8 years in Georgia, Where do I begin? I moved to Rome, GA. back in Oct98 from Jackson, TN. I was born in Rome back in 77 and my dad used to live here but he moved in 95 or so. Now I know why. I moved here because I wanted a change in environment and that is exactly what I got. Be careful of what you wish for or want, you'll probably get it, but not how you think.
Getting anything done in this state is a true hassle. Because of one of my jobs I've got to see and be around a lot of different towns and cities in North to Mid-Georgia. For the first 1 year I noticed how most of everyone here outside of Atlanta is very anti-social. I was thinking at the time, well I'm new and people just don't know me. Well as time went on, I realized that no one really wanted to get to know me. I noticed others that moved here from elsewhere having the same problems. I knew I wasn't the only one at that time.
I just couldn't figure it out, but I finally begin to ask around to people here, who were locals about the socialization aspects of Georgia. Everyone's very family oriented here, and close to those they went to school with. That's cool, but the downside is that they don't care to allow new people into their lives. There very closed minded when it comes to that. If you've got a lot of family or friends down here, I still don't suggest moving here by any means, but it will make your stay more comfortable.
The economy is really bad down here. The courts, lawyers, jail and prison systems here makes up a huge chunk of their employment here. They have some ridiculous laws here and if you noticed the count of police while you were here, you should have realized that this is a police state. I've had police pull me over for no reason and accuse me breaking some law only to then let me go 30-45 minutes later.
When I used to live in West TN., I never had trouble finding work. Most of the people who live in the smaller towns and cities drive to or near Atlanta for there jobs. That's because pay is better, though traffic is much worse, and there's many more opportunities. Factories and Mom & Pop shops are constantly shutting down, closing there doors in these area's outside of Atlanta, which make finding jobs there increasingly difficult. Even competition for fastfood, restaurant, and retail work is getting much worse.
The school system is very bad here. Kid's don't learn very much, then again they don't have to. My nephews moved down here from TN. and started the local school here in Rome. They went from c's, d's, & f's to a's, b's, c's. I asked them and they said they didn't hardly have to do anything compared with school back in TN. I was not really shocked. The SAT's scores for the state rank it one of the lowest, go to collegeboard.com. Education isn't very prioritized, because a lot of kids drop out because of un-planned pregnancy, or to follow in the trade of their fathers, just like their fathers, and their fathers, and so on...
Rude Habit Rednecks, Dirty Good Ole Boys, and Hypocrite Christians are mostly what you'll find outside of Atlanta. It can be weird sometimes to be around so many people with low IQ's and brain smarts, and no common sense either. Sometimes though, it scares me and then other times I feel like a superhuman because my intelligence has went from average to above-average in one state, and just by moving to another state I'm a genius all of a sudden.
Living outside of Atlanta is not too bad, but the suburbanites can be a little snobby and conceited. I guess that's everywhere though. In Atlanta you'll find everything that most big cities can offer including the bad. The music scene in Atlanta is great, cause that's what it's all about. A lot of popular bands come from here.
If you've got Georgia on your mind, then change the channel. I wrote this to help those who are thinking of moving or visiting here, for a little heads up. If your from city person, which you probably are, stay close to Atlanta, if you don't you'll regret it. If your from the country, then most likely your already happy where you are and don't see much reason to leave.
It's now 2006 and I'm getting ready to move back to TN. where I belong. It's my own faught that I've waited this long, but better late than never. Georgia is definitely not for me. I don't have much to show for being down here for 8 years, except maybe a lower IQ, and a lot of bad memories.
That sums it up for this 8-year veteran. Like they say a lot down here. This isn't the Old South anymore, this is the Dirty South. Need I say more...
