My husband and I will be coming your way this spring.

[NC_Nurse]

Due to my mom's worsening dementia and my dad and brother's need for support; my husband (screen name Okiojira)
and I will be moving to Atlanta in the spring as soon as we can sell our house.
I was in Atlanta from 1972-1979 in elementary and high school - there was no middle school back then in GA. It's been a while for me and
my husband is from Ohio. My dad wants us to live with them :scared: , I'm not sure if I can hack that. He's a great guy EXCEPT for his RW Repub
leanings. This weekend he went ON AND ON about what a great guy Bill O'Reilly is :puke:
Need I say more?
Anyway, we'll probably stay there until we find a place of our own.
Since I am a nurse I'll have a new job before I get there, but my husband could use some leads. He is a graphics person. He's been working for Sports
Endeavors (they put out the Eurosport and Great Atlantic catalogs for those into soccer and lacrosse) for many years. Fluent in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Indesign
and database programs of different types. I know he is not using all his creative potential at his current job. He's also a musician and fluent in Garageband. Any suggestions would be helpful.
I hope to meet and get to know many of you. I will need some reality checks living with my folks as you can imagine. It's going to be pretty stressful. I've lived in Chapel Hill for more
than 25 years now. My brother is autistic and mentally challenged and my mom's dementia is moderate/severe. My dad is doing really well, I have to give him a LOT of credit, but I can see it's
really wearing on him.
I hope to enjoy Atlanta as much as I did in high school, it was a fun place then. I'm prayin for rain for y'all as well as us in NC!

:hi:

[RubyDuby in GA]

1. We will definitely have one of our get togethers when you guys finally get here!

Looking forward to adding you guys to the progressive ranks here in the A-T-L!

:hi:

[NC_Nurse]

2. Thank you sweetie!!!

I look forward to meeting you! :pals:

[CottonBear]

3. Hi! You'll have to visit Athens! It'll remind you of Chapel Hill!

It's just a short drive from Atlanta. We had a DU get together here a while back and it was a lot of fun! We have several Duers here in Athens and lots in NE GA and the ATL!

Atlanta has grown a lot since the late 1970s. Do your inlaws live inside the perimeter? The location of your home and jobs is really important. You don't want a long commute in heavy Atlanta traffic if you can avoid it.

:hi:

BTW, I was born in Chapel Hill! My whole family is from NC and most of them still live there.

[NC_Nurse]

4. Wow! That's cool that you're from here!

Actually, it's MY parents, not my in-laws...and yes, they are inside the perimeter. Near Perimeter Mall in fact.
I went to Chamblee High School.
We have come back to visit several times a year since the I left in '79, so I'm aware of the crazy growth there.
The traffic is UNbelievable!
I'm going to try to get work at Northside Hospital or St. Joseph...my parents are only a mile or two from there.

I'd love to come to Athens. I haven't been there since high school. I knew a lot of people who ended up going to UGA.

Thanks for the welcome! :hi:

[chelaque liberal]

5. I look forward to meeting you also.

I have recently returned to the Atlanta area. I am also a nurse and used to work at Emory. PM me if you would like some nurse related conversation.

I'm sorry about the situation that is causing your move, but I hope it will turn out to be a positive experience

[NC_Nurse]

7. Thanks. I may need some advice on

jobs in Atlanta. My parents live near Northside Hospital and St. Joseph's so I'm hoping to work there.
Less dealing with the INCREDIBLE traffic there.

[Oddball]

6. I know the feeling..

but you're doing the right thing by helping the family. I can say that because my wife and I are doing that exact thing with her mom and day. We moved in with them about four months ago and it really is hard, and it really does matter.

I can't explain it but I have no doubt that it was the right thing to do. My wife's mom and dad are both staunch republicans. I can't stand their politics and really don't like either of them personally but sometimes you have to bite the bullet and "do for your family."

We are civil to each other and that's about it most of the time. Sometimes there are those warm and fuzzy moments but they are far apart and few between. I try to keep my eye on the ball, meaning that we are here to help my wife's family during a very difficult time, but I won't kid you, it is hard.

And it is worth it.

And Georgia is a nice place. Ask me anything about it and I'll tell you neat stuff to do. My wife and I , and our family, live in the mountains and it is beautiful. Find a way to enjoy your time here. Time is precious, and people are precious. Even people with whom we disagree.

I have no particular wisdom, but I can say one thing...learn to say "OUR family." No MY and YOUR family. I know it is old fashioned, but when you marry, two really become one flesh. And that ONE flesh has ONE family.

Let nothing come between you and your spouse. A part of the vow of marriage is that we leave our father and mother and cleave to our spouse, becoming one flesh. Another part of marriage is that we honor family relationships.

Damn. I didn't mean to preach. Sorry. Maybe I needed to say that more than you needed to hear it. It is hard, sometimes. But it is worthwhile. Honest.

Luvyameanit and welcome to georgia.

