5 Pros and Cons of Atlanta
Pro #1: Things to Do
There’s so much to do. Growing up partly in Montgomery, Alabama, I often took trips to Atlanta with my family and did all the touristy things like visit the Aquarium, The World of Coca-Cola museum, the Botanical Garden, Fox Theatre, and the old Turner Field for a Braves game. But once I moved here and was able to settle in, I realized there’s so much more to Atlanta than that. Whatever you’re up for, there’s a good chance you can find it here.
If you like shopping, you can find some of the best indoor/outdoor shopping malls and shopping centers around. And I’m talking about several places that are spread out all over the city as you can see on the map. (show video clip of typing in (“Atlanta shopping”) There’s really so much to choose from.
Once you’ve gotten your shopping fix, you can check out some of the markets like Ponce City Market and Krog Street Market. Both were revitalization projects where Krog Street turned a historic 1889 building into a wonderful dining establishment that has a “living room” feel to it where you can relax and dine communally. With Ponce City, the Sears, Roebuck & Company building was fully renovated and re-opened in 2014 in the flourishing Old Fourth Ward. A popular culinary destination with food and flavors galore, there’s also a decent presence of shopping that can be done after grabbing your meal of choice. Both marketplaces are accessible by foot, bike, and automobile. And of course, that electric charging station is everywhere.
Speaking of accessibility by foot, you’d be missing out if you didn’t take a walk along the BeltLine. It’s Atlanta’s latest outdoor space that is made up of 22 miles of unused railroad tracks circling the core of the city. Plenty of trails, walkways, and open green space and parks make up the BeltLine that connect people. What’s also great about it is that many restaurants can be found nearby with walk-up patios. It’s also very pet friendly, so don’t forget to bring your furry friends along with you! (show Lawrence pic) That’s my dog, and he loves the BeltLine. There’s plenty of opportunity for exercise and spending quality time with friends there. And if you’re a skater, there’s also the Historic Fourth Ward Skate Park. Beyond the BeltLine, there is a multitude of parks, trails, and walking paths all throughout the city.
We are also rich in history where you can visit the Martin Luther King Jr. National historic site and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. From everything about the life of MLK to hearing and learning about stories related to school desegregation, integration of interstate transportation, and voting rights, there’s plenty of multimedia, films, and artifacts to convey such powerful meaning during the 1950s and 60s.
Now, if you’re looking for parks, make sure you check out Centennial Olympic Park, which was built in 1996 for the Summer Olympic Games and it has a memorial, water fountain, and open space for free concerts. Also, don’t forget the renown Piedmont Park, which is a 185-acre park popular to walkers, joggers, and bikers and plenty of festivals.
Speaking of festivals, we’ve got it all. When it comes to music, there’s jazz, hip-hop, pop, rock, indie, electronic dance, and a myriad of other genres. My personal favorite is Music Midtown and Imagine Music Festival, which attract some of the biggest crowds with top-tier lineups. If I’m feeling artsy, the Dogwood Festival which has a huge outdoor fine arts market is also a personal favorite.
There’s also the Inman Park Festival, Jazz Festival, Little 5 Points Halloween Festival and Parade, Georgia Renaissance Festival, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, National Black Arts Festival, Pride Festival, Peachtree Latino, and so much more. All throughout the spring, summer, and fall, there’s something to do!
And if you’re an anime or comic book superhero lover, then DragonCon and MomoCon make their way to Atlanta every year. You don’t want to miss these! I think Chewbacca would be thrilled to see you (show picture of Chewbacca)!
Now when it comes to sports, we have great sporting events and venues. Ok, yes, we’re not going to talk about Super Bowl LI (51). The loss to the Patriots that year was horrific and had us stupefied at the end, so much so that people were throwing their TVs out the windows! (Show clip). But the point I’m trying to make is that we have fantastic access to so many different professional sports. We have Atlanta Braves for Major League Baseball, the Atlanta Hawks for NBA, the Atlanta Falcons for NFL, and much more. Did I mention Atlanta United for soccer? Hey, at least we had one championship pro team in the last two decades! But seriously you guys, there is so much available for the avid sports fan and the venues that surround the sports hype can be satisfied in so many ways. And if you’re from a state that doesn’t have professional sports like where I partly grew up in Alabama, then Atlanta is such an attractive place.
Pro #2: Great restaurants
Man, let me tell you. The food scene is absolutely heavenly here. When I lived in Alabama as a child, I remember going to the one Thai or Chinese restaurant down the street, and that was all we had for several years in terms of ethnic cuisine. But Atlanta has it all from a revolving sushi bar to Korean BBQ, Laotian food, Russian food, tons of good Latin food, and a thriving international market scene where you can buy practically any country’s food you can think of. Honestly, I’m getting hungry right now just talking about food. I think I need to leave and get some good grub…dang, where are my keys? OK, I know I know I didn’t finish the video. I couldn’t do that to y’all! So where did I leave off? Basically, if you’re looking for variety and want to explore outside your usual Southern food or soul food (which is amazing by the way), then Atlanta has so much to offer. In fact, I post videos on unique and sought-after restaurants in and around Atlanta, so be sure to check them out.
Pro #3: The weather
When it comes to the weather, we have mild winters and warm spring and fall seasons. When I lived abroad in Korea, I experienced some freezing cold winters and I dreaded walking block after block to get somewhere I needed to go. But Atlanta has four wonderful seasons and it’s truly a beauty to behold because it keeps life interesting throughout the year. My wife and I got a dog last year, and we found ourselves outside enjoying the beautiful nature all the time when we took our dog for walks. Even during the winter, we were able to go to dog parks frequently and not feel the dread of freezing our toes off. But along with the mild winters, comes con #3, the weather.
Pro #4: Atlanta has the Number 1 airport in the U.S.
And when I mean number 1, I’m talking about it being the busiest and most efficient airport in the world. Now, at the time of recording this video, an airport in Guangzhou China is now considered the busiest airport, so technically we’re second. Go figure the stats would change on me when doing this video. But the main point I’m trying to make is that we are the busiest airport in the U.S. and was the busiest airport in the world for the last 22 consecutive years prior to 2020. So what does this all mean? Well, at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), there are over 100 million passengers a year that lift off from five runways and served by more than 20 all-cargo air carriers. There is only a two-hour flight from Atlanta for more than 80% of the population in the U.S. The biggest advantage of the airport…are you ready?….There are 163 domestic destinations and 76 international destinations that have nonstop flights. More direct flights without having to stop means less time getting from point A to B. For the on-the-go business man or in an emergency situation, this is absolutely fantastic! You can feel assured that wherever it is that you need to go, that there will be an available flight waiting for you to take. It’s especially convenient during holidays when you know that most flights are completely booked. The last thing you want to experience is trying to book a last-minute flight to visit family for Christmas in another state and find out that there are no available flights. When I took trips to South Korea to visit my mom’s family, I was amazed at the large number of non-stop flights they had for competitive prices.
Pro #5: The economy (Lot of economic activity for financial growth)
As the ninth largest metro economy in the nation, metro Atlanta has a GDP of around $400 billion, and it’s one of the 10 most economically diverse metro areas in the nation. 30 of the largest corporations in America are housed as well as about 200 of the country’s fastest-growing private companies. Many innovation centers in Midtown have popped up as well.
We have a few major employers that have their corporate offices right here in the city including Delta Air Lines, Home Depot, Coca-Cola Company, Southern Company, UPS, and Cox Enterprises. It’s safe to say that we have some of the biggest companies headquartered here with continual growth and more expansion to come.
There’s also a strong presence of the medical industry here with a large number of healthcare facilities. For example, we have Northside Hospital and Piedmont healthcare. We even have Emory Healthcare, which has the world-renowned Emory University School of Medicine and Emory Hospital. Over 600 doctors work at the Emory Clinic, which include primary care physicians, specialists, and sub-specialists located all throughout the city.
There are also a few Amazon fulfillment centers located in the city. Logistics and supply chain certainly have a powerful presence in the Peach State as there have been 8 fulfillment centers opened in the last ten years with Atlanta being the central hub.
Con #1: Traffic
The traffic. When it comes to the traffic, there’s really no way of escaping the busy streets and highways all throughout the city. Even back in 2000, the traffic was bad, but at least during that time, I expected the traffic rush hours to really be the only times to worry about, which were from 7-10am and 3-7pm Monday through Friday. But fast forward to now, it can be busy at very random times, leading to more frustrating moments. We do have public transit in the form of buses and a rail system called Marta. However, Marta has been left unchanged since it was built with the exception of an extension. There have been multiple times when voting took place to extend the Marta to Gwinnett County, but it’s been voted down each time in fear of rising taxes. Ultimately, you find yourself commuting by car and stuck in traffic all along the major highways like I-20, I-70, I-85, and the loop encircling Atlanta, I-285.
