Atlanta, GA

Fun city. I love it here. I have been here since 2002. The nicest city in the USofA.

Like a warm-weather Jersey, just as corrupt, crowded and dirty

Besides the fact that when I was in the Atlanta area there was a Tornado warning it was a great time. The city has a charm to it, but does feel big and over built. The highways around the city are jammed with traffic, but I found the people to be as friendly as could be. There was definitely a sense of southern hospitality that was a nice addition to the faster pace of this southern metropolis.

Probably not fair to rate this particular city, as I was only there once for about a week when I was 15 years old...and it's been a pretty long time since I was 15. My father had business there, and decided to bring the whole family along with him. Given that my youthful opinions about the South were not very positive, I remember being surprised by how modern the city seemed, how cosmopolitan. We were able to lounge around a hotel pool...not a "swimmin' hole down bah the crick"...Junior Samples and the guys from Deliverance were nowhere in sight...and I was able to steal a book from the local Rich's Department Store (do they still exist?) without getting nabbed and strung up from the nearest poplar tree. I remember that our hotel provided, in addition to the Gideon Bible and in-room movies (my sister and I watched those instead of reading the Bible when my parents went out together in the evening), a guide to local "entertainment", and there were a ton of voluptuous strippers listed th... Read more

Be warned: Traffic lasts from 7:00 am- 7:00 pm Monday through Thursday, and 7:00 am 2:00 am on Friday. Pollen is a Nightmare. The airport sucks and the roads are very poorly laid out. It is the fastest growing city since 2000, but thats bad since the government is too incompetent to keep up. Rising Crime, espescially with the piss poor economy. Public Transportation is a disaster. It has a great hip-hop scene, rappers seem to wander the streets, so thats cool. Nightlife is fun. Other than that it is a business city, not a tourist city. I can't imagine why people would want to visit. If you do visit, make sure it is with a native or you will get lost. But its fun to live in the ATL, low cost of living, good job opportunities and like I said, a nice Night-life. I'm pretty happy living here in the middle of city. City with about 5 million people means Lots of diversity, with blacks, (the majority) Lesbians and Gays (third highest in the country after San Fransisco and Seattle), La... Read more

Atlanta is really the crown jewel of the South. It boasts the busiest airport in the country, which may or may not be a good thing. History is definitely found here, whether it is the history of the Civil Rights movement, or the history of Atlanta’s role in the Civil War. No journey to the South would be complete without a trip to Atlanta.

Wanna be big city, atlanta always try's to compare its self to NYC,L.A,Chicago,and miami. i hate these new sunbelt cities they have nothing to really offer,its not a city city if understand me. The history of atl really isnt that pleasnt but what american history is..lol The traffic suks and the people in atl are proud of that for sum odd reason(mabey it makes them feel big)IDK..THe summers are terrible and the winters are ok. If u drive 15mins. out of the city it looks like the old south.yea the old south not so fun is it..To me cities like atl,dallas,vegas,phx, they really cant last. to me its just a fad thats wearing out all ready. And lets talk about that lame downtown,its filled with bums and street walkers never seen any thing like that before its acctually kind of funny...But over all atl isnt a nice place its just the south trying to reenvent,the wheel with atl,but the south is still the same.

Lived in a few of the major cities, visited others. Have lived in Atlanta off and on for the past ten years. I love the weather, it is fantastic, but sometimes gets a little sticky. The traffic is a nightmare, among the worst in the U.S. People here are about the same as they are everywhere else, so thats either a plus or a minus depending on how you look at it. Most, if not all, of the cities problems stem from incompetent government officials. It grew too fast and they didn't know how to react. They still haven't reacted ten years later. The crime rate is high, but not the worst. The cost of living is low. The nightlife is pretty fun, this is probably do to the huge gay, latino and the black population livening things up. :) Hip hop has a huge center here and you can run into a few artists on the streets. BTW, T.I seems like good people....weapons charges aside. For tourists there is the High Museum of Art, Coke Center, Carter Center, Stone Mountain, CNN, Turner field, MLK's grav... Read more

