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 th

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.