It’s interesting when I first moved to Atlanta, I had just come back from a 5-year stint living in South Korea as an English teacher. I can definitely say that the public transportation system there is one of the best I’ve experienced. Cheap, efficient, always on time, and more subway stops per square mile than New York City. When I came to Atlanta, all of that changed.
At the least, Atlanta could use more arterial roads and medium size highways in addition to more transit if we are going to effectively handle the expected onslaught of new residents. You just have to be mindful of what neighborhoods to look for to move to and where those houses are positioned within the community. If you see a neighborhood that has one point of entry and exit, it could take twice as long to get to a major highway.
Con #2: Pollen
It’s so bad that it’s like a large yellow cloud of dust that covers the entire ground. If you were to pick up your door mat, you would immediately see the stark contrast in the original cement color versus the pollen next to it. During the months of March and April, you’re actually desiring for rain to come and wash it away. I pray that rain comes just so I can see the city of Atlanta get a deep clean that’s cleaner than any spring cleaning done by the finest professional home cleaning company! Here’s me doing a tour of a neighborhood and you can see my eyes are inflamed and squinted due to the burning sensation of the pollen. Well, yes, I was also squinting because it was sunny outside that day, and I got LASIK 8 years ago and now I have dry eyes. But besides that, it can physically change my appearance because it’s that heavy. Don’t forget your zyrtec and flonase because they’ll save your life! (show picture of holding both up) But the beauty that comes after the pollen goes away is breathtaking. Once you survive the pollen outbreak, you’ll see that the aftermath is gorgeous as the tree leaves are fully grown, the flowers are fully bloomed, the butterflies are gracefully flying, and the overall evergreen atmosphere has taken shape. And because everything is alive and moving again after a dead winter, it makes you want to go outside and swim, hike, play outdoor sports, and have barbecues with friends. Mmm, now I’m getting excited myself!
Con #3: The weather
You’re probably thinking, wait a minute Tim, you just said the weather was a good thing in Atlanta. How can you say it’s bad? Well, let’s not forget the summers. During the summer months, it’s hot. And it’s not just hot. It’s hot and humid. So you could have a day when the temperature is 95 degrees Farenheit, but if you add in the humidity, it feels like over 100 degrees at times. So before you leave your house, you probably want to gauge how hot it is based on the heat index more than anything. When you cut the grass, make sure you do it in the early morning or late in the evening right before the sun goes down. But after living in Atlanta for quite some time, I just kind of get used to it, so it’s not so bad anymore.
Con #4: State income taxes and property taxes
Now this depends on what state you live in as other states also have state income taxes. But there are other southern states that don’t have it such as Tennessee, Florida, and Texas. Currently, the state income tax rate ranges from 1% to 5.75%. Higher earners pay higher rates with the taxable income brackets topping out at $7,000 for single filers, which means most full-time workers will pay the top rate of 5.75%. And for married, filing jointly, those people face the same rates but with different brackets. So that 5.75% is 5.75% more tax you have to pay than other states that don’t have state income tax. The good news is that there is ongoing legislation that for the next tax year, we might be seeing a flat tax of either 5.5% or 5.375%, so that can definitely help ease your tax burden in the coming year. This will be on par with a lot of other Southern states as well.
As for property taxes, we have one of the higher rates in the South, ranked 26th in the country at 0.92%. And as home prices rise, this will take a greater hit on Atlanta residents. But, there’s a silver lining as well with this. If you compare our property and sales tax to the states I mentioned before, then it’s not so bad. The average combined sales tax rate in Georgia is 7.3% while Tennessee is the highest in the country at 9.5%, Texas at 8.2%, and Florida at roughly the same rate as Georgia at 7.1%. And for property taxes, Texas is one of the highest rates in the country at 1.69%.
Con #5: Low wages
In Atlanta, the average household income is $53,000. So, about 41% of Atlanta residents’ income goes towards their mortgage every month. The median home values of homes in Atlanta are $290,000 for condos and townhomes, and $389,000 for single family, which means they are relatively affordable compared to the rest of the country. However, because the wages are lower, it can make it harder to buy a home in Atlanta. These are similar percentages as cities such as Denver, Chicago, Scottsdale, Austin, and Houston.
Check out my full video below that explains all of this in more detail!
