If you’re thinking of moving to Atlanta – DON’T
The city of Atlanta is broke, and not even the prospect of a new mayor can change that fact.
Due to mismanagement of funds and widespread fraud perpetrated by the last two mayoral administrations, there is no money left in the city budget for the most basic city improvements or services like paving streets, fixing broken lights, repairing washed out bridges or an archaic drainage system that leaves entire neighborhoods under 15 feet of water after a drenching downpour.
Because of the budgetary constraints, DOT workers have been laid off and highway improvement projects put on hold. As a result, traffic gridlock during rush hour is the worst it’s ever been in recent memory.
If you travel anywhere inside or outside of the perimeter on 285, GA 400, or the downtown connector during rush hour, you might as well bring a good book because it will be awhile before you reach your destination. And that’s when there are no traffic accidents to impede the flow of traffic.
But worst of all, there is no money in the city budget to hire and train new police recruits or retain good, veteran officers. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper, police officers, many of whom never received promised pay raises from Mayor Shirley Franklin, have resigned at a rate nearly twice the national average, leaving the department with about 1,600 officers for 5.5 million Metropolitan area residents.
You do the math.
The AJC wrote a revealing expose’ on the inefficient, and sometimes negligent 911 system and the hours it takes for the Atlanta police to answer a high priority call in the city of Atlanta.
Due to the crippling police shortage and job vacancies within the 911 system, it takes an average of two hours for police to respond to high priority calls.
According to Chief Richard Pennington (who came to us from New Orleans’ corrupt police department), only reports of shots fired brings police to your door in under 10 minutes. Every other call is placed in a queue for up to an hour before police are dispatched.
On a warm afternoon in May, a woman watched a middle-aged man in a yellow jumpsuit chasing children on the playground at Phoenix Park while exposing himself. She quickly reached for her cell phone and called 911. A 911 operator assured the woman that an officer was on the way. Normally a call of this nature would bring the police running in under 3 minutes.
But instead, the 911 operator sent a message to a police dispatcher who held the call for a ridiculous 56 minutes and five seconds before sending an officer! Almost an hour had passed between the time the woman placed the 911 call and the officer arrived to arrest the child molester — who happened to still be there terrorizing the children.
In stark contrast to Atlanta’s police problems, I live in quiet, bucolic Chamblee Dunwoody which has a separate police force. If I call 911 to report a noise disturbance, two officers from Dunwoody police force will show up at my door in 4 minutes showing great concern and apologizing for being one minute late.
So if you’re thinking of moving your family to Atlanta, don’t do it. You’re better off remaining where you are. Nothing could be worse than living in Atlanta right now.
8 Responses to “If you’re thinking of moving to Atlanta – DON’T”
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I don’t know what to say about that. I know that there are many great things about Atlanta. However it does seem that back in the early 90′s Atlanta was the place to be like everyone says but now, I’m not so sure. I know every city and state has their own good and bad so it’s not just Atlanta.
Sandra,
There are plenty cities broke and plenty with bad management. This is nothing new. Atlanta is no different than alot of major cities.
Wow
Well don’t feel bad Sandra cuz my city had that same problem and we re-elected a new mayor to get rid rid of the jive-turkey azz crook we had and now I can’t tell you what this new one is doing at all. It’s like the black communities in ALOT of places are designed to fail.
I was thinking of moving down there an still am I use too live there an love it!an its hard to find jobs anywhere that’s not new an where I stay its a small town an they dnt have funds either atl aint da only ones wit those problems! NOW tha COP sit yeah DATZ NEW too me all I can say is wow!!!
I tell that to all my friends and family back in NY unless they are really struggling DON’T move here. I really don’t get the hype about Atlanta its all right.
Those that are struggling I advise to move here only if their options are limited on getting out of NY. Like they already have people here etc. If you’re just wanting to get out of NY, Atlanta should not be a the top of the list.
You got all the traffic of NY, the lower wages NO LONGER allow better living with the increased cost of it here. The food here is GARBAGE. People ARE NOT FRIENDLIER. You MUST drive.
On the atlanta side the weather is better.
@MsG – I agree all cities & states are in a financial crisis. You have to take the good with the bad. As a woman its the DL men & I now can choose to drive or take public transportation. But winters in Chi force me to visit FL&GA often.
Sandra, I completely agree with you. I live in Duluth, GA where I don’t have a problem with police coming within 5 minutes. Atlanta has to get it together. This is the reason corporations are moving from the area. The only large company here is Delta and even they thought about moving out and heading to Memphis,TN.
I just moved from off Northside Dr. where the violence was getting worse. My boyfriend and I had to call the police 2x and the cops never showed up.
There are hardly any jobs here in Atlanta, or anywhere else. The new mayor of Atlanta isn’t going to do anything the last one didn’t. I believe it’s the people behind the leader. All of our cities, our country is in so much debt, we’re facing a depression. Who is our country in debt to and why do our leaders keep making deals with them?
Blows my mind!