Airbnb will build a new tech hub in Atlanta

First Microsoft and not Airbnb.

As if our traffic didn't qualify us as the LA of the East.

Seriously though, metropolitan Atlanta is a great area to live with three major interstates going through the city and a very well developer surrounding area. With many businesses adopting more lenient WFH policies the drive is not always a concern. Schools are generally a good mix of public and private as with any area.

https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2021/02/11/investing-to-gro...

The traffic is really fucking bad, to be honest - I've been considering moving back to metro Atlanta post-pandemic (grew up in Gwinnett County, currently up in NYC, still go back to visit 2x a year) and it's the biggest concern I have with taking a local job. It's definitely as bad as LA or Houston (and the pure sprawl seems to match the latter). I'd probably try to rely on MARTA and that's tricky to do even if you want to.

My sister now lives in Decatur and I've been looking at some of the apartments near the MARTA stations there, and they're unfortunately mostly exclusively new luxury buildings (which I am very lucky to be able to afford on my current salary, but maybe not at a local job, or an adjusted-for-relocation remote one).

Frustrating how there's so little walkable development around the MARTA stations other than Decatur's, and what there is is so expensive. Of course, I could deal with a five minute park and ride, but it's kinda the principle of the thing.

The sprawl of most of the Sunbelt cities (Atlanta, Houston, Phoenix) seems absolutely unlivable to me. A tiny historic core just engulfed by tens of miles of car dependent tract housing and strip malls, all strung together by 8 lane highways is a nightmare to me. You must have to live in your car to get anywhere interesting.

Obviously that doesn't stop people from moving there but I am always shocked more walk-able dense development hasn't taken root.

You've just described Silicon Valley outside of San Francisco proper.