Advantages & Disadvantages of Retiring in Atlanta

You think about retiring in Atlanta but want to get additional information about senior life, public transport, medical infrastructure, safety, living costs, housing situation and much more before making your final decision in this regard?

Great! This article is exactly for you since I will show you the pros and cons of retiring in Atlanta in the following chapters.

Retire in Atlanta – Overview

Reasons to Retire in Atlanta

1. Retirees in Atlanta can enjoy real seasons
2. You can spend lots of time in nature
3. You can stay fit in the Atlanta region
4. Decent supply of material goods in Atlanta
5. Decent restaurants and bars in Atlanta
6. Pensioners in Atlanta can socialize in senior centers
7. Atlanta will be an important city to retire for many decades
8. Easy to get to Atlanta
9. Decent internet connection in Atlanta
10. Decent doctors and hospitals in the Atlanta region
11. Atlanta is not the most crowded city
12. Relatively easy to get around by car in the Atlanta region
13. Many recreational spaces in Atlanta
14. Lots of entertainment in Atlanta
15. Easy to socialize in Atlanta

Retirees in Atlanta can enjoy real seasons

One advantage of retiring in Atlanta is that you can enjoy real seasons in this region.

While you can enjoy sunny summers, you can also experience real winters and may also see snow from time to time which allows you to do winter sports or other nice things and you may therefore have a more interesting senior life compared to people who retire in El Paso or other warmer regions.

You can spend lots of time in nature

Since you can go fishing, hiking and do many other things in nature, you can spend lots of time outdoors in the Atlanta region and can get lots of fresh air which may keep you healthy in the long run.

You can stay fit in the Atlanta region

Since you can spend so much time outdoors, you will also get lots of exercise and this may help you stay fit and vital while people who don’t spend as much time outdoor may get into worse physical and mental condition much sooner.

Decent supply of material goods in Atlanta

You also don’t have to worry about running out of important material goods in the Atlanta region since public infrastructure is pretty decent and you will therefore find everything you need as a retiree in Atlanta to live a happy and comfortable life, at least from a materialistic point of view.

Decent restaurants and bars in Atlanta

Another upside to retiring in Atlanta is that you will also find many good bars and restaurants where you can hang out with other like-minded people and can also enjoy delicious meals which can make your senior life in Atlanta much better.

Pensioners in Atlanta can socialize in senior centers

You will also have decent senior centers where you can meet up with other pensioners and can make plans for the future and can also share useful tips and tricks on how to make senior life in this region better in general.

Atlanta will be an important city to retire for many decades

Since Atlanta is the biggest city in Georgia, it will be an important place to work, live and retire for many decades and you therefore don’t have to worry about public infrastructure becoming worse anytime soon.

Easy to get to Atlanta

Since Atlanta has a big international airport, it is also pretty easy to get to this place and this can be great during times when you may no longer be able to travel long distances due to health conditions since your loved ones will still be able to visit you in a rather efficient manner.

Decent internet connection in Atlanta

Since you will have a decent internet connection, you can also stay in touch with your family and friends via social media or by doing video calls and you can also get the latest news in real-time so you will always know what’s going on in the world and can stay up-to-date with latest developments.

Decent doctors and hospitals in the Atlanta region

Another benefit of retiring in Atlanta is that you can be sure to find pretty good medical treatment in case you get sick and need an expert to treat and cure your health condition.

Atlanta is not the most crowded city

Since Atlanta is not the most crowded or hectic city, people in Atlanta also usually take more time to help you out on various occasions of daily life and are not as career-focused and busy as in many other bigger metropolitan regions so it will be easier for you to socialize as a retiree in Atlanta.

Relatively easy to get around by car in the Atlanta region

Since Atlanta is not the most crowded city, it is also pretty easy to get around in the Atlanta region by car without getting stuck in traffic jams and you will therefore not lose as much time in traffic as retirees in Los Angeles or other more crowded cities where traffic is a much bigger problem.

Many recreational spaces in Atlanta

There are also many parks and other recreational spaces where you can sit down and enjoy the quiet and peaceful atmosphere as a pensioner in Atlanta without being distracted by loud noises or other unpleasant things.

Lots of entertainment in Atlanta

Retirees in Atlanta can also watch many sports games, go to the opera, visit museums and do many other nice things and chances are that you will never run out of ideas in this regard and will always have something to do in the Atlanta region.

Easy to socialize in Atlanta

Since there are many nice bars, senior centers and other locations where you can meet up with like-minded people of your age, people retiring in Atlanta also have a pretty easy time making new social connections and friends and will therefore likely not feel lonely for an extensive period of time.

Now that you know the reasons for retiring in Atlanta, we also have to talk about the drawbacks of retiring in Atlanta so you will be better able to decide whether you still want to retire in Atlanta or rather want to move to a different place instead.

