Living in DFW vs ATL

[aa73]

Just curious folks: for those who have lived in both cities, which did you like better? I live in DFW and once in a while I get an ATL layover, seems like a pretty nice place. Thanks, 73

 

[BuzzSaw]

Atlanta SUCKS!!

You have to love the "Atlantatude" that you get everywhere. They probably spit in my food too.

 

[KozzyCFI]

Such a tough call. I lived in DFW for 2 years and loved it. I basically lived in ATL for about 6 months and also really liked it there. I liked Atlanta's close proximity to the mountains and the fact that it didn't get to be 120 degrees every day in the summer. Buckhead is tons of fun and you're not toooooo far from the shore. On the other hand, if I could move back to Dallas now, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Lots of new communities, plus the added benefit of metropolitan Dallas and cowtown Fort Worth. Lots of great people and great food, too. In my view, you can't really do wrong either place. If I had to choose, hmmm...yea, I think I'd have to flip a coin. Might lean towards Dallas on the fact that there's no state income taxes in Texas.

 

[800Dog]

Atlanta SUCKS!!

You have to love the "Atlantatude" that you get everywhere. They probably spit in my food too.

Have you ever ventured beyond the airport? Lived in Dallas/Addison for only six months. I liked it but, as a native Atlantan, I much prefer ATL. I do not think Dallas is very nice. Too flat and not enough green for me. In terms of housing, nightlife, sports etc. they are very similar. Midtown and VA Highlands are great if you want to live in town. Northern suburbs are very nice with plenty of nice restaurants/shopping and great schools.

 

[aa73]

That's my problem with DFW... not enough green and/or trees. The other thing I can't stand are the roads in DFW... they are all concrete, which makes for a very rough ride... driving around here, all you hear is "cachunk, cachunk, cachunk..." ATL seems nice and green, with smooth roads. Oh yeah, the heat sucks in DFW too, but doesn't it get hot in "Hotlanta?"

 

[willNOTfly4free]

I don't think 'Hotlanta' refers to the temperature.

 

[Palomino]

you can't be serious...

DFW is nice if you lop off the 'D'. Fort Worth is a great town and doesn't have the snooty feel of Dallas. downtown Fort Worth is one of the cleanest and nicest downtowns i've ever visited. lots of nice restaurants and it is safe. less than an hour from Fort Worth are great lakes and the first lumps in the lovely Texas Hill Country. ..

granted...traffic is becoming prohibitive and growth is through the roof. it's certainly not the Metroplex that i grew up loving. darn foreigners.

ATL does have nice hills nearby. but i am not a fan. and talk about traffic! ATL is right up there with LAX in terms of crazy drivers in rush hour.

either way you'll be in a nice place. i certainly prefer FW minus the D.

 

[TV9Driver]

if you've got kids in school - I would avoid ATL. They have some of the worst schools in the country - I think the Georgia school system is rated lower than Arkansas'. I know nothing about Dallas schools, so I can't speak for them. I'm not a fan of ATL - it always feels like a race war is about to break out.

 

[800Dog]

if you've got kids in school - I would avoid ATL. They have some of the worst schools in the country - I think the Georgia school system is rated lower than Arkansas'. I know nothing about Dallas schools, so I can't speak for them. I'm not a fan of ATL - it always feels like a race war is about to break out.

Lived in ATL all my life. Never lost a seconds sleep due to fear of a "race war". The best schools in Alpharetta, E. Cobb, P'tree City and a handful of others are ranked very high nationally. Overall, I agree, the schools here stink. That is why it is so important to buy in the right area.

 

[scarlet]

ATL SUCKS----YOU OWE ME.....gets old really fast--stay close to the lakes...

 

[JimNtexas]

No state income tax in Tejas.

 

[Capt. Caucasian]

No state income tax in Tejas.

But property tax and insurance are through the roof! Yep, I once lived there.

My highschool (East Coweta High) south of ATL near Newnan had one of the best mathmatics programs in the nation. They actually filmed our classes to show around other schools as the proper way to teach higher math (trig, AP Calc).

