Hi Guy's I'm in FL right now and considering a move to Georgia. I would like to get your feedback about your state; what you like what you don't.  There are 2 main reasons we are considering moving.

1. Schools in FL suck! They have this stupid state test, the whole thing is a scam, and puts loads of undue pressure on the kids and they learn very little.

2. House prices are unattainable down here. The market has gone up so high that we are unable to even consider getting a house unless we move to very undesirable areas or so far away from where we are now, that we should just move out of state anyway.

I would like to know if I could give one or several of you a call and get some opinions. We have no idea WHERE in GA to look. We would need to be near a population center for work. This doesn't rule out the 'sticks' if it is in commuting range. I would also like to not be in a flood plain FL is very very flat. I'm from NY originally and this is just too flat for me.

Any tips suggestions and the like are greatly appreciated.

-DP

Well, I don't know how schools in FL are, but it's my understanding that schools in GA aren't much better.  I was born and raised here and I can't say many good things about the school system.  As for where to look at, it really depends on what you want.  I live in Albany which is between 90,000-100,00 folks approximately.  There are bigger population centers and smaller ones.  However, with Albany, you can live "in the sticks" and still make the commute to Albany.  

I'll be happy to talk to  you more about this if you like.

Tom

If you are looking for a better educational system, this is not the state you are looking for.  Move along.

If you're looking for better schools, GA is not where you want to be. I have never seen so many apathetic teachers before in my life. My 9 year old is so bored because he is so far ahead of whetever they're studying in his class. This "no child left behind" crap is basically "we're going to keep the smarter kids down to keep from hurting the slower kids self-esteem". I wish I could afford to home school or send my kids to a private school.

There are some good public schools. East Cobb county schools are pretty good. Nothing outstanding nationally, but acceptable. If you're a science or math teacher they're always looking for those anywhere.

I'm a Network Engineer/Web Designer I run my own small company right now.

Ditto on the schools as everyone else.  As a side note, my Mom is a retired school teacher and my sister is a current teacher.  They both hate the teaching system.  We are planning to home school or send our kids to private school if we can figure out a way to pay for it.

I live in Metro Atlanta.  Affordable (< $200,000k), relatively safe neighborhood housing can be had in the suburbs, which means if you plan to work for a large corporation, you'll be commuting.  

What does your commute look like now?  In Atlanta, many people spend 30 - 120 minutes commuting everyday.  

What do you do?  Perhaps you could target your search based upon the prevalance of jobs in your field.   Most of the big corporations are in Downtown Atlanta, Buckhead, Alpharetta and Dunwoody.  Most people on the boards here wouldn't live in downtown, can't afford to live in Buckhead, Dunwoody or parts of Alpharetta.  

I commuted to downtown for 5 years, Dunwoody for 4 years and half way acorss my county another 5 years.  If you wonder what it would be like to commute everyday in Atlanta, try driving thru Atlanta on a Friday afternoon.  Take any of the following highways: I85, I75, I20, GA400.  

I'm sorry, I thought you were a teacher looking for better schools.

Do not come here to send your kids to public schools. They're not that good.

Come here because you can find a better gig so you can send your kids to private school or let your spouse homeschool with the other homeschool co-ops in the area.

Georgia is a wonderful place to live if you like hunting, fishing, etc.

The public schools are not one of Ga.'s strong points.  We recently went from 49th in the country to 48th in the country on S.A.T. scores, and the school admin types were all patting each other on the back;  big wup, we go from the 2nd worst performance to the 3rd worst in the nation.

Speaking of hunting, did I mention I already have fresh vennison in the freezer for this season?

Take any of the following highways: I85, I75, I20, GA400.

You forgot the mother of all traffic nightmares - even on the weekends with all the construction - I-285.  As an added bonus by driving around this road you will get to see all of "Atlanta" at slow speeds.

Quoted: Georgia is a wonderful place to live if you like hunting, fishing, etc. The public schools are not one of Ga.'s strong points.  We recently went from 49th in the country to 48th in the country on S.A.T. scores, and the school admin types were all patting each other on the back;  big wup, we go from the 2nd worst performance to the 3rd worst in the nation. Speaking of hunting, did I mention I already have fresh vennison in the freezer for this season?

Actually, I thought we were DEAD-LAST in the SAT rankings. Pretty sure it was last. The average GA score was 1049.