I live just OTP (outside the Perimeter) Ive lived here most of my life heres my thoughts
Pluses:
Cost of living and home ownership is low
modern infrastructure (Thanks General Sherman)
if you live in an affluent area the politics tend to be pretty Libertarian (Im talking Dunwoody/W. Paces Ferry areas)
convenient to the beach (as in the ocean)
culturally diverse with great eateries and entertainment.
convenient to mountains and low end snow sking
you can fly anywhere from atlanta and fuck you airlines(Delta) no longer has a monopoly
driving is easy if you avoid the rush hours.
Neal Boortz lives here...sometimes
LOTS of female talent, and they are hot.
Good private schools
Minuses:
ITP (Inside the perimeter) is predominatly black and city of atlanta is controlled and run by the crookedest bunch of politicians outside Washington DC or Chicago
MARTA ( our crime infested rapid transit system
crime is high in the city, particularly violent crime
city schools are about the worst in the country and state ones arent a lot better
blue laws are ubiquitous (no buying any kind of alchohol on sundays for example)
large gay population downtown....you might like that Brad
The radio stations here are the worst in the country I think
certain white flight areas (Gwinnett County, Cobb County) are ridiculously conservative (ban Harry Potter...yep we have a moron in Gwinnet trying to do that)
Ok thats all I can think of right now...If ya wanna build yer own house..let me know My little brother is a top rated (quality wise) contractor here...no poor insulation problems for example