1. No One Says “Hotlanta”
Despite this word’s constant presence in popular media, “Hotlanta” is really reserved for new residents and tourists and not for people living in Atlanta. Once you’ve spent a decent amount of time in this city, you should really stop saying it all together to avoid embarrassment.
2. Even A Rumor Of Snow Shuts This City Down
Thanks to an infrastructure that’s not built to handle winter storms, a little snow on the ground in Atlanta tends to cause some major traffic problems. Even just the report of flurries will have people calling off sick and grocery stores shelves getting emptied. In all honesty, unless you want to spend half your day commuting, staying home can definitely be worth it.
3. Everyone Is A Dog Person In This City
Come college football season, the entire state of Georgia seems to stand still for several hours every single week. A ton of residents here will be backing the ever-popular Georgia Bulldogs, especially if they’ve moved to the city from somewhere else in the state.
4. And Yellow Jackets Are The Good Guys
The college sports team, not the stinging insects. Another hugely popular college team in Atlanta is the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. If you see someone in the A sporting white and gold on game day, that’s probably who they’re cheering for.
5. Spaghetti Junction Is Not A Delicious Restaurant
While its common name makes the Tom Moreland Interchange sound like an awesome place to get food, it’s actually a massive tangle of roads forming connections between I-85 and I-285. It’s very confusing and notorious for its crazy traffic, though it does look pretty neat.
6. There’s No Beating This Heat
If you’re in Atlanta during the summer, you’ll be sweating. It’s best if you just accept your fate and stop trying to fight it. A side effect of being in a place that’s always so warm, pit stains are no reason to judge around here.
7. Be Sure To Know The Area Codes
With three different area codes used in Atlanta, it’s important to know and recognize all three. Keep in mind that when most people give you a number, they’ll probably just write out the first digit of the area code and then the actual number as a means of saving .1 seconds.
8. Every Soft Drink Is “Coke”
There tends to be a debate around the country when it comes to what people call their soft drinks. Some say “pop”, some say “soda”, and some say “coke.” In Atlanta this isn’t something you need to worry about, it’s always “coke” thanks to heavy historical presence of the Coca-Cola brand in the local area.
9. You’d Be Brave To Ignore The Braves
The Braves might not be the best team in baseball, but that doesn’t mean this city loves them any less. Be careful about talking trash when it comes to this home team. Instead, go have an awesome time at one of their games. Tickets are usually pretty cheap.
10. Expect Some Serious Southern Hospitality
This shouldn’t be too shocking, you are in the South. Even though it’s a big city, expect people from Atlanta to keep their manners in check. “Sir’s” and “Ma’am’s” tend to get thrown around quite a bit.
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11. Your Real Neighbors Aren’t The Ones You Live Next To
While it’s important to know where you need to go in the event of an emergency, it’s also important to know where the local hospitals are here for a completely different reason. Instead of using a high school or suburb to describe where they’re from, folks from Atlanta tend to mention the hospital they were born at instead. Grady and Northside are two of the more common ones, but you’ll need to be familiar with them all.
12. Zombies Are Everywhere
Okay, not really. But if you’re familiar with the popular AMC television show Walking Dead, you’ll recognize scenes all around this city from the series. If you’re wondering why everything looks so familiar, that’s probably it!
13. You’ll Have To Look Hard To Find A Native Atlantan
Like you might expect in any Georgia city, the Southern accent tends to be prevalent in Atlanta. However, it’s not the only accent that you’ll hear. Atlanta tends to be a melting pot of people coming from all over the country thanks to the presence of several huge worldwide companies. There’s actually a seemingly slim chance that someone you’re talking to was actually born in Atlanta.
14. “Unsweetened” And “Tea” Are Two Words That Don’t Mix
Following suit with the rest of the South, the people in Atlanta love their tea ice cold, sweet, and served with a slice of lemon. They tend to refuse to have it any other way.
15. Peaches Really Are That Big Of A Deal
It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that the word “peach” tends to be very prevalent everywhere in Atlanta…Georgia is known all around the world for this fruit, after all. Tons of organizations, streets, restaurants, and stores all take advantage of the regional connection to this word, inconveniently giving them all similar names. Just try not to get two peachy places confused, especially when it comes to multiple “peachtree” roads you’ll run into.