As far as the race thing goes I've never seen it. At least out in the burbs and the country everyone gets along just fine - as long as you treat everyone like a human being and not be an ignorant jerk.

 

[starchkr]

Dallas was nice...ok well, far north dallas suburbs were nice. Would move back there without a problem...actually debating it right now because Denver is just not what it was cracked up to be...and i need a place to use a boat, not a darn drop of good boating water in this entire state!

If you really want it nice there in Texas though, you need to go about 3 hours south of Dallas on I-35 to a little party town known as Austin...yeah you know it, everyone who has ever been there knows that town. You have the city life, the hill country and the hottest women in the country hands down!! OH yeah, and the best darn university in the nation as well...

I would never even consider ATL as a place to call home, never liked it, never will...

 

[bestpilot]

if you've got kids in school - I would avoid ATL. They have some of the worst schools in the country - I think the Georgia school system is rated lower than Arkansas'. I know nothing about Dallas schools, so I can't speak for them. I'm not a fan of ATL - it always feels like a race war is about to break out.

Duuude! I wehnt to skool in Atlanna andz in Arksansa, and likez I thinks dey boaf tautz mee jus fine. Why yoo be hatin my peeps from Verginnya Ave aint eeven kool, dude.

A-T_L gotz da Tranny, and dats da place fer me, my brother from anudder moudder!

 

[CF34-3B1]

you can't be serious...

DFW is nice if you lop off the 'D'. Fort Worth is a great town and doesn't have the snooty feel of Dallas. downtown Fort Worth is one of the cleanest and nicest downtowns i've ever visited. lots of nice restaurants and it is safe. less than an hour from Fort Worth are great lakes and the first lumps in the lovely Texas Hill Country. ..

granted...traffic is becoming prohibitive and growth is through the roof. it's certainly not the Metroplex that i grew up loving. darn foreigners.

ATL does have nice hills nearby. but i am not a fan. and talk about traffic! ATL is right up there with LAX in terms of crazy drivers in rush hour.

either way you'll be in a nice place. i certainly prefer FW minus the D.

200% true.

All the concrete roads, cookie cutter houses and strip malls of most of the metroplex suburbs were a real turnoff for me, as were some of the attitudes of Dallas itself. Too many big haired Jessica Simpson clones hunting for guys in BMWs to buy them a house in Frisco or Plano.

Fort Worth, especially the Rivercrest and Westover Hills sections look more like a New England suburb than a TX one. Lots of old growth hardwood trees, individually styled houses as opposed to the "choose from our 5 fabulous floor plans" sub division look of most metroplex communities.

Granted, Westover and Rivercrest are pricey, but the safety and peace of mind are worth it IMO. The property taxes are crazy, but the lack of state income tax more than balances it out.

You're 10 mins from downtown with Sundance Square, the Stockyards, The Bass Hall, the Flying Saucer etc etc etc etc. that make Cow Town night life every bit as enjoyable as Dallas or Buckhead without the big egos and attitudes.

 

[CFI2766]

I've lived in many places in this country including ATL, DAL, DEN, and upstate NY and I found great things unique about all of them, but hands down the best nightlife and women are found in Georgia in my opinion. All of my friends that i explain that to that haven't ever been to ATL just think its all Ghetto, which part of it def is, but the rest of it is awesome. In NY and the northeast there are less hot women, so they are all stuck on themselves, but in ATL there are so many hot southern girls that they are forced to be sweet and super friendly. Also the lakes north of atlanta are a great time in the summer, boating, drinking and lots of scantily clad women. If you want to buy a house look in marietta, kennesaw or maybe gwinnett near lake lanier.
If i wasn't based in denver now i'd be back in atl in a heartbeat.. Just go check out ladies night at east andrews or midtown, you'll see what i mean

 

[puddlejumper101]

i lived in DFW for 4 years and have been in ATL for the last 2 and a half and there is no comparison...DFW is definately better. Yes Dallas roads are all badly paved and it's brown but if you can live with that then everything else is much better. Schools in Georgia are AWEFUL...the RACE card get's pulled here more often than anywhere else I have ever been to by ALL races. Atlanta is hilly and pretty...until you have to deal with people. WAY more bugs in Atlanta...rats too (7 rats for every human in ATL). My observation has been that unless you are from the south or grew up in the south then ATL is very difficult to get used to. DFW might not look as nice but never judge a book by it's cover. As for girls...yeah there are hotties in ATL...but DFW had tons too. Most major cities have hot girls so I don't know why that even gets brought up.

 

[jherk02]

I've lived for 6 years in DFW and 2 in Atlanta. I like them both but would give the edge to DFW (Fort Worth, first). A lot has been said about DFW. Here are Atlanta's strong points:

Trees and Hills,
Tennis is very popular,
5Ks and 10Ks are huge (Peachtree Road Race is mandatory),
More of a seasonal change,
Closer, more better beaches,
Better city parks,
Civil War battlefields,

One big negative for me...EST instead of CST.

and lastly,

You can say "y'all" in both cities and get away with it.

 

[JohnnyP]

....

But ATL has the waffle house, Marta, minority to majority programs, what could be better??


I was in stone mountain for a long time, always liked the place. Its not what it was, slowly, sort of going downhill in several areas.
Not sure when ill return, but eventually Georgia will be the place I settle back into. (I think..?)


If I could only afford my dream property on St. Simons Island, id be a happy camper.

 

[Ty Webb]

My highschool (East Coweta High) south of ATL near Newnan had one of the best mathmatics programs in the nation.

Apparently, it also had some of the worst spellers in the nation . . . . . . (it's "Mathematics", not "mathmatics", Chief!). . . .

The answer to the question of "Which is better, Dallas or Atlanta?" is obvious . . . . . neither . . . . they both suck . . . it's like two kids arguing about which one would be worse- to lose an arm or a leg.




.

 

[Capt. Caucasian]

Apparently, it also had some of the worst spellers in the nation . . . . . . (it's "Mathematics", not "mathmatics", Chief!). . . . .

I NEVER said anything about ECHS having a good English department ! And, last I checked I don't need to know how to properly spell "Boeing 717" to be able to fly one. :beer:

 

[aa73]

Hey guys, great thread! Thanks for the replies, I guess I'm stayin' in DFW... oops, I mean, I'm FIXIN' to stay in DFW.

 

[Wankel7]

Man dallas might be brown and what not but there are lots of lakes and some good trails around if your into that sort of thing

www.dorba.org

 

[Lolikoka]

This Texan likes Georgia

I grew up in the Dallas,Texas area and lived there again before ASA closed the DFW base. I always thought Texas was as close to Heaven as possible, and I've lived all over the world with the Marine Corps. But...now I like Georgia. I lived in a very affluent area in the metroplex (Coppell), but when I moved to Georgia I got a nicer house, twice as big, with roughly the same mortgage payment on a bigger loan because insurance is much less. Home owners insurance is 1/3 what it is in Texas, property taxes are 1/3 what they were in Texas - on a house twice as big. I have hills and trees now, it's not so stinkin' hot, and yes, the roads are much better here in Georgia. Georgia income taxes are nowhere near as high as the property taxes in Texas. I read a newspaper article last year that ranked Texas as the 5th highest taxed state in the nation thanks to its mixture of property taxes and sales taxes. By the way, sales tax in Cobb County is around 5 per cent, compared with 8.5 in Dallas County, Texas.

Regarding schools - in Texas we were used to city-based school districts. In Georgia, they are usually county-wide districts (with certain exceptions). Counties vary by area, so you have to research demographics, test scores, etc. We targeted our home search to areas with excellent schools, and found our home there. I don't think you can cast a blanket indictment of the schools in Georgia as a whole until you account for certain demographics - but that is true anywhere. Georgia just has a lot of very poor areas with populations that aren't so motivated by education.

Finally, the hope scholarship in Georgia is worth so much to a family with children to send to college. If your child makes a B average in high school, the State will pay their tuition at a state university or college - they just have to keep the B average in college to keep the scholarship. Georgia has around 26 state colleges and universities, so there is an opportunity for anyone with some academic diligence and a desire for education.

I'm an attorney, and I like practicing law here better than in Texas also. More of a gentleman's practice than the cut-throat frontier (in)justice of Texas.

Those are my opinions and experiences - for what it's worth.

 

[Ty Webb]

Socrates was put to death for lesser offenses!

Lolikoka:

Your post failed to comply with the covenants of this message board:

You slung no mud;
You failed to insult even one person;
You did not use any of the following words or phrases: "spikey-haired", "Oakley-wearing", "backpacks", "PFT" or "race to the bottom";
You attempted to use reason;
You attempted to use logic;
You attempted to use empirical observations;
You did not accuse anyone of being homosexual.

The moderators have been alerted to watch your future posts very, very closely . . . so govern yourself accordingly!

 

[Big Slick]

You are hilarious Ty.

 

[DieselDragRacer]

Hey guys, great thread! Thanks for the replies, I guess I'm stayin' in DFW... oops, I mean, I'm FIXIN' to stay in DFW.

Great idea! The Fortune 500 companies are slowly but surely vacating that septic tank inside I-285 for many reasons including traffic. The only two counties I could recommend would be Forsyth or Cherokee (not easy commutes to Hartsfield) but they are expensive places to live. Peachtree City/Fayette County was a great place to live on the southside as many airline pilots will tell you but it's slowly but surely on the decline in several ways.

I's be edumacated by the GA public schools myself including college and IMO unless you're a regional airline FO who has yet to make the big time I can't think of a valid excuse why one who can afford private schools here would not send their children to private schools which start at around $8K per year and only go up.

There is a reason I-85 corridor in SC and NC is expected to boom in the next 20 years and it's not because the City of Atlanta is a great place to live or conduct business.

 

[gt1900]

ATL is a chit hole compared to DFW.. And Ive basically lived in both. Hate to tell you ATL guys, but Buckhead beaty's have nothing on Texas girls. Ill take a texas girl in a heartbeat. Plus, you don't have the ATL attitude in Texas. The nightlife and restaurants are about the same, but thats about it. Texas has a hell of a lot more lakes, its way, way cheaper, and its not muggy as hell in the summer.. No comparison, texas all the way.............. Oh ya, so sorry.. Ty Webb has a sheep fetish.... Almost forgot to comply with the rules..

 

[stupidpilot]

if you've got kids in school - I would avoid ATL. They have some of the worst schools in the country - I think the Georgia school system is rated lower than Arkansas'. I know nothing about Dallas schools, so I can't speak for them. I'm not a fan of ATL - it always feels like a race war is about to break out.

Dallas ISD is terrible. But if you live in some of the suburbs they are great. I live in Frisco(N of Dallas about 30 min) and the schools are rated in the top 10% in the nation.

 

[stupidpilot]

200% true.

All the concrete roads, cookie cutter houses and strip malls of most of the metroplex suburbs were a real turnoff for me, as were some of the attitudes of Dallas itself. Too many big haired Jessica Simpson clones hunting for guys in BMWs to buy them a house in Frisco or Plano.

Fort Worth, especially the Rivercrest and Westover Hills sections look more like a New England suburb than a TX one. Lots of old growth hardwood trees, individually styled houses as opposed to the "choose from our 5 fabulous floor plans" sub division look of most metroplex communities.

Granted, Westover and Rivercrest are pricey, but the safety and peace of mind are worth it IMO. The property taxes are crazy, but the lack of state income tax more than balances it out.

You're 10 mins from downtown with Sundance Square, the Stockyards, The Bass Hall, the Flying Saucer etc etc etc etc. that make Cow Town night life every bit as enjoyable as Dallas or Buckhead without the big egos and attitudes.

Dude, Dallas isn't that bad. Granted there are quite a few of those a-holes like that in Dallas but you'll find that anywhere. But I must agree. Ft Worth is nice and laid back. I loved it when I lived there.