Heather, here's a <A href='http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/gacountymap.htm' target=_new>county map</A> of Georgia.
Atlanta is in Fulton County, in the north central part of the state. The immediate surrounding counties like Gwinnett, Cobb, DeKalb, Clayton, Henry, etc., are all fairly crowded suburban counties. The next ring of counites, like Forsyth and Hall, are suburban transitioning to more rural.
Depending on your husband's shift at APD, commuting might be an issue. The counties south of Atlanta are a bit less crowded. Cobb, north Fulton, and Gwinnett are pretty busy.
Rush hour around here lasts from about 6:30 am to 9:30am and starts up again around 3:30 pm. Many folks have moved to GA in the last couple of decades, and the suburbs of Atlanta have been the destination of choice.
Is your husband committed to APD? Most of the surrounding county PDs are in desperate need of new officers. I live in Gwinnett County. My brother-in-law graduated from the Gwinnett police academy a little over a year ago. They can't graduate people fast enough to keep up with the growth. The pay is probably lower than APD, benefits are good, the department has a better reputation than APD, and the commuting issues go away.
You'll find housing prices are lower than most northeastern urban/suburban areas.
I moved to Georgia from the Boston area 14 years ago. I could probably make do anywhere, but I love it here. Southerners tend to be friendly and polite. It's become a bit of a melting pot, but is still a bit "kinder and gentler" than the northeast.
The schools have a bad rap from national testing scores, but many of the Atlanta suburban school systems are quite good. The Georgia lottery proceeds, by constitutional amendment, must be spent on scholarships and pre-K programs. Because of that ,college for many kids in Georgia has become very accessible.
Good luck with this. It was a wonderful, life-changing move for us. I hope it is for your family, too.
