Boston vs. Atlanta

Have an opportunity to move to one of these once offices reopen from rona - company has need and I’m being given the choice. Looking for some pros/cons of each as well as which would be more beneficial for someone early in their career both professionally and in a social aspect.

 

Some questions, is comp same at both locations? What is the role, and where is the exact team you’d be working for based out of?

Atlanta’s cost of living is much cheaper and if you’re in lending or acquisitions (that isn’t localized) then Atlanta could save you more money. Atlanta is a hot market too so if your role is tied to the market it could be beneficial.

Boston is where I’m at, it’s a strong market as well. In my opinion especially if you’re in investment sales and your playing the long game. Real estate here has done very well even through covid and the IS teams in the area aren’t overly institutional which I think could be beneficial in building a book of business long term.

Just my 2 cents

 
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Strictly from a career optionality perspective (COL can be more murky than people realize, but Boston is about as high COL you can find in the US).

Atlanta = Large, mega Southeast city, if you want want to focus in the SE, great city. Less real estate/finance HQ jobs/activity, but still a decent amount, and legit regional offices. 

Boston = Small/compact Northeast HQ/Hub city, tougher more competitive local RE market, but lots/tons more real estate/finance HQ jobs/activity. Plus, Boston is a key part of the 'Acela Corridor' and you will get tons more looks from NYC and DC based firms. 

So if you are looking for a HQ centric, high-level job long-term, Boston has way more going on and swapping between Boston and NYC happens all the time. The SE is the center of the growth in the US, Atlanta not the "hottest" any more as it is more built-out/mature, but still super strong. 

All depends what type of career you really want. 

 

Love Atlanta. Work in real estate development Atlanta but I have to agree with someone said above. There are not as many real estate and  finance opportunities here as Boston. Career wise I’d go with Boston for long term trajectory and growth. Many more shops to jump to if you desired.
 

Socially it’s a toss up. Yeah Atlanta has bars and brewery but doesn’t mean all them  operating given the environment. Yeah restrictions in NE are more stringent but when we get back to normal, many more cities a train ride away to play in.

 

Go to the off-topic forum and search for threads related to Boston and Atlanta. There are threads on both regarding what it’s like to move there.

But don’t use those threads as your only source of advice. Reach out to people in your network who moved there and ask them what it’s like (don’t ask locals who are from there bc your experience will be different).

 

Do you really want to live in a city who's team blew a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl! Boston all the way!

I'm kidding, kind of. As mentioned here it's going to be a matter of personal preference. Having spent time in both cities they are wildly different. Depending on where you grew up, what you're looking for down the road, what you like to do outside of work etc. both offer great cultures but one might not be a fit for everyone. Boston functions very much like a smaller big city and still has quite a bit of the ole boy network. Boston probably offers a better core of brainpower just given the ridiculous amount of higher learning universities that encompass the city. Atlanta is changing rapidly though and seems like the Sun Belt markets are causing the traditional notion of "you have to start in a sexy six metro" idea out the window. I know plenty of peers just crushing it in ATL, Charlotte, Florida, Nashville and the like. 

Go take some time and spend a weekend in each. Might be worth talking to some of the junior folks in each location to feel out the culture both within the company and city. 

 

For context I'm an NYC'er and native of new england and spent a lot of time in Boston growing up and a lot of time in Atlanta for and around work.

Boston is a city and Atlanta is a bunch of office towers surrounded by sprawl. If you're looking for a city experience Atlanta wont give that to you. That being said I think Atlanta, as a whole, has just as much to offer economically and culturally while having much more purchasing power. But it comes at an expense; nothing is close in Atlanta. Bring traffic into effect and its an odyssey to go anywhere at almost any time in Altanta. Atlanta has almost everything but its all so shitty to get to. I have no idea what it would be like to live in Atlanta but I imagine it would be difficult to make use of everything it provides.

 

SHBI have no idea what it would be like to live in Atlanta but I imagine it would be difficult to make use of everything it provides.

Honestly, you figure out where you like to hang out in Atlanta - be it Buckhead, Midtown, Inman Park, Decatur, etc. - and you try to live as close to there and where you work as you can. The only time traffic factors in my life is when I'm going to a job site on a completely different part of town or I'm trying a new restaurant in a new area. 

The Atlanta sprawl is definitely real, but it's better to think of urban Atlanta neighborhoods as little mini-cities. 

 

That’s is a good way to think about. As long as you in in city. It’s breeze to get around and walk most place. I live on the Beltine in Old Fourth and live 5 mins from my office downtown. Can take weeks for me to fill up my car with gas, unless I’m visiting family outside the perimeter or going to the mountains on the weekends.

 

In my opinion it comes down to personal preference.  Both cities have tons of professional opportunities.  We don't know what kind of firm you're with, but don't discount the opportunities in Atlanta.  It's a regional money center, so it has a big influence on CRE activities.

Both cities are fun to be young in and offer a lot of social interaction.  I've lived in Boston and spent time in Atlanta.  A lot of this is going to come down to what your background is.  Some of the biggest differences are cost of living, weather, and feel..compact vs spreadout.  One consideration may be what region you see yourself living in long term.

Bottom line though, both are great cities with plenty of social and professional opportunity and you can't  go wrong.

 

 

Dealt with both cities a fair amount. I don't think Atlanta is getting the credit it deserves. The ATL of now is vastly different from 20 years ago. A couple things to note, you have access to the most accessible airport in the country. There is a growing development of mixed use areas, Atlantic Station, Battery, Ponce, etc. Lots of cool things happening and feel like theres a brewery opening every month (pre-covid). Every type of restaurant you can imagine as well. My only complaint about the city is that I have never seen such reckless driving. I am talking people going 90 MPH down I-85. Most insane drivers I have seen yet.

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