Josh,
I tried to put this in a PM, but it was too long, so I put it here. I forgot that PM's can only be so long....I remembered after I had already typed all this.
I am wanting to go into the IT field..Specifically Computer Support and then working my way into a Network Administrator position. I am currently in a Computer Support position here in Michigan but the market just isn't going well. My only option will be to move and now the question is to where.
There's money in that field for sure. Alpharetta is close enough to the city, that A LOT of people commute to Atlanta. Traffic sucks, but atleast you're not dealing with snow (atleast not like what you're used to...we usually dont get ANY).
I guess to start I'll ask a basic question...do you like Alpharetta and the area? I'm not so concerned with living in a big city like people mentioned in the thread as long as there are a few nice places to eat and shopping that is all the entertainment I need.
I like this area a lot. I think as a whole Alpharetta is a pretty cool place to live. The people are pretty friendly for the most part, and the area is really nice. The landscaping is usually kept up nicely (we're in drought conditions now, so a visit down here real soon may not show that) and there are tons of restaurants. There are two malls that are pretty close. Northpoint Mall is in Alpharetta or you can head down GA400 a little ways to Perimeter Mall and then you have Lenox Mall that isnt not much farther than that. There's Phipps (near Lenox) if you want to drop a chunk of change.
When I look online it seems like a lot of people are hiring for this..are there a lot of businesses/corporations down there in your area, or even surrounding cities? Also, I will probably be going into an apartment to begin with and the pricing seems reasonable but could you tell me anything about the housing market and what you get in the $125-150k range? Could you get a decent house in that price range or is the cost of living a lot higher?
Well, I'm not really sure about IT. My father works for Dell, but he's in sales, and he works from the house. There is a pretty fair share of business here in Alpharetta, and like I said before, Atlanta really isnt that far away. Atlanta is an amazing city. It's got everything you could possibly want really. There are a TON of companies based in Atl you could get on with and make money. UPS (which has an office in Alpharetta would be a great one).
Apartments around here usually run probably around $750-$800+ for a nice one bedroom. I have a friend that was paying $869 in Dunwoody (which is not too far from here) for a one bedroom. You can get cheaper apartments in Alpharetta or Roswell (which is a neighboring city) but the nice ones are probably in that range. $125-$150K isnt going to get you a nice home in this town. I was looking before and for something that needs work but is liveable, you'll probably have to look in the $170K and up range (at the very least). You could go North to Cumming and get a little more for your money.
I PM'ed you some contact info if you have any more questions. If you fly down for a visit, let me know and we can run around town a little bit on a weekend.
HTH.
Wade
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