Living in Georgia

Hi travellers!

I have lived in Atlanta Georgia for 1,5 year from 2002 until 2004. It was the best time of my life, seriously! There are a lot of Europeans living there, so you will not have any issues mixing with Americans or Europeans.
Atlanta is not as exciting as San Fransisco or Miami, but it has its charms, with the Coca Cola head quarters, many hotels, great parks, Peachtree street with Hardrock Cafe and many shopping opportunities!
The MARTA is the public transportation, you can compare it with the Underground in London and it takes you everywhere you need to be... Renting a car is pretty cheap and is a great way to discover other cities and states..... be prepared to hit very long, boring and lonely highways, just like in the movies... Living costs are okay, I shared a three bedroom flat with two other girls in a Summit, which suited us very well, as there was a pool and gym in the complex for all to use.
Our summit was in the Lenox area, which is about 30 minutes from the city centre, but still close to shopping malls, supermarkets and cafes. I just dont know if it still exists, as its been 5 years since I left...
Cost of living in general is average, can compare it with Europe actually, maybe even a bit cheaper.
Atlanta is a safe city and there are many places where you can go out, if thats what you are looking for.
As I was single, I cannot tell you the cost of schools, but my colleagues were finding it okay.
Americans put a lot of value in family life, the Sunday is baseball day, a whole family outing with friends etc... They do know how to enjoy life.
Everything is also much bigger than in Europe: the cars are big, the shopping malls have big food courts where a family of four can all have a different dinner/ lunch, chosen from all the stands around the tables, the tips have to be big too, as waiters only earn 3 dollars an hour....

Hope this helps!

K

Hello,
I dont know if you have moved yet, but I have lived in Georgia all my life and its a great place with alot of culture and history.
In and around Atlanta the people are very diverse so you shouldnt have a hard time finding other Germans and Europeans. I have several friends from Lithuania, Peru, South Korea, Mexico, Japan, Bosnia, Romania, the list goes on.
AS far as neigbhorhoods go I would say stick to the Atlanta metro area for the best job oppurntunities and standard of living. Depending on what u like the surrounding suburbs like Gwinnett and Cobb counties offer great diversity and safe quiet communities that are great for raising a family.
If you like the city Atlanta is a great city with many nice neighborhoods and things to do, however Atlanta is a bit on the dangerous side if your not used to the area, and the public schools inside the perimeter are not favorable at all. Other than those two downsides Atlanta has alot to offer.

Oh yea if I were to give a tip on how to assimalate into the culture, become a fan of the University of Georgia Bulldogs, thats the perferred college football team and its huge in Georgia. Im a huge fan myself.

Good luck with wherever you move!

I am an American but have lived in Europe and am currently living in the Atlanta area.  I am from up north though so living in Atlanta has been like living in another country. 

The weather is pleasant.  People are pleasant for the most part.  Schools are dependent on the area where you are living.

The cost of living is a bit cheaper than most places in Europe.  There are even some European groceries where you can find items you might miss from your home country. 

As far as assimilating...there have actually been books written about this subject because living in the south has its challenges, particularly for women.  The women from the south smile alot and are friendly on the surface but it doesn't mean they want to be your friend.  People from elsewhere aren't used to that and see the southern hospitality as an invitation to friendship, when oftentimes it is not.  It can be treacherous for those not used to dealing with these southern belle types. It is advisable to tread cautiously until you get a feel for how things really are.

That said, everyone maintains a friendly public personna which makes shopping, eating out, etc. very pleasant usually.  People from other parts of the country and other parts of the world usually find the social friendliness very refreshing. 

You will likely enjoy living here.  If you play tennis, you will find a group of friends quickly as nearly every neighborhood has tennis courts.  Football is also big in the south...watching that is, not playing. 

Atlanta has quite an international mix of people these days and it shouldn't be too difficult to find some European friends to socialize with as well.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Hi
   it soungs great!

How is Savannah? I am considering buying a home there? any advice?

Savannah is picturesque, historical, touristy most of the year, but particularly in the summer ... very, very southern, which means very conservative, high percentage of African Americans but very little (still) social integration crossing the race barriers.

hi..i'm not European but I am new here. I just moved here from Canada. It is quite the enviromental change thats for sure. the himidity during the summer is often 100%. I have been here a year now. I am used to cool to cold weather, snow, rain and mountains in Canada. They do have some rain here but no snow..(which I like:-)and no mountains (which I don't like)and the only cold weather I have expierienced is still shorts and t-shirt weather to me Lol. I moved here last April to be with a women I met over the internet from Canada. I married her when I got here and now call Georgia home. I live in the deep south in a city called Albany. Oh one other thing, I'm not sure what the crime rate is like where your from but it is very prevalant here. I have never seen so much crime...exspecially since I'm from Canada. this is something I have to adjust to for sure..but thankfully nothing has happened to me or any people I know. Just read about it alot in the papers. Best thing is not to make yourselves vulnerable. Lock your doors and for the most part don't trust people...at least until you get to know them. All in all I like here though..but like I said it is somewhat of a culture shock. Hope it all works out for you;-)

Brad

Hi Brad,

Welcome to Expat.com!

Just to inform you that this is an old thread.

Thank you for your participation.

My bad. guess I should have looked at the date Lol. I was posting on the classifieds and seen this thread. I didn't plan on commenting or posting anything again on this site anyway. But thanks for pointing that out for me:-)

Savannah is pretty but also very hot and humid in the summer. I grew up in Atlanta but have many friends that did not like savannah. Personally I have not lived there but when inquiring, not too many good reviews. And a lot of  crime according to many.
Beautiful architecture, river front, restaurants etc. though.

it sounds great !

Hi Andy > Are you an expat in Georgia? Could you please avoid off topic comment? I would suggest you to introduce yourself in the forum.

Thank you for your comprehension,
Christine from the Expat.com team

copy that !

Welcome to the forum travellers and thanks for all the great information.

hello

,


My name is Ibrahim, I am from Algeria, and I have been selected to get a green card through the lottery program.  It is now required that visa recipients have a sponsor to help with the transition to life in USA.

Hello

We are from Switzerland, we are living here since March last year.
Atlanta is a very good city and a lot of travler,
EuroCircle or internation are the most popular meet up for expat.
meetup.com are very good to meet people with the same interset then you.

If you like actual culture don't move here.

Hi mdg227,

Thank you for your contribution but remember that we are here to help people who want to live abroad, wherever they are in the world, and wherever they would like to live.. this is our ambition

It would be much appreciated if you can give some positive feedback as well even if the thread is dated 2009 the information might still be helpful please

Maximilien

That depends on you and your worldview. I have lived in Saudi, Kuwait, South Korea, Japan, China, England, Scotland, Ireland, and several other forgotten places. I speak several languages with a Southern draw( Russian, and Chinese( Mandarin).  I find culture every place I live. I assume people, cultures and ideas don't have to always conform to my worldview and what I define as culture. We have the busiest airport in the world here in Georgia and I am thinking there are flights to places you would considered cultured.

Nothing better than watching  futbol being played by a group of kids in Honduras or Mexico and Scotland. Soccer is a great sport to watch- baseball is only good if I am drinking.

Yes. As a coach in your area, I had to be a good role model for my players. I coached at LSA-Lanier Soccer Association.