Atlanta - any info or websites (possible expat move to US

[D2B]

Hi

I have been a bit quiet lately but still reading away , we are in Australia and there is a good possibility of an expat posting to Atlanta, Georgia. Now any ideas , hints tips, what this would be like, good / bad / crime rates, issues to consider.

We have a 9 year old boy so schools are an important consideration, currently we go to a very relaxed catholic school, and he is doing really well. Does one rent houses furnished in the US? do we move all our things over? are there private or semi private schools? any good webistes for atlanta to guide me towards or living in the US. At this stage we need to know if we want to pursue it iykwim, the ball is in our court so to speak. How friednly are people to aussies?? hmmmmm, lots to consider and we have a limited time before we need to let them know what our thoughts are. Any defintates we should inclue in the expat package??

many thanks
D2B

 

[zoebartlett]

Re: Atlanta - any info or websites (possible expat move to U

Hi D2B!

I don't know Atlanta but I thought I'd post a link to City-Data, which is a site that has a forum for each state in the US. I clicked on the sub-forum for Atlanta and here it is: http://www.city-data.com/forum/atlanta/.. I've posted there before when we were moving (under another state's sub-forum), and I thought the advice was helpful. You can also go to the homepage and find the info link for Georgia to get additional info.

Here are 2 other sites on Atlanta (I just did a quick Google search):
http://www.atlanta.net/
http://www.atlantaga.gov/ (click on the "residents" tab for education info)

Here's a link for the Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta:
http://www.metroatlantachamber.com/Default.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

I wish I could help more but hopefully these will get you started.

Good luck!

 

[yennyfire]

Re: Atlanta - any info or websites (possible expat move to U

Hi D2B,

I live in the Atlanta area and am happy to answer as many questions as I can. I guess the first thing I'd need to know before recommending areas with good schools is where the job is located. Atlanta traffic is kind of a pain (not like LA or NY, but still pretty congested), so you don't want to buy/rent a home on the opposite side of town from where you work unless you're prepared for an hour or more commute each way. You can rent a home here (in fact, there are a couple in my area), but I don't know if they come furnished or not.

There are a couple of areas with really good public schools and there are also several really good private schools. Do you have a preference? The crime rates in the areas I would suggest to you are minimal compared to that of the city. The South is a pretty friendly place, so I'm sure you would be welcomed with open arms (and personally speaking, I love an Aussie accent!). The one thing I'd make sure you negotiate in your package is access to two cars. The public transportation here isn't that great and if you choose to live in the suburbs (which is where the best public schools are), you'll both need one to get to/from work, the grocery store, etc. I have no idea how expat. packages work, but I know that's a must have.

Feel free to ask me any questions you have. I'll try to check back a bit later to see if can help in any way. I do know that if you come here, you'd have one PSer who'd be excited to meet you and help you get settled!

 

[MeganR]

Re: Atlanta - any info or websites (possible expat move to U

I grew up in Atlanta, still live here, and went K-12 in Catholic schools, so I could probably answer any questions you might have on that count.

 

[PinkTower]

Re: Atlanta - any info or websites (possible expat move to U

I have lived in Atl for over 30 years and most people love it here. We live right in town, and educated our children in private in town schools. So much of how to advise you depends upon what area your work will be located. Atlanta is very large, but very covered in trees for a huge city. I personally would not want to deal with the traffic, so you will want to consider how much commute time is too much. My husband walks to work; we decided about 6 years ago that any commute was too much. We only have one car now. You can google "zip cars" -- that enables us to only have one car.We do visit an Australian cafe; you might like the website. Australianbakerycafe.com. Let me know if I can answer any questions about living downtown or in the Druid Hills area.

 

[yennyfire]

Re: Atlanta - any info or websites (possible expat move to U

I would agree with pinktower. If you live in the city, you'd definitely only need one car.

 

[mol42]

Re: Atlanta - any info or websites (possible expat move to U

I agree with the previous posters.
Just a heads up if you are considering moving to Intown Atlanta and attending public schools. Atlanta public schools (APS) is in the middle of a redistricting process so make sure your agent is aware of the final school district. You can rent furnished apartments (corporate apartments??) but as mentioned by previous posters, you want to narrow down your location first. Metro Atlanta is LARGE and IMO, the neighborhoods each have their own "feel", and their own pros/cons.
HTH and let us know if you have further questions!

 

[D2B]

Re: Atlanta - any info or websites (possible expat move to U

Thanks guys, sorry for the delay. In australia kids went back to school this week and it has been a hectic week with work and starting a new school year.

Hmm, will check out with my husband where his office would be located. We have dog we want to bring with us so I guess that rules out the city as we need a yard.

I really appreciate the feedback and will get back to you later in the week.

Thanks all

 

[April20]

Re: Atlanta - any info or websites (possible expat move to U

I live in Atlanta too, in town. I'm happy to answer questions on in-town neighborhoods. Atlanta is by far my favorite place to live, I just love this place! The people are very friendly and there are a lot of areas to choose from when it comes to neighborhood!

The traffic can be hellacious- which is why we live where we do. You really need to know where you're going to be working and choose a neighborhood within an easy commute. I'd really, really recommend not going for a larger house in the burbs if it means the commute into the city. Ugh.

I don't have kids, but from what I understand, the City of Decatur schools are pretty good. Decatur is a super cute town (county seat for Dekalb County) located about 8 miles east of downtown ATL. If you work downtown, it's a very easy commute. If you consider that area, you want a house in the City of Decatur and NOT unincorporated Decatur. City of Decatur = awesome neighborhoods, nice schools, great shopping. Unincorporated Decatur = dicey neighborhoods at times and not so nice areas.

You want to avoid most of southwest ATL. I can go into specific neighborhood detail if you need at a later time, but while there are some awesome historic houses there, you DO NOT want to live there right now for the most part.

That's all for now..... I can expoud more if you want! I've been here five years and don't plan on leaving anytime soon!