[ElDiabloJoe]

Originally Posted by Aces4

Impoverished? I'll bet Dalton is surprised to hear that. All the years we've stayed there we never had any issue with poverty, hmmm. But then again, it depends on one's sense of pretentiousness.

Is Dalton, GA a good place to live?
Living in Dalton offers residents a dense suburban feel and most residents own their homes. Many families live in Dalton and residents tend to have moderate political views. The public schools in Dalton are above average.

What is special about Dalton, GA?
Dalton | Explore Georgia
Dalton's charming downtown, with numerous unique shopping and dining choices, is great for an afternoon of shopping and dinner. Dalton's attractions include: Festivals, Fine Arts, Civil War history, and Prater's Mill Country Fair.

Yeah, Dalton sounds like a real dive...

Dalton also has one of the very largest Mexican-American populations in the entire southeast. So, if you're looking for a quinceñera dress or some authentic pan dulce, this is your place to stop.

As for ATL, I spent my entire adult life driving the freeways of Los Angeles - often considered the worst in the country if not the world. Arguably. I bet the folks in Rome might disagree.

I would put Atlanta's at much worse than L.A.'s.

Much of that is due to the poor driving. Too many knuckleheads swerving from the inside lane to the exit ramp after they're already almost past it, and all the pole-positioning that goes on as people shoot in and out of lanes cause a lot of accidents. That of course, causes a lot of traffic. And stress. And injuries. And damage. Yeah, ATL blows.

[Aces4]

Originally Posted by ElDiabloJoe

Dalton also has one of the very largest Mexican-American populations in the entire southeast. So, if you're looking for a quinceñera dress or some authentic pan dulce, this is your place to stop.

As for ATL, I spent my entire adult life driving the freeways of Los Angeles - often considered the worst in the country if not the world. Arguably. I bet the folks in Rome might disagree.

I would put Atlanta's at much worse than L.A.'s.

Much of that is due to the poor driving. Too many knuckleheads swerving from the inside lane to the exit ramp after they're already almost past it, and all the pole-positioning that goes on as people shoot in and out of lanes cause a lot of accidents. That of course, causes a lot of traffic. And stress. And injuries. And damage. Yeah, ATL blows.

I was hoping that post suggesting Dalton was impoverished wasn't because of racism. People may have to begin to avoid the impoverished Villages area because so many Latinos work here and live in the area.

BTW, Dalton GA produces 75% of the worlds carpets.

[ElDiabloJoe]

Originally Posted by Aces4

...

BTW, Dalton GA produces 75% of the worlds carpets.

Flooring in general. Tons of Shaw and Mohawk flooring factory facilities in/around Dalton.

[Dave951]

We have made the trip from Northern Illinois several times. It takes about 18 hours. We have found the best day to drive is Saturday. If we leave at 6:00 Am we hit Atlanta between 7:00 and 8:00 PM we have had good luck at that time.

[Bilyclub]

It’s not just Atlanta anymore. Chattanooga has gotten worse too. The thing about Atlanta is nobody follows the HOV lane rules and the express lanes don’t cover Atlanta proper. We take 65 South, with a stop in Athens Alabama and down thru Dothan.

[AMB444]

We drove Minneapolis .... Mt Pleasant Iowa

Mt Plesant Iowa ... Paducah Kentucky

Paducah Kentucky .... Kennesaw GA

It all sucked. Good luck.

But it was to escape from MN so it was worth it.

[star20166@yahoo.com]

use by-passes to get thru ATL. Or drive it in the wee hours. I drove that route for years. I became bored driving that route and tried I-65 through Alabama. New sights and diversions. Northern AL is nice and very Space oriented. I would be gassed up, etc. and drive through the bigger cities express.

[ChrisTinaBruce]

Originally Posted by kschwi

Any suggestions? Are there any roads closed due to the hurricane?

Atlanta Traffic Suggestions. I was raised in Gwinnett County (NE suburbs up I-85 Atlanta) learned to drive in mid 1980’s. Moved to Dallas. TX mid 1990’s & San Diego in 2011. As my family still Atlanta I return once or twice every year. Outside LA Atlanta has most traffic.

My mom moved to The Villages in 2020 and I drive her back to Atlanta about 4 times a year. It’s 420 miles her house to my sisters (Gwinnett County) and depending on timing for Ocala, FL & McDonough, GA takes almost 7 hours.