As major metro areas go, there are worse places, but none more overrated. I lived in Atlanta back in the early 90's. Even then it was 30-45 minutes from point A to point B..and that was not in rush hour traffic. Rush hour traffic now is pretty much 24/7 Monday through Friday, backing up as far as you can see in either direction on 85, 285, 75, and I-20. My biggest gripe with the place however is the general attitude. Many of the natives really do believe that Atlanta is at least on a par with L.A., NYC, Boston, etc. Trust me...it isn't. They also have the worst fair weather fans anywhere when it comes to pro sports. I remember the bumper stickers from the 80's that read, "Go Braves...and take the Falcons with you!" Then around 1990 when the Braves started doing well, they were "America's team" and the same bashers swore that they had been die-hard fans their whole lives. There are lots of job opportunities there and, in general, no shortage of entertainment. However, I would not live ... Read more

I have been there a few times and it's ok.  I was'nt used to the fact that the major Social part of the city was away from the downtown.    There was a sports bar in the CNN ctr. but most stuff in town closed up and Buckhead was the place to go for nightlife.    For a white guy the city seemed a little rough, although some black woman commented that I "carried myself well."    I would'nt mind visiting again.

I am from Atlanta originally. Lived there 24 years.  Dirty, badly laid out, and full of crime (especially bad crime on the west side of town inside I-285). Tourists be sure and stay away from Bankhead Highway and anything west of Northside Drive. Go to that area and you have a good chance of getting shot. The area I speak of has a few different names. ATLANTA IS NOT ALL BAD THOUGH. Cabbagetown is up and coming I believe, has some really neat areas and beautiful Oakland Cemetary (which I have relatives buried in). Also check out the Krog St. Tunnel in Cabbagetown. It's interesting to say the least. The West End Warehouse District is worth checking out, lots of old buildings being made into lofts there. Lots of artists and such live in that area. Used to be a big area for the rave scene. "Downtown" (South of North Avenue and North of, well, I guess a bunch of abandoned factories) is nothing special. There are restaurants, Centennial Olympic Park, Coca-Cola's land-of-corporate whoring, CN... Read more

i am from london, i went to atlanta last yr for 3 weeks i also went to new york,first of atlanata is not what i would call a city at all, it may have a few tall buildings in downtown and have attractions like the cocola museum but that is a small section of the whole city. it is not a tourist attraction at all , it is overhyped but to be fair i think atlanta might be a good place to live but not to visit, unless ur visiting family.you cant walk in atlanta at all, the roads are badly designed you would know what i mean if you came from a real city and visited atlanta,the people are friendly and helpfull but you can only get around atlanta with a car since the busses only come like everty 45 mins to an hour. the city is just overhyped and other people i know that have been to atlanta think the same. there isnt anything realy special about the city, i only think you can like this city if you lived there for all your life and cant realy compare it to other places, or your visiting relative... Read more

This city sucks! Rude people, high crime rate, terrible traffic, uber rich snobs (Fayette County), no such thing as southern charm there, no real history to the city, and not a lot of attractions.

Atlanta is a fun city with great historical sites, restaurants, shopping, nightlife, museums/galleries, a ton of live theater/shows, great pro and college sports, awesome skyline, booming economy, etc, etc, etc. Of course Atlanta has problems just like any other city...but it's just funny to catch the obvious bitterness and envy from some people's comments - many of which are very stereotypical hearsay type statements that are actually misconceptions, so it's easy to tell that some comments are coming from people who have never visited Atlanta.

This is A horrible place to live the people here are exceptionally hate filled and angry the most disgusting people I have ever met in my life. Traffic is horrible these people can't drive.75% of the population is GAY not that i have A problem with gays. Most of the men are on the DL with wives and children. Do not contemplate moving here it is A big mistake. The scenery is beautiful , That's what trapped me in this hell hole. Run as fast as you can. Crime is exceptionally high so are drugs and immorality.

Atlanta's not a bad place to live or visit. Kind of a can do attitude. They seem to be able to draw big events and do big things, even though it is a relatively small metro area. CNN center interesting to visit, also the World of Coke was fun to visit. Traffic is HORRIBLE, though.

Coca Cola World is pretty awesome. The airport they have there isn't bad either. Good Southern soul food!

I have a relative that lives in Georgia, and I really don't know what he sees in it.

It's a nice town. Temperate climate, nice people, with just enough Southern Hospitality to counteract the northern influence.

