Tell me all about Georgia!!--esp. Atlanta area

harleyquinn

<font color=red>Wishes she could take photos of th
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May 22, 2003
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After 2 years of DH not finding a teaching position, we are considering moving away from Ohio :(

I'm a children's librarian in a public library. Looks like GA has a lot of librarian and teacher openings, especially in the burbs of ATL.

So I'd love to hear what anyone has to say about anything Georgia. How's the weather, schools, libraries, and housing?

If you need more info, please ask! :)
 
Okefenokee Swamp encompasses over 400,000 acres of canals; moss draped cypress trees, and lily pad prairies providing sanctuaries for hundreds of species of birds and wildlife including several endangered species.

Cumberland Island National Seashore contains the ruins of Dungeness, the once magnificent Carnegie estate. In addition, wild horses graze among wind swept dunes.

The late John F. Kennedy, Jr. and his future wife stopped in Kingsland on the way to their marriage on Cumberland Island.

Historic Saint Marys Georgia is the second oldest city in the nation.

The City of Savanna was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic.
It sailed from Georgia.

Ways Station was renamed Richmond Hill on May 1, 1941, taking the name of automaker Henry Ford's winter estate.

The pirate Edward "Blackbeard" Teach made a home on Blackbeard Island. The United States Congress designated the Blackbeard Island Wilderness Area in 1975 and it now has a total of 3,000 acres.

On January 19, 1861, Georgia joined the Confederacy.

The official state fish is the largemouth bass.

In Gainesville, the Chicken Capital of the World it is illegal to eat chicken with a fork.

Georgia was named for King George II of England.

Stone Mountain near Atlanta is one of the largest single masses of exposed granite in the world.

Georgia is the nations number one producer of the three Ps--peanuts, pecans, and peaches.

At the Hawkinsville Civitan Club's Annual Shoot the Bull Barbecue Championship, people from all over Georgia and surrounding states flock to this small south Georgia town to enter their tasty barbecue concoctions in this famous cook-off. The funds raised from this event benefit the Civitan International Research Center and its work toward a cure for Down's syndrome and other developmental disabilities.

Each year Georgia serves as a host to the International Poultry Trade Show, the largest poultry convention in the world.

The oldest portable steam engine in the United States is on display at Historic Railroad Shops in Savannah.

Known as the sweetest onion in the world, the Vidalia onion can only be grown in the fields around Vidalia and Glennville

Georgia is the largest state east of the Mississippi River.

Georgia's population in 1776 was around 40,000.

Cordele claims to be the watermelon capital of the world.

The annual Masters Golf Tournament is played at the Augusta National in Augusta every first week of April.

Georgia is often called the Empire State of the South and is also known as the Peach State and Cracker State.

In 1828 Auraria, near the city of Dahlongea, was the site of the first Gold Rush in America.

Coca-Cola was invented in May 1886 by Dr. John S. Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia. The name "Coca-Cola" was suggested by Dr. Pemberton's bookkeeper, Frank Robinson. He penned the name Coca-Cola in the flowing script that is famous today. Coca-Cola was first sold at a soda fountain in Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta by Willis Venable.

Berry College in Rome has the world's largest college campus.

The Little White House in Warm Springs was the recuperative home of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1942 Jekyll Island was a private resort sold to the state by the owners, a group of millionaires.

Providence Canyon State Park, near Lumpkin, is known as the Little Grand Canyon of Georgia.

The Cherokee rose is the official state flower, the live oak the official tree; and the brown thrasher the official bird.

United States Highway 27 runs the length of Georgia and is known as Martha Berry Highway, named after a pioneer educator.

Marshall Forest in Rome is the only natural forest within a city limits in the United States.

The popular theme park - Six Flags Over Georgia, was actually named for six flags that flew over Georgia. England, Spain, Liberty, Georgia, Confederate States of America, and the United States.

The locomotive engine popularly known as The General is housed in the Big Shanty Museum in Kennesaw. It was stolen in the Andrews Railroad Raid in 1862 and later depicted in The Great Locomotive Chase, a popular movie.

The name of the famous south Georgia swamp, the Okefenokee, is derived from an Indian word meaning the trembling earth.

Brasstown Bald Mountain is the highest point in Georgia. It has an elevation of 4,784 feet.

The Cyclorama is a three dimensional panorama that depicts the famous Battle of Atlanta, and is located in Grant Park in Atlanta.

Thomasville is known as the City of Roses.

Chickamuga National Park is the site of the bloodiest battle in American history.

Plains is the home of Jimmy Carter, the 39th President.