Disadvantages of Retiring in Atlanta

1. Rents are too high for many retirees in Atlanta
2. Hard to find a decent place to stay within a reasonable timeframe
3. Housing shortage in Atlanta may become even worse
4. Atlanta is a rather landlord-friendly city
5. High overall financial pressure for pensioners in Atlanta
6. You need a really good pension to afford nice things in this region
7. Pretty poor air quality in Atlanta
8. Increasing level of inequality in the Atlanta region
9. Social problems are about to get worse
10. Many people who retire in Atlanta complain about poor public transport
11. Atlanta is not a very bicycle-friendly city
12. You may need a car to get around
13. You may end up in a rather dodgy neighborhood in Atlanta
14. Atlanta is not located at the coast
15. Cold winters may get annoying for many retirees in Atlanta
16. Atlanta may be overrated

Rents are too high for many retirees in Atlanta

One problem with retiring in Atlanta is that rents are pretty high in this region and many retirees in Atlanta become increasingly desperate since they no longer know how to pay rent in a reliable manner and therefore have to fear getting evicted sooner or later.

Hard to find a decent place to stay within a reasonable timeframe

Since demand for housing is huge in the Atlanta region, it will also be pretty hard for many pensioners in Atlanta to find a decent and affordable place to stay while retirees in Detroit or other less popular regions often have a much easier time in this regard.

Housing shortage in Atlanta may become even worse

Since Atlanta becomes increasingly popular all over the US and even the world, an increasing number of people plan to move to this region and the more people Atlanta has to accommodate, the bigger housing shortage will get and the housing problem may therefore become even worse in the long run.

Atlanta is a rather landlord-friendly city

You should also know that Atlanta is a rather landlord-friendly state where you will not have as many rights as a tenant as retirees in San Francisco or other more tenant-friendly regions.

High overall financial pressure for pensioners in Atlanta

Since living and housing costs are relatively high in the Atlanta region, many pensioners in Atlanta no longer know how to pay their bills and have to deal with high financial pressure and some of them even have to work at retirement age so they are still able to cover their expenses.

You need a really good pension to afford nice things in this region

If you want to have a really good time as a pensioner in Atlanta, you also need a pretty high pension.

Otherwise, you might just not be able to afford many nice things of daily life and may become increasingly frustrated in the long run.

Pretty poor air quality in Atlanta

Another downside to retiring in Atlanta is that air quality is not great and in case you already suffer from pulmonary problems, chances are that these problems may become worse in case you move to Atlanta or other regions with poor air quality.

Increasing level of inequality in the Atlanta region

Due to increasing rents and living costs, the gap between the poor and the rich is about to increase in the Atlanta region and you will be confronted with high levels of poverty and homelessness in the Atlanta region which is not a nice picture at all and may also lower overall quality of life.

Social problems are about to get worse

Due to an increasing level of poverty, crime rates may increase even further and also many other social problems may get worse in the Atlanta region and many retirees therefore no longer want to live in this region but rather consider moving to Virginia Beach or other safer places instead.

Many people who retire in Atlanta complain about poor public transport

Another disadvantage of retiring in Atlanta is that public transport is not great in this region and you may therefore be less mobile as a retiree in Atlanta compared to people who retire in NYC or other places where public transport systems are much more sophisticated.

Atlanta is not a very bicycle-friendly city

You should also keep in mind that Atlanta is also not the most bicycle-friendly city and you will therefore have a rather hard time getting around by bike and may have to rely on other transportation alternatives instead.

You may need a car to get around

Due to rather poor public transport and limited bicycling infrastructure, you may urgently need a car in the Atlanta region to get around in an efficient manner and this may not only be quite costly but may also lead to serious problems once you get older and may no longer be able to drive a car in a safe manner anymore.

You may end up in a rather dodgy neighborhood in Atlanta

You should also know that there are many rather dodgy districts in and around Atlanta and if you are not careful, you may end up in a place where you may just not feel safe and welcome at all.

Atlanta is not located at the coast

Since Atlanta is not located at the coast, you will also not be able to relax at the beach or go for a swim on a regular basis as retirees in Seattle or other coastal cities are often able to do and your overall quality of life in Atlanta may therefore be much lower.

Cold winters may get annoying for many retirees in Atlanta

Retiring in Atlanta may also not be a great idea for you in case you can’t stand the cold at all since winters can be pretty cold and in such a case, you may be better off retiring in Austin or other warmer places.

Atlanta may be overrated

Atlanta may also be pretty overrated.

In fact, since rents and living costs are already pretty high, you would need lots of money to afford many nice things in this region and therefore may be other cities that provide a similar quality of life at a much lower price.

Top 10 Retiring in Atlanta Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Atlanta A Good Place To Retire?

While Atlanta can be a good place to retire since you can benefit from decent medical infrastructure, good senior centers and decent public infrastructure, you should also know that living and housing costs are about to increase and that Atlanta is also not the safest city.

Alternative Cities To Retire

If you don’t want to retire in Atlanta, you should also have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Mesa

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Tucson

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Kansas City

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/atlantacitygeorgia

Own research.

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.