The drive in Atlanta used to scare me, now It's fun, It's a fair town, like to visit there, esp the Doraville area, China Town.

Everytime I've been to Atlanta it has been  a pretty good expieriance things seem to change really fast here..the local hot spots in buckhead last year are this years gangsta hang outs,complete with shootouts. last years gangsta hangouts is this years lesbian owned and operated bed and breakfast...you get my point.Half of my school is from here I believe,so I hear it's praises daily.and it does have good points,but when I think of southern hospitality and charm the cities like Charleston,SC and Savannah,Ga come to mind. not to say the sections of druid hills,and virginia-highlands,have charming houses.But that was last year,things may have chamged yet again since then.one thing is for certain the city population as well as the burbs have exploded in the last few years,for everyone here that says there are no high paying jobs there,I say tell that to the rich yuppies that I go to school with that wear prada and drive bmw's that daddy gave them.

I stumbled across this site looking for Pimp C's comments and I can't believe all the folks hatin' on Atlanta! I've moved here 16 years ago and hav live in more big cities than most of the people tha posted on here and Atlanta is the best place i've lived, period. NY sucks, the rest of the small cities around Atlanta are too small for me. I'll bet most of those posting negatively are under-educated or under-employed and want to blame the city for all thir problems. Here's a news flash...go back and home and se if your life is any different. I doubt it will be because if you went out and found a website just to hate on a city then you, my friend, need a life. I know Atlanta is not for everybody but the city had roughly 2.5 million people when I moved here and it has over 5 million now. I wonder how much cities like LA or NY or Chicago grew over the same period. Chicago is the only city in the midwest that has grown during that period. The rest of the cities in that region hav... Read more

Atlanta is great. Just don't take MARTA unless you want to get stuck in their station. After MARTA charges you a bunch of unnecessary fees to buy one of their tickets, they force you to dig up and scan your card to LEAVE the station. Atlanta rocks, MARTA sucks. Get with it people. The "tap out" thing and extra fees have gotta go. Riding transit shouldn't be an inconvenience.

I HATE IT HERE!!!! THE TRAFFIC IS HELLISH, AND EVEN MARTA SUCKS ASS!!! WHEN MY CAR BROKE DOWN AND I HAD TO RIDE MARTA. IT TOOK ME LIKE 3 HOURS JUST TO GET TO WORK, AND 3 HOURS TO GET HOME. THERE ARE LIKE 45 min-1 HOUR WAITS FOR THE BUS, AND THE TRAIN RUNS LIKE, EVERY 30 MINUTES FEELS LIKE...SUCKS

I knew the second I left ATL this time I'd have to change my review from June 2004.  Totally a night and day difference of experience.  Having my sister as a tour guide who lives near Atlanta went a long way.  Checking out the Braves game was an awesome time, and the Jazz fest that goes on every Memorial day weekend in Piedmont park was excellent.  Walking through midtown I realized that there are some great neighborhoods; I've heard that Virginia Highlands is nice as well and is what Buckhead used to be.  The weather this time around was perfect, mid-80's no humidity, and I think if you could survive the summer months here you'll be all set the rest of the year.  I'm excited for my next trip.  OC:  I knew something was up when I landed in the airport and the line for Starbucks was 5 people deep, and the line for Popeye's fried catfish was about an hour long. Well I still had it in me to venture into the city...and it was straight up Ghetto. You could tell that at one time it was proba... Read more

Where do I start with this pathetic city???1.)  You really can't call Atlanta a "city" in the traditional sense.  It is more a swath of suburban sprawl with a few tall buildings in the middle.2.  There really isnt much history to see in this city (thanks Sherman).  If you are looking for touristy things to do you got MLK's grave-and the Coca cola museum.  That's about it.3.  The northern side of this city is full of rich whites with a little too much interest in pushing 'moral values' in public.  This is a city where Harry potter was almost banned for promoting witchcraft!4.  The southeastern side is full of drugs/crime.  Stay away!With the exception of Georgia Tech (a world class university) Atlanta would have really no redeaming qualities.  I think people see it as cooler than it actually is but once you visit you notice how miserable the place is.

Thugsville!!