The figures of Stonewall Jackson, Jefferson Davis, and Robert E. Lee make up the world's largest sculpture. It is located on the face of Stone Mountain. Additionally Robert E. Lee's horse, Traveler, is also carved at the same place.

Savannah was the landing site for General James Edward Oglethorpe, founder of Georgia.

The world's largest Infantry training center is located at Fort Benning.

The largest Farmer's Market of its kind is located in Forest Park.

Ralph Bunch, United States diplomat, was the first Georgian to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Callaway Gardens is a world famous family resort, known for its azaleas.

Wesleyan College in Macon was the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women.

Madison is known for its beautiful antebellum homes spared during Sherman's fiery march to the sea.

Chehaw in Albany is a well known wild animal park.

Ocmulgee National Monument in Macon is the largest archeological development east of the Mississippi River.

Athens is the location of the first university chartered and supported by state funds
 
Great Info.

I love it here in Flowery Branch, is a small and quiet town, great people, schools and everything is just great.
 
I live in GA born and bred now I live close to Augusta.
For the most part. Housing in GA is cheap. You can buy a lot of house here for the money.Some schools can be bad. You need to do your research if you have children. There are some great schools here and some not so great ones.
It is the Bible Belt. When you move hear you will get asked -where do you go to church? Lots of people go to church here.
For the most part it is politically conservative.
But you can find almost any kind of person here. During election time you will see many more Republican signs in front yards than Democrat ones.
It is a beautiful state with much to offer.
Some people when moving here assume we all eat grits :teeth: and have a hound dog on the porch but you will find we are pretty diverse.
 

I forgot to mention the weather. No snow for the most part -when we do get it everyone freaks out and things shut down.
It stays pretty warm from Mid may to early november.
Today it was pretty warm but usually we have some freezing temps in January.
Oh and usually a days drive to WDW depending on where you live in GA.
 
I too am looking to move to GA... Dallas to be exact. I have been there and I LOVE the area, the people are VERY nice. The people that I have spoken to in the school district seem nice, but I have a special needs child and I have to research things for her before I make the move.

I have been told that the area I am moving to has a very poor school system, and well, I don't like that. So right now, I am still looking. :)
 
I can't say it any better than those who have posted, but I can chime in and tell you that GA, especially near ATL, is a great place.

I do not live in GA but my husband is from ATL-Dunwoody and we visit his family often.

I love to visit in the spring when it seems there are flowers EVERYWHERE (and despite the contention with my DMIL, I really like wisteria). And of course the mild weather is always a plus for me.

GA/ATL is definately a place I would consider moving. There are many opportunities in the area, and now they have an aquarium! As my MIl likes to say.....go north to get your education and south to make your fortune...

Almost forgot, traffic can get pretty bad during rush hour, and this is from a NYC girl.......but if that is the only thing...

Good luck with your decision and job hunt...btw...my BIL is from Ohio and he love it in ATL!
 
I have lots of family that live in the Atlanta area. They love it there. It gets awful humid though, but if you can handle it, go for it!
 
Most of that sounds great. Thanks for all the info. I think we'd definitely try to be near ATL. DH's best friend from HS is there. My uncle and his family live near the shore.

The state seems to have really awesome websites for all my interests.

Any more info is appreciated!
 
I've lived all over GA including smaller college towns and large cities like Augusta, Macon and Atlanta. The advice someone gave me when we moved to Atlanta --- live where you work. Since you are both in education, I would be sure to live and work in the same suburb. Under most circumstances, teachers don't get paid enough to live inside the perimeter or can afford the drive from one town to another, which can take an hour or more each way. Also, the further you live/work from Atlanta, the lower the cost-of-living and the more house you can get for the money. And houses are ex-pen-sive!

My SIL lives in Newnan (about 30 mins SW) and works 20 mins away in Peachtree City and she is very pleased with her school system. Cobb County (Kennesaw, Marietta) has great schools and I hear Lawrenceville does, too. In fact, that's where I would start my search - Lawrenceville. My sister lives there and she loves the area and the schools.

Good luck! Atlanta is a great place, but I'm glad we moved to a smaller town. Now my meager salary goes a lot further. :)
 
Thanks Vettechick!! I forgot you were from GA :)

A lot of what I'm looking at seems to be in Cobb County or some of the other counties near ATL, but not too near.

I think we need to go visit. It's really hard though, because who knows if we could both find jobs? I guess we'd go down and rent for a while if DH can find something. It seems like there are a lot of public librarian jobs, but I just don't know how to go about this. Should I have DH apply for positions, and see what happens? There's just so many varibles.