16. Waffle House Has A Secret Language
A staple amongst the cheap and easy breakfast places of the South, Atlantans love everything about Waffle House. Of course, over time they’ve developed their own way of ordering their favorite dish, the hash browns. “Scattered” means spread on the grill. “Smothered” means there’s onions in it. “Covered” means there’s cheese. “Chunked” means there’s diced ham…the list goes on, but you get the picture.
17. Geeks Flock Here Once A Year
Dragon Con is an awesome event in Atlanta during the late summer that tends to attract thousands of costumed fanboys and fangirls to the streets of the city. You’ll see everything from your favorite Star Wars characters to poor superhero imitations to very convincing takes on the living dead. It’s worth going to just to check out the crazy costumes.
18. Learning Those Suburbs Might Take A While
Atlanta has a huge sprawl, meaning tons of people that say they’re “from Atlanta” when they actually live in the suburbs. With dozens of different communities all around the city, it can take quite a bit of time before you really know your way around.
19. But Everyone Knows If They’re OTP Or ITP
Forming a ring around Atlanta, I-285 is used as a border that marks what’s in the city and what’s outside of the city for locals. You’ll hear the term OTP float around quite a bit. This basically just means that something is outside of the city or “outside-the-perimeter.”
20. It’s Safe To Eat Food From The Back Of A Truck (Sometimes)
In recent years, the number of food trucks in Atlanta have been growing rapidly. There’s even a food truck court where you can choose from a number of options. When it comes to this style of restaurants, if there’s a long line forming by the window, it probably means it’s worth waiting for.
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21. These Folks Are Obsessed With Birds
…not the type of birds that actually fly. Two other professional sports teams in the area are the Atlanta Hawks and the Atlanta Falcons, both very competitive in their respective sports. If you want a truly explosive sports experience, cheering from stands at one of these home games will always deliver a great time.
22. Hope You Love To Party
Blame it on the warm weather, but Atlanta seems to constantly be hosting a festival of some sort. They range from neighborhood fests, like the Kirkwood Spring Fling, to ethnic festivals, like the National Black Arts Festival, and everything in between.
23. Who Needs Cannes When You’ve Got The AFF
Starting in 1976, the Atlanta Film Festival has really taken off in recent years. Featuring an international selection of independent films in genre like horror and sci-fi, a trip here is definitely a cool way to spice up your free time come the month of April.
24. Centennial Park Is One Touristy Spot Worth Checking Out
More times than not, tourist attractions aren’t worth the hassle. That’s not the case when it comes to Atlanta’s Centennial Park. In the vicinity of the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, and the CNN Center, there are plenty of attractions here worth checking out at least once.
25. Music Lovers Rejoice
One Atlanta festival that tends to top the rest, the Music Midtown fest held in Piedmont Park brings huge artists to the Atlanta area on an annual basis. Past acts include people like the Foo Fighters, Weezer, and Coldplay.
26. Don’t Forget To Leave The City Once In A While
Atlanta is so deep in the heart of the beautiful South that its most common nickname used to be “the city in a forest.” While the city is much larger now and there are less trees, there’s still plenty of nature to explore within driving distance in the surrounding area. Stone Mountain is a great place to start, as it gives you a good workout and a great view of the skyline.
27. Piedmont Park Is The Park Of The Locals
Home to tons of festivals, markets, and active residents, there’s always something going on at Piedmont Park. It’s a great place to go whether you want to relax or you’re looking to liven up your day.
28. Avoid Driving On Certain Roads Like The Plague
Several places are notable for horrible traffic in Atlanta, though making a list of every single place you should avoid could probably put you to sleep. It’s best to avoid driving at rush hour altogether if possible, but if you have to be on the road, at least go out of your way to dodge the Connector downtown where I-85 and I-75 meet.
29. Southerners Don’t Stop At The Moonshine
A recent shift in consumer taste has resulted in tons of craft breweries popping up all around town. They’re all pretty delicious, but a few of the most popular ones include Wrecking Bar Brewpub, Orpheus, and SweetWater Brewing Company.
30. MARTA Trash Talk Will Win Over Anyone Living in Atlanta
If there’s one thing most Atlanta residents can agree on, it’s that their public transportation is a bit…lacking. Outdated and often inconvenient, bashing the MARTA is basically a pastime around here. It’s sure to make you a few new friends.
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