Boring downtown with no department stores or major shopping. Too much suburban sprawl. Absolutely no body of water of any kind. Cannot understand for the life of me what all the hype is about.  Sorry Atlanta but you are one typical, boring sprawly, unwalkable, lifeless american city.  Everything here is geared to suburban life. No thanks.

I’ve been reserving judgment of Atlanta for the entire time I’ve been in the city. But I now feel that I’ve spent enough time here to give my opinion of it. - In a nutshell, Atlanta is a provincial town with a big attitude! The natives here do not realize how lame their city is and instead are convinced of its fame and prestige based on the ‘dirty south’ rappers who mention the ‘ATL’ non-stop in music videos. Most natives have never lived anywhere else so they don’t really know what the outside world is like (add to this the fact that they are fiercely proud of their city – an annoying combination). Plus the city is quite poorly run. The roadways, which should be a priority in a city this size, are badly designed and neglected. Since there are hardly any street lights I can barely see where I’m going when I drive (trees block any moonlight from the night sky). And it is even more perilous because the wear and tear on the road surface makes it hard to distinguish which lane I’m i... Read more

Atlanta is emerging into one of the great cities of this country. People move here in droves and it's appeal seems apparent to me. Home to many fortune 500 companies this area has a healthy economy and a reasonable cost of living. By appearence it really is a nice looking city. It is spread out with plenty of elbow room and attractive neighborhoods especially to the north of town. Even the skyline is very spread out from downtown up to midtown on into Buckhead as existing and new highrise buildings seem to pop up all around town. Yes Atlanta is very sprawly but not so much in a cookie cutter way like Houston or Southern California. The Atlanta area has many beautiful homes, good looking classic archetecture and lots of trees and noticable greenery. Atlanta has many eclectic neighborhoods like Midtown for the arts, nightlife, and dining. Virginia Highlands which is a pleasant residential area with bugalows and a nice business district to take a stroll in. Little 5 points just down t... Read more

yes, my friends atlanta,ga is probably one of the worst places on the u.s. map to live. i am 18 years old and was born and raised in atlanta. this city statistically has the highest crime rate in the country and has subsequently been named the most dangerous city in the u.s., followed by chicago. it is absolutly horrid. the news channels here even sometimes make light of that subject and/or joke about it. it makes me sick at the thought of it. this is also a "what do you mean, YOU PEOPLE???" sort of city. atlanta is a very liberal-democratic city. you have a good chance of being shot to death for being politically incorect to one of this cities "natives". i am by no means a racist, but atlanta's outlook on pimps, hoes, and the "gangsta' lifestyle" is purely a positive . this is why it also makes for a terrible place to raise children. a very poverse city in america. this city is notorious for daylight muggings in the "famed" "underground atlanta", a place that you can find drugs and a... Read more

Words cannot express how much I hate this place. I knew I never wanted to live here when I was in college in Athens but had to commute to Atlanta once a week for an internship. Still, I had a hard time getting my first break out of school and the first good job offer--low pay but good prestige and experience--came from just south of Atlanta. First off, let me just say I am a southerner, originally from Dalton, GA. (I'm also 30 years old--not ancient as some on here think. But yes, I am ready to settle down and build a future somewhere nice.) So to me, Atlanta is big. I don't know if it is a "city" in the normal sense as I've never even visited NY or Chicago or anywhere like that. All I know is that whatever Atlanta classifies as it is a horrid place to live and work. Sure it may have great places to eat or things to do. But live here and you will stay so broke and fed up with traffic that you'll never venture out to take advantage of those places anyway. Traffic is a ni... Read more

Atlanta is a pretty generic city. For those who are from a big city, Atlanta will seem very small, but with arrogant belief that they are some big metropolis. The entire city is a sprawling suburb with a small downtown area. Any Miami/NYC references with Atlanta in the same sentence is ridiculous. Atlanta is only viewed as 'urban' by those who are from even deeper country. The people are extremely friendly and somewhat laid-back though and deserves accolades for this, however, be careful, there friendliness is a little superficial. The racial divisions in the city are extreme but that does not necessarily mean that Atlanta is an extremely racist place. In fact, Atlanta is probably better-known as the 'place to be' for black professionals than anything else. I have to admit Atlanta/Georgia has produced memorable music: Outkast, R.E.M., B-52's, T.I., Prefuse 73, TLC, LaFace Records etc. But the city is just too small, non-urban and too slow for my tastes. As for the women that ev... Read more

People are generally pretty friendly but it's gone downhill due to the influx of yankees and illegal Mexicans. If you do move to the area, I would recommend the I-20 corridor west of the city (Mableton, Douglasville). Inside the beltway, the northern part of town is upscale, but it goes downhill south of I-20. Again, do NOT talk to strangers downtown. Many will approach you pretending to be helpful but will end up asking for money.

