How much should a college-educated legal secretary in Buckhead (Atlanta) make?

Why can't Atlanta be like NYC?

• I was recently visiting NYC on a business trip, and WOW what an awesome city! (1) great city to jog through (2) AWESOME public transportation (3) save for Harlem and some parts of the Bronx, really safe city (4) super great food (5) super awesome shopping (6) actors / actresses walking around!! yes if you're lucky! (7) WALL ST. (8) empire state building, statue of liberty, the being developed One World Trade Center, Brooklyn Bridge, Broadway Plays, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (9) endless lists. plus, the local population is not obese this is what i see in Atlanta (1) crappy public transportation. trains never run on time. (2) STATUTE OF LIBERTY = SYMBOL OF FREEDOM ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER = SYMBOL OF HOPE STONE MOUNTAIN = symbol of the confederacy, aka states' rights, aka to choose slavery over freedom (3) crime,crime, crime (4) tourists only visiting from surrounding poor states (Tennessee, South Carolina, Mississippi, and no, Florida isn't poor). you'll never get some famous russian oil billionaire, or a mob of $$ chinese people, or super hot Australians visiting Atlanta, but you will see all of those visiting NYC. (5) really tastes-like-sh*t and overpriced Indian, Chinese, Korean, and Italian* food. *sorry, but NYC's Little Italy is big stuff. (6) the only place you can buy "nice" clothes is in that buckhead mall, which is super expensive. NYC has like 10 buckhead department stores and a 100 discount stores. (7) yeah, Atlanta doesn't have a Wall St. - e.g. it doesn't have an NYSE stock market. (8) Atlanta = CNN only NYC = BBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, etc. etc. (9) NYC = broadway stars get their gigs Atlanta = people who didn't make it in NYC (10) endless lists. put it this way, FoodNetwork put up that hot dog place in Atlanta. i forget it's name, but it's so BAD, SO AWFUL, it doesn't even TASTE good and it's unhealthy. oh yeah, Atlanta's ONE major historical event?? 1996 olympics, yes, i give that to you Atlanta. and what happened to that event where everything was planned and secured?? BOMBING. NYC's historical events? hm....famous sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square after WWII ends?? now THAT is a city. so. why can't Atlanta be like NYC? Why are Atlantans so "proud" of their city? the highlands, the buckheads, the whatever hole they live in? haven't they been to NYC and seen how MUCH BETTER IT IS?!

• Answer:

  Aside from all of the other responses, NYC is MUCH larger. You complain about Atlanta not having much history (which is not exactly true). NYC has much more history, which is a part of the reason why it is so much larger. I loved visiting New York when I did. It is a great place. But it also has unsafe and trashy places to live, much like Atlanta. Not to mention you pay about four times as much to live in said trashy places. Atlanta is affordable, has plenty of nice, modern and urban areas to live. And buddy, if you think there is no crime in NYC, you are incredibly naive. Crimes and cities are like PB&J. CNN may be the only news network located in Atlanta, but I still get BBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, etc on my television.... I don't particularly care that their head quarters isn't in Atlanta. It doesn't effect me at all. I don't know where you get Chinese or Indian food in New York and Atlanta, but I had Chinese in NYC earlier this month and it tasted EXACTLY the same as the Chinese in the Kroger shopping center down the road from where I live. Also, I can list some amazing and cheap Chinese and Indian cuisines in Atlanta. You've just not done your research. Stone Mountain may have it's symbolism all backwards, but it's still a beautiful park with a wonderful and historic roots, dating back further than the states, to Native American history. It also has an awesome and scenic trails to hike, including up the mountain. I don't know if you've ever actually visited the mountain, but I've seen numerous foreign tourists there on many occasions. I don't know why you're on about seeing a mob of rich Chinese people. All the Chinese people in Chinatown kept asking me if I wanted to buy imitation designer purses. I thought it was pretty damn annoying. And trust me, you don't get THAT in Atlanta. I quite enjoy the city of Atlanta. There is plenty of entertainment and awesome urban atmospheres in the right neighborhoods. A lot of the pros about NYC have to do with it's sheer size, and ATL pales in comparison. There is no doubt. But this is a good thing to many people. Here are some pros about ATL that are cons about NYC. - It's not NEARLY as crowded. Ever. You can't even walk through Times Square in NYC without practically losing yourself in the commotion. - The transit systems may not be as reliable, but they are sure as hell A LOT easier to navigate. - Also, it's possible to actually drive your car within the city of Atlanta without losing your mind. Traffic is still bad, but nothing compared to NYC. - It's possible to ride a bike without nearly as much worry that you'll die in the process. - VERY affordable housing, as well as everything else being cheaper. - Property taxes don't cost more than your monthly rent/mortgage payment. Unlike NYC. - The parks in Atlanta were designed by the exact same guy that designed the parks in NYC, and our parks are just as nice. - Great community and family events all around town. - Lots of things to do in the city. Aquarium. World of Coke. Fernbank Museum of Natural History. Fernbank Science Center with the largest planetarium in the southeast and an observatory. Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Stone Mountain Park. Six Flags. Cirque du soleil. The High Museum of Art. The Symphony Orchestra. Yellow Daisy Festival. Renaissance Festival. I love how you say Atlanta has had ONE major historical event. The fact you could possess such a small number of brain cells to even type out those words and continue on to press the "submit" button is more than enough for me to discount everything you've said and every point you have made as null and void of any relevance what so ever. How about the major historical event that is MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. You bash Stone Mountain as a symbol of the Confederacy, yet fail to even mention the MLK memorial and historic site. MLK Jr. was a man who literally changed the country as it was known, and not many states can boast of having given birth to anyone of such stature and importance. NYC has its good point. NYC has its bad points. ATL has its good points. ATL has its bad points. It's pretty simple. If you like NYC so much more than ATL, feel free to go live there. I can't for the life of me figure out why you aren't. Perhaps you are one of the people that are in ATL because they couldn't make it in NYC. Idiot. I am in ATL because I like this city and I am no failure. There are many others who are the same way. I like New York, too. I could afford to live there if I wanted to, but I would rather live a nicer lifestyle in this city because its more affordable and I would be more comfortable. I like NYC, too. But I'd rather visit on occasion, thanks.