Hi, I'm moving to ATL from Boston for work and I'm a little nervous about the culture shock and change! I haven't spent much time in the South. What should I expect? Things to know? Thanks!

Having lived in both…unlike Boston, Atlanta is not a walkable city and the metro Atlanta area is huge. You will not be walking anywhere and public transit is horrible. Traffic is bad. Sometimes it can take 45 minutes to drive 6 miles. Not quite LA but close.

Therefore, many people subscribe to “you are what you drive here.” It’s not uncommon to see luxury cars (e.g. Bentleys, Mercedes trucks, Porsches etc.) in middle income apartment complexes.

This also extends to clothing, accessories, etc. Everyone will seem flashier than what you are used to in Boston.

You’ll never need more than your fall coat here. You can put away all your winter gear. Everything shuts down if there’s an inch of snow anyway.

It’s hot and humid here. If you thought Boston was humid, get ready. New England is like a desert compared to Georgia.

The beach is 5 hours away, so say goodbye to any last-minute beach trips and/or super fresh seafood.

Atlanta is a liberal bubble. Expect to see Confederate flags, Anti BLM signs, or Trump flags, etc. Usually from people who commute in. You’ll definitely see more outside the Perimeter.

Georgia has an “guns everywhere” policy. Yes, you can carry a gun anywhere you want. You will see people doing open carry. Exceptions being schools and certain gov’t buildings, and any building that puts up a sign that states “no guns.”

The High Museum is garbage compared to the MFA. This is the best it’s ever been. We do get decent temporary exhibits, but definitely a downgrade culturally.

We have tons of green space and plenty of great hiking trails within 30 minutes of the city.

Having a an airport that can get you a flight to basically anywhere is awesome.

If you must go to Lenox/Phipps, go before 12pm on a weekend or wait for a weekday. Not at all is probably best 😂

Notes:

Coke = Soda of any kind

Dekalb (County) is pronounced like “De-Kab” forget the “l.”
Chamblee = Shamblee
Ponce de Leon = Pons day lee-on.

Do not call this city Hotlanta. Nobody who lives here does that.

The driving here is WAY better. I’ve driven in Boston a ton, and y’all are suicidal. Yeah, we have awful traffic, but you’re less likely to die. Last time I was in Boston, I saw 2 guys have a fender bender and then get out of their cars and start beating each other up…at lunch time. Also, the city isn’t built of a traffic grid, so the street patterns make almost no sense, especially when many roads are named similarly. Also, MARTA sucks. If you live and work in just the right locations, you can take the train. Otherwise, it won’t work for you. And you can’t take the train after work hours unless it’s a busy event. If you do, well you must love to live on the edge.

As for the culture shock, there’s not going to be much. ATL isn’t at all southern. It’s a transplant city. Very few people you meet will be from here. I am born and raised in the South, and I knew the first time I stepped foot here, I wasn’t really in the South anymore.

I will say the city can be on the thuggy side. We seem to embrace that. Idk why.

Car theft / car break ins may be your biggest learning curve. Leave nothing in your vehicle ever. Even if it’s just a cheap pair of sunglasses, the person looking in your window doesn’t know they’re cheap. Literally leave nothing in your car, and you probably won’t have any problems.

We don’t have good bagels, not many good bakeries, not a ton of great bars (although people will tell you we do, the craft cocktail scene here is weak). We have some great restaurants but few truly fine dining. The airport is awesome, and you can fly anywhere in the world direct.

It almost never snows. Summers are miserable. Roaches are everywhere whether you’re clean or dirty. The only way around that is to basically live surrounded by poison.

Welcome!

Atlanta is a collection of communities with VERY different “cultures” (unsure of best way to describe) so where you live is very important if you want a certain lifestyle. For instance, Decatur has a small town feel, is very walkable, and gives access to public transit, Brookhaven is essentially an intown suburb, midtown has the most urban feel, Buckhead has a glitzy nouveau rich vibe, the suburbs are the suburbs, etc.

I would try and go around to different areas to get a feel for what you like before committing to housing long term.

Other than that, people are generally friendly, the food is good, lots of places to get drinks, sports are generally good, and tons of outdoor stuff to do either in town or a short drive away. Atlanta is a really great place to live but doesn’t have the tourist draws of other big cities.