Plastic wannabe city that appeals to people from Buffalo, Rochester, Akron, and Syracuse. Atlantans boast about their high culture as being the Museum of Coca Cola.... This city is Websters definition of a corporate sell out. Ick! The only hope is that all the northeast transplants will bring some integrity to what really amounts to Orlando, Phoenix, or Charlotte in Georgia. Population and a good economy wont make you a world class city...

I am actually a native Georgian who was born in Marietta. I guess I finally realized how bad it was here when I visited a few non-southeastern cities. The outdoor recreation opportunities here are pitiful, and almost all of the lakes here are manmade. Driving anywhere is a nightmare because you will either get stuck in front of somebody who wants to go 15-20 miles over the speed limit, or, in the same day, somebody going under the speed limit in the left lane. I have had a hard time making friends here because most people have two-second attention spans, and nobody seems to have the time to listen to you anyways. Our summers are 5 months long and viciously hot, and our winters are not true winters, since it gets into the upper 60s in late December and January and it rarely snows. If you have an open mind, close it to the possibility of moving to Atlanta unless you can deal with wasting half of your tank of gas sitting at our numerous three-minute-long traffic lights. The Hope scho... Read more

Visited a few times. Seems like a good place to live. Downtown area has a big city feel unlike Dallas, Charlotte, or any other sunbelt cities. Racially diverse.

most of these folks just hating on ATl because we on the map and there lame ass city probaly.Yeah trafic is bad and we have alot of crime.but so does NYC.ATL is the party city and ive been living in it all my life i love and rep ATL all day everyday,so really im just sayin 2 all these people hatin on the A,get on yo job and find something better 2 do with yo life besides hating on ATLANTA.

This city sucks, it's dirty, too spread out and boring.

Hey smokeythebear, you are living proof what an idiot so many of you young people are. I'm one of those so called boring 30 year old types who has been to and lived in Atlanta and knows what this city is like. I lived there for almost 2 years and it's a hellhole. Too many rude phony yuppies, chain stores everywhere and horrible traffic problems. Atlanta has no sense of a real city, it's just spread out forever with no community feel to it at all. No one i've ever known who has lived there or went there liked it, one of the worst cities in America without question, NEVER move here!

Let me start out by saying that I really like Atlanta. I moved here to go to college from upstate NY. Atlanta is definatly a young city. I wouldn't be surprised if all the people bashing the city are 30+ with no life beyond their cubicle. As a college student I've had a blast here. The sun is always shining, its warm most of the year. Crime is only a problem if you are dumb enough to venture into the ghetto after dark. Traffic sucks, but only if you live outside the perimeter in yuppie towns like Alpharetta or Stone Mountain. I don't know why people complain about the smog... not once in 4+yrs of living here have I ever even noticed it. Atlanta has tons of clubs, bars and places to eat; great sports, and as a whole... very friendly people. I've made a ton of lasting friendships with great people. That being said... I can understanding the griping of the old folks. Atlanta is a party city... and unfortunatly booze and dancing dosen't mix well with your metamucil.

