the summers there. I miss some of the southern food, but wouldn't trade it for the west coast's New American / Mexican / beer.
  - tclmeelmo 11y ago
    > (though I'll miss the Sushi and Korean food greatly) Are you not taking advantage of the Buford corridor?
    - HelloMcFly 11y ago
      Oh I absolutely am. But the sushi isn't the same. I don't remember as much of the Korean food I ate in Atlanta, but I didn't really get into Korean until I got out here. I do find the Indian food in the Atlanta area superior.
      - tclmeelmo 11y ago
        Since you like Korean and BBQ, have you been to Heirloom Market? http://heirloommarketbbq.com http://heirloommarketbbq.com
dkrich 11y ago
Of course this is all a matter of personal preference, but as a former Atlantan, I'm going to disagree. My main gripes with the metro Atlanta area were: -The traffic, which was the worst of any major city I've ever spent time in, and yes, I've spent time in L.A., New York, and D.C. -Bland environment/lack of character. What I mean by this is that you're basically in a landlocked area that is best known for launching Coca-Cola, Chick-fil-a, and CNN. Not much unusual stuff to do in the area, so boredom can come on quickly. -Full of transplants. For every person I knew who grew up in the area, I knew at least four that were from other states. This made the culture very boring and support for sports teams, etc. non-existent. To be clear, there are many good things about Atlanta- it's close to Nashville which is awesome, and you're a short flight to a lot of great places. Also, the cost of living is fantastic for a major city. There are a number of beautiful lakes and lots of greenery in the area as well. But all things considered, it can get pretty boring.
- HelloMcFly 11y ago
  On traffic: it's terrible, but Seattle is now worse than Atlanta in my opinion. It wasn't like that when we first moved here, but it's like that now. Neither place is great. On lack of character: we can just agree to disagree on that. I find the culture and character amazing, though it doesn't beat my favorite character-rich cities of New Orleans and Charleston, SC. I never wanted for things to do, and we went camping in the Appalachians regularly. Full of transplants: that's going to be true of most recommendations on this list. Seattle, SF, Portland, Bend, Nashville, Denver, Chicago, and on and on. Not a negative for me, as I'm a transplant myself (I'm certainly never moving back to Kansas).
Xcelerate 11y ago
I grew up in the metro Atlanta area (moved there in 1999), and spent four years in downtown Atlanta at Georgia Tech. For someone interested in technology, I think there are better places to live. - Compared to the downtown area of other cities, Atlanta is a ghost town. You don't see a whole lot of people walking around the city like you do in San Francisco, and to be honest, the downtown area has always been a little boring to me. Most people live in the suburbs, commute into the city in the morning, and then commute back out in the evening. The traffic is absolutely horrible. MARTA (the public transportation system) leaves a lot to be desired. The one time I used it, I was harassed and followed around by people asking for money, so I haven't used it again. - Not a great food culture. At least when I lived there, the city didn't have any Michelin star restaurants. The south is known for BBQ, but in my opinion the surrounding states have much tastier BBQ. - Not many tech companies. I think this situation is improving, but it's improving a little too slowly for my liking. To its credit, Atlanta does have some great qualities: - Has the world's busiest airport. Europe isn't nearly as far away as it is from the west coast. - Has all four seasons (if you like that). - Has the largest number of trees of any major city in the US. Atlanta residents go to extremes to keep the forestry alive; cutting down one tree can cost thousands of dollars. - Georgia Tech. Lots of research opportunities with GTRI. - Much lower cost of living (and housing) than other major cities - Great high schools in the metro area - Short distance to other interesting cities: Nashville, Birmingham, Huntsville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Charlotte, and Raleigh.
- HelloMcFly 11y ago
  I disagree on the food culture, but won't belabor the point. Michelin Star restaurants aren't places I tend to go, so this may be a matter of what you're looking for. I do have to put my flag in the ground on this though: Fox Brothers BBQ is the best BBQ in the south, in my opinion, and I've had them all. I think there's a lot of tech jobs available, but not the same level of tech-specific org.'s, you are correct. However, the opportunities in the tech space there started ballooning in the mid-naughts according to the labor and job data work we did at the tech company I worked for at the same (about this time I was transferred to the tech HQ of my company, which was in Atlanta). It's even easy for me to move back because my tech consulting firm that I work for has an office there. I don't disagree on downtowns, but it doesn't bother me (and it's not that much worse than Seattle, frankly). All of the fun stuff is in all of the ITP neighborhoods (with a few OTP).
grogenaut 11y ago
Lol, Atlanta vs Seattle thread is not one I thought to encounter today. Good read!

sf_rob 11y ago

As a fellow former Atlantan, I'm going to disagree. Atlanta has a lot of cool stuff going on, but I find the food, drink, scenery, and to a lesser extent the people better in Seattle/Portland/SF. Now Atlanta is a good city and the pay/cost of living is very good. There's a pretty solid tech scene, but not a great startup environment IMO.

HelloMcFly 11y ago
It's definitely not a startup environment, and I should have clarified that given the crowd. The west coast has more variety of beer, and that will be a big loss. However, for my taste buds I'll take many of the restaurants in Atlanta over SF or Seattle most days (though I'll miss the Sushi and Korean food greatly). Maybe that means I'm not a super healthy person. And I definitely disagree on the people. We found people in Atlanta to be much friendlier and more approachable than in Seattle (and my wife felt similarly for SF). I also feel there's more opportunity to form relationships with people of diverse backgrounds. I've found Seattle somewhat colder and much more uniform from a people personality perspective, though we've certainly made great friends here. The scenery is worse as PNW is world class, but the weather is way better. On balance it is a wash for me, but since I'm a biker and not a snow sports person I'm looking forward to a flatter environment in general. For what it's worth, I've never spent more than a weekend in Portland. Also for what it's worth, we're moving back for a job offer received, we're not fleeing this part of the country. But the housing prices would have pushed us out eventually (which is insane given our life situation, frankly).
- sf_rob 11y ago
  I think that your reasoning is good, I don't have quite the same feelings. Full disclosure that I've only lived in Portland and SF, I only visit Seattle. People are quieter and more stand-off-ish in the PNW, but I find once I get talking to people I tend to get along. Then again, I'm a PNW stereotype (bearded, liberal, outdoorsy, tech-y) so it's a more congruent lifestyle for me here. I didn't get along with people in S.F. as much, and found people to be quite negative / not friendly. I will agree on diversity and understand why you would prefer Atlanta's weather, but I'm a snowboarder and hate the summers there. I miss some of the southern food, but wouldn't trade it for the west coast's New American / Mexican / beer.
- tclmeelmo 11y ago
  > (though I'll miss the Sushi and Korean food greatly) Are you not taking advantage of the Buford corridor?
  - HelloMcFly 11y ago
    Oh I absolutely am. But the sushi isn't the same. I don't remember as much of the Korean food I ate in Atlanta, but I didn't really get into Korean until I got out here. I do find the Indian food in the Atlanta area superior.
    - tclmeelmo 11y ago
      Since you like Korean and BBQ, have you been to Heirloom Market? http://heirloommarketbbq.com http://heirloommarketbbq.com

dkrich 11y ago

Of course this is all a matter of personal preference, but as a former Atlantan, I'm going to disagree. My main gripes with the metro Atlanta area were: -The traffic, which was the worst of any major city I've ever spent time in, and yes, I've spent time in L.A., New York, and D.C. -Bland environment/lack of character. What I mean by this is that you're basically in a landlocked area that is best known for launching Coca-Cola, Chick-fil-a, and CNN. Not much unusual stuff to do in the area, so boredom can come on quickly. -Full of transplants. For every person I knew who grew up in the area, I knew at least four that were from other states. This made the culture very boring and support for sports teams, etc. non-existent. To be clear, there are many good things about Atlanta- it's close to Nashville which is awesome, and you're a short flight to a lot of great places. Also, the cost of living is fantastic for a major city. There are a number of beautiful lakes and lots of greenery in the area as well. But all things considered, it can get pretty boring.

HelloMcFly 11y ago
On traffic: it's terrible, but Seattle is now worse than Atlanta in my opinion. It wasn't like that when we first moved here, but it's like that now. Neither place is great. On lack of character: we can just agree to disagree on that. I find the culture and character amazing, though it doesn't beat my favorite character-rich cities of New Orleans and Charleston, SC. I never wanted for things to do, and we went camping in the Appalachians regularly. Full of transplants: that's going to be true of most recommendations on this list. Seattle, SF, Portland, Bend, Nashville, Denver, Chicago, and on and on. Not a negative for me, as I'm a transplant myself (I'm certainly never moving back to Kansas).

Xcelerate 11y ago

I grew up in the metro Atlanta area (moved there in 1999), and spent four years in downtown Atlanta at Georgia Tech. For someone interested in technology, I think there are better places to live. - Compared to the downtown area of other cities, Atlanta is a ghost town. You don't see a whole lot of people walking around the city like you do in San Francisco, and to be honest, the downtown area has always been a little boring to me. Most people live in the suburbs, commute into the city in the morning, and then commute back out in the evening. The traffic is absolutely horrible. MARTA (the public transportation system) leaves a lot to be desired. The one time I used it, I was harassed and followed around by people asking for money, so I haven't used it again. - Not a great food culture. At least when I lived there, the city didn't have any Michelin star restaurants. The south is known for BBQ, but in my opinion the surrounding states have much tastier BBQ. - Not many tech companies. I think this situation is improving, but it's improving a little too slowly for my liking. To its credit, Atlanta does have some great qualities: - Has the world's busiest airport. Europe isn't nearly as far away as it is from the west coast. - Has all four seasons (if you like that). - Has the largest number of trees of any major city in the US. Atlanta residents go to extremes to keep the forestry alive; cutting down one tree can cost thousands of dollars. - Georgia Tech. Lots of research opportunities with GTRI. - Much lower cost of living (and housing) than other major cities - Great high schools in the metro area - Short distance to other interesting cities: Nashville, Birmingham, Huntsville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Charlotte, and Raleigh.

HelloMcFly 11y ago
I disagree on the food culture, but won't belabor the point. Michelin Star restaurants aren't places I tend to go, so this may be a matter of what you're looking for. I do have to put my flag in the ground on this though: Fox Brothers BBQ is the best BBQ in the south, in my opinion, and I've had them all. I think there's a lot of tech jobs available, but not the same level of tech-specific org.'s, you are correct. However, the opportunities in the tech space there started ballooning in the mid-naughts according to the labor and job data work we did at the tech company I worked for at the same (about this time I was transferred to the tech HQ of my company, which was in Atlanta). It's even easy for me to move back because my tech consulting firm that I work for has an office there. I don't disagree on downtowns, but it doesn't bother me (and it's not that much worse than Seattle, frankly). All of the fun stuff is in all of the ITP neighborhoods (with a few OTP).

grogenaut 11y ago

Lol, Atlanta vs Seattle thread is not one I thought to encounter today. Good read!