The key is use 285 around Atlanta (East for I-85 & West for I-75) only go through downtown before 6 am or after 9 pm. Regardless of Atlanta traffic once you’re South of 285 on 75 McDonough can get you. Henry county has been expanding exponentially for a decade and there’s no way to avoid that choke point except for timing to be able to use HOV.

[darkim]

If you’re up for it … we always travel through Atlanta between midnight and 4am. Never fails … clear roads, happy people, totally worth it. Even Buc-ees is empty 🤙

[Gvdvn]

Go over past Tallahassee and north thru Doltham to Montgomery. Takes about 45 minutes longer but minimal traffic. We use that some for St Louis.

[AMB444]

Originally Posted by Bilyclub

It’s not just Atlanta anymore. Chattanooga has gotten worse too. The thing about Atlanta is nobody follows the HOV lane rules and the express lanes don’t cover Atlanta proper. We take 65 South, with a stop in Athens Alabama and down thru Dothan.

Chattanooga was the worst. Then Nashville. Then Atlanta. Via main highway not according to people that live there or businesses.

[Bonchris]

I only drive thru Atlanta on Sundays.

[cndlou3]

Originally Posted by kschwi

We had terrible luck heading north from the Villages on April 6th. We left at 6:30 am and didn't get through Atlanta until around 4pm. It must have taken close to 5 hours to get through that metropolitan area.

Therefore, we are trying to decide when would be the most desirable time to drive through Atlanta and where would be a safe place to stop if we need a bathroom break.

One option would be to avoid Atlanta altogether. My son flew down last March to visit and rented a car and drove through Alabama instead. Google maps says that is out of the way and will add an hour to our trip although it assumes Atlanta is not a mess. However, I wouldn't think Alabama has the potential for major traffic delays that are possible in Atlanta.

Last year on our way down to the Villages, we lucked out. We made it to the Atlanta are around 5:30 on Dec 31st and stayed in a hotel in McDonough GA and then left early on New Year's Day. We could do something similar this year but we might have a different experience since it won't be Sunday Dec 31st.

Any suggestions? Are there any roads closed due to the hurricane?

We come from Illinois coming down also, we leave home at about 3 AM and go through the center of Atlanta, we have tried the bypass in the past and honestly feel it was worse. Last year we tried something different and came through Alabama. Yes it did add more time but if your sitting in traffic in Atlanta for hours it kind of equaled out. The worst part was the 2 lanes instead of interstate. But was nice seeing different scenery. Been making this trip for 10 years now and it just stinks, but worth it once we get to the house and get some rest.

[GoneFishing]

Originally Posted by Pugchief

There was another, similar thread about 2 weeks ago. Google maps and Waze will almost always route you thru Indianapolis, Chattanooga and Atlanta, as this is the shortest distance. However, if you take 57 to 24 to 65 and then US 231 from Montgomery, thru Dothan and then pick up 10 in the panhandle, you will avoid the insane traffic that the shorter route entails. Yes, it is more miles and maybe more time (debatable), but you will swear less for sure. YMMV, literally.

We used to always go thru Atlanta from Illinois. We tried the route thru Birmingham and Dothan and won’t go the other way now. Less stress and time wise ended up being virtually the same.

[jimmy o]

Originally Posted by kschwi

We had terrible luck heading north from the Villages on April 6th. We left at 6:30 am and didn't get through Atlanta until around 4pm. It must have taken close to 5 hours to get through that metropolitan area.

Therefore, we are trying to decide when would be the most desirable time to drive through Atlanta and where would be a safe place to stop if we need a bathroom break.

One option would be to avoid Atlanta altogether. My son flew down last March to visit and rented a car and drove through Alabama instead. Google maps says that is out of the way and will add an hour to our trip although it assumes Atlanta is not a mess. However, I wouldn't think Alabama has the potential for major traffic delays that are possible in Atlanta.

Last year on our way down to the Villages, we lucked out. We made it to the Atlanta are around 5:30 on Dec 31st and stayed in a hotel in McDonough GA and then left early on New Year's Day. We could do something similar this year but we might have a different experience since it won't be Sunday Dec 31st.

Any suggestions? Are there any roads closed due to the hurricane?

It may not be Sunday but Dec 3i is New Years, and then new Years Day. Great day to get thru Atlanta at anytime of day. Otherwise use wee hours of morning or weekends. Also another halfway decent time to drive thru Atlanta believe it or not is between 10 am and 1:30 pm.