Moving to Atlanta

“It was a leap of faith, moving to Atlanta,” I explained to a cyber-security expert I was talking with.

“I had never been to the city. The pandemic was full-blown during my job interview process, so I decided to take the position site unseen. I didn’t know what to expect from Atlanta, but I’m so glad I’m here.”

“I don’t know why you’re calling it a leap of faith,” he interjected. “It sounds more like a blessing.”

A blessing, it truly is to be in Atlanta, and to get to know Georgia.

I am at my 6-month anniversary living in Atlanta. I didn’t know what to expect before moving here. And truthfully, after having good feelings about the new position, the management team and staff here, I avoided doing research on the city so I could come in fresh eyes.

That probably seems a little reckless, but why stress myself out if everything was already signed, and the dates for the movers were already scheduled.

Here is my own experience and personal off-the-clock perspective of why moving to Atlanta is a good idea, and a great choice.

Atlanta is diverse.

If I decide to raise a family, that’s so important. I want my children to see those in leadership roles coming from all different backgrounds and cultures and walks of life. I want them to be exposed to as much as possible.

And in a big, real way, diversity in population and diversity in leadership and representation is important because it’s good to expand perspectives and allows everyone exposure to different ideas. We may not agree with every person’s thoughts, but I believe it adds to personal growth and the culture of inclusivity nurtures more acceptance.

Atlanta is full of transplants, who decided to stay

Most people in Atlanta… are not from Atlanta – but almost everyone I met decided to settle down in the city, even though they come from all around the world. They chose to call Atlanta “home”.

“We’ve all been there,” one of my co-workers said as I was trying to sort out some details that are part of “new girl” learning. Nearly every person I have met here was quick to help me out. Because they understand that “new” feeling.

Why is this important? In many of the places I’ve lived, people weren’t too open to new friendship, and preferred to be friends with the same people since adolescence. There was no room for new faces.

That’s the perfect set-up for some, but for me personally, it has made me feel painfully aware I was an outsider. It was hard to break into new friendships when other friendships had decades of history I was never a part of. It’s simply a preference — and, I acknowledge, also completely fair if you have a different preference that doesn’t match mine.

Moving to Atlanta brought a different feeling. The ‘Southern hospitality’ is real. And when combined with the welcoming nature of other transplants, it has made my heart warmer.

Atlanta is home to one of the world’s busiest airports

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, 10 miles (16 km) southwest of downtown Atlanta, is one of the world’s busiest airports.

This is golden for my love of traveling.

I have incredible access to flights all around the world, and most the prices are great steals. Many are even non-stop direct flights.

Atlanta’s geography is diverse

Georgia encompasses parts of five distinct geographic regions: the Appalachian Plateau, the Valley and Ridge, the Blue Ridge, the Piedmont, and the Coastal Plain.

If you take a short roadtrip, you can get to beaches near Savannah in the south, Florida, and Hilton Head in South Carolina.

You can also travel to other major cities within 4-6 hours:

144 miles to Birmingham, AL
212 miles to Nashville, TN
221 miles to Charlotte, NC
289 miles to Jacksonville, FL
289 miles to Lexington-Fayette, KY
302 miles to Greensboro, NC
314 miles to Louisville, KY
340 miles to Memphis, TN
345 miles to Durham, NC

The warmer weather in Georgia is a treat when many states see below zero temperatures

Don’t get me wrong, the hot and humid summer weather in Atlanta can be a bit much sometimes.

But there is never a shortage of Vitamin D, which I believe is great for the soul. I was sitting at a beach about 4-hours away from the city at the end of September. I even got in the water, and swam around.

During the winter this year, we’ve had days in the 30’s or below. But even with the warmth, the leaves still change color, and there are glimpses of winter weather.

As I’m writing this, however, Christmas week is expected to be in the 70*’s and it’s going to be great to take Scout outside and let her play.

It also keeps me exercising and going on walks most the year — which can be hard to convince me to do if it’s at all “cold.”

Atlanta also has notable landmarks and historical sites

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., was born and raised in Atlanta; his boyhood home, Ebenezer Baptist Church (where he and his father once preached), and his gravesite adjacent to the church are preserved at the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site.

Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Rep. John Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American statesman and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia’s 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death in 2020.

Centennial Olympic Park was built for use during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.

The Jimmy Carter Library and Museum display items from Carter’s presidency, and the adjoining Carter Center is a human rights organization, also in Atlanta.

The house where novelist Margaret Mitchell wrote Gone with the Wind is preserved in Midtown Atlanta, and Underground Atlanta is a restored section of 19th-century buildings near the State Capitol.

Atlanta’s other cultural institutions include museums of science and of natural history; ballet, opera, and theatre companies; and a symphony orchestra.

Annual events include a dogwood festival (April), a jazz festival (May), and an arts festival (June).

Atlanta is home to the set of many shows and movies

The highly anticipated new seasons of “Stranger Things,” “Family Feud,” “Sweet Magnolias” and AMC’s “The Walking Dead” are some of the popular productions currently being made throughout the area.

In the last few years, dozens of Marvel movies have been filmed around Atlanta including (but not limited to!) Venom, Spiderman, Avengers, Black Panther, and Ant-Man. And it’s not just movies!

Here are some other movies filmed in Atlanta I was able to find online: