What's it like to live in Atlanta / suburb of a major US city?

[westwardho]

DH has an opportunity to relocate to Atlanta for a few years. Job comes with nice house in the northern suburbs, and I can keep up my part-time consultancy work remotely.

Don't really have a feel for the city at all, but I'm a little concerned about feeling isolated (ie relying on a car to get around everywhere / not just being able to walk to the shops or park / not really having an opportunity to meet other local parents etc). I also understand that the state/ public schools locally aren't great (and I currently have no idea about admissions requirements) and paying for private (initially just for DS1 (4), but later also for DS2) wouldl be a stretch.

Does anyone have any views on Atlanta / what it might be like to live there with kids? Or alternatively what it's like living in the suburbs of any other major US city?

If it were New York, San Fransisco or Boston, I don't think I'd hesitate...

I don't have first-hand experience but a friend with 5 children relocated to Atlanta for her husband's job and absolutely loves it. She moved about 4 years ago and has a lovely house and is very well settled.

Thanks SeasonallySnowy. Good to know that your friend's experience is positive.

Well my husband has to travel to Atlanta for business a lot and he decribes it as a horrendous city with lots of crime and racial prejudice. Sorry I don't know much more than that but he found it a really nasty place.

Atlanta has a really high crime rate -

With a crime rate of 93 per one thousand residents, Atlanta has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 11. Within Georgia, more than 98% of the communities have a lower crime rate than Atlanta.In fact, after researching dangerous places to live, NeighborhoodScout found Atlanta to be one of the top 100 most dangerous cities in the U.S.A.

Separately, it is always interesting and important to compare a city's crime rate with those of similarly sized communities - a fair comparison as larger cities tend to have more crime. NeighborhoodScout has done just that. With a population of 420,003, Atlanta has a combined rate of violent and property crime that is very high compared to other places of similar population size. Regardless of whether Atlanta does well or poorly compared to all other cities and towns in the US of all sizes, compared to places with a similar population, it fares badly. Few other communities of this size have a crime rate as high as Atlanta.

On further investigation, my friend lives in Alpharetta, which is about 30 miles outside Atlanta.

It depends what you mean by suburbs - old established, or a newer spread out one.

The quality of the schools depends on the school district you are in.

They are pretty good in the US about providing neighbourhood facilities for families. You shouldn't feel isolated.

You can't work, even "remotely" without a work permit (EAD), or an appropriate visa.