I wish he could find something here! :sad: He's so awesome, but it's so hard for him not being able to find anything. :(
 
gr8tpanther said:
I too am looking to move to GA... Dallas to be exact. I have been there and I LOVE the area, the people are VERY nice.

my in-laws live in dallas and they love it there, close to shopping but not really close either lol

i am trying to talk my hubby into moving there, we live in the conyers area, and i hate it.. i really want out of this town
 
We moved here from Long Island a year ago. Definetly live close to where you work, traffic is horrible. Housing is very cheap compared to what we were used to and the taxes are really low. We live in Suwanee, right outside Alpharetta it's in South Forsyth County. I'm very pleased with the schools here. I think the curriculumn is tougher than L.I. A few things are different, but overall very good. People are are so friendly and helpful. That really made the move easier. Where I live, no one is born and raised here. Most of the people are transplants from somewhere else which makes us feel better, don't feel like the odd man out. This town is booming and shops and things are coming in everyday. In the summer, it is hot, but after a year and a half of living here, we think the 2 months (July and August) that are the worst, is a great trade off for the mild weather the other 10 months. This week temps have been right around 70 - can't beat that in January.
For us, it's been a positive experience. Made many friends, much better weather (no snow!) Central Air (love it!), good schools, and we have a lot more money living here!!!
Good luck, I now it's a tough decision.
 
I live in Cobb Co. I love it, but the schools there are pretty hit and miss, which will be a problem for me if I decide to stay where I am when I have kids.

I have some friends who live in Henry County, south of Atlanta. It's a rapidly growing area, so housing is starting to go up, but you can still find some really reasonable prices right now. Great school system, too. The problem is it's a bit of a haul into the city (30 minutes or so).

I would avoid Gwinnett if I were you. Used to be a terrific area all around, but not so much anymore. I don't think the schools are as good as they used to be. There are still some great neighborhoods there and good schools, but it can be hit and miss these days, much like Cobb County. Just do your research!
 
Living in Fl and being a big Gator fan I will be kind and keep my opinions to myself. :teeth: I think you need to keep coming South to the land of Palm trees and Mickey :teeth:
 
vettechick99 said:
I've lived all over GA including smaller college towns and large cities like Augusta, Macon and Atlanta. The advice someone gave me when we moved to Atlanta --- live where you work. Since you are both in education, I would be sure to live and work in the same suburb. Under most circumstances, teachers don't get paid enough to live inside the perimeter or can afford the drive from one town to another, which can take an hour or more each way. Also, the further you live/work from Atlanta, the lower the cost-of-living and the more house you can get for the money. And houses are ex-pen-sive!

Posting again to say that's terrific advice!
 
Auggiedaugie said:
Almost forgot, traffic can get pretty bad during rush hour, and this is from a NYC girl.......but if that is the only thing...

She's being kind. I have never seen a city with worse traffic. In NY, as I suspect many cities, there is a concept of going against traffic. Not Atlanta. Try driving GA-400 during rush hour. The problem is that Atlanta has no natural boundries to prevent sprawl, so as people moved out to the outer perimiter, the companies followed them. Btw, the perimeter is I-285 which circles Atlanta. I have yet to figure out what the heck Spaghetti Junction is. (don't you hate when you travel to different cities and the traffic reports uses nicknames and terms that only the locals understand?)

Also, everything in Atlanta is called Peachtree. Really.

Atlanta can get pretty cold in the winter. I live in NY, but my company is in Atlanta, so I travel there frequently. In December, temperature dropped below freezing at night and was in the upper 30s/low 40s a good part of the month. We even had an ice storm in the middle of December.
 
gometros said:
I have yet to figure out what the heck Spaghetti Junction is. (don't you hate when you travel to different cities and the traffic reports uses nicknames and terms that only the locals understand?)


It's where 85 hits 285 (North of the city). :teeth:
 
vettechick99 said:
My SIL lives in Newnan (about 30 mins SW) and works 20 mins away in Peachtree City and she is very pleased with her school system. QUOTE]


Ohh you have contributed to the fall of Coweta County :rotfl2:. My family is a founding family of Coweta County. I would like to add that Lawrenceville is a great place for teaching. Gwinnett County is extremely diversified and only about 1/4 of the people living there are true Southerners. It makes the transistion much smoother.
 
reddixie said:
vettechick99 said:
I would like to add that Lawrenceville is a great place for teaching. Gwinnett County is extremely diversified and only about 1/4 of the people living there are true Southerners. It makes the transistion much smoother.

I live in Lawrenceville and I'd be surprised if even 1/4 were true Southerners. It seems most everyone around here is from somewhere else. :)
 


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