Hotlanta is a cool city. I was there for the NCAA Final Four weekend + and had a nice time. I hit all the main spots - The Underground,Coca-Cola pavilion, MLK house, CNN tour, Buckhead, Peachtree street etc....and found the place to be pleasant. Atlanta seems a bit like Miami/South Florida in that it's not quite as representative of the South because of the transplants who have come to the city and the major companies that have made the city home. There is a southern feel to it though , but Atlanta is The New York of the South. Atlanta has a large Black professional population as well. It is a mecca for upwardly mobile Blacks. MORE******* Just came from Atlanta and a few more things struck me about the city. Traffic is awful throughout the city all the time. It's a case of road rage just waiting to happen. Even the downtown areas suck in regards to getting somewhere with traffic. Atlanta's airport sucks as well. They do their best, but it's a nightmare getting a rental car to the airpo... Read more

I had unfortunate experience of having to live here for year. If you are from somewhere like NY, San Fransico, Toronto or Montreal, you will laugh at how completely backwards this place is. This city sure thinks it's an upcoming LA/NY but more like a dumpy small town with absolutely nowehere to walk, crime everywhere, a house-fire everyday, gas leaks and horrendous traffic. People are always saying great things about this place - do not believe them. Sure, this might have some upward-mobile blacks, which is wonderful, but one succesful or moderately successful black male in New York equals about seven of these, given 'real' status, as Atlanta is like living in the middle of nowhere. Everything here is treated as if it is a big deal, only because the people here are so uncultured and non-urbane. NEVER MOVE HERE. I did not find Atlanta people 'snobby'.

My brother and his wife , who are from Rochester like me (yes jimorama your generalization proves to be not so far fetched) moved to Atlanta 5 years ago thinking it would be the ideal place to live because it has a good economy (for now) and a warmer climate. Now he hates it. Its the whole new south bull crap. It is all yuppies who think they are better than everyone else. the weather sucks too. Thunderstorms all the time, and when it does snow there, it closes everything down (and i'm talking one inch) and the worst traffic on the east coast, gets to be about 100 times worse!!!!! Needless to say, my brother is moving back up north as well, he's not sure exactly where yet, but boston looks to be an option for him or maybe back home too. I only visited him once down there when my nephew was born and never again will i go back to that generic, overrated place they call Atlanta.

Go to Atlanta today and you'll see what 20,000 Confederates died trying to prevent. It should have been left in ashes 140 years ago. Over the last decade or so I have spent several weeks there at various technical workshops. After a day of classes you have to fight horrific traffic to go ANYWHERE. Once I woke up at 2:30 a.m. and turned on the televison. There had been a couple of accidents at critical points on the interstates. Traffic was snarled for miles and miles in all directions on almost all routes. THIS WAS AT AT 2:30 IN THE MORNING! Why anyone would want to go to Atlanta for anything is beyond me. The recent courthouse shootings further reinforce my opinions about Atlanta. It's quite obvious that law enforcement in Atlanta is completely incompetent. The criminals run the city, after all everytime a murderer, rapist,drug dealer, or street thug is put in prison the THE MAYOR GETS ONE LESS VOTE (or is that 10 less votes?)

I think there is too much hate directed toward Atlanta. I have visited the city several times and I like it quite a bit. It really isnt a tourist city, though. It is the business capital of the south. It is quite an attractive area, very green, pine trees all over, gently rolling terrain. The CNN center and the World of Coca Cola were the 2 most interesting attractions I visited. I am surprised at how beautiful and stately a lot of the homes are I saw. Which stands to reason in the home of Home Depot. The MARTA rail/bus system is among the better public transportation systems around.Traffic, like that in most sun belt cities, is bad and getting worse. Stone Mountain, uhh, no.

Hotlanta blows - it's a soulless city that admittedly would likely be more charming had it not burned down many years ago. Perhaps it should've stayed burnt. It's full of criminals, transplants and posers, It's where people ask how much you make before your name. What do you expect in a city where among the top attractions to see are the CNN building and the Coca Cola Museum. Its saving grace is the Georgia mountains but it takes 2.5 hours just to get out of town to see them.

I came here 4 years ago for my job and was very excited, but it soon faded. This city has smog, horrible traffic, and unfriendly people. Southern Hospitality is surface-deep at best. And the weather sucks...not only are summers oppressive but winters are surprisingly cold, damp, and chilly. I've never had any trouble making friends in any of the places I've lived but after 4 years, haven't met a single decent person here. Unless you like pretentious, uppity, stuffy, snotty, material-obsessed, SUV driving yuppies or homeless street thugs selling crack, avoid this city like the plague. The second I can get out of this job, I'm packing up and moving back to New Orleans, New York, or California.

The traffic nightmare kills the rating, otherwise Buckhead is fun, food is great

Yuck!!