Spent all of my life in Atlanta and went to school in Boston. Off the top of my head:

+ People are way nicer here. Bostonians are complete jerks by comparison
+ People drive better. We drive WAY faster, but Boston drivers are something else
+ More fun culture. None of that stodgy New England puritanism. We wouldn’t have lemon pepper wings otherwise
+ Way more diverse. Boston is a highly segregated city in all respects. Atlanta is much more mixed up
+ Far more accessible outdoor recreation
+ Better food. Southern soul food beats those silly salad shops
+ ATL beats BOS in every dimension

- Our public transit is garbage.
- State politics are rife with “good old boy” culture and a battleground for the GOP v. Trump showdown. It’s much worse than national media sources report.
- Social networks center around religious services (not just for Christians either) and where you grew up. I can see it still being tough as an outsider
- Our sports teams are often hopeless

Welcome to the A! 🙌

I worked in boston for a year. People do pronounce their Rs here. My experience was around Copley area.

Food will change from great Italian to great Asian and Mexican plus their are def great high end places. Not as walkable form connectivity standpoint so it’s important if you don’t have a car pick a great spot to walk to things. I would choose midtown or down somewhere on the beltline. Theft is huge here so be aware of your surroundings and you’ll eventually pick up on who is the primary cause of theft (young kids). West midtown and Virginia highlands are great areas as well.

I moved from Cambridge recently and found that Midtown has a similar kinda vibe. You might consider living there.

When I was driving in Boston, the shitiest car got the right of way. Here, nice cars drive just as badly as the bad ones.

I don’t know what driving is like in Boston, but I’m going to tell you be VERY prepared for the driving here. I just came down from NYC and it’s been the biggest adjustment for me. If you’re a homebody, make sure you pick a great apartment that has all the things you’d like to feel comfortable and also that it’s close to a lot of things (restaurants, groceries, shopping etc) because the traffic can go from 1 to 100 very quick.

Apart from that, I like the food here and the airport. The people seem nice although I haven’t met anyone yet… but it’s also been very cold since I’ve moved so didn’t venture out much for that.

We have road signs that actually tell you exactly which street you are turning onto, so that's gotta be a welcome change in your life once you move 😂

But seriously just keep an open mind and you will be fine. I have family up in the NE and people tend to get judgemental way too fast about Atlanta. You're in the south so adjust your pace accordingly.

Welcome! I made the same move 9 years ago.

My 2 cents on differences:
-Weather in Atl is great & enables you to spend more time outdoors all year round
-While it’s gotten more liberal, it’s still conservative & traditional at the core.
-Activities/culture tend to be based around church. As a non-religious person this can be challenging socially.
-It’s def cheaper than Boston though cost of living has risen substantially in the time I’ve been here.

Welcome! I would take everything here with a grain of salt. It can be hard to break into friend groups with Covid and such — recommend joining an adult kickball league or similar

Welcome y’all

Much more laid back than Boston, driving is similar just probably more traffic. People are nicer. And it gets much hotter than you're used to so if you like that it's definitely a plus besides the excess humidity.

People are generally nice and friendly so feel free to talk to strangers. Other than that I think it depends on your circle of friends and what you do. I live in the burbs so it’s pretty common for people to plan things around sec football on Saturday and church on Sunday. But not everyone participates in both. Ive lived all over the us and abroad and I really like it here.

I personally wouldn’t live in Atlanta (unless renting). A car is definitely required if you don’t have one.

I actually grew up in atl and moved to Boston for ~6 months this year and now I’m moving back to Atlanta. Maybe I could provide some good perspective! Public transportation here sucks, you’ll definitely need a car. There are some places in Atl that you’ll want to stay away from, be careful downtown or anywhere around the airport. Midtown, Buckhead, Atlantic Station, Virginia Highlands, the Battery area, and the Beltline area are all a lot of fun. The winter here won’t be as bad but the summer will be a lot worse, as you would expect. There is probably more total traffic here but the driving experience is much less of a nightmare than trying to get around Boston. Cost of living is lower. Food isn’t quite as good here. Atlanta is a blue city, so don’t expect it to be too different politically from Boston even though it’s in the south. That’s all I can think of for now, lmk if you have any specific questions though!