[NC_Nurse]

8. Great advice!

Thanks. We aren't there yet. Have to sell our house here first, or that's the plan anyway.
If things get worse we may have to come before that.
I know it's going to be tough. I appreciate what you shared. Not preachy at all. :hug:

[AnnInLa]

9. Interesting thread:

I too am probably moving to the north ATL area in the spring. My daughter/son-in-law live in Marietta and since I just retired from teaching here in Louisiana, they are really encouraging me to join them and my granddaughter there. I have visited many times, and enjoy the area very much, but am rather nervous about how many people there are! (I live in a small town.) Since I retired young (50s), I can probably still find a teaching job there if I decide to return to work. I have looked at houses to buy in the Woodstock area as that is very near my daughter's home in Marietta. (Her particular area would be much too expensive for me to buy in, I think.) I was wondering so many things: I know GA is even more redneck/Conservative than Louisiana, and if I would be able to stomach the redness of the area....do you guys find that the N.Atlanta area is becoming more or less Conservative or Liberal as new people from other places move in? Is there an active Dem/Liberal network of activists there? Is Cherokee County a good place to live? Can I live there without ever driving on the freeways (lol)? How is the cost of living there, gas, groceries, utilities, etc.?? (I know the condo/townhouse prices seem very reasonable.) Oh, it just occurred to me that I would have to change my DU name from AnnInLa to AnnInGa.

[RebelOne]

10. I live in Woodstock and it is a very nice area,

but be warned, Cherokee County is also very, very red. I think I must be the only Democrat in the whole county. But other than that, I love it here. It's hard to really go anywhere without driving on the freeways. I work in Marietta and am able to avoid the freeway on my drive to and from work. Personally, I think the cost of living is much lower here in Georgia as compared with other states. I lived in South Florida before moving to Georgia and prices for everything down there are double of what they are here.

[AnnInLa]

11. Thanks for the reply, RebelOne

Well, I guess there will be two Democrats when I move there. Oh, that is SO sad! I just figured that alot of "Yankees" had moved in to the area, making it more liberal...but I guess not.

I have been looking for a small, ranch-style home, and have found some I like in the West Oaks subdivision. But, first I have to sell my home here....almost have it ready to put on the market.

My daughter's family lives in the Windsor Oaks subdivision of Marietta, (on Wiggly Road) which is a very short drive to Woodstock. They said that property taxes are much better in Cherokee County for retired folks like myself. This will be a large culture shock for me, from living in a small town to the megalopolis like ATL. The only thing (besides the redness) that I am worried about is driving on the freeways....they really do frighten me!

Maybe I will get to meet you after I move there in the spring....that would be nice. I think there is a Dem Meet-Up group in Marietta.

[japple]

12. The interstates really are a nightmare, but once you learn

your way around, you can sometimes avoid them. I live about 45 min. north of Woodstock. Moved here from the mountains of North Carolina three years ago. Gordon County is even redder and more religious than Cherokee County, if that's possible. The people in this county are genuinely nice folks and are very helpful and decent, even though their political and religious beliefs are nearly totally opposite of mine, but we get along, and I have lots of family here who are progressive and Democrat, and most live in rural areas of the county. My mother's family has lived here for generations and it feels like home to me even though I've only lived here 3 years. Woodstock is a pretty little town and has a nice quaintness about it. Hope we all can get together sometime next spring.

[AnnInLa]

13. I wonder what it would be like

to live in a liberal, Dem area? It would be heaven, I think. I have lived all my life in a red area with red people....it gets politically lonely and frustrating!

I recently bought a GPS portable system for my car, and one of the options is to avoid the freeways. So, guess I will use that option and listen to the lady tell me how to get around that area.

Hope to see you in the spring!

[BooScout]

14. Interesting reading this thread....

I find it sort of disconcerting that people think the 'yankees' that have moved into Atlanta would be more liberal. It was my experience that most of the 'yankee's' moving in were Republicans......possibly because many if not most are corporate transplants.


Also, I don't Georgia has any more rednecks or is all that much redder(I really don't get that comparision eitheraa) than Lousianna.

Metro Atlanta does have pockets of Liberals. Decatur is a great liberal area. Emory University Hopital is close by and liberals surround it in that area of Atlanta. East Atlanta is Liberal, Dekalb County is Liberal, and some areas in Fulton, primarily in the city limits of Atlanta are liberal.

Cobb, Gwinnett, Cherokee are all conservative.

Be warned.........the traffic anywhere around Northside or St Joseph's is an absolute nightmre almost at anytime of any day of the week. House prices are also high, although they are probably more affordable now because of the real estate downturn.

Welcome back to Atlanta and btw.........they did have middle schools in Georgia in the 70's because I went to one (mind you I think it was the first one in the State)....Renfroe Middle School in Decatur in 1972-73.

[NC_Nurse]

15. We didn't have middle school when I went back in the 70's.

My folks live in Dekalb, but their area is pretty conservative from what I can tell.
We're going to live with them at first, then decide whether to buy something.
Looks like we won't be coming until summer because we have to sell our house and rent out
our other places. Probably be there in August. :hi:

[NC_Nurse]

16. Well, here's an update: We're coming at the end of July!

Our house here isn't selling (what a surprise!). But we're going to come anyway.
I think I'll be working at Northside Hospital since it's really close to my folks house
and my dad knows some retired nurses who worked there and have connections...

[gademocrat7]

17. Welcome to Atlanta

Hope the July move will not be too stressful.

[NC_Nurse]

18. Thanks! Me too!

:hi: