One change has been hard to miss over the past two years: more and more people working in AI and tech in the Bay Area and Seattle are moving to Atlanta.
The pace of life
Live here a while and you start to understand why. In the afternoons people are out riding bikes and playing tennis. On weekends they get coffee at Avalon, walk the farmers market, or spend the day by the river or in a park.
A good life does not have to mean squeezing yourself into a more expensive, more competitive place. It can mean still having energy left when you get home.
And now that so many well-paid jobs are no longer tied to an office, more people are choosing their city again. North Atlanta sits right between opportunity and comfort: you have not stepped away from where the world is going, you are just not as tired.
The moment on a home tour
Not long ago I toured homes with a mother who had moved from California. She had seen a lot of houses. Some were big but stuck in a 20-year-old style; others were renovated but the neighborhood never felt right.
As we drove into one community, the first thing she said was: "So many trees." Almost everyone from California says that. Atlanta is so green that in summer whole streets are shaded.
In the backyard there was a newly built heated pool and a covered patio. She stood there for a long time and then said: "Honestly, the size of the house doesn't matter anymore. I just want somewhere that feels comfortable to come home to."
She was also unsure whether now was the right time to buy. I did not push; no one else can make that decision for you. But as she walked back to the car she said: "If I keep waiting, I probably won't feel any more certain."
If you are thinking about moving
When people finally decide, it is rarely the market, the rates or the data. It is an ordinary moment: standing in a backyard and suddenly seeing your life there.
If you are considering a move from California, Seattle or New York, I can first walk you through neighborhoods and homes over video, so that when you fly in you only see the few that fit.
